Debbie Winn

How Smallhope and Pennyroyal began

Reviewed: 09-14-24

This origin story of Smallhope and Pennyroyal, two characters we first met in The Chronicles of St. Mary’s Priory, is a fun romp . I’m not sure if a reader read this first, without knowing anything about the St. Mary’s books they would be able to follow along, though. I’ve listened to the series multiple times and I still got confused about the sequence of events that overlap this story. Zara Ramm, the voice of St. Mary’s, and Max in particular, does a great job as usual. I found Smallhope seemed to channel Max at times, which is sad, because Smallhope deserves her own voice.

All in all, another great story by the Mistress of Mayhem,

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2 people found this helpful

Another wild ride

Reviewed: 08-08-24

I am so amazed at Jodi Taylor’s imagination. This fifth book in the Time Police series is such a rollercoaster of emotions, I really had to struggle to put it down to go to bed. You would think I’d remember to start listening earlier in the day, so that wouldn’t happen. I can’t think of much to say that wouldn’t be a spoiler. So, trust me, you will enjoy the tale about all the usual characters and their trials and joys. And I think there’s enough foreshadowing to indicate another book in the future. I hope it doesn’t take too long.

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Old story told with new voices

Reviewed: 05-29-24

Not having a deep knowledge of the myths about Perseus (most of what I remember is from movies about him), I really enjoyed the story told from the women’s viewpoint. The narrator was pleasant to listen to and added to the story with her talents.

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Vastly enjoyable

Reviewed: 07-22-23

This book ticks off everything I enjoy about audio books. The premise of the story is original, the characters are well crafted, and the narration is fantastic. Oberon is the best side-kick a Druid could have and Atticus’ love for him is so perfect. The Irish neighbor who goes to church mellowed is another great character. I look forward to revisiting the rest of the books in the series. It’s like visiting old friends to re-listen to them again.

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What a ride!

Reviewed: 07-15-23

I swear I felt like I had been running and was out of breath by the end of this book. Jodi keeps her characters going non-stop and into more trouble. This story ended in a satisfying way for me. I expect I’ll be re-listening to it again very soon.

All the usual suspects are here and a few surprises as well. The plot kept me glued to my earphones way past my bedtime.

Zara Ramm deserves all the awards for narrating this series so well. She is Max, and she voices the other characters in ways that bring them to life.

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Little known history told beautifully

Reviewed: 11-30-20

Based on the real lives of people in Kentucky, this book tells about a remarkable woman who is shunned in her small mountain community because of her different colored skin. It is jolting to discover the reason behind her difference. It’s a study in prejudices, superstition and character. Told with beautiful writing, this book will linger in your mind long after you reach the end.

The narrator does an excellent job of capturing the essence of the characters and does justice to the author’s use of language.

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Mythology made accessible

Reviewed: 04-27-20

Stephen Fry has written (or rather, rewritten) Greek mythology in an illuminating and wholly accessible way, and then goes on to narrate his work in his own enjoyable voice. I have to confess, mythology always seems to go over my head and and don’t enjoy it much. But Stephen Fry offers his versions like the best of storytellers, giving the characters each a voice and personality. I’m not sure I could recommend this book to young readers since he doesn’t avoid the violence and sex that are embedded in these stories. Neither does he dwell on those aspects.

His asides as to how a tale may translate to the world writ large or modern day references add to the overall effect of time well spent being entertained and enlightened.

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A new entry in a magical world

Reviewed: 11-03-19

After anticipating the release of this book for months, I was not disappointed. It was like coming home to the old neighborhood and finding new friends there. The story was told from the point of view of three main characters, so it was nice to have a different reader for each one. The narrators all did an excellent job of giving their character personality and depth.

The tale itself pulled me in quickly and kept me listening. There are surprises large and small throughout Ms Marillier weaves her usual magic around the whole. I could listen to her tales within tales endlessly.

Finally, I’m happy to know this is just the first book in this story arc. I’m sure I’ll listen to it a few times while awaiting somewhat impatiently for the next one.

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7 people found this helpful

New book, old friends

Reviewed: 10-08-18

I’m always happy when a new book about the Dragonriders of Pern is released. I enjoyed those written by Todd McCaffrey, and was glad to see another of the McCaffrey clan take up the mantle with this new entry. Gigi McCaffrey has written a story that fills in some events involving some old friends. Piemur, the Harper boy is the focus of this story. Only he is not a boy any longer...he is growing up and looking for his place and purpose in the social structure of his craft and his world.

I’ve been a huge Pern fan for years and have reread the series countless times. So in listening to this book, I felt sometimes the continuity was a little off. Nothing I could put my finger on, just moments of confusion. Part of it was that some pronunciations of names and places differed from the original books as read by Dick Hill. Not that he was my favorite narrator either. Ryan Burke does an okay job telling this story, but why don’t new narrators use the previous narrations as a guide to pronunciation? This is an issue I have with other series as well, sorry to go off on a rant.

The story itself felt a little uneven, and I wonder how someone reading Dragon Code as their introduction to the world of Pern will find the world building. But I’m glad Gigi McCaffrey gave us this 50th anniversary gift of revisiting Piemur, Masterharper Robinson, Sebell, N’ton and other fondly remembered friends.

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1 person found this helpful

Intriguing story

Reviewed: 07-21-18

This book was compelling to listen to; so much so I had a hard time turning it off to go to bed. It was a little frustrating at times when it seemed that the mystery was close to being resolved, but then the author changed to a different point of view and new facts would come to light. But it was frustrating only because this would happen just when I knew I had to stop listening for the night. So I recommend you have some good sized blocks of time set aside for listening to this beautifully written story of families, love, secrets and life’s passages.

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