OYENTE

Dannan Tavona

  • 16
  • opiniones
  • 12
  • votos útiles
  • 18
  • calificaciones

Different take on things

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

Revisado: 04-25-23

Alternate universe, urban fantasy, police procedural

One of the things I like about Devon Monk's stories is they take place in places I'm familiar with. The Allie Beckstrom series mostly takes place in Portland, aka Stump Town (a moniker from its early logging days when tree stumps were everywhere). Ordinary, Oregon is probably Seaside in disguise. Or not. But it's somewhere in the neighborhood. LOL!

Oregon is full of mixed pronunciations. It's ORE-gun, not oreEEgawn. Willamette is will-AM-eht, not WILL-ah-MEH-tee. The narrator gets the other names right except for Netarts. It's pronounced NEE-tarts. Though I once heard an English professor swear that Deschutes was deska-HOOTies, not deh-SHOOTS, though I'm sure the French would say it yet another way entirely.

The MC is police chief Delaney Reed, and both of her sisters are in town, one also being a cop, so there's plenty of small town gossiping and family dynamics going on. Thanatos seems fun in a droll sort of way. Sometimes characters can take time to distill in a new series, but some of them gelled quite nicely.

The murder and suspects are handled well, and the characters are quirky, sort of reminiscent like another fictional town in Oregon known for its oddball hijinks, Eureka, but with magic and divine power instead of mad scientist super-experiments gone awry.

Enjoyed. Glad I picked it up, and glad I have the next audio book in the series, too.

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Well done

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

Revisado: 04-15-23

Engaging presentation. Only minus was some dialog of a couple parts were low enough as to be nearly inaudible, and music at the end was so loud during the credits it competed, nearly drowning the words out. Whether sloppy and rushed or inexperienced, it was a shame as the the rest of production, the sound effects, narration, and voice acting were really engaging. For the most part, the extra expense was worthwhile. This review was based on the sound quality of the Kindle Hire.

I listened to the same sections that were problematic on my PC with better speakers, and the while there were issues, it was much less of an issue. Pitt's thoughts were still low volume, but clearer on PC speakers. The book is offered in one long file or two 5 hour blocks. At the end of the first one was a two minute advert, a bit long considering the price.

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Story hiatus?

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

Revisado: 01-04-23

Superhero, harem fade-to-black, alternate timeline

Love the dual narration, it truly adds to the audio experience. This narrator pairing works well, and they are obviously comfortable together. The edits are subtle, but noticeable with Daniel as the timbre of his voice is different.

I really like Cebelius' writing, even giving his villain series Mountain King a try. His new series, Would You Love A Monster Girl? has sold really well, and he commented that it was hard to justify writing a series that sold much more poorly in comparison, so sadly, it may be a long while before we get another TAP novel. It's not a cliffhanger, but the reveal at the end raised a lot of questions, and it was the first glimpse of the most dangerous villain in the milieu. Recommended, but be forewarned the next novel may be a few years away, if ever.

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Saga continues

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

Revisado: 01-03-23

Superhero, harem fade-to-black

Complicated mayhem ensues as the four agree to pay back a favor owed from the previous novel. A fun story made so much better by dual narration. Seriously enjoyed, and a nice way to revisit a story enjoyed and dramatically rendered for my ears to enjoy. Wisniewski and Woods put in great performances. Recommended.

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Fun series

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

Revisado: 01-02-23

Superhero series, harem fade-to-black

Cebelius is a skilled and talented writer, and there were a few laugh out loud moments in the story. Less dark than his excellent Celestine Chronicles, deft handling of characters, dialog, and story pacing. It takes a skilled writer to combine POV stories; I enjoyed it so much that I bought the Audible version. Kudos, too, for spending the extra on dual narration. Wisiewski and Woods work well together. It's a fun start to a new series with plenty of adventure. Recommended.

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GsA remarkable tale

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

Revisado: 01-05-22

Fantasy time travel western
A few historical details wrong -- like the son Spanish flu didn't start in Kansas City; the first US cases were in Chicago, from travelers moving south from Canada, infected by sick Chinese workers on their way to the UK. But, I would expect someone who wasn't a historian to be off on that and a few others minor things. It was very much a story of adjustment and a tale cowboys at the end of the free range drives and a slow burn courtship and romance. I do prefer dual narration, and a cast of players are even better. Mr. Kearney did a fine job telling the story. I bought the book, and liked the story so much that when I had the funds, I bought the audio version. Highly recommended.

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More enjoyable characters

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

Revisado: 05-19-21

Science fiction police procedural mature
Another serial killer hunt for LT Eve Dallas and Captain Feeney to catch and deliver to the court. The novel opens with the brutal murder of the top city prosecutor. Cicely Towers, Because the initial victim is a public servant, emotions run high, especially as Towers is well known to Eve's boss, Commander Whitney. The villain uses his skills to tap into police communications and to confuse Eve's progress with critical press releases. Compounding the issue is the family secrets and lies Eve encounters, straining relationships with her boss and with Roarke's business partners.
Well into the story, an important supporting character, Officer Peabody, makes her debut. Another recurring character is Chief Tibble, who replaces the corrupt Chief Simpson as head of NYPSD (New York Police & Security Department). Nadine Furst, briefly introduced in the first novel, has a more critical role in this story, and she is shown to be ambitious reporter who is also caring and ethical. In the previous story, Eve was badly beaten by one of the killers before getting the upper hand. In this story, both Eve and Roarke end up fighting for their lives after rescuing Nadine, with both the worse for wear. .
Susan Ericksen narrates and does a fine job. Her version of Mavis Freestone speaking something similar to a Valley girl is startling, but is acceptable.
The big impediment to acquiring the series is that big publishing houses charge higher than normal prices for both the ebooks and audiobooks. If you have the budget, a fine series to add to your library.

