OYENTE

Marjorie

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  • 10
  • votos útiles
  • 55
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a search for truth in a shifting reality

Total
5 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
5 out of 5 stars
Historia
5 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 04-14-24

When Luella took off in search for a cure to her magical malady, not even her wildest imaginings could have predicted where the journey would take her. Nor would she ever guess just how close to home - and her heart - the search would end up.

I enjoyed how this book cleverly flipped upside down so many things Luella thought she knew - the more she learns about magic and Bram and his friends and past - the less she knows about her own life and friends and family. Suddenly she has a new perspective on events from book 1 that make her re-evaluate everything. Surprising allies and bitter betrayals. Who can she really trust? This book had both more danger and adventure than book 1 and more melancholy and introspection. Luella remains passionate, clever, stubborn, but overall still desperately clinging to her need for conventional respectability and responsibility towards her loved ones despite the extremely unconventional situation she finds herself in.

Book 2 in the Luella Winthrop trilogy, this book picks up with the unsolved problems from book 1 and ends with a cliffhanger for book 3. Read the series in order! Naomi Rose-Mock does a fabulous job narrating and capturing exactly they type of attitude I would expect Luella to have.

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Thoroughly modern take on tale as old as time

Total
5 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
5 out of 5 stars
Historia
5 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 04-08-24

Thoroughly modern take on tale as old as time. This was a fun story that poked holes in all the fallacies of both Bachelor type shows and BATB retellings. It starts with a very familiar take on BATB that puts our Beauty (in this case Aeryn) into the castle out of desperation for her father and love for her family. It quickly segues into a setup very reminiscent of one of those find love TV shows - complete with hidden cameras in the form of a secret the mirrors hold.

While the beginning is trope filled and often silly or catty as the competition progresses, the book gets a lot more depth and becomes more interesting - we begin to get to know the remaining contestants and their motivations. We learn more about the curse and how and why it was set, Aeryn begins to discover a lot about herself in trying to deal with this situation she finds herself in that changes her in ways she never imagined - or perhaps makes her more who she truly is.

The ending was amazing - this curse takes a whole lot more than just some "true love's kiss" to break! Which is probably a good things because there are a lot of really good kisses in this book and it would have been a shorter read if breaking the curse was that easy ;)

Read by the author - Carol Beth Anderson does an amazing job bringing her characters to life and is a joy to listen to!

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Magic or a slow descent into madness?

Total
5 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
5 out of 5 stars
Historia
5 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 04-02-24

Luella's story starts as do many gothic stories: with a young woman, tragically orphaned at a young age, working hard to support herself and her ailing sister. While her choice of employment as a journalist may be a bit unconventional, overall she is a staunch traditionalist, convincing her self that the sensible decisions are the best and right for her. Chance leads her to a rather scandalous opportunity for her big break. What starts as a slow controlled book, and magic that could just be coincidence unravels into a wild and crazy ride by the end - which really isn't an end but the set up for the next book.

Luella is a woman torn between the stability provided by conventional respectability and the opportunity possible through pursuing her dreams. Both come at a very high cost. And none of her choices are what they seemed once magic gets involved. That is where this story really twists into something interesting. I loved the use of the support characters in this story too - Luella's relationships are a fabulous foil to her internal struggles. Once things start spiraling out of control for Luella the pace really picks up and I found myself binging the latter half. Some great surprises, twists, and unintended consequences to her decisions.

While the language and pacing feel Victorian, there are many situations that are decidedly not. There are a few scenes that feel more like the 1940's or 50's but it is gaslamp fantasy, not historical fantasy and it stays consistent to itself. There are some questions I would have liked answered which are just left hanging, but this is just the first book in a trilogy!

Naomi Rose-Mock was an excellent choice for narrator. Her reading is smooth, clear, and with just that touch of ennui I imagine Luella having - especially at the beginning with how staid her personality is.

