OYENTE

suz

  • 57
  • opiniones
  • 7
  • votos útiles
  • 57
  • calificaciones

Oh Yes Oh Yes TK!!!

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

Revisado: 01-16-25

What a delightful romp! I love re-told fairytales when they're done well, but it's so rare that they are. T.K. and Robin McKinley are the only two I really trust to do it to my exacting standards.

I wasn't sure about this one at first, but when Falada's true nature was revealed, I dove all in. And it was so worth it.

My only beef about this version is that both narrators, who are terrific, chose to give the servants inexplicable and really badly done British accents. WTF? It pulled me out of the story over and over, but only a little, and doesn't affect my overall enthusiastic 5 star rating.

But I hope it doesn't happen in the many TK's I look forward to listening to.

Se ha producido un error. Vuelve a intentarlo dentro de unos minutos.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

How Do You Make a Norse Giant So Boring?

Total
3 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
5 out of 5 stars
Historia
2 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 10-13-24

Boy, am I glad to be done with this. I'd actually rate it as 2 for enjoyment, but I don't hate the writing (like, say, the Maas books), so I'll go with 3. I was just so dang bored.

It did pick up a little at the very end of Part II. But Part I is most of the book, and it was just dull Angrboda (can't believe I'm even typing those words about such a fascinating character in Norse mythology) and her unlikeable, shallow husband Loki (ditto) doing very little but having weird babies.

I realize she's written to have lost her memory, but there's zero character development in her or anyone else. Well, she does a bit, at the very end. But by then I didn't care.

I don't get writers who write immortal (or nearly so) characters and they are just exactly like everyone else. No change in perspective. No difference in pettiness, or even great strides in cruelty. Certainly no wisdom. Just boring and/or mean people doing boring or shitty things.

Even more strange, with the vast panoply of beings available to an author delving into Norse mythology, the characters in this book are all the same. Mind-bogglingly, in one scene she even rattles off a bunch of names- giants, trolls, dwarves, ogres, Gods etc and says they're all 'indistinguishable from humans.'

And in this book they surely are.

So why not just write about humans, then?

The only interesting characters in the book are Skaadi and Hel. There's a weird little blip where we headhop from Angrboda to Hel, and I thought perhaps the book was going to pivot to Hel and maybe pick up some steam. But no. Just a nonsensical little bump, and back to boredom.

The thing I liked most about Angrboda was the voice given to her by the rather lovely narrator.

No. I'm dropping this to 2. This is exactly the sort of book I promised myself not to spend my waning years reading.

Se ha producido un error. Vuelve a intentarlo dentro de unos minutos.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Wow!!!

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

Revisado: 09-20-24

OMG, one of the rare books that I'm so lonely to have finished. I want back in there. Gonna have to buy the paper version so I can enjoy it that way too.
Never read Lev before but I'll be reading a lot more.
Fantastic book, story, characters and narrator. Bravo, author!

Se ha producido un error. Vuelve a intentarlo dentro de unos minutos.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Snuck Up On Me

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

Revisado: 07-10-24

I didn't like it at first. Bunch of stuffy nasal pretentious British jerks sitting around their gross men's club being snooty and obnoxious. Which kicks off my only lasting criticism of this audio book, the narrator's voice for Percy. She makes him sound like a ridiculous milquetoast.

But not long after I met Imogen I got more interested, and then it went in directions that run-of-the-mill romance books don't. I love the period attention to detail, and while the voice thing meant I never really fell for Percy, I sure did for Imogen.

Off to listen to more from this author!

Se ha producido un error. Vuelve a intentarlo dentro de unos minutos.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

A Surprise Joy

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

Revisado: 06-22-24

I wasn't so sure about this one going in. It just seemed so...... earnest. And indeed, my initial impression bore this out.

But something strange happened. It never got less earnest- maybe even more so. But the earnestness hits just the right note. It's honest. It's a plea, not a sales pitch.

I really enjoyed it.

