dephal

An autumn feast

Reviewed: 11-06-22

It's been quite a while since I read Bradbury, and I'd never read this particular collection. It's a good one, with stories tending mostly toward the darker side. But even his darker stories always have a flavor of wide-eyed magic. His language is, as always, rich, poetic, and evocative. A delight.

The narration took a story or two to grow on me, but after that I quite enjoyed it. The narrator does a good job with the various voices and emotions.

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1 person found this helpful

Great narration, refreshing setting, so-so story

Reviewed: 08-21-22

The narration was wonderful. The narrator did an excellent job of managing a variety of genders, ages, and accents, infusing each character with life.

I appreciated having a gay romance set in India. It's a nice change from the usual settings of North America and Western Europe. I got a sense of the culture, although the author underestimates how much Western readers know about Indian culture (or at least Indian food). Seriously, we know what chai is (and so would Carlos).

Unfortunately, I had problems with the story. Ved comes off as much younger than 38. I understand the cultural and legal issues he's facing, but after a while, it got really old listening to him complain about how guilty he felt while still continuing to lie to people he claimed to love. It takes 64 chapters for him to finally begin to do the right thing. Also, the romance just doesn't work well. I can't see what makes Ved and Carlos fall for each other. Maybe that's partly because we don't actually see that much of them together--we spend a lot more time with Ved and Disha, in fact. And things wrap up too easily. All the worries that Ved has been facing for 64 chapters instantly evaporate.

Finally, this book needed more judicious editing, both for length and for word repetition, The repetition is particularly noticeable when listening to an audiobook.

It is refreshing to have a gay romance in this setting, and the narration is great, so the book is worth listening to for those reasons. I just wish the story had been better.

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Enjoyable period romance

Reviewed: 09-05-20

I really enjoy all of KJ Charles's books, and this was no exception. The writing is excellent, and the sense of time and place are incredibly rich. However, I liked this story less than some others. While we learn a great deal about Regency-era politics--sometimes to the point of repetition--we're given virtually no background information on either protagonist. We know almost nothing about their families and only a few scraps about their past. That makes it very difficult to understand what drives their characters. Why is Silas such a firebrand and so loyal and generous? What drives Dom's desires and his inner conflict? Both men experience character development, but it's hard to understand where they began. I think even a few paragraphs about their past would have helped.

The performance was excellent. I was relieved Dom didn't have the annoying voice he was given as a minor character in the first book.

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2 people found this helpful

Terrific entry in a great series

Reviewed: 09-04-16

Would you listen to How to Wish Upon a Star again? Why?

Yes! The story is fantastic and the narration is spot-on, truly bringing the characters to life.

What did you like best about this story?

It's a very funny story, yet also full of heart and even some suspense. I found that to be a great combination.

What does Matthew Shaw bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I'm sure I would have enjoyed it in print as well. But the audio version was a treat because I could listen while I walked. And the story was so engaging that it kept me walking past my daily goals.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes. I won't give too much away, but one of the characters yearns for home more than anything. There's a wrenching scene where he's been denied home yet again. Sniff.

Any additional comments?

I'm eagerly hoping for more in this series!

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