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Stellar series

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

Revisado: 05-19-21

Science fiction police procedural mature
This is the book that introduces the future world of New York in 2058, with cars that can hover or fly, a city even more crowded than one could imagine, and both civilian satellites and a handful of colonies on other worlds.

The main character is LT Eve Dallas of NYPSD, a homicide cop, and is assigned a politically sensitive case that quickly becomes one about a serial killer.

As the book progresses, we are introduced to the characters in her life, and Eve's own traumatic origins. In the cop world, she soon meets the super-rich, cultured, Irish, and very handsome Roarke. Other main characters also make their initial appearance. There's Eve's boss, Commander Jack Whitney. Eve's former mentor and partner and currently head of the EDD (electronics division) is Captain Ryan Feeney, head of the police computer techs. Balancing the geek is expert police psychologist Dr. Charlotte Mira. As Eve falls in love with Roarke, she finds that Roarke's majordomo Somerset finds her unworthy of Roarke's attentions. Last, but not least is the cat Eve finds a cat from the murdered Maxine Castle, a large, furry, overweight cat with two different colored eyes, Galahad. Other important characters are the young singer and Eve's best friend, Mavis Freestone. Another is the smart reporter, Nadine Furst.

The story is complex, but Eve's big break in the case is when one of the story's victims calls to provide the crucial evidence revealing the culprit. JD Robb is the pen name of famous romance writer Nora Roberts. This is her first police procedural, and while absorbing, is also a bit rough in places. The series does get better as she becomes more experienced and familiar with this future society.

The narration is done by Susan Ericksen who is surprisingly pretty good. The words are clear and well-paced, and the characters, in general, are given distinctive voices. I usually prefer to read my fiction, but having read the book five times prior to purchasing the audiobook, it was an unexpected pleasure to listen to this performance. I am unaware of the selection process, whether the author or the publishing house selected the narrator, but they must have been happy with the rendition as Ericksen narrates the entirety of the series thus far -- 50+ novels in 2021.

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Engaging story

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

Revisado: 05-18-21

Fantasy alien girls harem mature situations
The first in a five-part book series, it sometimes borders on space opera, but for all that, it's an engaging story. There's world-building in different environments, several puzzles to solve, and the game-changing fact that become the mate to these alluring female aliens conveys powers and abilities to Brandon, the story's MC.

Soren Gray narrated the story. His pronunciations were clear and he did well with the characters of the first book, including the three lead females. Not knowing of his other work, the harem grows, and more, in books 3 and 4, they build a sizable settlement, and I'm not sure he could clearly identify some many different supporting characters. I've recently been listening to joint male and female narrations and have really liked them. Some narrators are banding together and like radio shows of old, including sound effects and the like. However, since most of these type of stories are by indie authors, the expense of audio books take a while to recoup the expenses, so such large productions may continue to be the exception rather than a new trend.

The first book sets up the situation while leaving many unanswered questions to be resolved. It's very easy to listen to and the time passed quickly as the story progressed. Enjoyed.

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Gripping story

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

Revisado: 05-18-21

I live in the Northwest, so I am well aware of PG&E and their desire to cut corners while making money hand over fist. The recent power loss in Texas shows utility greed not limited to one company but is widespread and needs vigilant public regulation and NOT paid-off politicians.

My uncle is a retired volunteer fire chief in a rural area; his son is currently a fireman paramedic. My great grandfather and grandfather fought the fierce fires of Bandon, Oregon, in 1936 because it was a chance to work at decent wages during the Depression. The son survived, leaving his family and his descendants marked forever by the fire's mindless rage.

As vicious and destructive as the Paradise fire was, the loss of life was surprisingly small, though each casualty was a tragedy, especially those at the hospital. In urban fires, smoke kills more often than the flames do.

Even more telling was the chilling accuracy describing local leaders, how their desire to move on combined with an unwillingness to challenge the utility giant in the immediate aftermath for fear of antagonizing the corporation and the whole community being punished. Voices that spoke about guilt and reparations were squashed; it took years to pass for people to realize how much they had lost and to begin to speak out against the utility's failure to maintain its equipment, and the role that played in the devastation. Some families were wiped out, while others survived only to lose their homes and be unable to rebuild. The compensation that some received took years and never came close to restoring their previous lives.

The authors aptly and clearly covered these events. I wouldn't say the narrator had a great range, yet the narration did a good job of conveying those emotions involved.

An old proverb says that fire is a good servant but a terrible master. When it gets out of control, it can be capriciously wild and merciless.

Paradise and the surrounding towns more or less survived. New families moved in. Some businesses were rebuilt while others were abandoned or repurposed to new business ventures. As with any fire survivor, behind the fresh paint and friendly faces the scars remain; they are merely covered up and hidden away.

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