Jade Lazlow

Wonderful Story of Resilience

Revisado: 07-17-24

Like the author, many of us harbor a desire to escape and be free. Listening to the narrator is like hearing stories from our own parents and grandparents about surviving and thriving against seemingly insurmountable odds. This is a book that I’m sure I’ll listen to again and again.

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Good Story and Narration but Way Too Short

Revisado: 10-08-23

Admittedly, I somehow missed that this was a short story. Has I noticed this, I would have purchased another form. As an audiobook, the story felt like it ended just as it was becoming most interesting. The narrator did a great job, and the story was interesting. It ended on a positive note but with several loose ends. It's on me that I missed that it was so short before I bought it, but it was still quite disappointing.

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Funny and Thrilling at the Same Time? You bet!

Revisado: 02-17-21

I'm enjoying the Zee Brothers series. They're wildly different from most zombie fiction in that they're funny and suspenseful, all told by a talented narrator. His voices crack me up. The stories involve outrageous and off-the-wall humor, horror elements, and some light "adult" situations.

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A Powerful Dystopian Cautionary Tale

Revisado: 09-21-19 El oyente recibió este título gratis

I was given a copy of the audiobook version of The Divide Boxed Set: Darkness Descends & The Between Times in return for an honest review. First, this set of stories is a dystopian myth based on actual historical and current political events in the United States.

Before reading this book, I was only marginally aware of some of the issues raised in it. I knew, for example, about the elite's opposition to Franklin D. Roosevelt's policies. I did not, however, know the full extent of their opposition and what occurred within the government itself. The author draws upon her own family's experience and research around the rise of the oligarchy in our country and weaves this into the backdrop of her story. It was an eye-opener to me because much of what is revealed is not typically taught in basic high school US History classes or even 100 level college courses. That left this reader wondering if this real-world curricular omission was by design because it is so important. Bishop's narrative explained a lot, and the implications were horrifying.

The author weaves a deeply disturbing cautionary tale that serves as a warning for us all. In some ways, The Divide is like other books in the genre such as Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, in that it is dark and portrays one potential outcome if our country continues on its current path. This book is different, however, in one important way. Bishop craftily reminds us that the horrific future she describes isn't really much of a departure from the darker chapters of our own history. That fact alone chilled me to the core. Her future isn't just plausible. It's lurking just beneath the surface of our real-world present.

Admittedly, parts of this book were hard to listen to, and some depictions left my heart thumping as my mind made connections between the story and current and historical events. That said, it was enthralling, and I could not stop listening. By the end, I wanted to send copies to all the young people in my life so they understand the implications as well.

Even in its darkness, the story is a tale of hope through unity. In the story, a young family is living on the cusp of a fascist takeover in its government and society. The family is of mixed descent and race and serves as a metaphor for our country in that way. Their ancient culture has a prophecy involving the rise of a child who will bring about change through unity, and the family believes the child is their own daughter. This is especially troubling because the fascist regime has relegated women to the status of breeding stock, and teaching a girl to read has become a crime punishable by death.

This book will stay with you, and its message will spring form its pages and into your life as you make connections between the story and our lives today. In an interesting parallel, as reached the end of the audiobook, Greta Thunberg was arriving in the United States, and the power and wisdom of our youth were palpable in the air as demonstrations sprang up across the globe. It gave me hope that the prophecy might be real too.

A.J. Carter narrated the audiobook version of this story, and I felt he did a good job with it. His voice was smooth and almost hypnotic. The production quality was excellent.

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Riveting story, performance was good.

Revisado: 08-25-19

Overall I found the story fascinating. Initially, the narration seemed great, but as the story continued, I found that the loud breathing became distracting to me. The vocal quality, however, was great.

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Fun and Entertaining Zombie Shennanigans

Revisado: 06-10-19 El oyente recibió este título gratis

This is my first title from Grivante, and I realized from the first few seconds of audio this was no ordinary ebook. The performance opened with theme music that made me chuckle as my skin crawled. First, I must say the narrator's skills are terrific. Listening to Ian McEuen is like having your own personal audio theatre. He does a great job of bringing the book's characters to life and delivering the comedic text with artful expertise. The story is a hoot. The Zee brothers are the Ghostbusters of the undead world, and they're called in to deal with a zombie infestation. The concept itself is humorous, and Grivante's writing style makes it even more so. The narrative is full of dry humor and sly one-liners that made me laugh out loud. It's not often that I listen to an audiobook with a silly grin on my face, but I did with this one because the mix was a perfect blend of good writing, humor, and skillful narration. Without giving away any spoilers, I'll just say the whole experience reminded me of old-time radio drama, but with a snarky, sassy twist. If you're looking for a comedic and engaging zombie apocalypse novel with a fresh feel, this book fits the bill.

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A Riveting Thriller with an Unforgettable Heroine

Revisado: 09-10-18

This author hooks readers from the beginning and doesn't let go. Suspenseful plot with visceral detail.

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Narration Brings the Story to Life

Revisado: 06-10-18

This performance was excellent. The narrator have unique characterization for the various parts. Theatre for the ears.

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a novel idea but I lost interest

Revisado: 10-26-16

at first I really liked this book. I enjoyed the idea of the historians traveling through time gathering information. for me, however, and about the middle of the book, I lost interest. I think this is because the book focused on actions rather than character development. I would have liked to have seen more substance in the characters. That said, it's not a bad book, it's just not my favorite kind of book.

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Truly Magical

Revisado: 08-02-16

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Jim Dale's narration brings this wonderful story to life! We bought this performance on cassette tape when they first came out and listened to them so much that we wore them out. It's *THAT* enjoyable. I've purchased this Audible version for our upcoming vacation for a road trip down memory lane.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Book 1?

Even if you've read the book and seen the movie, Jim Dale's characterization is wonderful. You'll find yourself enjoying the story in brilliant new ways inside your own mind.

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

I've listened to Jim Dale's performances of all the Harry Potter books, and they are all exceptional. I wish he could narrate all of my audiobooks. :)

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Actually, it was the whole thing. Each time we listened to it, I felt like a little kid again, listening to a bedtime story. My daughter adored the performance as well.

Any additional comments?

I highly recommend it.

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