OYENTE

Chelsea Tisdale

  • 28
  • opiniones
  • 46
  • votos útiles
  • 65
  • calificaciones

Adorable and lighthearted

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

Revisado: 03-26-25

This was such a great listen for a few chuckles and a warm fuzzy feeling. There's enough background to make me curious about the previous books in the Shardrune Universe, but this quirkly little novel is a fine story all on its own. I already grabbed the next book in the Shrubley series.

And Baldree did a bang-up job as narrator, as always!

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Amazing way to finish the series!

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

Revisado: 04-18-24

I was expecting this to be another goofy-silly adventure like the other books, and it was! But it was so much more than that. From getting an in-depth view of the back stories of our characters, to quotes and concepts from previous books that come full circle, to redemption arcs and closure, this book really had everything you could want from a finale.

And the epilogue was chef's kiss. Surprisingly, every single loose end gets tied! Every! Single! One!

I hope this series gets as much attention as it deserves, and I hope Jack and Mr.CP can comfortably rest on their laurels for a bit. Those two have earned it.

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So Unexpectedly Good

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

Revisado: 11-03-23

My one and only complaint about this series is that it ended. There could easily be three more books continuing this story, and as long as they're written and narrated by the same people, I'd enjoy all of them.

I didn't expect when I downloaded the first book that it would be such a well-developed story with such dynamic and multifaceted characters, but it didn't take me long to realize this series is a diamond in the rough. The way the author illustrates the complexities of emotion in the characters and in their interactions with one another is so masterful. Plenty of times I was gutpunched by the crescendo of conflict that was building between characters, and the depths of their relationships was often moving, whether it be heartwarming or tearjerking.

And of course, though the author's beautiful prose is what illustrates the story, the narrator's rendition gives it vibrant color. It wouldn't have been the same story without the multitude of characters that were brought to life by a single person with many voices.

I have a new standard to hold other books to now, and I can only hope that this isn't the last I'll hear of this author/narrator duo.

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Still just as captivating as the first book

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

Revisado: 11-02-23

I hoped with all my might that this book would maintain the same quality of writing and narration as the first, and I was not disappointed.

I never imagined an alien romance book would make me sit down and actually think about the restrictions a society places on its people, and how to an outside observer a people may seem enslaved to its laws and rules of etiquette. But there you have it. A deeply thought-provoking piece of literature with just the right amount of high action and interpersonal conflict, throw in a dash of heartbreakingly painful character development, and then sprinkle some steamy alien lovemaking on top.

*chef's kiss*

And I can't forget to give my love to the narrator. With the introduction of a slew of new characters, he still managed to give everyone their own pizzazz while staying true to our three beloved mains. Hats off once again for another job well done.

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Genuinely good writing with narration to match

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

Revisado: 11-02-23

I'm not saying I'm too snobby to enjoy the paranormal/extraterrestrial romance genre, but I've found a lot of books to be heavy on the steamy scenes and pretty light on everything else.

This book (and I suspect this series) far exceeded any expectations. I'm blown away by the depths that the author gave to the characters' thoughts and interactions, and the sincere respect she gave to the horrors of being a prisoner of war and/or a slave. I've read "captured by slavers" books that didn't give even a quarter the gravity that I saw in this book, and the characters in this series have deep-seated traumas that aren't easily cured with a few gentle words and a romp in the sheets.

And I can't praise the narrator enough. From the scrappy kidnapped engineering genius, to the lifelong slave with the unbreakable spirit, to the world-weary prisoner of an unwinnable war, he manages to capture each character's mannerism and emotions perfectly.

I only see three books so far. All I can say is that I hope there will be many more to come from this author/narrator duo.

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Ick to Meh

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

Revisado: 10-24-23

All's well that ends well, I guess. But...

Of course this series has become pretty formulaic. The male alien does something bad to be with a female human. The alien is then in trouble, but the human still likes him.

