Rasco

A pleasant surprise from a long time fan.

Revisado: 02-04-21

I enjoyed reading this book when I was younger and being able to hear it in audio form has brought to life a lot of the palpable feeling I remember experiencing back when I bought the book.

A book club I used to visit argued that Elizabeth Engstrom is stronger with long form works but I wholeheartedly love her short stories. She has a delicious way of defining an emotional moment through the details that matter without the weight and time spent on heavy world-building. And every story I read (or excitedly hear in this re-released audio version) has kept me thinking about the possible worlds that each story lives in, what dark tales are left untold by the neighbors and acquaintances that knew characters involved.

The first story, "The Old Woman Upstairs" showcases this in a strong and relatable way. Engstrom guides us through the thoughts of a daughter torn in two by a simply worded but not-so-simple request of her mother; her own decision flipping back and forth while reminiscing over the memories of their relationship and our objective decision flipping in kind as we read and relate to the daughter.

It is worth saying that many of Engstrom's stories are fantastical, and you might not enjoy them if you cling to the physical explanations of our own world. However, if you are able to suspend your disbelief and dive head first you see that many of the people within embody those little secrets we vow to never tell, the thoughts that we dare not indulge for too long - and what we experience through their eyes creates a strong and lovely sense of dread that I find unique to Engstrom's writing.

As said in another of her incredible books When Darkness Loves Us: “Because in this world there is always a monster. And often, the monster is you.”

Now for the audio narration... I was afraid from my own past experience that the narrated version would underwhelm me - or worse - make me regret picking up this version of the book I loved when I was younger. However I was not only pleasantly surprised but I felt transported into the emotional world within through Karly's expert use of tone and timing. It is clear that she is taking this seriously as an actor rather than a flat narrator as I've experienced with other titles.

This is the first of Engstrom's books I've bought on audible but it is only a matter of time before I have the rest.

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New narrator grew on me

Revisado: 11-22-20

I was skeptical about the new narrator and i remember that about an hour into the listen i had to confirm that DK was indeed the author because the cadence i was used to changed and the feel of this book changed with it.
While i admit to being initially upset i chose to let go of my preconceptions and fall into the book.
There are some small problems in character and story focus but i definitely dont regret the credit.
I found myself laughing out loud during some of Lukes adventure and during the post-story narrator bloopers. (i would suggest a small intro or transition into those as it was mildly jarring to finish the story and immediately hear the bloopers unwarned)

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From good to great

Revisado: 12-08-19

The new VA took some time for me to adjust to but i ended up loving the book just as much as the prior titles.

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Didnt enjoy it.

Revisado: 03-04-19

The book might get better than my hoir or so of experience but after a trudging through enough male graneur power trip tropes i decided that this title is not for me.

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An excited start that quickly fell into drudgery.

Revisado: 02-25-15

In which the strong, smart, and initiative main protagonist we enjoyed in the first book reverts into a moody hormonal preteen.
Seemingly refusing to use his cream-of-the-crop brain for anything other than being abysmally confused, making unbearably tactless social decisions, and falling unconscious CONSTANTLY.
The action was good when there was action, but most of it happening at or near Thomas while he has some sort of emotional breakdown rather than taking any affirmative action.
I'll leave it at that and just say I had a lot of problems with this sequel. It will be a while before I read the finale after reading ahead on its own reviews.

The narration was absolutely fantastic, great consistency with believable voices.

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