APinFL

Zaria continues to intrigue and enchant

Revisado: 02-09-16

Would you consider the audio edition of Zaria Fierce and the Enchanted Drakeland Sword to be better than the print version?

The audio edition of the book offers charms that aren't available in the print version, largely in the vocal performance of the narrator. She reprises her sweet and fitting voice for Zaria, the heroine, as well as the voices of the varied and numerous cast of characters that join her in this part of the adventure. The voices are, in fact, seamlessly continued from the previous book, an impressive feat with the number of accents and inflections already encountered, along with new ones added in this volume. Again, unfortunately, there are still no specifically Norwegian accents used (at least not to my semi-trained ear), but in most cases this is a good consequence of the continuity achieved for the main characters. The only things really missing from the audio version are the illustrations for each chapter, which are charming themselves and worth at least checking the book out from the library to see. (And if your library doesn't have the Zaria books - ask them to get a set!)

Who was your favorite character and why?

For me this is a toss-up between the main character, Zaria, and her champion (of sorts), Hector, another major character. (This probably has a lot to do with my being a father, and never having personally been an adolescent girl.) Hector is steadfast and wise, but Zaria is both vulnerable and strong, and very much a role model for my own daughters.

Have you listened to any of Michele Carpenter’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

As described above, I listened to the first book in the trilogy, and her performance is admirable in its consistency between the two books. She does a top-notch job with these books, and I'm sure that she'll be brought back to do the third installment - it would be jarring to hear Zaria speak in another voice, because she's nailed it so completely.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, as with the first book in the trilogy, I listened to this one in almost every conceivable waking moment, including during a long run or two. Most of this time was spent driving, and the excitement of the books made the miles fly by, whether they were rolling along or pounding away under my own feet.

Any additional comments?

Once again, this is simply a really good story, one that consistently pulled me along. I wanted to know what would happen next, and while some of the trappings have the familiarity of the genre, I think there are a lot of unique points in Zaria's stories. Sure, I could see some of the general shapes of the road ahead, since I read a lot of works in this vein, but there were definitely some surprises and turns in the story that I wasn't quite expecting. As another "once again," I think that the story could be refined with another editorial pass, and it is only those mechanics that kept me from giving this its 5th star (I wish I could award 4-1/2). But all in all, this is a very good story on its own (perhaps unusual for the middle book of a trilogy), and it makes me look forward to the next book to follow - and hopefully very many more after that!

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Zaria is a great YA read, and a great listen

Revisado: 02-09-16

Would you listen to Zaria Fierce and the Secret of Gloomwood Forest again? Why?

Yes, I will certainly listen to it again. Zaria's story is a good one, engaging and intriguing. I especially like that it was crafted to be part of a larger whole. The entire world feels alive, like we're just seeing a part of what this new mythology has to offer. Obviously, this was written to be the beginning of a trilogy, but the whole framework makes me itch to see how the details will be painted in over the years, hopefully with many more books and characters.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Zaria Fierce and the Secret of Gloomwood Forest?

There were a couple good character reveals, which I won't spoil here, the most obvious being the background of Zaria herself. There were also some great chase scenes, although in at least one case, I was actually running myself as I listened to the audiobook - something I haven't done before, but enjoyed immensely while listening to the Zaria books - which added another immersive element. But all in all, it wasn't the "a-ha moments" about the book that moved me as much as the consistent pacing, beckoning me on.

What does Michele Carpenter bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrator brought a thoroughly "listenable" voice, and a wealth of amusing accents to the characters, as well as fulfilling the important job of providing consistent pronunciation for some of the unusual names. It may be an obscure reference, but Mz. Carpenter's voice reminds me strongly of Nina Gordon (of Veruca Salt fame) - that's a good thing - and I thought her airy smoothness was perfect for capturing Zaria's mixture of youthful uncertainty and intrinsic courage. Every one of the other characters had a recognizable and distinct voice, including those of other races, which particularly gained an extra layer of mental imagery from her expressive treatment. (Still, my reason for four stars is largely that there were no distinctly Norwegian voices - that is, none of the voices sounded like the few Norwegians that I've worked or played soccer with, or the tracks on my learn-to-speak CDs - so while I'm admittedly not an expert in accents, I came away feeling like several of the important human characters weren't properly placed by the accents that she ascribed to them. This was a minor point, though, and one that most listeners would probably never notice or care about.)

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes; in fact, I made each of my listening opportunities as long as possible, including (as mentioned above) even listening to it while I ran - an activity well-suited to the adventurous nature of the tale. I crammed in every minute of listening that I could, so that I could hear how it turned out.

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed this book greatly and was eager to tear into the next one. If I could rate it four and a half stars, I would. The only concern that I had was that I felt some of the mechanics of the writing showed the author's relative inexperience - of course I'm saying this as one who has never written a book, or even a book review - and that the story could have been made even better with a little more thorough editing. I'll temper that further, however, by saying that some turns of phrase were clearly deliberate, and were simply not my personal preference; and, more importantly, I think she has done a wonderful job of writing in a way that shows how kids speak, and how they think, but without downplaying the use of language and more advanced words. The kids at the heart of this story are smart and brave, and they are ushering us into a world that I want to know more about. Bring on the tales!

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona