Jesse

Accurate science and hacking, cheesy dialogue

Revisado: 11-28-19 El oyente recibió este título gratis

First of all: "This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review."

This is actually more of a 3.5 star read for me. It was explained to me before listening to this audiobook, that it is a work of "hard science fiction" with "technically accurate" hacking and science. And it's true! It was very descriptive, very accurate, and very intense. And those parts of the story were really enjoyable. However, outside of the scientific, the story suffered from implausibility, outrageousness, and downright corniness. I don't want to believe this is true, but it would seem that in order to write a really great story, you have to fudge on the science a little (a la The Martian or Ready Player One), and if you focus on the science, the story suffers.

The production quality was pretty good, the narrator added to the intensity and overall excitement of the book.

Overall, I found this a fun book to listen too, even though I rolled my eyes and hung my head a little on occasion.

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Decent thriller, though a little predictable

Revisado: 11-22-19

First of all: "This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review."

This was a pretty decent thriller. My biggest complaint would be that it was quite predictable. The moment the antagonist made an appearance, I guessed that he or she would be the antagonist. The writing quality was pretty good overall, better than other thrillers I've evaluated.

The production quality was pretty good. The narrator did a good job of accentuating what was going on in the story.

Overall, a pretty good read.

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Old-school thriller that thrills still

Revisado: 11-15-19 El oyente recibió este título gratis

First of all: "This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review."

I found this storyline to be quite intriguing. It was the kind of thing that pulled you in right from the start. I found the actions of the protagonists to be fairly logical and believable throughout. The ending had perhaps a little more intrigue and twisting than was necessary, but it was still pretty good. Perhaps the extra twists were to thwart the predictability that had started to creep in.

The narration of the book was quite well done. I found the narrator's voice to be very pleasant, and it added to the story. I would definitely recommend this to anyone that enjoys thrillers.

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Not bad, just not my cup of tea

Revisado: 11-15-19 El oyente recibió este título gratis

First of all: "This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review."

This book just wasn't really my thing. Some of the ideas were interesting, but nothing really moved me. Perhaps my favorite parts were the "journal entries" written by the Death character that were written in the style of different authors and genres.

The narration was pretty good, as was the production quality. Others may find this to be much more enjoyable than I did.

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Raw and unfiltered

Revisado: 11-01-19

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

FNG is raw, unfiltered, and unapologetic. It puts you on the ground in Vietnam, and really lets you experience what our soldiers went through. This is not for the faint-hearted, but if you want to really see what 'Nam was like, FNG will take you there.

Terrific narration adds to and enhances the triumph and the tragedy. Very good production quality.

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Fun, whimsical, and super-entertaining!

Revisado: 10-18-19

First of all: "This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review."

Now that that's out of the way, I cannot over-emphasize how much I liked this book! One of the best I've read in a long time. I had to keep reminding myself that I was reading Terry Pratchett, or Neil Gaiman, or Joe Abercrombie.

The characters were all engaging, the setting was very realistic (the medieval chapters being actually based in a real historical setting) and the plot was fantastic. It was plausible without being predictable. And so funny! More than once I found myself actually laughing out loud.

I also can't say enough about the narrator of this audiobook. Fantastic pacing, terrific voices for the different characters, and an obvious knowledge inside and out of the material.

If you enjoy fantasy, conspiracy theories, or Nostradamus, definitely give this one a go!

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Implausibility dooms a decent storyline

Revisado: 10-14-19 El oyente recibió este título gratis

First of all: "This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review."

There were some pretty good things about this book, but overall, it was doomed by amateurish writing and premises that were too far flung even for a purported thriller. Also, it hit several of my pet peeves, including faulty medical/pharmacological information, implausible timeline, and the fact that nobody ever acted like people would actually act in a given situation.

For everyone to not know anyone at the beginning of the story, only to realize that everybody is actually super-connected by the end (including two of the main antagonists actually being two of the supposed protagonists being called by nicknames) was a bit too far-fetched. And the way that the backstory of the main protagonist was made to feel very important at the beginning only to be relegated to "hardly worth a mention" for the rest of the story also made it feel off for me.

The narration of the audiobook was generally pretty good. It made the cringe-y moments less so and overall added to the good things about the book.

With some polish and some scaling back of ideas (and a plausibility check or two), there is great potential here. I would definitely be interested in reading more by the author, to see if improvement with age and experience can improve the overall talent that I see.

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Fascinating PI with some secrets below the surface

Revisado: 08-06-19 El oyente recibió este título gratis

First of all: "This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review."

**BOOK ONE**

It didn't take long to fall for Angelina Bonaparte. The private investigator is likable for many different reasons, not the least of which is her quirkiness. Though the writing is not entirely elegant, it is very down-to-earth and realistic. The author does a great job of making Madison, Wisconsin seem like a very happening place, at the center of the crime and punishment world. And the plot is entertaining without crossing over into the ridiculous.

The narrator plays a big role in bringing the interesting characters to life, and adds to the overall charm of the novel. I look forward to listening to the other two books.

**BOOK TWO**

Angelina Bonaparte does it again! The feisty PI is faced with a tough challenge: prove the innocence of a man with the odds stacked against him while nurturing a budding relationship with her cop boyfriend. Will she be able to do it?

Another interesting book that pleasantly surprised me.

**BOOK THREE**

Maybe each book was just a little too long, or maybe three is one book too many, but whatever the reason, this one didn't quite thrill me as much as the other two. Don't get me wrong, I didn't NOT like it, but I also didn't love it. Still, the series as a whole would be a marvelous read for any mystery fan.

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Interesting true crime story

Revisado: 07-23-19 El oyente recibió este título gratis

First of all: "This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review."

The author presents a compelling and intriguing look into the life of a brutal killer, a man who sought out targets and showed no mercy. The author does a good job of showing the trajectory of the killer's violent life.

The narration adds to the story, and is very well done.

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A new take on the Apocalypse...

Revisado: 07-18-19 El oyente recibió este título gratis

First of all: "This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review."

It's hard to come up with a completely novel approach to the end of the world. But that is exactly what the author has done with Eight Minutes, Thirty-Two Seconds. The story takes place after an apocalypse has occurred, and through flashbacks we try to learn how it was that it happened. The plot is very intriguing, and the author pulls it off nicely.

The narrator of the audiobook does a good job of intensifying the intense situations, and though not perfect, mostly adds to the story without detracting from it.

Overall a very interesting read which I would highly recommend.

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