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The Chronicles of Lumineia: The White Mage Saga #4
Impact of the Fallen
Empowered with the magic of luck, the Master has no equal. At her command the Dark has devoured half the globe. Entire nations have been erased, continents have vanished, and billions are dead. The desperate survivors have joined a worldwide evacuation to the Americas. Their hope died when the Oracle fell.
Yet they do not yield.
Inspired by the Oracle's defiance, mankind has chosen to fight. For them to triumph they require a weapon, one which now walks the Dark, forgotten and lost. Battling hordes of fiends, he seeks to escape the cloud. Instead he finds a young woman, one who has fallen from the sky. Both are believed to be dead, and when they return one thing is certain.
The whole of the Earth will feel the impact . . .
Yet they do not yield.
Inspired by the Oracle's defiance, mankind has chosen to fight. For them to triumph they require a weapon, one which now walks the Dark, forgotten and lost. Battling hordes of fiends, he seeks to escape the cloud. Instead he finds a young woman, one who has fallen from the sky. Both are believed to be dead, and when they return one thing is certain.
The whole of the Earth will feel the impact . . .
11 pages, Audible Audio
First published October 6, 2014
60 people are currently reading
193 people want to read
About the author
Ben Hale
50 books353 followersAs an avid snowboarder from Utah, Ben grew up with a passion for learning. This thirst for knowledge led him to sports, music, and academic endeavors. After a year of college, he did volunteer work in Brazil and became fluent in three languages. Graduating from the University of Central Florida, he started and ran several successful businesses before publishing his first novel in June of 2012. By the end of the year he'd sold almost ten thousand copies of The Second Draeken War, and he began writing full-time. Now spanning 10,000 years, ten titles, and two series, The Chronicles of Lumineia represents a sprawling YA series that has sold over fifty thousand copies, and continues to expand its readership across all ages. Each of his books has been inspired by his wonderful wife and five beautiful children.
To contact the author, discover more about Lumineia, or find out about upcoming novels, check out his website at Lumineia.com. You can also follow Ben on twitter @ BenHale8 or on Facebook.
To contact the author, discover more about Lumineia, or find out about upcoming novels, check out his website at Lumineia.com. You can also follow Ben on twitter @ BenHale8 or on Facebook.
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
December 22, 2018
While the story is good, there are far too many grammatical, and word-choice errors. Has the standard been lowered to where the reader is forced to guess as to the correct word?
The book is worth reading and can be quite compelling.
The book is worth reading and can be quite compelling.
October 12, 2025
- Tried to force myself to finish the series out of sunk cost fallacy. Even with my ocd, I couldn't justify buying the next one.
- This series is an attempt at modern Harry Potter, and it does not come into the same realm. I'm not being harsh. It's just so far beneath it in every single way.
- Almost every problem in the series is solved by the genius techie bff with a zillenial OCD screen addiction quirky personality.*
- Idk if I'd even recommend for young listeners.
Hale is clearly a dungeon master. Simple characters, simple plot, dialogue of varying quality, but some real talent for setting up and describing action scenes. I enjoyed his Luminaria series, with all its action, fantasy scenes, and DnD characters.
The plot and characters in this one? Not so much. Especially since I had just read Luminaria and was already sick of Hale's limited diction. The number of times the main character "cringed"... the number of times her lil boyfriend "gave his signature grin" 🤮 OMG, the number of times something was "cored". Such a weird obsession with that word.
Most of the characters are pretty one-dimensional, to go along with the unimaginative dialogue and word choice. The Scottish tech friend is the most obvious plot-device-in-human-form in history. [ ... ]* Pasting that at the top of the review.
The plot felt pretty all over the place. It's been maybe 6 months since I listened to it, and I had it on in the background, but I really don't remember much of the plot of this series. I do remember some of the action scenes, and some cool moments with magic, *some* out of the 4 😩 books I listened to.
- This series is an attempt at modern Harry Potter, and it does not come into the same realm. I'm not being harsh. It's just so far beneath it in every single way.
- Almost every problem in the series is solved by the genius techie bff with a zillenial OCD screen addiction quirky personality.*
- Idk if I'd even recommend for young listeners.
Hale is clearly a dungeon master. Simple characters, simple plot, dialogue of varying quality, but some real talent for setting up and describing action scenes. I enjoyed his Luminaria series, with all its action, fantasy scenes, and DnD characters.
