Natalie

Fast paced and fun.

Revisado: 04-22-16

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

Of course, it's a fun and well written book with an exciting storyline and memorable characters..

What was one of the most memorable moments of Crimson Son?

Spencer meeting Huricane for the first time. That part of the story really stuck out in my mind.

What about Mitchell Lucas’s performance did you like?

He's able to do various voices well, they all sound distinct from each other. I was never confused about who was speaking.

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

I would have liked to but I had to break it up.

Any additional comments?

I was lucky enough to receive a review copy of the audio book edition of Crimson Son by Russ Linton ; a book in my favorite genre, superhero prose fiction!

Crimson Son is the story of nineteen year old Spencer Harrington, the son of the world's last active superhero the Crimson Mask. Two years ago his father's arch nemesis the Black Beetle kidnapped Spencer’s mother and ever since that day he's been confined to his father's arctic bunker where he is primarily left to his own devices. Plenty of time to stew in resentment for his father and the Black Beetle. When at last an attack on the “Icehole” and an escape pod set him free he has only one thing on his mind; finding his missing mother, a task his father has failed at for two years. As he begins to delve into the world of Augments, as the super powered are called, other people begin to get caught up in Spencer’s story. There's Emily and her wealthy doctor friend Martin, Spencer's own childhood friend Eric; and a group of World War II veteran's once know as Force Zero.

Fast passed and exciting, Crimson Son moves at action thriller speed from beginning to end. Russ Linton's writing is concise and focused while maintaining the suspense of the story throughout. There are no wasted contemplations or dry parts, or thankfully cliched romance. While the story comes to a very satisfying conclusion there is certainly the opportunity for a sequel or prequel to this one. I personally would love to read more about the members of Force Zero and find out more about the world of the Augments.

Since this was an audiobook edition I'll briefly speak about the performance of narrator Mitchell Lucas. I'll be honest, I didn’t warm up to his voice right away, in fact I found it mildly annoying until he got to the part in the story where he was doing other character's voices and not just Spencer's voice. Then I determined that this was just the way he had decided to portray Spencer, as somewhat immature? Brat-ish? I always struggle to describe the influence of sound that a narrator brings to the table but it certainly had some influence of the way I saw the character. He certainly is able to portray a wide range of voices well, and have all of them sound distinct from each other. I truly enjoyed the performance though and felt that he made a real contribution to the excitement of the audiobook.

"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom dot com."

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No halflings here just a scummy cheating Valkyrie.

Revisado: 10-20-15

Would you try another book from Kresley Cole and/or Robert Petkoff?

Robert Petkoff gives an excellent performance, unfortunately he's performing a steaming pile of poop. I've like other books by this author but I hated this one.

What was most disappointing about Kresley Cole’s story?

1. Unimaginative profanities and vulgarities abound.
2. Justifications for scummy behavior, like cheating on your boyfriend.
3. Unlikeable and hateable characters.

Which character – as performed by Robert Petkoff – was your favorite?

Robert Petkoff does a good job with all the voices and giving each character a distinct voice.

What character would you cut from Dark Desires After Dusk: Immortals After Dark, Book 6?

Booth of the main characters! Hate them both.

Any additional comments?

Deceptive blurb on Audible site makes you think there are halflings in this story but there are none. Halfling is just a stupid nickname that the main male calls her. I would not have purchased this book if I had known that the main female was was a Valkyrie; as I dislike all the Valkyries in this series.

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A slow and often humorous narrative.

Revisado: 10-18-15

If you could sum up Particle Man in three words, what would they be?

Slow. Humorous. Imaginative.

Would you recommend Particle Man to your friends? Why or why not?

Yes, I think it's something my friends who like comic books would enjoy.

Which scene was your favorite?

I actually enjoyed the descriptions of what different cities look like in the past and how they differed from they do today.

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

I thought the characters nativity was expressed well. He is surprised and confounded by events that are pretty obvious to the reader.

Any additional comments?

This review is for the Audible Audio Book version of Particle Man by Deric McNish. "This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com.”

