jedichick070588

Decent mystery suspense: spoiler free-ish

Revisado: 09-30-24

Mysteries are one of the hardest genres to get right: you can't show your hand too fast and ruin the surprise, foreshadowing needs to make sense upon the second read, and you can't reveal the truth at the expense of making the audience feel stupid. I've read my fair share of great mysteries and a handful of stinkers.

Gerri Hill weaves a wonderful mystery: the foreshadowing was great, the red herrings weren't obvious, and the conclusion (though I wish it were a little longer, drawing out the thriller aspect) answered all the questions posed in the beginning. The mystery itself, why Carlos Romero was killed, is very realistic and reminded me of the final episode of Monk. After years of being a cold case, the answer of 'why' was so simple and understandable it only added to the monstrosity of the killer. For all the danger along the way, the threat feels real enough to keep the plot moving along without becoming a national, or international, incident. Solid story line and well written and plotted.

The twist: I kept reading about "the twist" and how shocking it was. I didn't feel it was all that special in terms of a "reveal", but it was well done. I think the shock was the betrayal more than anything--having the Scorpion be on the force as his own mole. That was well done but given the clues and set up there was no other option. No, I didn't guess the exact person but I did know it had to be one of several people. The twist was well done but I wasn't surprised, if that makes sense.

As for a suspense? There is definitely tension but I never felt as though I couldn't stop listening. There is another reason for that and I think I'd have been better off reading the book. The suspense shared page time with the romance, leading to an adequate amount of both but each could have used more time. I would have enjoyed a longer story with more suspense and build up.

The romance was give-or-take for me. The relationship between Kristen and Marty wasn't necessary to the plot but it added drama opposite the suspense. The whole story revolves around this mystery of "whodunit" and who controls the police force but the suspense and romantic drama keep the whole thing from being dour. I mean, the whole story is about who brutally killed Carlos and why it's being dismissed and covered up. The story could have ended up depressing and gory but it never goes there. The relationship, and eventual romance, between Kristen and Marty is a soft slow burn, contrary to the mystery and suspense happening in the story.

The beginning is slower, introducing the characters and plot, revealing the beginnings of the mystery, without much suspense. We meet Kristen Bailey and Marty Edwards doing their jobs while forming an unlikely...'bond' is too heavy of a word but they gain respect for the other and eventually could be considered friendly. When they separate for the first time, the suspense is already building and the mystery is happily simmering below the surface, peeking out to throw red herrings and curveballs. The real story begins when Kristen and Marty are reunited, the suspense exploding before calming to a simmer while the mystery ramps up and holds tension. The whole time, the question "who killed Carlos" is at the forefront and drives the story. Despite the international implications of the case, the sight of Carlos is never lost. Yes, take down the Scorpion but keep the humanity and remember Carlos. It's very well done.

I have two reasons for my rating:
First, the tone is all over the place. What should be suspenseful is treated as a walk in the park and what should be intimate and slow feels tight and I'm looking around corners for the other shoe to drop. For a mystery suspense, you need the suspense and tension to carry the story but it's lost in the tonal challenges of the story.
For example, the character Kristen Bailey has three nicknames: 'Kristen', 'Kris', and 'Bailey'. That's fine, but they're all used interchangeably. She's a cop, therefore when she's on duty or doing her job, she should be referred to as 'Bailey'. She's a citizen and person of the world, therefore she should be 'Kristen' when she's off duty, when her and Marty first meet, and when interacting with the general public. 'Kris' should be saved for intimate moments such as when she's visiting her mother (such as her saying "Hey mom, it's me Kris," when she's visiting), interacting with Rico, and as her and Marty draw closer and eventually begin a relationship. Setting the tone of the particular excerpt by using specific nicknames would have been incredibly helpful. As is, the story feels a bit disjointed when she's referred to as 'Kris' right after her and Marty meet but "Bailey" when she and Marty are having sex.
Tightening the tone would have saved precious suspense and tension and kicked the story into a higher gear--only by preserving tone.

Second, I've never listened to anything narrated by Abby Craden and I'm hesitant to try anything else narrated by her. Kristen and Marty have distinct enough voices but everyone else sounds the same. The police all have the same rough smoke-a-pack-a-day gruff sound, gang members all have the same wanna-be-gangsta dialect, and everyone else is very generic. She tries her hand at accents, specifically Mexican accents, but the quality of her voice is lost in the attempt and I find myself rewinding to understand what's being said. I understand when the narrative says 'whispered', it means a lower voice, but Craden takes it seriously and actually whispers; leading me to rewind the story and yo-yo the volume so I can understand what's being said. She's not the worst I've ever listened to but I wouldn't seek her out and specifically listen to stories narrated by her.

