K. Sowa

Good story but narrator is only so-so

Revisado: 01-08-23

I would much rather have a British narrator instead of someone doing a British accent.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Great performance, not great story

Revisado: 04-04-22

The hero was a jerk and the treatment I alcoholism was not great. Performance by MJW was flawless, as always.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Great Fantasy

Revisado: 09-08-17

I was skeptical as to whether or not this book would be a good fit for me, but let me tell you that I really, really enjoyed it! Tea leads a quiet life with a big family, surrounded by older siblings and a chaotic but fairly loving environment. When family tragedy strikes, her powers are dramatically exposed and she must leave to train her rare gifts in a new city with people she's never met. The world of The Bone Witch was magical and fascinating. Every person gets something called a heart's glass, a sort of necklace that shows the world who you are and what you're feeling. The concept of the heart's glass was one of my favorite parts of the story and much of the book revolves around its meaning in society. The world of the asha is complicated by a strict hierarchy and the amount of detail shared about how it works and how Tea had to navigate her way through it was one of many aspects of The Bone Witch that made it a fully immersive storytelling experience. Although Tea's powerful gifts were sought after, Bone Witches also faced prejudice and danger from enemies. Much of the book was about Tea's journey, of course, but it also introduced relationships and political intrigue that I know will play a part in the next installment.

The Bone Witch starts at the end with the storytelling vehicle being a bard, who travels to find Tea and persuade her to tell her story. I really loved getting both voices because we hear Tea's own view of her life and we also get see her as the bard sees her. If you are a lover of fantasy, especially those set in unique worlds, I highly recommend reading or listening to The Bones Witch.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Loved it!

Revisado: 08-17-16

I have never read any of the books that were written for the Star Wars universe, but being a fan and loving Claudia Gray’s writing made this an easy choice. Lost Stars is about two teens who both leave their small planet go into the Imperial Academy, which takes them in very different directions. The timeline takes place right before and during the time of Episode IV (that’s the original Star Wars movie, for those who might not know). You do have mention of Leia and Luke, and many other familiar characters, but Thane and Ciena will capture your attention just as much. What made this story so great was the perspective. Did you ever wonder about the soldiers serving on the Death Star? Did you ever wonder how it was that so many people served the Empire? I loved the view from the other side that this story provided. It brought more dimension to this world and the next time I watch any of these movies, I will see them just a bit differently. The lifelong friendship between Thane and Ciena was at the core of the story and as their paths diverged, you were able to see inside the conflicting emotions about their chosen paths and what it meant for their future. I loved the writing and the pacing of the story, as well as the small references to other stories in the Star Wars universe.

I saw some criticism of the narrator’s voice because it was “too young sounding”. This didn’t bother me, although I will say that there wasn’t a lot of differentiation between male and female voices, which always irks me. The narration was enhanced by Star Wars music and sound effects, which made listening to it so much fun. When a ship flew overhead, you would hear the whooshing sound, or you you hear the hum of an elevator as the characters are going from place to place. It really added to the auditory experience. If you love Star Wars, Lost Stars would be a great choice for an audio book!

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

I wanted to like it....

Revisado: 08-04-16

The story is a fantasy historical, in that it takes place in a fantasy version of England, eventually moving to a fantasy version of the US, all set in a fantasy 19th century, The problem is that I just didn’t really buy Adelaide’s desperation. At great risk to pretty much everyone around her, she pretends to be someone else and escapes the marriage mart only to be thrown into…another form (an arguable worse form) of a marriage mart. The thing is, there wasn’t a lot of examination of why this was problematic or any examination of the irony of ending up in the same situation that she just ran away from. The pacing was very erratic. Some parts dragged on forever, while the bits that I liked, seemed to be underdeveloped and left me wanting more. The plot got way off course once they hit the new world and there was so much going on that the original story seemed to diffuse into too many other plots. It seemed as if we were being introduced to characters who we will meet in the next books, but without context, they were just thrown around like confetti and made everything very jumbled. I did like the other girls that Adelaide was paired with and I hope to be reading more about them in the other books. It wasn’t that Adelaide was unlikable, it was that she was lacking any real self-awareness, at all. She got a little “tougher” I guess, but there was no real character growth. I was really expecting to love this book, but I’ll be honest – it was kind of a mess.

