OYENTE

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Fallen Audiolibro Por Kat Kinney arte de portada

Wintery Paranormal Mystery

Total
5 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
4 out of 5 stars
Historia
5 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 02-06-25

Fallen is the wintery second entry in Kat Kinney’s Everwood Falls series; the core couple of this paranormal romance is Isabel and Lucien. Although Isabel doesn’t remember it, Lucien has loved and lost her many times. An angel, he first fell in love with her in Pompeii and was cursed for this transgression. His broken wings never mend and over the centuries he has continued to encounter reincarnated Isabels, watching each one die prematurely.

One new feature about this Isabel is that she is a vampire. She works as a doctor in Everwood Falls and is dealing with troubles and regrets unrelated to Lucien’s curse. When the two come into contact with each other, their resistance quickly breaks down, though both are aware of the consequences.

Every book in this series is as much a cosy mystery as a romance. Isabel is dealing with some legal trouble with the vampire high council, and someone seems to be stalking her and putting her patients in danger. We are introduced to a fascinating array of suspects…I mean new supporting characters:
There is Fiona, a secretive but pleasant gargoyle who has recently started working at the hospital with her, and the haunted Adam Sinclair, someone who has reason to despise Isabel. You will want to keep a close eye on them all as some leave a stronger trail in the narrative than others.

The archangels make some appearances and discuss Lucien’s tragic situation. I liked Lucien as a character, but I felt a bit more invested in Isabel's POV. She has to grapple with the hunger that all vampires endure. Her blood-draining instincts are made more intense when she uses her rare magical gift for healing. I won’t bring up spoilers, but it raises interesting moral dilemmas.

Sunshine the cat is a wonderful addition. Like Daisy before him, this pet is full of surprises. Costa Romero deserves a “World’s Best Vampire Dad” mug; you couldn’t be turned by a nicer bloodsucker.
I also really liked Fiona, Norah, Isabel’s elderly human mother, and a surprisingly endearing vampire character who appears towards the end.

Content warnings: Mentions of domestic abuse, injury of a child, violence.
The VO artist spoke clearly and differentiated between characters well. She was given a large cast to work with.

I come to this series between heavier reads for the yummy food descriptions, pets, and fluff. But it also has some very nutritious offerings to go with the dessert.
This series acts as a vehicle for Kinney to sensitively examine some very nuanced human issues. Everyone who arrives in Everwood is an outcast, fitting in with neither human nor standard magic societies. Although each book follows a main couple, it is the community around them who make this low-spice series shine. I will keep coming back to check on everyone's friends and neighbours.

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Umbra: Sentient Stars Audiolibro Por Amber Toro arte de portada

Entertaining far-future military sci-fi

Total
4 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
5 out of 5 stars
Historia
4 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 02-06-25

Umbra is set in the far future. Humans have long since left their dead home world. They have settled in space stations and exoplanets under the The United Tribal Axis. On Medina, a new kind of transport technology is being developed, and someone is trying to sabotage it. An interesting turn of events, considering a powerful Empress controls important trade routes which might be made redundant should this new technology become available. All of these details slowly unfold around three central characters with military training, Skye, Hinata, and Freyja. Side characters include the cousins, Tristan and Killian, who work for Freyja, and Rohan, a scientist at Medina.

I liked the unique take on AI here. The AI ships have personalities that are grounded in lived experience, so they come across as individuals rather than the sort of bland collective consciousness we might associate with AI. Skye’s AI ship, Pele is easily a favourite character of mine, even if I take the human characters into consideration. Pele is curious and cheeky, but also a little cautious compared with her pilot. The sentient ships seem to be organic, capable of healing themselves from viruses or physical damage with the aid of bioballs. They even have a reverent attitude towards Earth, the site of their creation, where the ships’ souls are said to return upon deaths.