Overall, the story is pretty good. I am returning it as I won't relisten due to my dislike of the narration, but I would definitely consider purchasing a physical copy to reread.

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Norse mythology rewritten but in a good way!

Revisado: 09-10-24

My first experience with Tiana Warner was Fan to Forever, a wish-fulfillment book that may not qualify as "good" but is fun just makes me happy. To see something with more meat intrigued me and I'm so glad I read this series and I eagerly await the next book.

Yes, this is a young adult story with a teenage protagonist, Sigrid is 16. Yes, she's incredibly indecisive. Yes, her indecisiveness can be vexing. May I reiterate: she's 16. She has her first crush and isn't quite sure how to act or what to do about it. She wants more out of her life, knowing she's destined for greatness and doubts herself along the way. She falls for obvious traps in the hopes of fulfilling childhood wishes of a loving family. She's devastated when she realizes it's all a lie. She gets exactly what she wants and then backtracks, wanting none of it. She's 16.

Warner captures the insanity of being 16 within a story as equally tumultuous. The only grounding for Sigrid is the loyalty of Hestur, her beloved gelding (Hestur is the bestest boy and deserves all the apples); Fisk, a dark elf ally; and Mariam, her enemy-turned-ally-turned-crush.

Fantastic story, easy to relisten to, and worth the time.

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Classic novel read by classic favorites

Revisado: 09-10-24

Fantastic performances. Fantastic story. Who wouldn't want to be read a classic story by Kenneth Branagh or Patrick Stewart? There's no reason not to love this. This series even makes The Horse and His Boy enjoyable.

My ONLY complaint is the books aren't subdivided for easy listening. Other reviews have broken down the books into their respective chapters. If the books were subdivided into their respective chapters a la other anthology works, this would be perfect.

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I still curse this book: spoilers ahead.

Revisado: 09-10-24

First, I'm not the biggest fan of horror because most horror stories revolve around tropes in which people are fundamentally stupid and have the self-preservation instincts of a lemming. I prefer thrillers but at 37 minutes I figured "how bad could this be"? Bad. The answer is bad.

I don't mind tropes when used properly. "Young couple buys a house and it's haunted"--great start. Can go so many places. This isn't original but the possibilities are endless. Now they have a baby and the stakes are upped. The first "event" happens and okay it's odd but sure, not enough of a reason to move. By the second and third events, it doesn't matter if you have to live out of a Motel 8--keep the kid safe and keep your spouse safe.

But no, we're not in a horror story that makes sense. We're not in the sort of horror story where the victims are smart but the entity is smarter. We're not in the horror story where the victims try to leave but to no avail, they've been touched and will now suffer for the rest of their lives. We're not in the horror story that encapsulates the dread of all possible solutions slowly being stripped away until the inevitable is happening. We could have had it all.
But no, we're in a horror story that follows through on the lack of critical thinking skills prevalent in this genre. We're in the horror story that uses lackluster attempts at "fighting back" to showcase the idiocy of the main characters. We're in the horror story where "we can wait it out" and "it's not that big of a problem" and "it'll go away" are common-place thought patterns that get people killed. We're in the sort of horror story that gets made fun of and is used as an example of why people don't like horror.

Of course the baby dies. Of course they stay in the house. Of course their marriage falls apart. It didn't have to end that way but because they played a stupid game, they won the stupid prize. I should feel something other than glad a child died to save them from a life with such idiotic parents.

If you're a fan of generic horror, you might enjoy this. It's short, classically trope'd, and to the point. If you're looking for characters to care about or more than basic tropes played out in predictable ways, skip this.

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The tl;dr version of D'Souza's works

Revisado: 09-10-24

D'Souza has written 10 books covering the various facets of leftist origins, ideology, agendas, and propaganda. This book, in my opinion, takes all of the those facets and puts it into one book with overview chapters on each topic. It's the 101 of D'Souza's works. Reading his other works gives you a good jumping off point for your own research into specific topics. This book gives the 50,000 ft overview of each of those rabbit holes.

This book doesn't cover every aspect and it won't make you an expert by any means. No amount of 101 and Books for Dummies can make you an expert without doing the research yourself. It's a good overview and a good starting point for those unaware of the tactics of the left. This is a great starting point that jumps into the Obamas and Clintons and exposes the criminal, Chicago-style politics that run the Democratic party.

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All around great book

Revisado: 09-10-24

None of what is exposed in this book is a secret. This is all information easily accessible, easy to read, and nothing is behind paywalls or FOIA requests. It takes some good, old-fashioned elbow grease to spend the time and find, but is easily compiled. There's nothing in this book that screams "conspiracy" because it's all fact.