Although the story was less than satisfying, the narration was good. Kristen Sieh does an excellent job of voicing all of the characters and bringing them to life. Probably the reason I didn’t stop listening was because her narration was so good. While this book didn’t work for me, I know that each book in this series tells the story of a different girl in the Glittering Court, so I am interested in reading more in this world.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

I wanted to like it....

Revisado: 08-04-16

Oh, how I wanted to like this book. The idea seemed liked something that would be perfect for me. Yet, when it was done, I just couldn’t say that I enjoyed it. The story started with Aza, who was very ill with a mysterious disease that attacked her respiratory system and the strange things she started seeing. Only her best friend really stood by her, while her family worried that she was spiraling into some sort of mental illness. Then, of course, it turns out she was seeing things that were real, just not of this world. The ideas and the world in this book are so incredibly creative and fantastical. I loved the imagery of ships sailing the air, and the way birds and people meld together. Aza’s history, and the story of how she ended up on land, was a drama that played out as the story progressed. Despite the fact that I loved the plot in theory, I just could not get into the story. I felt no connection the the characters or their fates. I’m not sure it was the writing, but perhaps the progression of the story that lacked something for me.

The narration may have added to my ambivalent feelings about Magonia. Therese Plummer, who read the Firelight series by Sophie Jordon (which I loved) was almost a little too over the top. Her reading was so dramatic at times that I found it distracting. It was also a very odd contrast to Michael Crouch’s more understated narration. So, the narrators may have played a small role in my rating, as well. While this book didn’t work for me, I know many people who loved it and with such an imaginative plot and world, I can see its appeal.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Fun Listen

Revisado: 05-26-16

I saw a lot of people raving about The Witch Hunter, so I decided to try it as an audio book to see what all the fuss was about. Set in an alternate Elizabethan era, The Witch Hunter takes place in an England-like country where witches and wizards are hunted down and killed. Elizabeth’s history is more complicated than just being an orphan girl recruited into witch hunting. The reason she is accused of witchcraft stems from an unwanted relationship and her attempt to protect herself, which sets a tone for her escape from a life that had become incr4easingly restrictive. Though both men and women could be witch hunters, it didn’t escape me that the women were still treated as less than equal. The way Elizabeth is forced to go on the run served as a wake-up call for her and she begins to see the hypocrisy behind the cause she held so dear. Still, there is a lot of internal struggle, and Elizabeth’s painful realization about those she trusted gave fantastic motivation for her actions later in the book. The people who rescue her, who end up being the same people she must save, are a band of interesting characters. Her identity as witch hunter was an interesting wrench in her plan to hide out and, as you can imagine, provided a lot of conflict in the story. The setting of The Witch Hunter is filled with supernatural creatures and magic, and I found that the building of this world was quite well done. I enjoyed the story, the hint at romance, and the mission that Elizabeth must fulfill.

The narrator was quite good and is the reason I have turned away ARCs of the second book. I definitely want to listen to book two, The King Slayer. She did an excellent job of changing pitch and timbre of her voice for different characters and it always helps when the narrator has an English accent. I was caught up in the action of the story, as well as the emotional journey that Elizabeth takes. If you aren’t sure whether this book is for you, I highly recommend trying the audio, which I think will give you a more immersive experience into the story.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 3 personas

Great Narrator, So-So Story

Revisado: 05-26-16

Assassin’s Heart takes place in a fantasy world that has definite Italian overtones. Families live in secret compounds and perform assassinations, something that’s legal in this world, as a service to those who wish to hire them. There is a star-crossed lover element to this story that I thought might be interesting, but the story veered away from that and turned into a tale of revenge. I didn’t feel very invested in any of the characters, which made it difficult to really become invested in the book. If you are going to write a book about a teen assassin in this market, there really needs to be something that makes it stand out. Unfortunately, I just didn’t find that with Assassin’s Heart. It wasn’t a bad story, it just wasn’t unique. There were a few spots that took a little too long to get to the point and, overall, the climax seemed rushed after a very long and drawn out lead-up to the ultimate confrontation. There were a few things I enjoyed. I liked the world in which the assassin’s in this story were performing the killings as a deeply held religious belief, not as a sacrifice, but as a way to ease suffering. I also liked the presence of ghosts, which added an interesting element to the story. In the end, though, it just didn’t grab my attention as I was hoping it would. I think a lot of people will like this story, though, so it doesn’t surprise me to see much higher rating from other readers. It just didn’t work for me.

