⋆.˚✮ Rosh ✮˚.⋆

Exceptional!!

Revisado: 07-16-23

Everyone knows the book, so I won't expound on the virtues of the story. But if you want to check out this title thorugh the audio version, THIS is the version to try out! What an AMAZING performance! Every single character gets a life of their own through his exceptional performance.

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An interesting dystopian fantasy.

Revisado: 05-06-23 El oyente recibió este título gratis

I enjoyed this unusual story way more than I had expected. (This is not to take away from the author; it is just that I don’t usually read apocalyptic fiction as I am not a big fan of the genre.) It makes an engaging attempt at putting together a plot with many novel aspects.

The audiobook, clocking at 11hrs 50 min, is narrated by Tiffany Morgan Baker. She does an amazing job, voicing all the characters to perfection. She even sings well! For a book with some many characters and parallel plots, the audio is surprisingly easy on the ears.

Recommended to those who enjoy dystopian fantasies with spunky heroines and slow-burn thrills.

First of a planned series; no cliffhanger ending.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book at my request and these are my honest thoughts about it.

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Imaginative; suitable for YA readers

Revisado: 03-23-23 El oyente recibió este título gratis

I enjoyed this story, though I am not in the YA age group. Admitedly, the writing was a bit too YA, if you know what I mean - plenty of first person rambling, only the MC teens are sensible and the adults are ignorant... But keeping aside the flaws of the genre, the story has an innovative plotline, and I cant wait to see where the author takes it next.
The narrator is quite good. Her character voices become a bit farfetched at times but on the whole, excellent performance.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book at my request and these are my honest thoughts about it.

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Chicken Little with divine and mythological bits.

Revisado: 02-26-23 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Rós, a little red chicken, is suddenly hit on the head with something small and round, something that looks like a golden acorn. She doesn’t quite figure out what it is. However, she understands that it is not anything ordinary because she has suddenly gained the ability to view creatures around her in colour. Rós is determined to find out what this magical thing is and return it to where it belongs, and sets out on an adventure with her white chicken friend.

Though the story is supposed to be a retelling of “Chicken Little”, it has a lot of shades of The Lord of the Rings series. You have little Rós and her friend going on a dangerous quest to return the ring… oh sorry, the golden acorn… before it destroys the world. Then you have a reference to ENTs, who are trees just like the Ents of LotR but are malicious ones. There is also an undertone of biblical content with references to creation and the Tree of knowledge in the Garden of Eden. And finally, there are shades of mythological fantasy, what with fae and kelpie and griffins popping up unexpectedly.

I loved the way the animal characters are sketched, right down to their nature and their emotions. Be it the dog or the mare or the hens, each of them is developed so well that you can’t ever be confused about what creature it is. There are also plenty of humorous remarks in the content, like when Rós tells her friend, “For once in your life, don’t be a chicken!” A few of the jokes are needlessly stretched but most of them hit the funny bone spot on.

Where the book could have worked better for me was in its writing style. There is a frequent shift of perspective between the acorn and the chicken. While this still works as one is in first person and the other is in third person, the shifts are too abrupt at times. Furthermore, the story becomes too complicated towards the end. Younger readers might not be able to figure out what exactly was happening in the finale.

This is supposed to be book four of the “Crowns of the Twelve” series but I found it working very effectively as a standalone. Each book in the series is the retelling of a fairy tale or folklore, so they aren’t interconnected as far as I can tell.

The audiobook clocks at three hours and is narrated by JoBe Cerny. His voice is perfect for the story. He narrates the book like a benevolent grandpa, with all the right intonations and sound effects. His animal sounds are superb. Kids will surely enjoy his narration.

All in all, a nice story. While it didn’t rock my world, it still kept me interested enough to find out what happened next.

3.75 stars from me.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book at my request and these are my honest thoughts about it.

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Could have been outstanding. Ends up a disaster.

