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Missnix

  • 8
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  • 11
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Egg-cellent Listen

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 30-01-24

Another great adventure for the Twitchers. MG Leonard narrates her own book with a great performance. This one features a classic detective story trope executed (eggs-ecuted 🫣) with perfection!

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Unexpectedly Beautiful

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 21-01-24

I partly listened to the audio book and partly read the book. Just because I could.

Dogs of the Deadlands is obviously partly based on real events. Anyone with even the vaguest knowledge of the Chernobyl disaster knows this book isn’t going to be an easy ride.
However, although inspired by reality, it also reads as some sort of twisted fairytale complete with heroes, villains and cottages in the woods.

The book opens as Reactor 4 explodes and Pripyat is evacuated. As it continues, the narrative mainly centres around the animals left in the region, some abandoned under order, some born wild. We are also offered parallel insights into the life of one girl forced to leave her dog behind and we watch her age & see the legacy of the disaster on her life.

But this book is mainly about the animals. And I think it’s true to say I’ve never felt so invested in non-human characters (outside of fantasy). There were moments in several chapters where I actually SOBBED- such was the connection established between reader and (mostly canine) characters.

A side effect of humans being banished from the area around Chernobyl is how nature was allowed to thrive. The formerly domesticated animals have a hard time surviving in the lharshness of the new natural order of things but there is also a savage beauty about the forest, a ‘tender savagery’, to steal some poetic words from the author.

Again, without spoiling, I enjoyed the shifts in the narrative focus and how the story eventually played out. This was, in many ways, a far more beautiful tale than I’d expected.

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An Enjoyable Adventure

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 17-01-24

It’s so refreshing to have so many disabled characters as main characters in an all-action adventure. Haven Point is full of witty observations and charming NE vernacular. I enjoyed the author reading it in her own tongue & her love of her characters came through too.

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Great Narration

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 12-12-23

I read this book a number of years ago & really enjoyed it. I wanted to revisit it ahead of Murray’s latest novel to see if my view held. Fantastic narration brought the novel and its many weird characters to life: Greg Costigan’s voice in particular will stay with me a while! Glad I revisited this clever, awful, funny, depressing book.

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Listen… for the accents alone!

Overall
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
2 out of 5 stars
Story
3 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 26-09-23

As a north-easterner and crime fan, I found this a fascinating, compelling listen- mainly, it must be said, due to the attempts at a Geordie accent. I once watched an episode of Castle, on late night TV when on holiday in the US; it had the most incredible “Geordie” accent I’d ever heard (definitely worth a google). This is not quite as likely to gain a cult following, but it is utterly terrible and grimly fascinating. This was my first LJ Ross novel and I can see why they’re popular amongst fans of the genre. I didn’t warm much to Ryan here and again I think it might be because the voice actor chooses to make him sound even more of a pompous arse than his characterisation does. Anna, on the contrary, is made to sound (by the actor) like some sort of gurning , boot-licking caricature. The plot was intriguing in parts and interestingly woben intonthe setting- Cragside is one of my favourite places on Earth so I enjoyed the location references .

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4-year-old’s seal of approval

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 08-01-23

When I asked 4 or 5 stars? She said 10. So there you go.

Good retelling of the classic tale.

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Great adventure

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 05-01-23

I really enjoyed this despite thinking early on that I wasn’t going to :the children seemed spoiled and unlikeable. However, they definitely redeem themselves throughout their adventures particularly in their interactions with the explorer & I even cried a few times at the end!

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Funny and oddly touching

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 23-12-22

I enjoyed it. I’ve read some reviews saying how can something with so much tragedy be funny… well it is & emotions can’t be put in separate boxes. I would definitely recommend.

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