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Hope for the Best cover

Review: Hope for the Best

By Jan
 on June 4, 2019

Hope for the Best (The Chronicles of St Mary’s #10)

Hope for the Best coverAuthor: Jodi Taylor;
Genre: Time travel fantasy;
Format: Audiobook;
Narrator: Zara Ramm;
Publisher: Audible Studios (2019);
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars (5 / 5).

If you haven’t read any of this series, I would strongly suggest you give it a try. Very British, very funny, great characters, and fascinating premise.

Wow, what an ending! I was grinning, then I was crying, then I was grinning again. Nothing like manipulating the reader, eh, Ms. Taylor?

This volume puts main character Max into the usual impossible situations and death-defying actions, all while trying to lure her archenemy (he who has ruined her life several times over) into capture. The Time Police are up to their normal shenanigans, too, and the showdown at the conclusion is a classic. Drat those idiots at TPHQ!

GO MAX GO!

In categories Audiobooks, Book Review, Fantasy Tagged with ,
An Easy Death cover

Review: An Easy Death

By Jan
 on June 4, 2019

An Easy Death (Gunnie Rose #1)

An Easy Death coverAuthor: Charlaine Harris;
Genre: Alternate History/Western Fantasy;
Format: Audiobook;
Narrator: Eva Kaminsky;
Publisher: Recorded Books (2018);
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5).

Yes, that Charlaine Harris. I’ve only read the first of her famous Sookie Stackhouse series, a contemporary urban fantasy. I much prefer a historical theme, and this one looked like a doozie, so I bit… (no pun intended). This is also the first of a new series, although this one ends as a complete story, and I look forward to continuing.

I would describe this book as an alternate-history western fantasy. The setting is what is now the southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico. Magic is a real thing, the Russian empire has taken over the west coast, and gunslingers like Lizbeth, known as Gunnie Rose, are hired by travelers for protection. The time period is roughly the late 1930s.

The heroine’s tough demeanor gets in the way of liking her sometimes, but most of the characters are interesting and unique. The Russian wizards are fascinating, and the (short-lived) members of Gunnie’s original team had some great back stories.

Eva Kaminsky does a great job with the narration, although her cynical take on Gunnie Rose gets old. As I said, Gunnie isn’t the most likable person, but that won’t keep you from rooting for her.

There’s plenty of violence, a little foul language, and references to sex but nothing graphic.

In categories Audiobooks, Fantasy Tagged with
The Knife of Never Letting Go

Review: The Knife of Never Letting Go

By Jan
 on May 21, 2019

The Knife of Never Letting GoThe Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking Book 1)
Author: Patrick Ness,
Genre: Fantasy/Science-fiction/Thriller (yes, all those),
Format: Ebook,
Publisher: Candlewick Press (2010),
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5).

This is one of those books when the protagonist goes through so many trials that I kept asking myself, “What, again?!” Just when things are looking up, here comes another downer. It’s certainly a roller-coaster-like ride from start to finish.

It’s an action-packed story of a young man whose world turns upside down within a single day. Easy-going farmers become threatening soldiers and his hometown turns out not to be so homey. The plot is intense.

All males in this world produce “noise,” an audible representation of their thoughts and feelings. This was described very well and even includes some hand-drawn images of what it’s like to hear everyone’s thoughts. Todd is running and hiding through a great deal of the book, and this involuntary noise is difficult to conceal or control.

The book is written in first-person, present tense from the POV of the main character, Todd, whose language is a country vernacular using phonetic spellings like “informayshun,” dialect with “cuz,” and “ain’t,” and lots of short sentences while things were happening fast. This didn’t slow my reading or comprehension down a bit, and it really added to the atmosphere of the book. See, Todd don’t read too good, and that has some important implications.

Characterizations were excellent, even of the animals (who also produce noise). Some characters change drastically based on Todd’s perceptions and his knowledge (or lack thereof) of the townsfolk, and this was handled very well. We learn slowly, as does Todd, why things happen the way they do. Chapters frequently end in cliff-hangers, and so did the book itself. However, you WILL want to get the second book as soon as you can.

Contains plenty of violence, some against children and animals; some foul language; themes of sexism, colonialism, racism, and several other isms. Not for tweens, but older YA readers and adult fans of dystopian fantasy will enjoy this.