PARTICLE MAN by Deric McNish is a slow and often humorous narrative of a young man growing up in the 1950's who discovers that he has extraordinary powers. This is mostly a coming of age story as we are introduced to a cast of friends, family, and his day to day life. This introduction takes up the bulk of the novel and the action is almost exclusively in the last ¼ of the book.

Unfortunately this makes everything at the end feel a bit rushed and the ending abrupt. It's like the origin story of a superhero where not all the mysteries have been explained. It isn't clear to me if this is intended to actually be the first book in a series or not. It certainly feels as if it needs another book to wrap it up and give the reader closure.

When I saw that Deric McNish was listed as both author and narrator I paused in trepidation for a moment but I needn’t have worried. His voice is well suited to the main character of the book, and all of his voice inflections give just the right emphasis to the story.

I sincerely hope we get a sequel because I was hungry for more details about the events in the end of this book and want to know about other things only hinted at.

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Breezed right through this one.

Revisado: 10-07-15

What made the experience of listening to Dark Needs at Night's Edge: Immortals After Dark, Book 5 the most enjoyable?

It had good pacing.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Dark Needs at Night's Edge: Immortals After Dark, Book 5?

I liked the part where she's described my the main male as sort of lurking around unseen by others. It's a bit creepy.

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

I don't recall if I've listened to him before. This was very easy to listen to.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Love on the edge of death? Don't really know.

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed this and I'm glad because I've already bought several other books in the series while they were on sale. This book is part five I think but it stands up fine to be read by itself, and it is in fact the only book out of this series I've read so far. The main characters are a male vampire who's several centuries old and the woman is the ghost of a jazz age ballerina who was murdered by her fiance in New Orleans.

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A wistful, dreamlike, fairytale.

Revisado: 10-06-15

If you could sum up The Not-World in three words, what would they be?

Wistful, dreamlike, fairytale.

What did you like best about this story?

The style it's written in.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Jem Matzan?

I would if I was interested in the story but I wouldn't get something purely to hear his performance of it.

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

I wouldn't go that far but it's a fun story.

Any additional comments?

"I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast dot com."

The Not-World by Thomas Burnett Swan is a wistful, dreamlike, fairytale; with a smidgen of alternate history. Originally published in 1975 this story is that rare beast, seldom seen in this era, a standalone fantasy novel. It's also much shorter than most modern novels with an unabridged audio book coming in under six hours.

The story takes place near Bristol sometime in the reign of George III; so between 1760 to 1820. A lady named Deirdre has hired an unemployed sailor named Dylan to drive her to meet her aunt. On the way there they are forced to stop in a mysterious forest that the sailor calls The-Not-World. In the wood they meet a boy named Tommy and later go their own ways. A bit later Deirdre receives a letter from the boy Tommy and reunites with Dylan, this time with her fat Aunty in tow.

What follows after that is a more risqué adventure than I was expecting. Dylan's fat shaming the Aunty at every turn aside, this story is loads of fun if it doesn't really impart any deep meaning in and of itself. I would never spoil a story for you but I personally found the climax of the story so unexpected and outrageous I was almost toppled out of my chair from the shock of it.

I'd say it's the haunting style of the writing itself that lingers in your mind, and makes this story a memorable and worthwhile read.

This bit applies only to the audible audiobook version of the book available at Audible.com; and narrated by Jem Matzan.

I found Jem Matzan's performance to be good but a tad inconsistent. His voice sometimes sounds a bit strained in early parts of the book and his inflection sometimes seems to be off to me. Not horrible by any means but not close to my favorite voice.

The one thing that I did really dislike was the singing parts where all of the people singing in their voices have been stacked on top of each other. I get that it's supposed to be out of key and unsynchronised but I really didn't enjoy that at all; and I couldn’t understand any of the song because of the horrid mash up of sound. For myself I would have much preferred this simply to be read out loud and stated; not acted out.

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The Heart Thief is an action packed & plot driven!

Revisado: 09-30-15

Would you consider the audio edition of The Heart Thief to be better than the print version?