The plot and characters in this one? Not so much. Especially since I had just read Luminaria and was already sick of Hale's limited diction. The number of times the main character "cringed"... the number of times her lil boyfriend "gave his signature grin" 🤮 OMG, the number of times something was "cored". Such a weird obsession with that word.
Most of the characters are pretty one-dimensional, to go along with the unimaginative dialogue and word choice. The Scottish tech friend is the most obvious plot-device-in-human-form in history. [ ... ]* Pasting that at the top of the review.
The plot felt pretty all over the place. It's been maybe 6 months since I listened to it, and I had it on in the background, but I really don't remember much of the plot of this series. I do remember some of the action scenes, and some cool moments with magic, *some* out of the 4 😩 books I listened to.
February 2, 2017
Even though entertaining and full of action, I found this to be the weakest of the series so far.
While reading some of the scenes, I could not stop but shake my head. A scene, that I could not shake off, was the assassination attempt on the president. It felt like the author did not know what to do, so he introduces a new character with super powers (army training). In general I kept wondering about the purpose of this scene for a long time and still don't understand how it progressed the story.
Some of the flashback timings were very questionable.
Other than that I enjoyed it. Can't wait to find out how it all ends.
While reading some of the scenes, I could not stop but shake my head. A scene, that I could not shake off, was the assassination attempt on the president. It felt like the author did not know what to do, so he introduces a new character with super powers (army training). In general I kept wondering about the purpose of this scene for a long time and still don't understand how it progressed the story.
Some of the flashback timings were very questionable.
Other than that I enjoyed it. Can't wait to find out how it all ends.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 2, 2017
Getting to be irresistible.
I have been annoyed with this series for its resemblance to Harry Potter..but in this book the resemblance ends and I am totally in. I have been barely able to put it down. It is very worth my persistence in reading and I am also glad that it is a wholesome read that I could share without embarrassment! I can't wait to finish this series!
I have been annoyed with this series for its resemblance to Harry Potter..but in this book the resemblance ends and I am totally in. I have been barely able to put it down. It is very worth my persistence in reading and I am also glad that it is a wholesome read that I could share without embarrassment! I can't wait to finish this series!
April 7, 2019
Captivating
I can't stop reading, I just want to see what happens next. So much has happened, but yet the dark remains.So many lost, because some one wanted power. Tess is still fighting,along with her friends, how will it end?
I can't stop reading, I just want to see what happens next. So much has happened, but yet the dark remains.So many lost, because some one wanted power. Tess is still fighting,along with her friends, how will it end?
February 8, 2016
The ever-entertaining White Mage saga continues in the penultimate entry which continues the story of Tess, the (last?) Oracle of Lumineia AKA modern-day Earth. Again, the premise is that mages have been living secretly after the last great mage-auren (normal folk) war, developing their own culture and society. All that has changed after the last few books as the veil of secrecy has been ripped away by the Oracle (Tess) and the Dark has launched an all-out assault on the world. The gate to the dimension the Dark inhabited has been opened and the Dark, in the form of a black cloud, has been covering the earth, turning any thing caught in it into the Twisted: new incarnations of the Dark Spawn that Lumineia fought during the Draeken Wars.
The end of the last book finished in a cliffhanger, and this book picks up shortly after that as it explores the ramifications of what we read. In this book there is a major shift towards auren-mage interaction. The situation world-wide is desperate as the cloud of Dark has engulfed much of the world, sparing only the Americas so far. In a mad rush to try and save as many as possible, more and more the mages are working with the military. Battle lines are drawn and the table is set for a "Seven Days"-like final battle in the last book of the series.
While this book still went by too fast for my tastes, I finally felt the series came into its own. Maybe because less time was spent inside the Mage School of Tryton, in the classes. This was the first book of the series that didn't invite serious comparisons to another book about a school of Wizardry. I also really enjoyed the mage-military interactions. The recognition of a fellow soldier by each side, the working together on missions was all a lot of fun to read and reminded me more of the cooperation of the groups in the original series covering the Second Draeken War.
My only quibble was with Robar's power which, it seemed to me, was very inconsistently portrayed. Kind of a small thing, but in the end, not that small.
Again, the book ended with quite the cliffhanger. I assume this answers a question that presented itself in the last book, but it will be interesting to read what happens in the next book. There still feels like a lot that needs to happen; specifically the items that were prophesied that they needed to find in order to have a chance. So far, I think they have exactly 1, unless Robar counts as the mystery item. Anyway, great as always, exciting, touching at times, and I can't wait for the final book.
