Alaska

wholly enjoyable

Revisado: 04-06-25

The narrator did a lovely job with her reading. while there were the occasional soft pronunciations, they don't go as far as a lisp. I enjoyed it very much.

The story features a pretty and stupid Mr Collins, a less proud Mr Darcy, and a more introspective Lizzy. Georgiana is the real variation and her story is quite good, with both her party and her brother's during the time she is married quite believable. The events take place three years after Ramsgate.

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Jubilant end to the trilogy

Revisado: 03-23-25

While I still don't LOVE the male narrator, I do still love the female narrator for this character. There is a bit where the "I'm a runner, not fighter" internal dialogue drags, but it's otherwise a very satisfying and at times very action packed ending to my favorite of all the Magiford trilogies. I do love how everyone who lives her, including herself, embraces the adorableness of her cat form. There's toe beans and cat paws and the genuine joy of a dedicated group of cat lovers. I love how the elves that follow Noctus absolutely embrace her because she's important to her king. I love the meaning of Amalourne.

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This remains my favorite Shea Narrator

Revisado: 02-23-25

I continue to find the match between this narrator's voice and style the best match for the character, and the others are already good matches. This also remains my favorite of the trilogies that are part of Magiford, although I'm likely to listen to the vampire/Hunter trilogy again while I wait for #3 to post

Magiford is a great setting. For the amusement of it, I listened again to the Magical Beings Rehabilitation Center (20 hours of fluffy fun) I found the one thing I missed were the passing characters of others in the world. In this book, we get out first glimpse of our beloved vampire Hunter while Chloe tries to hide Ker in the car.

Usually, I buy audiobooks that I have already read, and that's the case with most of the Shea books. It's also the same for this trilogy. The one downside is that a poor narrator is all the more obvious because the listener knows what was lost as a result. on the flip side, when the narrator is strong, as this one is, it's additionally gratifying.

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perfect narrator

Revisado: 02-02-25

I absolutely loved this series and was unhappy when it looked like it wasn't coming to audio (the next series was produced before this one). while I thought the other series was reasonably well performed and will listen to it again, I didn't love the marathon. I was fine with it. I just didn't love it. The narrator for this series is fantastic. She nails every nuance and manages to communicate panic without being overly shrill. This series is one of the funniest of the Magiford world, and she gets that. highly recommend. Can't wait to pre-order the next in the series. Grateful it's not a long wait.

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Ouch

Revisado: 08-01-24

First, I love this book. I would give 5 stars for all the feel goods to most of the books in this series. The third book drags for me, but then things bounce back in books 4 and 5--and anyway, there's a grouchy lizard in book 3, so I still reread it--so I'm quite happy with the series. It's not deep reading. It's low angst, clear good guys vs bad guys, pirates and kings and princes, "experienced butch guy meets virginal cinnamon roll twink through a contracted marriage" series. It's whatever kind of food you love for which you cannot stick to one serving.

I like to buy the audiobooks of books I've already read so I can enjoy them again while doing other things. I was very excited when this popped up.

But the reading is poor. The assumption with an audiobook is that it is professionally read, and while the narrator's voice is a nice one, his reading is a lot like when you're driving on a long distance trip and the person who doesn't get motion sick in a car offers to read a book aloud, only without the part where you really like that person. It's just a guy reading the book to you. Only, there's a problem with an accent.

One of the two MCs is given a softer voice with a suggestion of a vaguely Britsh accent applied very inconsistently. The other is given a stronger voice, which sometimes just sounds louder, and an American accent. Actually, almost everyone else gets an American accent. Minor characters, Arthur, his husband, and Imogene, get somewhat distinctive voices, but most characters don't.

If a book I want to hear does not have an audio version, I use Alexa's read aloud feature, which is like a less sophisticated virtual voice. "She" doesn't know the difference between content (the emotion) and content (e.g., the information in a textbook). She sometimes gives a line the wrong emotional reading because, well, reading requires a lot of intuition we take for granted. She doesn't give any character any accents, and there are absolutely no differences in character voices. She just reads the book as well as an unsophisticated AI can. Virtual voice is better than Alexa, but there are significant ethical issues there since I believe good narrators should be paid well, etc. My point is that Alexa's read aloud feature is never better than a real narrator and isn't in this case either.