Similar: “The Hunger Games,” “The Giver,” “The Scorpio Races,” and the Inheritance Cycle (Eragon, etc.)

In categories Book Review, Fantasy, Science-fiction Tagged with ,
Spinning Silver cover

Review: Spinning Silver

By Jan
 on April 21, 2019

Spinning Silver

Spinning Silver coverAuthor: Naomi Novik;
Genre: Fantasy;
Format: Audiobook;
Narrator: Lisa Flanagan;
Publisher: Random House Audio (2018);
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars (3 / 5).

There are many reviews that laud the storytelling and rave about the plot of this fantasy. It’s a massive mashup of Eastern European fairy tales, with some twists. Perhaps reading it would have been a better idea than listening to it.

I was lost part of the time, not knowing whether the story was following an actual folk tradition or weather Novik had created her own. I often felt as if I were coming into the middle of the story, with no background. I didn’t understand many of the character’s motivations and decisions, and they weren’t explained. I felt like I was missing something important that should have been obvious.

It’s a complex plot with multiple characters and storylines that crisscross each other throughout the story; it’s more an ensemble’s than a hero’s tale. The characters were neither very good nor very bad. Each of them had redeeming qualities, no matter their poor choices and disagreeable actions. That applied to the several major characters and most of the minor ones. Was I supposed to root for them or not? I certainly couldn’t relate to a single one.

The narrator, Lisa Flanagan, had a big job. Let’s start with a positive: her timing was very good. However, her pseudo-Russian accents were troublesome. It’s a sore spot for me, I admit it; I would rather most narrators not use accents at all.

That’s not the major problem I had with the narration, however. Many of the female characters sounded very similar. The fact that alternate chapters were voiced by these characters for most of the book was quite confusing. Most of the time, I wasn’t sure who was speaking until the context made it clearer.

One of the characters, Wanda, was a peasant girl, and Flanagan’s volume went way down when she was speaking her chapters. It was annoying having to increase the volume to hear those parts and having to turn it down for the next section. Random House Audio’s engineering could have improved that.

In categories Audiobooks, Book Review, Fantasy Tagged with
You're Going to Mars cover

Review: You’re Going to Mars!

By Jan
 on November 24, 2018

You’re Going to Mars!
You're Going to Mars coverAuthor: Rob Dircks;
Genre: Fantasy/Science Fiction;
Format: Audiobook;
Narrator: Khristine Hvan;
Publisher: Audible Studios (2018);
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5).

I’ve already read several of Rob Dirck’s books and loved them, so I jumped at the chance to read this one.

It’s a fun underdog story set in a future U.S. where a huge corporation has complete control over waste management. Our heroine, Paper (with sisters named Rock and Scissors), is a drudge in one of the very stinky trash cities. She has always dreamed of space travel and is smart as a whip, but her lowly position keeps her firmly on the terrestrial garbage heap. That is until a contest from the richest man on Earth gives her a chance to fulfill her destiny. Now she’s on her own and has to prove her mettle in a competition—called “You’re Going to Mars!”—for a seat to the red planet.

The book is a fantasy overall with some fun science fiction included for the geeks among us. The characters are unique and authentic and the dialog is realistic and funny, with lots of snarky remarks and sarcasm from Paper’s fellow candidates. Some of the humor was sophomoric but I laughed out loud several times. There’s also plenty of action throughout and an exciting finale.

The themes are a sort of combination of “Ready Player One” (integrity trumps environment) and “Red Rising” (if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em) with themes from “The Wizard of Oz” (there’s no place like home) and “The Hunger Games” (don’t trust your competitors) but the book is definitely for adults.

The audiobook production was excellent. As I’ve said many times, a narrator can make or break a story, and Khristine Hvam is absolutely brilliant in this one. Her pacing and attitude were perfect. The one little complaint I have is that her voice gets a little whiny at times, but it’s a small irritation compared to the whole.

Includes foul language in a modern context, no real sex, very little violence. Highly recommended in the audiobook format and for fans of Hugh Howey, Ernest Cline, Marko Kloos, Dennis E. Taylor, and John Scalzi.

Thanks to the author for offering a free copy of the audiobook, to Goodreads for the opportunity, and to Audible for the production.