I don't have a print copy of the story to make comparisons to, but I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this audiobook.

What other book might you compare The Heart Thief to and why?

This book just comes shy of being superhero fiction, and I actually was reminded of Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson as I was reading it; not in content of course but rather something about the writing style and mood.

Which scene was your favorite?

I really liked the action of the opening scene even though it's not about the primary characters and it isn't immediately obvious why it's important to the story.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I'm no good at tag lines but if I were to paint this story I would do so in soft pastel blues and grays against a rainy gothic city background. As the scene shifts a splash of harsh red and the shadow of an unseen monster just outside of site.

Any additional comments?

"I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast dot com.”

The Heart Thief: The Rhapp's Barren Triptych, Volume 1 written by S. Lee Benedict and narrated by R. C. Quartermaine is speculative fiction at it's best. Mr. Benedict does an excellent job fusing elements of Pulp Horror, Science Fiction, and Urban Fantasy together.

It's an action packed, plot driven young adult novel that's not bogged down by excessive info dumping or maudlin romance. The book moves seamlessly from beginning to end and although we come to a satisfying stopping point at the end; we are also left with a hook to reel us into the next part of the story.

As for the narration, The Heart Thief is told through multiple points of view both male and female. Thankfully R. C. Quartermaine handles these shifts in a masterful fashion and each person has a distinct voice. I was never left wondering who was speaking. His voice is very, very pleasant to listen to.

Some of my impressions while reading the book:

2.0% "Has an action packed prolog and my first impression of the narrator is really good."

12.0% "Very easy to listen to so far."

22.0% "Interesting..."

37.0% "Ghoulish villains abound, oh my..."

62.0% "Very interesting story so far... it's sort of got a pulp hero / weird science slant to it. Ha-ha, I can't help imagining the family as looking sort of like the Addams family though..."

76.0% "I should be sleeping... I'm going to be so dead tired tomorrow..."

Recommended to fans of Brandon Sanderson's Steelheart, Mary Shelly's Frankenstein, and other readers of highly imaginative fiction.

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A tad over the top but loads of fun.

Revisado: 09-22-15

Would you consider the audio edition of The Rise of Renegade X to be better than the print version?

I've only listened to the audiobook so I wouldn't know.

What other book might you compare The Rise of Renegade X to and why?

Hmmm... Genre wise Brandon Sanderson's Steelheart comes close but that book is much more serious and this is quite light hearted in comparison.

Which scene was your favorite?

I liked the book, but don't like to give spoilers.

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

It moved pretty quickly along, yes.

Any additional comments?

I really, really enjoyed the book! I think the best single word that describes this story is fun. It's a little campy and some parts are quite silly [Mainly the idea that there is a virus that makes a V for villain or H for hero show up on peoples thumbs.], but it really had a nice blend of snarky humor, teen angst, and costumed superhero stuff.

I also really enjoyed the narration on this one. I thought the guys voice fit the main character; although it probably would have driven me crazy if this had been a more serious type of story. He really goes all out on the main character's mother's voice; I laughed when I first heard it.

I really liked all the characters in the story for once. It's been awhile since I came away from a book that didn't have at least one character I wanted to slap up the side of the head of the author. It's really nice when you're interested in all the characters and what motivates each of them. So, I'm looking forward to picking up the next book in the series.

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A Much Beloved Story

Revisado: 09-22-15

Where does Beauty rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It's a favorite Story from my childhood.

What did you like best about this story?

It's beautifully told.

Which character – as performed by Charlotte Parry – was your favorite?

Not sure.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I wouldn't go that far, but it does transport you away from reality.

Any additional comments?

I recently bought an audio book edition of this much beloved book from my childhood. I honestly still love this story, and I know I've read it five or six times. It strays very little from the traditional telling of the story but it's charm is in Robin McKinley's masterful prose. Many people immediately draw similarities between this book and the Disney movie but it should be noted that this story was first published in 1978 and the Disney movie came out in 1991. I highly recommend this if you enjoy fairy tales.

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