That won't stop people from acknowledging the root issues and turning a blind eye to the obvious connections. You can lead a horse to water but you can't beat it into making it drink. People have to want to acknowledge they could be in the wrong. This is a great source of facts and is a wonderful tool for debunking many leftist arguments and stances. It doesn't mean the bottom line truth will be accepted--Nazism left Germany and became the American left.

At times it can become redundant because 15 streams converging to the same river and hearing about the river 15 times becomes trite. It drives home the main point, but it's still a bit repetitive at points.

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A riveting sequel in a wonderful trilogy

Revisado: 09-10-24

Rothfuss has become one of my favorite epic writers--he weaves a tale so enchanting you don't realize the narration is almost 2 days long and it leaves you wanting more. Yes, this was released 13 years ago. Yes, I'm still impatiently waiting for the, now named, Doors of Stone. In the meantime, relistening to this series hasn't lost its magic.

Kvothe's journey hits the climax in this story, this is his triumph before his fall. Every adventure and quest he's a part of just adds to his lore and you start seeing traces of who he becomes in the legendary stories the Chronicler knows when he find Kvothe in the tavern. Everything he struggled for in the first book begins to pay off while adding more tension with new situations--such as an event at school leading him to leave for a while, running into Denna, being kidnapped into the Fae, and...not quite sure how to phrase this so it doesn't sound crazy but to save a friend, he has to learn a secret martial art and pass a test to keep his friend from being ostracized by his people. Yeah, it sounds crazy and it kind of is, but it all works together. Each part of this story weaves together in a natural "of course this had to happen" way that builds the legend of Kvothe.

Once back at school, with his tuition now paid and able to take whatever classes he wants, Kvothe thrives. The book ends at the precipice before the fall and you can feel that tension. Kvothe, in telling the Chronicler, tells him after this, it goes downhill. The memories are bitter sweet and Podehl is able to capture that in his narration. This is a man looking back on the innocent good times of his life before it's all salted and burned and he emerged from the ashes a changed man.

The Wise Man's Fear is a wonderful sequel to The Name of the Wind, building on the world Rothfuss created and enriching the lore with Kvothe's travels but introducing us to new cultures that feel real and "lived in". At no point does it feel as though something is contrived as a means of escape or easy out, everything is worked for and fought for and success is all that much sweeter and the fall will be that much better.

Podehl's narration, as always, is amazing. Just as R.C. Bray is the voice of Mark Watney, Podehl is the voice of Kvothe. His voices are distinct, he beautifully captures emotions, and brings the story to life.

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With the power of science and friendship!

Revisado: 02-08-24

I've previously read The Martian (loved it) and Artemis (meh) so with a batting average of 50%, I was skeptically optimistic about this book.

This is, hands down, my favorite Weir book to date and probably my favorite sci-fi book of all time.

Story:
The entire story is written bouncing between past and present events; past events reveal the gravity and urgency of the situation while present events detail the problem solving and friendship of the two main characters. It did take me about three chapters to get into the bouncing back and forth perspectives, especially when there's no verbal designator for the switch of perspective. But once I got used to it, it was barely noticeable.

The characters...oh, the characters. Even tertiary characters have personality and their own motivations, nothing feels forced and it all feels inevitable. Every character is given an option and their reasoning for their choice makes sense. Some events happen to spur along the plot but they don't feel completely unreasonable and the characters act appropriately.
To call out specific a character--Rocky. Rocky is so well written and as an engineer myself, I relate to a lot of his quirks. I'm not afraid of spiders, but first hearing his description is a little alarming. Then you meet him and get to know him and you can't help but love him. Rocky and Grace's friendship is the heart of this book, I was wrecked and crying at the end because Grace's decision was always inevitable, he just had to catch up to what we knew would happen.

To sum up the whole of the plot: two planets are saved through the power of science and friendship.

The plot device of astrophage as ally and villain while being an innocuous space mold is such a unique critique and literary view of "what helps us can hurt us and what hurts us can help us". Two planets are impacted by this space mold and are in danger of dying off but each use the same space mold for heating purposes and interstellar travel. Given Weir's stance on religion, I'm fairly certain he didn't mean to but it definitely gives "rule and subdue" vibes from Genesis 1.

Narration:
The same way R.C. Bray is the voice of Mark Watney (nice try Matt Damon), Ray Porter is the voice of Ryland Grace. Porter brings a depth of emotion and really lets you feel what's happening, he's not afraid to change the tone and intensity of his voice while reading. Each character has such a unique voice I forgot Stratt and Ilyukhina were read by a man. I had no trouble following conversations between multiple characters. The voices also stay consistent throughout the book.

Amazing book and very well narrated. I've already relistened several times and I know I'll relisten again.