Se ha producido un error. Vuelve a intentarlo dentro de unos minutos.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Terrific

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

Revisado: 06-22-24

I have an up-and-down relationship with GGK's stuff, and have trouble keeping people and places straight in his Italy-inspired books. Wasn't too sure if this one would work for me or not.

Well, it did. In no time I was back under the old spell of his beautiful writing and interesting characters. I love how he sometimes takes a totally minor player and spends some time following them past their small role in the book, and we get to see how their lives unspool after the event. Really admire how he handles using different narrators, and how skilfully he puts you in the scene.

He's also completely unafraid to go way deep into a scene, vivid details that many of today's stripped-down advocates would abhor, but for me they're just gorgeous. I wallow in them.

I don't know that I love his odd choice to use different tenses too. I mean, it works, it didn't jar me out of the story, he's simply so adept that he can make this oddity weave itself seamlessly into the tale. But it didn't seem necessary.

I guess if you're GGK, with that degree of proficiency, sometimes you get to show off a little.

Oh, the narrator is top notch as well.

Se ha producido un error. Vuelve a intentarlo dentro de unos minutos.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Tied for my favorite B&B retelling!

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

Revisado: 03-07-24

T. Kingfisher is such a delight. I love the B&B story, my favorite being 'Beauty' by Robin McKinley, but I think this one is right up there with it. I tend to eye askance 'improvements' to classic tales, but T.'s is so well done and her writing is just so dang fun, I think her enhancements work nicely.
My sole beef is the narrator. I love me a posh Brit voice, but something about this gal's is jarring. There's a sort of rough, grunting quality that just doesn't work with Ts lyrical tale. I finally figured out what it reminds me of—Vanessa Ives from Penny Dreadful, when she's possessed. Once I'd got there I actually grooved for a while on Possessed Vanessa reading faery tales to me.
But seriously, T. Get a better narrator.
I enjoyed this so much I may just go buy the print edition. Then I'll probably pop this up to a 5.

Se ha producido un error. Vuelve a intentarlo dentro de unos minutos.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

It's okay

Total
3 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
3 out of 5 stars
Historia
2 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 02-01-24

I'm feeling benevolent, so a 3. This is a perfectly nice little fairy tale mashup, mildly entertaining and about as substantial as a squirt of Redi-Whip.

Se ha producido un error. Vuelve a intentarlo dentro de unos minutos.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Wowza!

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

Revisado: 02-01-24

I really love this narrator, but my kudos for this marvelous experience go squarely to the author. The Starless Sea was a pretty big act to follow. but I like this one even more, and that's saying something. Magical, mystical, funny, adventurous, romantic- it's got it all. I'm a fan.

Se ha producido un error. Vuelve a intentarlo dentro de unos minutos.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

A Let-Down

Total
3 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
2 out of 5 stars
Historia
3 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 02-01-24

Having fallen in love with Tremblay over A Head Full of Ghosts, I feel mean giving this one a 3. But here we are.
I wondered at first if it was the inspiration for Cabin in the Woods, but other than the apocalyptic setting, not the same. This version whammied me out of the gate with how much I dislike the narrator. I thought she was AI at first, but most AIs have more charm. She got better as she narrated the book, but her character voices are just awful. Every male in the book sounded like a stoned Valley Boy. The die-away thing she does just irks me.
That being said, Tremblay's story grabbed me before too terribly long and I was going with him on it. He's a great storyteller. But I need characters too, and I didn't like any of these except, sort of, Wen.
And they became SO repetitive. It may actually be a realistic detail in invasion/hostage situations like this, but as a reader I started rolling my eyes each time one of them starting looping the same old same old again.
The ending was equally disappointing. I didn't expect a nice neat tie-up, but it felt as if my man Tremblay just got tired of writing the story and quit doing it.
He's good, but this isn't nearly as good as he can do.

Se ha producido un error. Vuelve a intentarlo dentro de unos minutos.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

adbl_web_global_use_to_activate_webcro805_stickypopup