Manda

Just not for me

Revisado: 04-15-20

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

It's a good story and very well written. It just didn't grab me personally. The style, especially the first portion of the book, is like a parent is telling you a lovely and long story. I didn't feel in it with the characters, but like I was young again with my nan telling me a tale. That is lovely in its own way, I just found that perspective to go on to long for me. I stopped wanting to be told what Wayne was like and wanted to see and feel it for myself via dialogue and action. But I think this could really be a story other folks love for that same perspective that I shied away from. Like I said in the beginning: it is well written with a good story. It also has kind and relatable characters, interesting magic and magical influence, and a great narrator. I loved his performance and voice which certainly is also a part of why it felt like a beloved parent was telling me the story. The audio quality isn't great though- it sounds like he's narrating from inside his home office, which I'm sure he isn't, but it did slightly detract from the audiobook for me. Still, I think a lot of folks may like this book and that it was just my personal preferences that caused the three stars here, so listen to a sample and see what you think!

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Super fun!

Revisado: 04-11-20 El oyente recibió este título gratis

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

Really fun listen and a great performance. I enjoyed the ride. Interesting characters, some funny dialogue, and an enjoyable plot. If you like action movies that aren't too dark or deep, then I think you'll dig this.

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Engaging and interesting

Revisado: 04-02-20 El oyente recibió este título gratis

I was given this review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

I enjoyed this book and the narrator. I must admit that I liked the story a bit more that I liked the narration, but I still feel the narrator was good and so I gave the performance 4 starts as well. I think any qualms I have about the performance are based solely on my own personal preferences and not on her talent. The audiobook was produced very well too.
The story is good- I was drawn in right away and I really like the main protagonist. There's a lot of traditional fantasy and YA elements to the story, but there are also a few novel aspects to the plot which I liked. I also liked that we were introduced to everything as the protagonist was- she's not native to the world she's on and so she's as clueless as we are about the magic system. So, we learn with her. The pace of the story was good- sometimes I wanted things to move a bit faster- but that was mostly just because I was excited and engaged. I also thought the romance was well done, and (an important factor for me)- there wasn't a ton of intense angst, huzzah! There are some fun sci fi elements to the book too, but I would mostly categorize it as a fantasy novel. Only word of warning is that there are some references to rape and torture that could be triggering for some readers. It's no more violent than most fantasy novels though. Less violent than many.

Overall, if you like fantasy, YA, honorable protagonists, and animal/nature connection magic I think you'll like this book and series.

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I dig the narrator!!

Revisado: 03-24-20

I figured this book didn't really need any additional reviews given how well it has sold, but then I saw how many folks don't like the narrator for the audiobook and had to hop on to give her my support. I really liked her narration. Yes, her style does take some getting used to at first, but then I really enjoyed it because it's different and the accent is just a delight to listen to, tbh. Sometimes it seems that the inflections are a bit different that how I would imagine the character speaking, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't speak that way. I mean Julia is originally from Russia, and Roysa is supposed to be kinda like Russia with Polyna being like our Poland, right? So maybe Julia's inflections are more closely aligned with how someone in Polyna would speak even though the story is written in English. Anywho, maybe that's not true at all. Either way, I enjoyed her narration and I enjoyed the story. I found that after I let go of some of my expectations for how the audiobook would be read, I was drawn in to the story and the performance.

In terms of the story- I mean it's great. I love the main character, I love the themes of our roots and relationships being integral to who we are and of what we feed (love, hate, anger, etc) being what we grow.

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Love it!

Revisado: 03-24-20

I have loved all of Ann Leckie's books and this did not disappoint. I'll admit that it took me a bit longer to get in the swing of this one than her others because of the shift to the fantasy realm from the wide-reaching sci fi realms she's done before and because of the perspective in which the story is told. After I did get invested though, I ended up loving that perspective! It's different and it's good different. I've listened to this book multiple times now and I'm sure I'll go back and listen again in the future. I think the narrator is fantastic as always. I find her so engaging and it amazes me that she is able to portray such differing characters so well. Plus her voice and accents are just really enjoyable to listen to. I could probably listen to her read anything and be quite happy, so her reading a story that I find to be so great is a win-win.
If you start the book and at first your not sure if its for you, give it a bit longer before you stop. The Strength and Patience of the Hill would certainly advocate for that.

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A fun listen

Revisado: 03-24-20

I enjoyed this book. It was a fun and easy listen. I liked the main character and her boss a lot, and I loved the ongoing theme in the book that it's okay to be good at an office job! Andrea and her fellow non-super staff show that you can be a hero without having super powers and that it's okay for your career path to be a bit serendipitous rather than an insta-worthy super planned out dream job. But don't be misled by my particular focus on that- this book is not preachy at all. It's just an all-around fun time. The narrator did an excellent job and really made me believe she was Andrea.

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Enjoyable story with engaging characters

Revisado: 03-18-20

I liked this audiobook and book. The characters are very likeable, especially Zacharias. The lead, Prunella, is almost too powerful and effortlessly perfect, but that’s preferable to a damsel in constant distress or an immoral protagonist. And I still really loved her all in all.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and all of its characters quite a lot. The relationships between the characters are especially wonderful as they are multidimensional and show the depth of human connection, illustrating how we can be feel simultaneous paradoxical emotions about each other sometimes. The side characters are very strong too and I found myself interested in learning more about them; so I was certainly drawn into this world of Cho’s.
The plot is solid and intriguing. It does feel like a slow pace even though a lot is happening. So, it wasn’t un-put-downable, but sometimes that’s a good thing and prolongs the enjoyment.
I enjoyed the way the romance was handled and in many ways all the action is similar- it’s happening, but it’s not so emotionally intense or all consuming for the reader. This is a major part of the appeal of the book for me. And my number one important quality in a book: minimal to no angst! Huzzah!
The narrator’s performance was excellent, no complaints there.
My only complaint about the story itself is that there are occasionally sudden scene changes or jumps that are hard to visualize for their lack of lead in or context.
Will definitely check out the next in the series though.

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