Copyright 2018 © Jan McClintock
In categories Audiobooks, Book Review, Fantasy, Science-fiction
Nevermoor cover

Review: Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow

By Jan
 on November 16, 2018

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow

Nevermoor coverAuthor: Jessica Townsend;
Genre: YA Fantasy;
Format: Audiobook;
Narrator: Gemma Whelan;
Publisher: Hachette Audio;
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5).

This is a delightful fantasy of a misfit 11-year-old in an alternate England who has to prove herself.

Morrigan grows up being told she is unlucky and cursed, and believes it. Then a mysterious stranger saves her from a preordained death and takes her to Nevermoor, a fantastic place where she lives in an exotic hotel, populated by creatures like dwarf vampires, ghosts, and a giant, talking cat with an attitude (like any cat).

She loves it, but the catch is that she must compete to become a member of the Wundrous Society, the top-notch benevolent organization in Nevermoor. These “trials” are nerve-racking because she feels unprepared and untalented, but she makes a friend who helps. The message is to just be yourself and be good to others and you will succeed in life.

The writing was wonderful, with great characters, good descriptions, and very good pacing. But the audiobook version was absolutely fabulous; I highly recommend listening to this one if you are able. Narrator Gemma Whelan was outstanding; there are tons of accents, not all human, and she nailed them.

Fun for all ages, tween and over, but marketed to middle grades.

In categories Audiobooks, Book Review, Fantasy Tagged with ,
Mountain Man cover

Review: Mountain Man: Prequel

By Jan
 on November 8, 2018

Mountain Man: Prequel (Book 0, Mountain Man series)

Mountain Man coverAuthor: Keith C. Blackmore;
Genre: Fantasy/Horror;
Format: Audiobook;
Narrator: R. C. Bray;
Publisher: Podium Publishing (2018);
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5).

I saw the great ratings for this series and wanted to start at the VERY beginning; this is a prequel for the Mountain Man series. Wow, what a ride!

Main character Gus has a mostly-normal day as a professional painter, but that begins to go south quickly when a crazy man tries to attack some shoppers at the discount store where Gus and his crew are working. The small group of shoppers, checkers, and painters don’t know what to make of the situation, but it’s quickly apparent that something is desperately wrong.

Yep, it’s the zombie apocalypse.

The story includes lots of the undead and their victims, car chases and hit-and-runs (or make that splat-and-runs), and stealth and hiding. It’s gory, it’s nasty, and it’s fun if you like that kind of thing. Blackmore adds in some humor to take the tension down a bit, and I laughed out loud a few times. There’s also plenty of raw language, which is realistic, but if you’re put off by cursing, this isn’t for you. Of course, if you’re put off by violence and gore, the language is going to be the least of your worries.

Blackmore categorizes this series as horror, and I understand why. In addition to the frightening descriptions, you can’t help but imagine what you would do in the same situation, as well as feel the desperation and terror.

As for the narration, all I need say is that R. C. Bray did his usual stellar job of reading this book. He’s a favorite of many audiobook listeners, and there’s a good reason for that.

In categories Audiobooks, Book Review, Fantasy Tagged with ,
Warbreaker cover

Review: Warbreaker

By Jan
 on August 19, 2018

Warbreaker

Warbreaker coverAuthor: Brandon Sanderson;
Genre: Epic Fantasy;
Format: Audiobook;
Narrator: Alyssa Bresnahan;
Publisher: Recorded Book;
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars (3 / 5).

Perhaps I need to take a break from epic fantasy for a while. Or maybe just Sanderson’s work. This is a drawn-out story with lots of repetition. I think it could have told with many fewer words and been more entertaining.

The story is divided among serveral protagonists, who alternate POV in chapters. This would have worked had I cared at all about the characters. Unfortunately, I didn’t. That’s a deal-breaker for me. The author can’t seem to decide whether any of the characters were good or bad or stupid or smart, and maybe I need something more clearcut. The introspection of the characters is great, however, and we’re not left wondering how each is feeling or what they’re thinking.

The plot covers many themes, including power through magic, trust and deception, royalty and poverty, and most importantly, faith. The magical system was very interesting and imaginative.

There’s plenty of room for a series here if the author chooses.

The narration by Alyssa Bresnahan was excellent. Voices and accents were distinctive and pacing was very good.

In categories Audiobooks, Book Review, Fantasy
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