The end of the last book finished in a cliffhanger, and this book picks up shortly after that as it explores the ramifications of what we read. In this book there is a major shift towards auren-mage interaction. The situation world-wide is desperate as the cloud of Dark has engulfed much of the world, sparing only the Americas so far. In a mad rush to try and save as many as possible, more and more the mages are working with the military. Battle lines are drawn and the table is set for a "Seven Days"-like final battle in the last book of the series.
While this book still went by too fast for my tastes, I finally felt the series came into its own. Maybe because less time was spent inside the Mage School of Tryton, in the classes. This was the first book of the series that didn't invite serious comparisons to another book about a school of Wizardry. I also really enjoyed the mage-military interactions. The recognition of a fellow soldier by each side, the working together on missions was all a lot of fun to read and reminded me more of the cooperation of the groups in the original series covering the Second Draeken War.
My only quibble was with Robar's power which, it seemed to me, was very inconsistently portrayed. Kind of a small thing, but in the end, not that small.
Again, the book ended with quite the cliffhanger. I assume this answers a question that presented itself in the last book, but it will be interesting to read what happens in the next book. There still feels like a lot that needs to happen; specifically the items that were prophesied that they needed to find in order to have a chance. So far, I think they have exactly 1, unless Robar counts as the mystery item. Anyway, great as always, exciting, touching at times, and I can't wait for the final book.
October 21, 2014
I am Sad and I and happy . Did not expect the ending to be this.
Although i dreaded this would happen after seeing the title but still cant believe it .
The book literally starts from where the last one finished. Tess falling into the dark.
Tess finds an ally int he the dark. ROBAR with a unique gift is immune to the dark/
Hawk meets the Dark elves and persuades them to find Tess in the dark(Dark elves are immune to the dark ).
One line of story continues with Tess and robar going to the Dark elves and meeting the Queen.
Fighting Black reaver and understanding the source of magic in a mage.
Tess is able to persuade dark elves to join the fight against dark.
Another line of story continues with people evacuating from various countries and taking refuge in US.
US getting ready for the fight with Dark entities. Lots of incidents here to keep everyone thrilled.
But the major story happens in Auroraq.
Derek and the students preparing for the fight and arrival of Tess.
The preparation is awesome and shows derek in new spirit (can be compared to Broan :))
Tess's parents making preparation to enter the mage city and fight.
One of the minor subplots involves the swordsman, it is pretty interesting and somehow feels like he could be the thief required to fight the dark. On the other hand robar could be that. anyone's guess.
Last 20% of the book is where most of the action happens and is pretty good it is.
Overall the book moves pretty fast, I like it . There are few who might say it is very fast, but i think it keeps lot of things open for the last book.
Specially the artifacts required by Tess to fight the Dark .
I guess the secret weapon is revealed in the epilogue, but i can be wrong :) (I don't want to)
BUT FOR the fallen in something which makes me Sad as i loved that character the most :(
A lovely BOOK and Awesome precursor to the finale :)
5/5 from me
Devil D
Although i dreaded this would happen after seeing the title but still cant believe it .
The book literally starts from where the last one finished. Tess falling into the dark.
Tess finds an ally int he the dark. ROBAR with a unique gift is immune to the dark/
Hawk meets the Dark elves and persuades them to find Tess in the dark(Dark elves are immune to the dark ).
One line of story continues with Tess and robar going to the Dark elves and meeting the Queen.
Fighting Black reaver and understanding the source of magic in a mage.
Tess is able to persuade dark elves to join the fight against dark.
Another line of story continues with people evacuating from various countries and taking refuge in US.
US getting ready for the fight with Dark entities. Lots of incidents here to keep everyone thrilled.
But the major story happens in Auroraq.
Derek and the students preparing for the fight and arrival of Tess.
The preparation is awesome and shows derek in new spirit (can be compared to Broan :))
Tess's parents making preparation to enter the mage city and fight.
One of the minor subplots involves the swordsman, it is pretty interesting and somehow feels like he could be the thief required to fight the dark. On the other hand robar could be that. anyone's guess.
Last 20% of the book is where most of the action happens and is pretty good it is.
Overall the book moves pretty fast, I like it . There are few who might say it is very fast, but i think it keeps lot of things open for the last book.
Specially the artifacts required by Tess to fight the Dark .
