Month: January 2020

Struck by Rachel Langley

Review - Submitted

Imagine being in love with your soul mate and everyone in your world knows it.  Then waking up the next morning only to discover your world is no more; everything has changed; everyone is … just gone.  Laney and her twin, Leela, travel to a distant place to try to set things right and rescue their friends/family but to do so means traveling in the light, a powerful and dangerous journey with a most uncertain outcome!  The girls are faced with serious consequences as they move forward with their plan, it becomes clear that not everyone will be coming home.

Rachel Langley, the author, weaves a delicate story of love and compassion, intrigue and betrayal, and morality.  The dialog, action, emotions are all genuinely young adult and realistic.   Langley builds each character slowly with detail both physically and emotionally.  There were a few twists that made the story more moving and exciting.  The story, the characters all flowed smoothly.  I liked the way in which we heard from both of the twins – seeing their perspective was satisfying.

The narrator, Jelyne Helms performed the audiobook wonderfully.  Her voices were realistic and comforting – just the perfect pitch and tone for each character.  She read the book comfortably and seemed very familiar with it.  Her tone and inflection gave weight to her characters sounding appropriate ages.  Plus she captured the personality of Leela and Laney perfectly.

There was only one small minor glitch in the publication.  Otherwise, the production quality of this audiobook was top-notch.

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Struck.  I hope to hear the second part of this series.  I want to see how things play out.  The cliffhanger was perfectly timed and presented.

Star Rating:  * * * * ½

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Patient 3 by Chris Chau

Review - Submitted

Michael was diagnosed with a disease in which there was no known cure let alone what caused it.  To live until a cure was found meant being placed into a deep coma.  Everything he loved, everything he knew when he went to sleep was alive and well.  Then seven years later he awakes to find everything he knew and loved was different; everything except for his roommates who were being woken up from their comatose state as well.  Now the race is on to get to a safe place, find his family and the cure.  Out there, in his world where nothing he knew remained and where beings from his wildest dreams hunt him, Michael takes off with voice recordings from his wife, food, a map and little else.

Chris Chau takes a terrifying story and adds a few twists that leave the listener thinking “Oh yeah, I knew he was going there” only to be left instead with one’s mouth hanging open declaring “I never saw that coming!”  The characters are appropriately developed – some more than others in order of importance to the story. Barely longer than 6 hours, this story had the potential to be much longer, and actually, I hated hearing it end.

Coy Dugger was the narrator who performed the story with a smooth pace and a natural tone.  He helped add to the suspense and never gave anything away through tone inflection or voice.  I have not had the pleasure of hearing him perform before but I hope to again.

There were no issues with the quality or production of this audiobook.

I would highly recommend this book if you want something unique and different.

Star Rating:  * * * *

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Extinction Ashes (Extinction Cycle: Dark Age Book 3) by Nicholas Sansbury Smith and Anthony Melchiorri

Review - Submitted

The latest book in the Extinction Series continues to deliver a powerful and action-packed ten hours of suspense.  It is truly up to Timothy, Fitz, Team Ghost, Kate, Beckham, and Horn to defeat the “new gods” and crack the purpose of the variant webbing.    There is not a moment in which anyone is at peace, it is a consuming war in which trust is valuable and not easily given but life can be snuffed out in an instant.  So many different pieces to the story are moving at once but the authors, Nicholas Sansbury Smith and Anthony J. Melchiorri keep everything flowing and consistent.

I would have to echo what many others have said about this series; the characters are so well developed that they are like one of the family.  As a listener one cannot help but groan out loud when Timothy, Fitz, Beckham or Horn are caught between a rock and a hard place.  Smith and Melchiorri have a talent for connecting the listeners to the characters in the book – there are some you can’t help but love and others … you hope Karma comes around in the form of a variant or bullet and takes care of the right ones!

This was an intense book, it took me several days to get through it only because I was so involved in the book.   I would find myself experiencing a wide range of emotions – relief, anger, fear, OMG moments and then the strong feelings of patriotism, dedication, and duty.  Those real feelings that not many of us experience throughout lives now except vicariously through books and movies but they are accurate feelings that I have seen throughout my family members who have served in Korea, Vietnam, WWII and more.  Smith and Melchiorri are very perceptive and talented storytellers to be able to invoke those feelings with words along.  Their words reveal the passion and dedication very strongly.

RC Bray, as a narrator, is the best!  His ability to speak in different tones and inflections helps move the book along as well as cement that connection to the characters for the listener.  His distinctive voices are strong and well-executed.  I cannot imagine listening to the Extinction Series without him present – he has become the voice of the characters!

There were no issues with the production quality of this book.

Star Rating:    * * * * *

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Sunflowers Under Fire by Diana Stevan

Review - Submitted

Based on her grandmother’s life and true stories, Diana Stevan intricately reveals the struggles and losses her grandmother, Lukia Mazuret endured during her life in Russia.  Lukia is a strong woman who faced and survived war, revolution, and raising eight children single-handedly after her husband Gregory left to join the service.  In a world torn by war and poverty, Lukia deals with protecting her daughters daily from the evils of men.  Until the unthinkable happens and a taboo relationship happens.

The experiences and tragedies of Lukia are performed by Diana Stevan who gives voice to her grandmother’s story in a sensitive and caring manner.  The passion and personal connection to the story are deep and provide the listener with an intense listen.  Nine hours and 25 minutes long, the time flies as the listener is swept into the world of Lukia through the careful construction of the story and the passionate telling by Ms. Stevan.

There were no issues with the production or quality of this audiobook.

Review Rating:  4 stars

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