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deeply moving sociological experiment

Total
4 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
4 out of 5 stars
Historia
4 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 01-14-24

slow-paced, character-driven, historical fantasy that is more magical realism and a sociological study of the effect of a dearth of girl children on a male dominated society. It is a story of love - love scorned, love unrequited, love manifest. Love that leads to the ultimate sacrifice with both positive and negative outcomes.

it is a rich story that follows two children at the heart of a curse - one by birth, the other by accident of birth - and the society they live in. Very well constructed story, but I think one that would appeal more to readers of women's lit than fantasy. Narration was well done and enjoyable to listen to. If any complains, I wish the narrator had a deeper voice to reflect some of the characters.

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multi-faceted conflict populated with diverse char

Total
5 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
5 out of 5 stars
Historia
5 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 11-11-23

Old soldiers never die; they just fade away..... until an upstart young major with far more pluck than common sense dares into the backwater one retired into having decided old soldiers may just be what humanity needs to fight an old threat that is rearing its head from the murky depths of old nightmares.

Crazy adrenaline-fueled ride from page one, this book barely lets the characters catch their breath from one catastrophe before they are thrown into another. From monsters to bar fights to epic ship's battles and all the crazy psychological battles in between, Ogden weaves a compelling multi-faceted conflict populated with interesting diverse characters and some really fun tech. Lots of potential with this one! More on the enjoy the ride exciting space opera side of things as opposed to hard military sci-fi concerned with explaining all the tech and maintaining strict plausibility.

Book 1 in The Aterian Wars, this book sets the stage and shows the opening volleys of the resurrected war. I like the complexity added to the human side of things especially with the history and prejudices of the previous war. The Post-humans make for an interesting foe.

Seth Garcia's narration was excellent, easy to understand and great differentiated voices.

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Disaster book w/all the interesting stuff off page

Total
4 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
4 out of 5 stars
Historia
4 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 11-10-23

If this was a cooking show, it would be examining in detail the way carbon deposits on the inside of the oven as food bakes and discussing patterns made in ingredients that fall on the floor and how the cook's movements affect those patterns with a divergence into the lighting used in the kitchen and how it refracts on various surfaces.

Well, yeah, that is all part of what happens in the kitchen, but we all want to know what is being made, right? It is all about the food! I think it is supposed to be akin to the forensic examination of what happened based on what is left behind and in this case, the people keeping notes were primarily scientist obsessed with whatever their specialty was. So you end up with this weirdly hyper focused narrative around a massive disaster/ post-apocalyptic situation without ever really getting the interesting bits that most books would focus on.

That said, it was a fascinating read, but not at all what I was expecting. It just kind of meandered on with lengthy examinations of whatever caught its interest until it ended. There were some serious issues that were completely ignored or glossed over primary of which to me was no way would all eggs be in one basket type scenario. Which this is partially addressed at the end, but not adequately. Much left unexplained, much suspension of disbelief, many timelines that don't quite work.

with regards to the narration, I enjoyed Will Damron's portions more than Mary Robinette Kowal. Some of her voices I liked, others tended to get a bit screechy and whiny.

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Coming of age story in a military sci-fi setting

Total
5 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
4 out of 5 stars
Historia
5 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 10-03-23

Coming of age story in a military sci-fi setting. This book really focuses on the characters more than the larger war or or politics. It is more in the vein of military sci-fi books that are disillusioned with war rather than the ones that have a clearly defined "good guy" and an indisputably "evil" enemy that must be defeated. Told from the point of view of Brendle and Anki, a couple young soldiers on opposite sides who are thrown together to survive. They are limited in their knowledge of the larger conflict which gives the reader a much more personable, intimate look at the realities of this conflict as we learn their past and see them disabused of their preconceived notions and questioning all their beliefs.

It is a bit of a slow start with all the world building, but when the action takes off it is explosive! Avera's writing style can be very lyrical, even poetic. The deeply descriptive prose either draws you deep into the scenes or is jarring when at odds with the sometimes gruesome scenes being depicted. Like a beautifully blossoming slow-mo explosion with gentle classic music overlaying it in a movie. Polarizing, but effective. Brendle and Anki are written very believably young and naive, growing through the propaganda they have been raised with to the reality they find themselves thrust into. I thought the romance was a bit forced and fast and perhaps not necessary, but there wasn't much of it and we will see how it plays out in the next book.

Narrated by Rebecca Sternberg. He reading is clear, easy to understand, voices were distinct. Her voice was so young it surprised me when I started listening but as I got more into the story it suited the characters and the story. A bit of a foil to the story in fact, in that it is not the type of voice I associate with this genre in general, but she carried the story well.

This is the 1st book in the Alorian Wars series and does end with a big reveal to tease the next book in the series and hit to larger story arcs, but does contain a complete plot arc. This is an honest and voluntary review of an ARC

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fabulous, slightly disturbing unexpected fractured

Total
5 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
4 out of 5 stars
Historia
4 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 05-24-23

You know that moment when you realize everything you have been working hard towards your whole life just fell apart? Yep, that is what happened to Sierra. What started as a bad day full of odd coincidences turned into full life altering events that took her and her sister in a direction they never even dreamed possible!

This is not just another Cinderella story. There are some great nods to elements of the traditional fairy tale, but like the first in this series, this is about as far from a traditional retelling as you can get and so far fractured as to be nearly unrecognizable. Conspiracies, heists, old curses and new friends all come together to create a new story that re-frames everything you thought you knew about Cinderella.

Sierra and Cecily's story is separate, new setting etc from book 1 BUT the old gang is back. Lots of familiar faces and an excursion to the Black Forest where we learn more about what ties them all together and get a bit more of how things are going for the characters from book 1 some of whom have a lot to adjust to! Highly recommend reading this series in order. It was a bit more of a difficult read for me, went darker than book 1 but stayed very authentic. Aletha Duncan did an excellent job narrating, her voice is clear and easy to listen to.

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unconventional YA fantasy

Total
5 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
5 out of 5 stars
Historia
5 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 01-17-23

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It started with a very familiar set up - a sheltered boy from a remote small town who is just a little different get picked up and taken to an amazing school. But this is no academy book or Harry Potter. In fact, despite the unavoidable necessity of magic for a few select purposes, most people in the region, and our MC Layten Grayread in particular are quite anti-magic. This is not a magic school. I liked the way his relationships developed with his roommates too - not what I was expecting - and the way their various strengths and backgrounds led to then unraveling the mystery they stumbled on.

That said, this is a fantasy book, and magic does feature prominently - just not conventionally. The whole thing has a... is this magic or post-apocalyptic tech or steam punk or??? feel to it that mixes a soft, not well defined magic system in a rather feudal feeling society with technology in a seamless way.

This is the beginning of a new series that is a sequel of sorts to The Forgemaster Cycle. There are references to people and events from the Forgemaster Cycle which would be spoilers if you haven't read that series yet, but it is not necessary to read it to enjoy The Ascendant Path. In fact, it in some ways it almost makes it a more fun read not to have the long past historical background because then you are figuring it out and piecing it together right along with the MC Layten Grayread. As the first book in a series, expect it to end with rather dramatic hook for the next book. This does tell the full story of a chapter in Layton's life - so not a cliff hanger per se, but lucky for you book 2 is out already!

I listened to a complimentary copy of The Ascendant Path: Scholar after reading the book and it was a great story the second time through too. Having read farther ahead in the series at this point I was impressed by just how much groundwork Cook lays in this book that I had not recognized the first time through, David Gurney did a great job narrating, his voice was a good fit for the story.

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all around fun sci-fi romp

Total
5 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
5 out of 5 stars
Historia
5 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 01-17-23

Ben is the type to jump in feet first and never bother reading the fine print. After a run of bad luck, he finds an offer that looks too good to be true but may just solve all his problems. Yeah, you know where this one is going. This was an all around fun sci-fi romp, light on science, full of humor. There were bits that were over-the-top or predictable, but written in a thoroughly enjoyable manner. Chip was absolutely hysterical and I enjoyed his various iterations.

Glitch contains three parts of Ben's story where things just go from bad to worse to how is this even possible, but he somehow managed to end up on top despite it all (or himself). Jamie B. Cline did an excellent job narrating the characters and added to my enjoyment. Definitely a story I will listen to again. This is an honest and voluntary review of an ARC

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