The narration was fantastic. I actually decided to listen to this book rather than read it because of Khristine Hvam. She is one of my favorite narrators (she narrated the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy) and had I been reading instead of listening, I probably would have DNF’d this book. So, while the story didn’t blow me away, I certainly have nothing bad to say about the narration.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Stunning!

Revisado: 04-14-16

I can relate pretty much everything I interact with to a Hamilton lyric, and when I was listening to Salt to the Sea, I kept thinking of this line: you have no control – who lives, who dies, who tells your story. Ruta Sepetys has established herself as a teller of hidden stories, writing about real events you might never have heard of from the perspective of fictional teens. The sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff was a catastrophic maritime disaster, dwarfing the Titanic and Lusitania, but I had never heard of it. In Salt To The Sea, we are taken on a heartbreaking, stressful, and amazing journey of a group of refugees who are simply trying to escape the horrors of war. Salt To The Sea takes a microcosm of civilians who are really just that; people who happen to live in Germany and are trying to leave for safety. Through four different narrators, the story unfolds and as each reveals their story, each has utter heartbreak in their past and desperate hope for their future. One voice, that of an overzealous, sociopath, low-level Nazi soldier, was the chilling voice that I think we associate with this era. His blind devotion to the Reich made him dangerous and his part of the story, and the way he viewed himself versus the way others viewed him, was fascinating. I also loved the way the author wove the mystery of The Amber Room into the book, as well. Make no mistake, this book can be tough to listen to. Ruta Sepetys does not flinch away from the cruelty of the situation, including sexual assault and the death of children. It is not lost me how timely this story is, with the issues of refugees in the forefront of the news, recently. As the author said in her notes, suffering emerged the victor. However, and I know this sounds odd, this story was also uplifting. It showed the power of hope and sacrifice, and while it made me cry, I can’t say that this story was entirely sad.

There were four different narrators in this story, which I liked. I always enjoy it when they are able to bring in different voices for the points of view because it makes it seem more real. I will make the comment that their German pronunciation was terrible. That annoyed me a bit because I feel that it wouldn’t have been that hard to find someone to help with that as they were recording it, but I’m not sure that will annoy you unless you speak German. If not, you have no worries. Overall, the narration was good and I found this audiobook to be very engaging in its performance. While it was a heartbreaking and emotional story, I am so glad I listened so that the Wilhelm Gustloff won’t be hidden history, anymore.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 5 personas

I shouldn't have waited so long to listen to this!

Revisado: 04-14-16

I love this author’s books and I really don’t know why I waited to listen to this one. Magic and parallel worlds are right up my reading ally, so to speak. I was immediately intrigued by the idea of several Londons. (Let’s be honest, I was intrigued by everything. Also, I want Kell’s coat.) The world building is extraordinary because it is so well integrated into the narrative. So often, especially with first books in a fantasy series, there is a very conscience feeling that things are being explained to you, as the reader. In A Darker Shade of Magic, I never felt that way. I was in the world, observing and experiencing, and it felt very immersive. It is such an amazing and creatively constructed world, too! The idea that there are several versions of London was fascinating enough, but the way magic was used, or not used, in each world was unique and enchanting. The two main characters, Kell and Delilah, were people I immediately wanted to know. They are both a little lost, and they are both very ambitious, and they are both very good and getting into trouble. Trouble finds them in the form of a relic from a destroyed world, and through all of the insane and amazing ways they get in and out of life-or-death situations, I really and truly fell in love with the characters and the setting. I especially fell in love with Lilah’s desire to be free and her willingness to take risks in order to find the adventure she always dreamed about. Schwab’s writing is descriptive and beautiful, as always, and she continues to prove herself a gifted storyteller. Now I see why everyone was going nuts over this book and I will tell you that I started the audio for book two immediately upon finishing A Darker Shade of Magic.

While I liked the narrator’s voice and accent, there were a few things that bugged me about the performance. The way he said the magic phrases was a little too intense. His female voices, especially Lilah’s, were a bit over the top. (Although, Lilah’s accent was very good.) Overall, though, he did a good job of narrating the story. A Darker Shade of Magic is just as amazing as everyone says it is. I enjoyed the audiobook, but however you choose to enter this world, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña