Piggy P.

Creepy and unsettling

Revisado: 04-24-17

I felt bad for Inga, the main character, throughout this story. It was an unsettling story about her going from one horror to another. The family was creepy and the writer did a good job of slowly dripping out the horror and unease. It wasn't a full blast all at once. Well done there.

At first, I thought the story wasn't as interesting whenever it switched to Anthony's POV. You have the excitement with Inga, then suddenly we are in Anthony's shoes. But! Once their paths cross, Anthony became more interesting. It just takes a few chapters of knowing him before there's crossover. I still preferred Inga to Anthony, though.

Other reviews mention that the story relies on well-trodden tropes. It helps that the writer applied those tropes well and kept up the interest. The supernatural elements...it was a twist and a surprise for me. Even though the cover and title says it's a supernatural piece, it takes a while for that element to show up.

Narrator did a decent job of differentiating the characters. Anthony sounded stiff, which suited his character. Almond sounded like a dimwit, which also fit his character. Inga's emotions were done well. My favorite voice for the narrator was Mira's, the teenage girl in the family. Delightfully antagonistic, that voice was.

I received a free copy of this for review. I chose to review this voluntarily.

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Disappointed

Revisado: 04-18-17

I was provided a copy for review.

It starts out promising with an interesting concept, but then falls flat. The stakes for the story were underwhelming. I didn't care for the main character. The story interface left a lot to be desired...portions would end with an abrupt "game over" even if the choice was a good one. There wasn't a clear direction of "hey, you reached the end of this route, now go back to the beginning" or "you reached the end of this section, now jump to XYZ part."

There were better ways this could've been done, like cutting the parts into chapters. Even with clicking around, though, I ran into the above stated problem. Perhaps if there is a re-release more explanations could be added.

This needed to be proofed. There are numerous times where the narrator's line is repeated or flubbed. The audio equalization also suffered. There would be loud moments and then sudden soft ones. Also, the microphone went from being clear to fuzzy when it came to certain character accents, like the narrator switched equipment in the middle of recording.

A point in the narrator's favor is that he sounds like he could make a good Spike Spiegel impression if he worked at his lower confident voice type of sound. Other than that, it was painful...from the line errors to the forced, unnatural delivery. The girl with the blue hair and water magic affinity was especially bad. But I will say that he had a lot of different voices and accents to do, and he managed to differentiate them even if I wasn't moved by his acting. The man did the best he could with the story he was given, and he wasn't wooden, so I'll give his performance a 2.

The story itself... Well, there's a bunch of references to other things, like a character named after Ridley Scott, an area in the game called Yu Gi Oh, and the name for the Sibyl System (named after Psycho-Pass but functioning differently). There's also a White Witch. So that's interesting. But, as I mentioned at the top of the review, I didn't care for the story. The combat sequences in the tournament were interesting...nice level of digital gore and action but everything around it was meh. I also didn't connect with the main character even though I was supposed to be "playing" as him while I read/listened.

Reading the print version would've been better, but it wouldn't have rescued the story. It wasn't for me, in spite of the fact that I do enjoy video and boardgames. I'd say this is more for a younger reader who likes action and pew pew pew while also having a better tolerance for these sorts of plotlines. Try the sample, and be wary.

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Riveting Tale

Revisado: 04-18-17

An intense tale of survival starring a couple whose relationship is on the rocks... The perils are many. I had expected the story to go a different direction (more horror/thriller) after Chapter 1. It's more of wilderness survival thriller, like an adventure type of story.

Their attitudes towards the wonders of technology felt dated, but were appropriate for 1979 when this story was originally published. Once I knew that then their awe made more sense.

Narrator had distinct tones for them. The writing itself head hops quite a bit. One paragraph from George's POV and then the next from Birdie's, for instance, but still in third person. Even with the head hopping, the prose & narrator were clear as to whose POV we were in. Emotions were well-conveyed.

I liked Birdie more than George. I think that has to do with her gung ho attitude. George becomes less milquetoast as things progress. There's definite character development as the story goes on.

Some twists and turns. This couple gets wrecked! It's not an easy survival story by any means. If you like Naked & Afraid, then you'll like this.

I was voluntarily provided a copy for review.

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Amazing. Engrossing from start to finish.

Revisado: 04-09-17

I was planning on listening and reviewing this after some other audiobooks in my queue. This one jumped to the top as soon as I started listening to the beginning.

The writing...the narration...everything was amazing here. It turned out that this book is part of a series that I haven't read or listened to any other books from. That didn't hinder my enjoyment.

Characters are differentiated, the tone for everyone is spot-on, and the narrator can deliver all of the highs and lows the story asks for. There is humor, tension, terror, and plenty of intrigue. I was wrapped up in this story. Whenever I had to turn it off, I couldn't wait to get back to it.

Definitely recommended!! LOVED IT! Rick Cahill, the main character, was a dream. I loved his attitude. He was very engaging. The pacing of this work was also perfect - no lulls or dull parts here. I can't complain about anything.

I was given a copy of this by the writer, narrator, and/or publisher. I chose to give my honest review of this product.

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Dragged Down by Narration

Revisado: 04-08-17

The audiobook narrator dragged this one down. Very little differentiation on the voices, monotonous inflection. While his voice was pleasant enough when it came to the descriptive portions, it was severely lacking during the dialogue.

I was reluctant to finish this one. What kept me going was the Western plotline. The setting felt rich, but overall the story didn't grip me like I hoped it would. It's not terribly written. I think my disinterest can be blamed on the narrator and the story's pacing. The written pace wasn't as exciting as I thought it would be. I sped up his narration while listening to see if it would help any and no, it did not.

I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator.

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Bone-chilling

Revisado: 04-02-17

This was a haunting story. It's not something for people who are prone to nightmares. The people within it are deplorable. And you know what? The author wrote that all in a way that keeps you wanting to listen. I liked this one, even if it was disturbing at times.

The most chilling part was with the man who forced a woman to be like cattle for him. Very creepy. Definitely made my skin crawl.

I received a copy from the author, narrator, and/or publisher and voluntarily gave a review.

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Romance on Ice

Revisado: 03-22-17

A story about regaining confidence and returning to a beloved sport after a downfall, and finding a romance in the process.

I wish that the ice movements (triple axel, double toe loop, Salchow, etc) were explained/described. The differences weren't made clear when the moves were initially introduced. It doesn't detract from the story, but the writer could've gone into the terminology or fully described it more.

The narrator used a few different voices. There wasn't a strong amount of differentiation among them. For instance, there was a positive friendly voice (used for the ballerina friend and the friend who worked at or owned the practice rink), the Rachna main character/narrator voice, the Jenny voice, and a deeper voice for random coaches.

Character emotions were portrayed well. The story didn't call for a large emotional range, but what was performed was done well. I think the worst thing I heard was a mispronunciation of the word "pho." Overall, the voice work suited the story.

Listeners/readers get to follow Rachna's struggles. Her family isn't supportive of her dream. She gets some hate online while trying to make her comeback. She has some self-confidence issues to work through. As she works on her ice routines, she also winds up dating a fellow skater she's looked up to for a long time. That's the romance element. I thought the main character was a sweet person, and I wanted her to succeed.

Sadly, I didn't find myself falling in love with Jenny, the love interest. There was some distance there. I think the romance may have snapped on too fast without enough build up. That's just me, though. I do think Jenny was cool. There were decent reasons for why Rachna would be interested in her. Jenny's attitude was a good match for Rachna's, and I can understand why they got together.

Story was predictable. It lost my interest towards the end. I don't normally read sports stories. If you do, you'd probably be able to stick with this longer than I did. The figure skating made for an interesting setting.

I liked Rachna as a character and her motivation for trying to land a quad. I was rooting for her, which is why this gets a 3 for me instead of a 2. Had the romance not felt as sudden, I would've given it another star.

Good for people who want a light/sweet/cute romance story about returning to something once loved, and realizing you still have the skills to do it. Prior knowledge of figure skating not required. Also has racial diversity that feels genuine and not forced in for brownie points.

I was voluntarily given a copy by the author, publisher, and/or narrator. I chose to give an honest review.

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Idyllic rancher story

Revisado: 03-11-17

This isn't a conflict-driven story. It is a peaceful one about a lonely man finding mutual love with his mail-order bride. Since it's a short listen, it makes for something good to listen on a lunch break or while waiting for food to get done cooking. Very light and easy listen.

There were some jarring parts, like the rhymed poetry, which confused me at first until I rewound to figure out what was going on there.

The writing is straightforward and direct. It's simple, and that's not necessarily a bad thing for the gentle story it's trying to tell. It's also informative about ranching life. This is pretty much a "take it as it is" story that has a tendency to "tell" more than "show."

I would have rated it higher if there was less telling. That would have helped me to fall in love with Luang like Bob did, and vice versa. The story moved fast in that regard.

Voice work was plain, which suited the plain narrative style. I would've liked to hear more variation in the characters. There were times when Luang would say things and I'd think Bob said them or the other way around. More inflection in the voices would have helped that.

All in all, a peaceful little story. A light listen. Kind of like a beach read.

I received a copy from the narrator, writer, and/or publisher and have voluntarily chosen to give it an honest review.

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Fantastic with a cinematic-like experience

Revisado: 03-08-17

Excellent, dynamic narration. The story was an intense ride. Every character was well-developed and the story was compelling throughout its entirety. Where it starts and where it ends will blow you away. My heart broke a few times, and I cheered during others.

I don't want to spoil the story's twists and turns, but I will say Realm Lovejoy did great work bringing out the highs and lows in the narrative. Buster was my favorite character. He stole the show whenever he was around. This isn't to say Twain and Chad (the other main characters) were slouches, either, but...you have to love Buster.

Honestly, the whole time I felt like this could be turned into a movie as is. This audiobook rendition is the next best thing...and probably even better.

Even with the characters being the "same" by virtue of being clones, Jeff Hays managed to add nuance to their voices that kept them distinguished. He was spot-on with the emotions required. The vocal effects were also a nice touch.

Recommended for those who'd like a thought-provoking science fiction story that tackles the meaning of the human condition and what lives are worth. There's also some well done action sequences in this.

I was voluntarily provided a copy, and have happily given this story high marks for exceeding my expectations. You won't be disappointed.

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