The futuristic setting is presented in a plausible way, without going into the mechanics of interstellar travel. However, little descriptions of everyday objects imerse us in the futuristic environment. I Liked that deepfake genAI is something that the UTA has left behind. In the story, it was banned because it had caused too much trouble in human history. I liked the way some technologies have advanced, while others have stagnated. Something may be possible, but how is it regulated? Is it rolled out widely or sealed in a box? Agriculture and medical care, for example, are essential to survival and yet they have not seen as many advancements as transport and warfare. It really heightens the idea that progress isn’t guaranteed to come with the passage of time.

Skye, a swaggering pilot-turned-treasure-hunter is our first POV character. Her introductory chapter captures her fun personality and sets up some of her relationship problems. Second is Hinata. In spite of his achievements at the Academy, Hinata is in exile, stationed on Medina for failing to surpass Freyja in an exam some time ago before. Freyja, the daughter of the Empress is quite isolated from the other characters. Despite her lofty background, she is a simple woman who just wants to trade in galactic conquest for gardening. I can get behind that. Tristan and Killian are her loyal companions (one of them especially so).

In spite of their ethnic diversity, the three leads all have similar backgrounds which sometimes made the world they inhabited feel a little homogenous. All are privileged and educated, with hard-to-please mothers. However, their personalities are distinctive. Freyja has left a bad impression on both Hinata and Skye in the past so when all three are in the same room, some interesting character moments come up. As they play off each other, I could better appreciate what each had to offer. This book does contain romance, which primarily concerns Skye and Hinata. Their attraction grows rather quickly, considering how different they are, but it feels sincere. Hinata is a bit stoic and humourless when we first meet him, so her influence does him some good.

No spoilery content warnings come to mind. There are injuries in battle and some strong language.
The VO artists deliver a great performance. Megan Carver in particular does a great job of distinguishing Freyja and Skye's voices.
Towards the end, the character interactions and action gain momentum. I eagerly await the next book as this one definitely leaves you wondering what will happen next!

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Talia: On the Shore of the Sea Audiolibro Por Joel Flanagan-Grannemann arte de portada

Fantasy with Soaring Heights and Crushing Blows

Total
5 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
3 out of 5 stars
Historia
5 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 12-22-23

I knew this entry in the story of Talia was going to have some dark moments but … wow. I don’t think a Grimdark novel could throw in scenes much heavier than this. Only this story isn’t afraid of contrasting the deepest pits of despair with moments of joy and elation, like the birth of Sunshine. In that way, it’s brave as it gives you a lot to process emotionally. The cover is bright and pretty but be warned: this book is no seaside holiday.

This is an epic fantasy series that grew out of the question: what if Maleficent was Aurora's mother? Talia (the Maleficent figure) is heir to the faerie realm. She has been banished from her home (temporarily) and is pregnant with the daughter of the treacherous human king. She is joined by her ladies and soldiers as she prepares to give birth. The matriarchal faery culture continues to develop, and it feels as nuanced and complex as a real-world culture. The faeries continue to exhibit amazing power over their own bodies, from their hormones to reproductive abilities. Still, even with their magic, they are not immune to very human kinds of suffering.

The dialogue is as strong as before, but the author has also grown confident in using description here. I experienced the settings in a more colourful, tangible way this time around which is great because we visit some fascinating places. The plot unfolds in a very cinematic way. The author once again makes good use of the omniscient narrator’s POV. Cut scenes are exactly where they should be, enhancing dramatic irony. We see our heroes celebrating, followed by a disquieting moment of overhearing the villains’ scheming. Reading a few angles on key events as they unfold also adds emphasis where needed.

I’d put the rating for the narration at 3.5 stars. The narrator speaks clearly and her words are easy to follow. She does not bring a great deal of emotion to the chapter readings, but successfully differentiates one character from another by slight changes in tone. It is effective for this book because we have so many characters to keep track of, and we don’t sink deep into any particular character’s POV. But some of the really heart-wrenching scenes could have benefitted from a bit more “acting”.

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