Revisado: 02-26-23 El oyente recibió este título gratis

As a historical book with an openly lesbian main character, there was so much potential to show life for the LGBTQ community in that era. The prologue is so powerful that I was looking forward to an exceptional story. Unfortunately, the plot soon regresses into a lust fest, full of details of physical attractions and sexual activities, as if the only thought a homosexual person has is that of sex. The entire first half is infuriating for this reason because there are no feelings explored except for the physical. The second half is just a little better. I wish there were more emotional depth to the content.
The title, the cover, and the blurb gave me expectations of reading a story about a lesbian girl who travels to Alaska as a boy. This doesn’t happen until well into the second half. “The Moonstone Girls” of the title don’t come together until chapter 21 of a book with 24 chapters (not counting the prologue and epilogue.) The pre-Alaska and in-Alaska segments feel like two separate books.
1.5 stars - 0.5 for the writing intention, 1 star for the narration. Rounding down because it was not worth reading were it not for the audio version.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book at my request and these are my honest thoughts about it.

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This book needs to do a rethink!

Revisado: 02-26-23 El oyente recibió este título gratis

In terms of intent? The book gets a few marks. In terms of execution, it fails miserably. If I had read this a couple of decades ago, I might have loved it for its innovative "magical" storyline, because those were the days when I was unaware of right terminology and inclusive treatment of everyone in society. But today, having such a book is a big no-no.
The idea of having disabled kids as superheroes is great. But why do these children need to get a superpower that rids them of their disability (albeit indirectly) if they are to make a change in the world? Are these children nothing beyond their physical limitations? I would have still let this point go if the approach of the book balanced itself fairly. But there are many disparaging comments about disability and being disabled. One character remarks about the disabled children being the “lowest of the lows.” Imagine a disabled child reading this book! How would they feel on reading such stupid remarks?
The problems with the story don’t stop at its treatment of disability. Aubrey is supposedly heavy so there are many remarks about her weight and the resulting inability to do things like climbing a rope. Then there is some content about white privilege, courtesy Dan’s Cameroonian background. One of the children also refers to their group as “crippled kids”, which I am pretty sure isn’t an acceptable term anymore.
There are also logical inconsistences in the plot. There’s a big hoohah made about keeping their superpower a secret but Jeremy seems to be flying his car everywhere. Then Aubrey reveals her actual name during an investigation with a gang member. How are they still a secret team???
The book has some fun moments. The magic show is especially interesting. I also enjoyed the unity and bond among the four friends. But mere good moments aren’t enough when the overall content is so faulty.I cannot recommend this book, especially not to families with disabled children.
I heard the audiobook, which clocks at just over 3 hours and is narrated by Luke Castle. The narrator gets full marks for intent but again, the execution falls short. He tries his best to provide a different accent for every character. Some of these accents work but many sound quite caricatural. His accent for Jeremy was especially irritating with its whiny, nasal quality. There are some disturbances in the background at times. There are also a couple of pronunciation errors.
It's a no from me, sorry.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book at my request and these are my honest thoughts about it.

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Imaginative, for sure. And a bit controversial.

Revisado: 02-25-23 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Though this can be called a biblical story, it is more a creative retelling than a faithful narration. Thus there is a lot of inventive filling in the blanks for explaining the miracles and even the resurrection. The basic idea in the book is that Jesus was a regular human being who intended to be a political rebel against the Roman government. But he wasn’t ready to go against them with swords, rather with his words. Thus he begins preaching for a peaceful change. Thus the entire biblical story turns into one of Machiavellian politics and conspiracies. There are some elements of satire and humour but the overall impact is more of a shrewd politico-dramatic thriller.
The plot keeps going ahead at a steady pace but the Indian elements that keep coming up at random points damaged the core focus of the story and distracted me a lot. Also, some of the words sounded anachronistic.
My faith isn’t dependent on such retellings, so I just distanced myself from my belief system and read this as a novel. If, however, you can’t compartmentalise the believer in you from the reader in you, you might be too enraged by the content because it is quite blasphemous. I was better prepared for the scandalous Christian fictionalisation than the hackneyed Indian one because the latter was totally uncalled for.
The audiobook clocks at 9 hrs 20 min and is narrated by Charles Henderson. He does an excellent job and his voice suits that of Thomas wonderfully. He also doesn’t go out of his way to provide distinct accents for the multitudinous characters but just reads them in a natural way. I enjoyed his narration.
All in all, 3 stars from me. I liked this fictional twist to “the greatest story ever told” but I wish it had stuck to the gospel narrative and not added Indian masalas.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book at my request and these are my honest thoughts about it.