I guess the secret weapon is revealed in the epilogue, but i can be wrong :) (I don't want to)
BUT FOR the fallen in something which makes me Sad as i loved that character the most :(
A lovely BOOK and Awesome precursor to the finale :)
5/5 from me
Devil D
February 8, 2016
Description:
Empowered with the magic of luck, the Master has no equal. At her command the Dark has devoured half the globe. Entire nations have been erased, continents have vanished, and billions are dead. The desperate survivors have joined a worldwide evacuation to the Americas. Their hope died when the Oracle fell. Yet they do not yield.
Inspired by the Oracle's defiance, mankind has chosen to fight. For them to triumph they require a weapon, one which now walks the Dark, forgotten and lost. Battling hordes of fiends, he seeks to escape the cloud. Instead he finds a young woman, one who has fallen from the sky. Both are believed to be dead, and when they return one thing is certain.
The whole of the Earth will feel the impact . .
my review:
I really like Ben Hale's writing. He spins a wonder tale that is easy to fall into. Full thought out characters and plots.
Empowered with the magic of luck, the Master has no equal. At her command the Dark has devoured half the globe. Entire nations have been erased, continents have vanished, and billions are dead. The desperate survivors have joined a worldwide evacuation to the Americas. Their hope died when the Oracle fell. Yet they do not yield.
Inspired by the Oracle's defiance, mankind has chosen to fight. For them to triumph they require a weapon, one which now walks the Dark, forgotten and lost. Battling hordes of fiends, he seeks to escape the cloud. Instead he finds a young woman, one who has fallen from the sky. Both are believed to be dead, and when they return one thing is certain.
The whole of the Earth will feel the impact . .
my review:
I really like Ben Hale's writing. He spins a wonder tale that is easy to fall into. Full thought out characters and plots.
October 28, 2016
I really enjoyed the way the author has used the previous books to train us to keep up with a long, complicated battle. This would not have been possible without all of the chapters spent with the various pieces of the puzzle previously. I think I may enjoy the author's writing and the narrator more than the story itself, although the story is engaging. I never thought I would read AND enjoy what at first appeared to be a YA book about a teenage girl.
March 28, 2016
Characters expand and the battle twists cleverly
This installment in the series didn't slow down the journey at all. The characters grew in meaningful ways and the plot didn't slow down at all. The author seems to have come into his own during this series. I'm really looking forward to the final book in the series.
This installment in the series didn't slow down the journey at all. The characters grew in meaningful ways and the plot didn't slow down at all. The author seems to have come into his own during this series. I'm really looking forward to the final book in the series.
August 4, 2016
Not for me.
For some reason this group didn't grab me like the first ones. I don't know if it was the writing style (3 separate converging plot lines), the subject (people fighting against an overwhelming power) or if I'm just not the target demographic. If you liked the first books and want an end of the world story, you will probably like it.
For some reason this group didn't grab me like the first ones. I don't know if it was the writing style (3 separate converging plot lines), the subject (people fighting against an overwhelming power) or if I'm just not the target demographic. If you liked the first books and want an end of the world story, you will probably like it.
September 10, 2016
Another enjoyable read. Very sad at the loss of someone special. Already into book 5 and enjoying that as well. I usually listen via Audbile but this time I picked up the book on Kindle Unlimited as well (free trial). I am enjoying being able to seamlessly switch formats. In case anyone was wondering, the syncing between the devices works very well.
February 1, 2017
The Battle Begins
Once again, a really good book by Ben Hale. Fast paced and easy reading. It had a lot of twists that catches the reader by surprise. It is a series that holds your interest from one book to the next. Ending has a connecting surprise. Enjoy reading, I did!
Once again, a really good book by Ben Hale. Fast paced and easy reading. It had a lot of twists that catches the reader by surprise. It is a series that holds your interest from one book to the next. Ending has a connecting surprise. Enjoy reading, I did!
March 16, 2025
I would have given it a higher rating. I listened to this book as an audiobook and I did not like the swordsman chapters because I got really annoyed with hearing “the swordsman” over and over and over and over again. Other than that, it was an enjoyable read/listen.
December 5, 2014
Speechless
As I follow this series, it just keeps getting better and better. Now I'm left anxiously awaiting the next installment!
As I follow this series, it just keeps getting better and better. Now I'm left anxiously awaiting the next installment!
April 7, 2015
Strength to strength
Hale continues to develop his world and characters drawing you in all the while. An enjoyable addition to the series that makes me want to read more and more.
Hale continues to develop his world and characters drawing you in all the while. An enjoyable addition to the series that makes me want to read more and more.
August 6, 2016
This series just gets better the further it gets.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews