TL80

Excruciatingly Slow

Revisado: 03-25-22

There were several times where I felt I wanted to fast forward to the end just to get to the "who dun it" part. I stayed the course but I wanted to tear my hair out because it was so slow.

I got a little tired of the old fashioned views vs the new way of doing things back and forth. I felt like each chapter I was beaten over the head with it. After a while, I didn't see what any of that had to do with the ensuing mystery.

The police should have been informed from the very beginning but no one makes a phone call. That was so odd to me. "We found a body!" "Call the cops?" "Nah, we'll deal with this in house." I know this is a fiction book but this premise was absolutely unbelievable.

The narrators were excellent. Alex Kingston was a joy to listen to. I'm unfamiliar with the male narrator but he was pleasant to listen to.

Overall, it was a book that kept me listening despite the slog. If it wasn't for the mystery at hand, I would have stopped and returned this book.

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I'm so out of the loop

Revisado: 08-24-20

The performances were top notch. I'd expect nothing less from a big named cast.

The story was so confusing for me. I'm unfamiliar with the DC universe so characters name dropped were lost on me.

I guess I just didn't understand the purpose of all the story telling. I was looking for a plot and couldn't find one. Yes, they were short stories but most of the stories had a bit of connection between them. My favorite character was Death and her stories. Dream personified was lost on me. I didn't understand what he wanted, why he did the things he did, why he even left his castle.

Most of the stories left me scratching my head with so much confusion. I'm left to think about what I just listened to rather than thinking about the points the story brought up.

I suppose if you're a fan of this kind of writing, or just a fan of the author himself, you're going to love this as much as anything else he writes. But this whole thing was lost on me.

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Wow!! Talk about a thriller!

Revisado: 08-09-20

If you are looking for a book that will keep you guessing, this one is for you. It's a wild ride from start to finish from the prospective of a minor psychopath who has to keep jumping through hurdles of a major psychopath throws in front of him. And the dynamic of being married to each other is that much more intense. You get to know the inner workings of a family and how a serial killer tries to control every aspect of the family.

The main point of the story is can anyone truly know a person. There are secrets the couple share and then there are darker secrets that they both hold back from each other.

The book had me on my toes, that's for sure and I kept listening, not wanting to turn off the book because I needed to know what happened next. I had so much anxiety!

This is a book that will thrill anyone seeking a great suspense book.

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The best in the series this far!

Revisado: 08-08-20

Loved this book! It had me on the edge of my seat for the entire time.

Thrilling, heart wrenching, wonderful characters with believable personalities....all the makings of a great story. Even the minor characters somehow make it the story more rounded.

The plot can be triggering for those suffering from trauma from rape. The scenes with the women can be quite graphic, but it isn't written in a gratuitous way. And it isn't written in a way that glorifies rape either. The way the women go through their experiences in how they all deal with their own trauma is well written and highly believable.

This is very much a thrilling story that has the GBI searching for an evil man but the premise of the story is so real and that makes listening to every word that much more intense.

The back and forth between timeliness is seamless. With every book, every character is given more depth. Every character is so complex.

There's still a love story in between all the criminal activity. Will and Sarah are still navigating through their relationship but it doesn't feel like the author is just throwing in wrenches for the fun of it. Will and Sarah's relationship is a slow burn. It feels real with real problems that could happen with real couples and with a slow burn, it makes their love that much more enjoyable to watch from the sidelines. you just can't help but root for these two.

I burned through this book as fast as I could and I cannot wait until the next one!

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Captivating!

Revisado: 05-16-20

The story is great. I loved the descriptions and the characters and I really got a sense of England in the late 800s. But I think what really makes this story a fantastic listen is the enthusiasm of the narrator!

I got a sense of thrill and excitement from the retelling of battles. I felt the love when talked about family. And I think that all comes from the talent of the narrator who read the book not as just words on a page but as if he was really playing the part of Utred and those stories were his.

This might make the list of stories I would listen to again and again (a short list) just because of the narration.

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It was a slog, but the ending was worth it.

Revisado: 04-20-20

The story was long drawn out. There were points in the story were I spaced out only to be drawn back in my important plot points.

I didn't care for the narrator. There weren't enough tonal variations to distinguish characters. She also needs to work on her generic American accent.

I liked how there were clues here and there but the criminal mystery was, at least for me, still a gut wrenching surprise in the end.

At times, the novel sounded like a grocery store romance novel. The bedroom scenes and the love speech in the cemetery were hoaky. And really, what was the point of the "Ugly American" stereotype? A dentist from Laguna Beach shouldn't sound like Yosemite Sam's homophobic brother. They didn't add to the plot. If anything they were there for comedy relief but instead, they way they were written just horribly cringeworthy.

All in all, I'd say that the book was good, not great. I'll give the next book in the series a try because I get that the author was setting up for a sequel and I'll just attribute the slowness of the book for character development and the introduction to the 2 main characters.

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Lives up to its title

Revisado: 04-15-20

Funny and sweet book. I have the hardback and was able to go through pictures as they went through them.

Such a sweet and down to earth couple who makes marriage seem so easy.

I found their histories fascinating and their small talk so comfortable.

It was an easy listen that goes by too fast.

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A long story that was just okay

Revisado: 04-14-20

I was excited to listen to the book. The events of today (covid19) made a lot of the book relatable.

The characters that made it out of the plague were flawed people who struggled with decisions about going on with life. I liked that no one was entirely the hero. No one was going to save the day and solve the problems all in one go.

I guess towards the middle of the book, I started to wonder what the whole point of the story was about. There are forces of good and evil at work and God works in mysterious ways are large themes. But why?

What was the point of RF? Why were people drawn to his side vs Mother Abigail's side? Why did much of the main group of characters have to die? Their deaths were pointless and the explanation that "God wanted sacrifices" was insufficient. Seemed like an easy out for the author.

Seems like the events in Vegas would have concluded the same way without the 3 who made it to Vegas. Again, I'm wondering what the point of that was.

The female characters seemed flighty, emotional, and irrational. There were many times were I rolled my eyes at the thought processes of Frannie.

The book takes place in 1990 but it's obvious that it really takes place in the late 70s, early 80s. The colloquial language was so dated.

I know it's asking too much for an epilogue to review what became of the characters but after hours of listening and going for a ride with just about everyone, I felt I wanted to know how they got on after RF was resolved. What happened to lovable Tom Cullen? What happened to Kojak? And did any brown people make it to Colorado after the plague??

It was a good story for what it was. But I can't say that I would ever have the desire to slog through it again.

And I'm sure it's just me, but I felt that the narrator sounded like the Pepperidge Farm guy and Alan Alda.

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Centuries passed listening to this book

Revisado: 04-06-20

I struggled through this book. It was so slow and found it hard to keep my attention. I felt that there was much written but nothing was really was said. I wanted to like this book because I loved Song of Achilles but Circe's story was muddled with meandering thoughts that ran on tangents.

The parts that were interesting were short lived.

The narrator has an easy, relaxing tone which does not help the story go by faster. I don't think an exciting narrator reading this story would help. The words are just too dull.

I got through the book and felt nothing after. And I've already forgotten most of the stories.

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A thriller, a love story, and the best dog ever.

Revisado: 04-02-20

Loved the story about two people who start off in loneliness and end up transformed by love all because of a dog. When I read the synopsis, I had low expectations. A talking dog? Really??

But there was so much more to the story and the narrator did an excellent job in not only telling the story but putting so much emotion into the text. Despite the outrageousness of the plot, I was completely enthralled and couldn't stop listening.

The only negatives I would have to say is that the mobster villain was weak and I wasn't remotely interested in his story or any of the mob bit. I also thought the ending came a bit too fast. I was expecting a major showdown and it ended under whelmingly.

Aside from that, I thoroughly enjoyed this book emencelly.

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