Happygret

A Perfect Conclusion

Revisado: 06-25-24

This duology is one of my favorite series. I’ve listened to it twice, and I’ll likely listen to it again. It’s an immersive experience. The characters are complex. Alice and Chess don’t fall into the stereotypical YA characters. I love how Alice is both recognizable as Alice in Wonderland but is also her own person. The characters are cleverly named.
I prefer the second book slightly because it introduces Chess’s character. I prefer books with more than one POV. The pacing of the story is perfect. The characters face challenges and move on. They’re never in so much peril that the story is stressful. Instead each challenge offers more information of character development.
The conclusion is perfect. I love when a book offers a peek into the happily ever after.

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Super Fun Superhero series part 1

Revisado: 08-27-23 El oyente recibió este título gratis

HL Burke it’s an auto buy for me. When she reached out to her fans with codes in exchange for a review. Yes please!
While I prefer her gas lamp cinnamon rolls, Fade is a solid hero with a compelling story arc. Prism is a great heroine and perfect complement to Fade. Her story and how it weaves with Fade’s strengthens the series.
Now, let’s talk supporting cast and villains.
Aidan, Tanvi, Keeper, and Yui are strong characters in their own right.
The villains for each book as well as the big bad move the plot forward with great twists.

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Zombies and Gear

Revisado: 05-10-23

I am not the target audience! I’m a romance reading woman and loved it!
If you’re into tech survival gear, the outdoors, and nonstop adventure, this is your series.
The Walking Dead with threads of Christianity.
The pacing is excellent! The stakes and moral choices add to the story.
For more sensitive readers T here is violence, gore, and language; an unmarried couple who share a bed and sex is implied but offscreen. I thought all of it matched the genre and added up to a realistic ensemble of characters.

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AI with Heart

Revisado: 01-23-23

I loved both the immersive story world and the characters.
The fast-paced story with just enough description gives us a picture of this post-apocalyptic world that is both familiar and foreign.
I love how 404 (Four), Sam, Wes, and the other characters are primarily AI but have personality and even feelings.
It’s a quest with strong found family vibes and a bit of a lesson on how each AI (and person) is created for a purpose.
The narrator does an excellent job of giving each character a subtly distinct voice. I will look for other books he’s narrated.

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Award Winning Sequel

Revisado: 01-17-23

I put off reading Emberhawk thinking it might not be my cup of tea. Then Silver Blood as a sequel won a Realm Award.
I devoured Emberhawk and then Silver Blood. I then bought the books on Audible (one credit, one purchase since it was a bargain price). The narrator is excellent providing distinct accents and voices for each character.
Silver Blood is such a compelling sequel because it focuses on the damaged Lysander, an assassin destined for execution and Brooke the first woman chieftess of her tribe mislabeled a witch.
Of course there’s more Kira and Rion! And threats to the Tribal Alliance on all sides.
This story is well-paced with character development and political intrigue mixed with adventure. I love the multiple POVs and the ending is both satisfying and leaves the reader wanting more. The Realm Award is well-deserved!
Now I need book 3 yesterday!

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Excellent Narration for an Excellent Book

Revisado: 01-12-23

If you start a book at the end of one year and finish in the next, do you get to count it as your favorite book for two years?
Emberhawk was definitely one of my favorites from last year and is starting this year as a strong contender.
Let me make my case:
Strong and engaging characters
Multiple POVs
Complex story world that draws on the familiar (American West and Japan) but in an original way that adds richness and avoids the pitfalls of drawing too heavily on the real world.
Fascinating magic and belief system
Complex politics that doesn’t feel like a commentary on current events
Add in a cunning villain with a few other antagonists, perfect pacing, and more twists and turns than a good roller coaster
As for the narrator. Wow! She’s good. I mean, multiple voices and distinct accents good. I’m looking forward to her narration of Silver Blood. If you start a book at the end of one year and finish in the next, do you get to count it as your favorite book for two years?
Emberhawk was definitely one of my favorites from last year and is starting this year as a strong contender.
Let me make my case:
Strong and engaging characters
Multiple POVs
Complex story world that draws on the familiar (American West and Japan) but in an original way that adds richness and avoids the pitfalls of drawing too heavily on the real world.
Fascinating magic and belief system
Complex politics that doesn’t feel like a commentary on current events
Add in a cunning villain with a few other antagonists, perfect pacing, and more twists and turns than a good roller coaster
As for the narrator. Wow! She’s good. I mean, multiple voices and distinct accents good. I’m looking forward to her narration of Silver Blood.

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Monsters Fill these Mountains

Revisado: 12-06-22

Joey, Rae, & Ryan are solid, likable, and brave protagonists.
This town has too many secrets, and the grownups are lying and blocking the truth, so the trio is on their own when Joey’s best friend, Emily goes missing. I like the rivals to allies subplot of Joey and Rae.
Great MG science fiction with a satisfying ending.

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Satisfying sequel

Revisado: 11-28-22

I loved this book for all its characters. Not only The Recorder Who Isn’t but also her friends and even the antagonists. I love how everyone has a story and developed character. But the hallmark of an excellent book is having antagonists you kind of want to succeed, at least in part.
The world building is excellent and the pacing is perfection. It took me a minute to settle into the story, and then I didn’t want to stop listening.
I want more books by Cathy McCrumb!

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Fantasy with a bit of Allegory

Revisado: 11-17-22

This may be my favorite book of 2022. Myrthe and Bastian were compelling characters just flawed enough to be human and relatable without being antiheroes or unsympathetic. Better yet, the villains were compelling in their own motives.
The world which resembles the Netherlands is beautifully drawn.
Layered on top of character, setting, and a well-paced plot was the allegorical element that makes one consider the good and evil, blessing, curse, and who should have control, self, government, or the magic itself.

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A science fiction classic

Revisado: 08-30-22

Kerry Nietz’s Amish Vampires in space has a comedic title, but it’s a serious science fiction book. Part space opera, part horror story, part heartfelt inspirational story. The mesh of genres strengthens each one.
It’s an excellent book with a narrator perfect for this work.

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