But Bek literally bought slaves. He exchanged goods for humans. He didn't ask for damsels in distress. He didn't say, "Oh, and don't kidnap women from earth or take them away from a situation where they're free and happy." He didn't care where they came from as long as they were left on their barely hospitable planet. And what did he get as a punishment? A slap on the wrist shunning that was basically ignored by the entire tribe and was then lifted after a couple weeks.

Meanwhile Elle was abused and tortured for OVER A DECADE SINCE SHE WAS A LITTLE GIRL, but good thing she's mated to the strong boorish alien who tackled and grappled her TWICE within the first few days of meeting her. The way she practically threw herself under his "protective" shadow screamed Stockholm Syndrome, not romance.

These topics could have been handled so much more gracefully, and in so doing, it could have given the book such emotional punch.

But in the end, it fell flat. Everyone got a happy ever after. I don't expect the highest quality from a series about boinking alien cavemen, and I don't listen to it for its gripping commentary on ethics or processing trauma, but I think I'd rather the author lean away from grazing those deep subjects if she's not going to give them the respect they're due.

(Still gonna read on for Gail and Vaza, though. Those two are too cute.)

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Yikes!

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

Revisado: 10-13-23

I'm a big fan of the horror genre, so I'm no stranger to storytellers trying to give me a good scare. And still, some of these stories had me jumping at shadows.

One of them was a bit too gruesome for my liking, at least as a narrated piece. I had to skip that chapter and later find it online. Even in written word, I was still left a little queasy. But everyone has their own tolerance for gore.

Altogether, as a compilation I found it entertaining and spooky! Perfect for the Halloween season.

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I couldn't stomach this book

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

Revisado: 09-26-23

After the first book in this series, Bound to the Battle God, I had pretty high expectations for this one. I didn't imagine it would be a literary masterpiece, but I thought it would at least be as entertaining as the first.

But I couldn't get past the first three hours. The main female character was so intolerable. If I didn't know any better, I'd think the author was pulling a Not Another Teen Movie satirical parody of "geeky" romance heroines. She was airheaded and emotionally wishy-washy, she was innocently virginal and also an unashamed horndog, she was a software engineer but somehow an absolute idiot who couldn't grasp the basic information that was being spoonfed to her. And for this self-professed "gamer gurl" who wants to be a video game developer, the game that the author chose to illustrate her passion was basically Pokemon Go. C'mon now. bffr

I won't even go into how the main male character could essentially be replaced entirely by a body pillow with a strap-on and a photo of a handsome man's face taped to it.

Just do yourself a favor. Skip this one. Maybe the next one will be better. I can't say for sure as I'm putting this series down altogether, at least until I can get the bad taste out of my mouth.

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Overall entertaining!

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

Revisado: 09-26-23

As far as not-quite-human romance goes, this was pretty good! The world was well-established without info dumping, the characters were fleshed out and dynamic, and the burn was somewhat slow but very steady which built up the anticipation.

The dialogue occasionally felt clunky and unnatural, and the narrator struggled to imitate the male character's deep growling voice. But these are small critiques when the book itself is so fun.

Warning: I wouldn't recommend the next book in the series. The second A&A book feels like it's written by an entirely different author, one with very little writing experience.

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DNF - Spicy but poorly written

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

Revisado: 09-24-23

I had high hopes for this one since it was recommended by a lot of monster romance enthusiasts. But nah. The barely two-dimensional FL is painfully naive and pointlessly edgy in the way only a teenager could be, and the narrator reading her chapters sounds like she would be perfect for children's books or YA, but her narration only adds to the juvenile nature of the character. The ML, supposedly an ancient dark demon of blood-thirst and sin, barely needs two days of casual five-minute interactions before he feels the need to become her protector? At least the male narrator has potential in romance, but no amount of "potential" can overcome the insurmountable obstacle that is the writing.

The only thing that had my toes curling before slamming that "return book" button was the dialogue, and that was out of pure, raw, unadulterated cringe.

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