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Finally finished after years of trying

Revisado: 02-08-24

Due to life circumstances, every time I tried to pick up a physical copy of this book, something inevitably happened and I had to put it down. I have waited almost 2 decades to read this book before I finally got the bright idea to listen via audiobook.

It was WELL worth the wait. I was able to finish in under a week, listening whenever I had the chance.

The story stands on its own as a classic, timeless novel. Beautifully written, wonderful characters...if you need another review of the book to convince you to read, you're looking for a reason not to. Read the book, it's fantastic.

What I'm really here for is Rosamund Pike's performance as the narrator. For those who don't realize, Rosamund Pike played Jane in the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice, which starred Kiera Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen.
She's highly consistent on her use of voices in this story, everyone has a unique voice and they don't get lost or muddied as the novel goes on. The absolute best part, in my opinion, is everyone has a unique voice...except Jane. Her Jane voice is the voice she used for the character in the movie. I have watched the movie so many times with my sister, hearing the Jane I recognize was a bit like coming home for this narration.

She absolutely blows her performance out of the water and I can't wait to try other Austen novels read by her.

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The beloved and campy web series loses its charm

Revisado: 02-06-24

This is a level of bad that isn't endearing. Let's break it down.

The story:
The overall story is from the web series, obviously, but that doesn't mean it sticks to canon. Canon events happen but they feel incidental, as though the author wanted to do something else but was stopped only because canon events happened a specific way. Other times, canon is completely thrown out the window but we eventually make it back to the story with some hand waving. I get the feeling the author was privy to the original ideas and first drafts of the script because listening to this felt like listening to non-native speakers speaking your native language. Scenes kind of made sense and there were hits of the final edit, but the beat was off and well known lines/monologues were different. This wouldn't have been an issue if it didn't change the tone of the story and the drive of the characters.

The characters are a farce of themselves. I understand the script could have been a disaster because it's cheesy and campy, but the charm comes from the characters and how they're portrayed by their actors. To capture the chemistry between Elise and Natasha in written word is very difficult...oh wait, no it isn't. There are plenty of wonderful fanfics that capture their chemistry without turning them into farcical caricatures. All the actors brought charm and depth to these characters and this story erases that humanity and replaces it with one-dimensional, wooden writing.

The writing is atrocious. It feels like what a middle school girl would write when she's imagining what life is like at college. The web series is bound to one-room, one-camera set up by the nature of the show. This book could take us anywhere! We could go to class with Laura and see her interact with her beloved Professor Cochran or see Danny as her TA. We could go to the cafeteria and meet the alchemy club as they abduct test subjects. We could wander around the university grounds and see the creepy but beautiful architecture. We could have a fleshed out world in which the web series is a snippet of that life. What do we actually get? Well, we do go to the town hall meeting, we see the library, and we see a restaurant when Danny and Laura go on a kinda-date. For as much as this author didn't want to follow the plot, she doesn't want to expand on the universe and give us a reason for not sticking to canon.

The positives of the story. Yes, there are a few but they're short. I already loved Sharon's depiction of Danny but seeing her through Laura's rose-colored glasses really solidified my love of the character. Laura waxing poetic about Danny was a definite highlight. But let's be real--we're all here for the Hollstein. Compared to everything else in this book, the relationship between Carmilla and Laura was handled with care. It was definitely a slow burn on Laura's part but you could tell when Carmilla's feelings had flipped. There are a few bonus cute scenes between them, including a date.

The narrator:
I haven't listened to anything else by Lori Prince and maybe she is fantastic and this is her only bomb. But boy, did it bomb hard.

She attempts to do voices but they're very hard to distinguish and I feel she got lost in what voice she gave each character. She deepens her voice for all the characters so listening becomes a chore when I'm asking myself "is this deep voice for Perry or LaF?" and I'm wrong, it's Danny speaking. Laura is most likely her normal speaking voice, which makes Laura and the narrative stand out. Carmilla's voice has a 90s "ugh" tone to it, so it's also pretty noticeable. Kirsch has a "frat bro" voice. Everyone else, though, is a haze of the same tone and when there are multiple characters in the scene it can get confusing fast.

How do I put this delicately...if you're going to narrate audiobooks, check the pronunciation of words. I cannot blame Lori for the poor writing by Kim, but I can absolutely blame Lori for not knowing how to pronounce 'fungicide'.

Sometimes a story is so bad it becomes funny or circles around to be good through a certain lens. This is not one of those stories. I was messaging a friend the entire time I was listening to this telling her how bad it was and how much longer I had left to listen. Seriously, do yourself a favor and look up some fanfic if you're really jonesing for additional Carmilla content.

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