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An outstanding story but needed some fine-tuning.

Revisado: 02-25-23 El oyente recibió este título gratis

The characters are so well-penned that you are never in doubt of the rationale behind their behaviour. Lucy especially will win your heart with her guts and gumption. Her role is not the typical simpering female of most historical fiction works but that of a girl who tries hard to overcome her physical shortcoming. Even the secondary characters, barring the clichéd villain, will leave their marks.
The book offers amazing detail in how the deaf and dumb were treated in that time period. Every bit related to this is a pleasure to read. The author’s note states how which of the characters were actual people from history. I liked knowing this background as it greatly added to my satisfaction with the book.
There are many sweet and emotional moments in the narrative. The epilogue felt superfluous at first but soon its presence and length is justified. So if you are looking for something simple and yet that will touch your heart, this will certainly work for you. In fact, in term of emotional appeal, character growth, and plot development, the book gets full marks.
The audiobook clocks at a little more than 11 hours and is narrated by Steven Ritz- Barr. He does a decent job but I’m not sure if he is a beginner in this field. There are some mistakes he makes while reading which he then goes on to rectify. (Mine wasn’t an ARC so I didn’t expect such mistakes.) The voice variations of the narrator weren’t enough to make Lucy sound like a young woman. In fact, the narrator sounded exactly the same while voicing Samuel and Noah, which became quite confusing at times. Additionally, I feel like the audio version would have worked better if Lucy had a separate narrator, especially as her pov is also in first person. One thing I especially liked about the audiobook was Ritz-Barr’s musical interludes between scene changes and chapters. That was so helpful!
Overall, what I loved most about this book was its powerful story that embodies the three Christian virtues of faith, hope, and love. It is a beautiful tale of the coming-of-age of two young persons who get bogged down but not defeated by tough circumstances. With well-developed characters, a touching plotline and an accurate historical insight, the book overcomes most of the writing flaws and delivers an impactful experience.
3.75 stars.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book at my request and these are my honest thoughts about it.

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Mostly predictable but so much fun! Loved it!

Revisado: 02-24-23 El oyente recibió este título gratis

A retelling of Snow White with a Japanese folklore twist.
The author takes some dark elements of the original German tale, intermingled with some elements from the Disney version and adds her own twists. This retelling thus provides a refreshing experience of Snow White.
I loved how smoothly the setting has been transferred to Japan. The Japanese setting is very well used, not just with the locational details but also with folklore characters such as tanuki and yokai having a strong role to play in the narrative.
You already know who the villain is if you know the original. I liked the build-up to her evil deeds, which are very clear to us readers though no one in the story knows who it is. However, the scene where she gets her due is too short and over before it even begins. This was the only real disappointment in the book.
The audiobook, clocking at 5 hrs 14 min, is narrated very well by Joanna Roddy. She provides the right inflections and character voices without resorting to clichéd Japanese accents. I enjoyed her performance and would definitely recommend the audio version.
Overall, I loved this retelling. While staying true to the original, it adds enough of novelty to ensure an entertaining experience. I want to read the rest of the series for sure.
Recommended for older teens (15+) and those looking for an unusual fairy tale retelling.
4.25 stars.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book at my request and these are my honest thoughts about it.

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Better than I expected.

Revisado: 02-24-23 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Honestly, I was expecting a typical light chick-lit romance. So to see it cover serious themes was, in itself, a surprise. There’s no romance in the book, a plus for me.
The unusual protagonist makes for a novel experience. Not just the fact that she’s a mermaid, but also that she’s in her forties, she’s not looking for a life partner (at least at the start), she doesn’t regret not having children, and she’s curvy & proud of it. Her determination to live an independent life won me over.
The ending is very abrupt. It is clearly leading to the next book in the series. There’s no cliffhanger as such, but I would have preferred a better-rounded ending.
The audiobook, clocking at 4 hrs 10 min, is narrated by Kelley Huston. She does read well, though her accent wasn’t to my liking. Still, the audiobook is a nice option to explore this story.
All in all, this is a nice book that balances fun and seriousness. I loved how it stressed more on Eva’s finding her own freedom. If you can ignore the logical flaws, this can be a great entertainer. Recommended for a light-read mood day.
3.75 stars.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook at my request and these are my honest thoughts about it.

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