So why did I give up at the 60% mark and switch to Alexa? The inconsistent application of the poor British accent in one of the main characters. I couldn't listen to it anymore. I just couldn't. The narrator can. not. pull off the accent, so that idea should have been scrapped. If you aren't familiar with this series, I highly recommend the Kindle books. They're a delight (see first paragraph). If poorly done accents for one of the main romantic leads aren't a problem for you, please enjoy this audiobook.

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The narration is superb

Revisado: 05-07-24

Although I listen to audiobooks almost daily (commute to and from work, you know), most of them are books already read and I listen in lieu of rereading. Rarely, I make an exception when an audiobook description is compelling enough. This was one of those situations and I have zero regrets and all the stars.

The narration is superb.

This is not a scrubbed clean Lydia. It is also not especially scandalous (but not disappointedly so). It is definitely not explicit. Her scandalous behavior is mostly related to her adventures as a witch. It is quite clear that this Lydia is a little too trusting, loves her friends and relatives deeply, and will be as brave as is required to protect them. She's as ADHD as usual, and her tangents are wonderful.

The story of how Kitty came to be is especially touching and is foreshadowing of just how powerful this girl's love is (she's roughly 17 at the end of the book).

Since the real Wickham was eaten by a baby demon sometime after trying to seduce Georgiana and before joining the militia, this one is not the same Wickham. This Wickham has serious Daddy issues, although he's his usual handsome and charming self.

I tend to be suspicious of JAFF over 9 hours long. It's too common for them to be bloated or suffer from an hour of epilogue. In this case though, there is no bloating. The book covers a large span of time, going back and forth between past and present in the most natural way I have ever experienced. It really is all tied together, every little side trip of Lydia's thoughts serving a purpose.

The magical world unfolds naturally. It is entirely a matrilineal sort of thing, which means the book is grounded in the same female dominated world. The men are Darcy, a handful of militia officers, Wickham, (and a bad dragon, I suppose). It works.

Gah! Kitty and Lydia. Best sister story ever.

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The Difficult Truth

Revisado: 04-18-24

The same person is the author and narrator. While the story is good, the reading is not. The author is a natural alto, reading towards the bottom of her range, so she can vary the women's voices somewhat by going higher, but to do the lower men's voices, she's got nothing to work with but gravel. Every male voice sounds the same, and I didn't find it an appealing voice. Rather than getting used to it as the book went on, I found it more difficult to listen to.

Story premise was a good one, and its execution enjoyable.

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Lisp kills it

Revisado: 04-06-24

I like the story, I really do, but this narrator, beside speaking everything in a breathy manner followed by just slightly too long pauses at each period, has a pronounced lisp. I tried to get used to it, but I haven't been able to finish it except to get out the book and just read it.

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Easy going, enjoyable story

Revisado: 02-18-24

This is low angst without being dull and overly predictable. I love the "oh no you did NOT say that about my sister!" moment from Lydia when Wickham tried to slander Lizzy. There's no big argument or offensive proposal. it's Colonel Fitzwilliam who puts paid to Darcy's money and connections fussing.

The bad guys are the usual bad guys, but caught quicker and before any serious damage, although Lizzy had to endure a couple of hours of sociall discomfort before things turned around again.

I sped it up a smidge. I think my enjoyment was somewhat increased by that.

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I enjoyed it quite a bit in Kindle format

Revisado: 08-20-23

The story is told entirely from Darcy's POV, although there is a scene from Elizabeth's POV on the author's website. This version is in the winter following The abandonment of Netherfield, but before Rosings. Darcy hasn't been humbled, and Elizabeth believes Wickham. For the first few chapters, Darcy is mostly busy trying not to die. For more than 90% of the book, his injuries render him completely unable to talk. they communicate through a combination of writing and lip reading.

There aren't many other principal characters until the last quarter of the book. Mrs. Gardiner is less confident than usually written, and that's too bad, The Fitzwilliams are not at their best. In the end, half the group come to like her, and they get their HEA.

But.

The narrator is not a strong one. While his reading is not monotonous, it isn't particularly engaging. He's not able to craft very different voices, especially among the women. His reading is occasionally halting, especially while doing dialogue--and most of this book is dialogue.

I can recommend the book, but not the audiobook. in my case, I rallied myself to continue because I already knew how it would end, and I wanted to hear that.

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