Category: audiobooks (Page 88 of 94)

Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews, narrated by Renee Raudman

August 12, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I listened to it: I’m a fan of the series and downloaded it as soon as I could. My print copy arrived in the mail just yesterday as well.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Atlanta is a city plagued by magical problems. Kate Daniels will fight to solve them—no matter the cost.

Mercenary Kate Daniels and her mate, Curran, the Beast Lord, are struggling to solve a heartbreaking crisis. Unable to control their beasts, many of the Pack’s shapeshifting children fail to survive to adulthood. While there is a medicine that can help, the secret to its making is closely guarded by the European packs, and there’s little available in Atlanta.

Kate can’t bear to watch innocents suffer, but the solution she and Curran have found threatens to be even more painful. The European shapeshifters who once outmaneuvered the Beast Lord have asked him to arbitrate a dispute—and they’ll pay him in medicine. With the young people’s survival and the Pack’s future at stake, Kate and Curran know they must accept the offer—but they have little doubt that they’re heading straight into a trap…

What worked for me (and what didn’t): Magic Rises changes things up a bit by taking Kate, Curran and some other prominent pack members to Europe and out of their comfort zones, with the end goal being to get “panacea” for the Pack – the medication that significantly limits loupism in shapeshifters. I enjoyed how the book showed Kate’s emerging acceptance in the Pack – she is not and never will be a shapeshifter but she belongs and by the end of the book this becomes even more clear. I mean, I already knew that but there are some slowpokes in the Pack that need more time to come to grips with it.

Kate is challenged by the interest Curran shows in a young beautiful shapeshifter from the Alaskan pack (aptly named Lorelei), who has ambition and thinks Curran belongs with one of his own kind. In the meantime, Kate and company have to find out who is responsible for the attacks on the pregnant lady they are in Georgia (the European one) to protect and Hugh D’Ambray makes a surprise appearance. Also there’s a gnome. There’s more “fantasy” than “urban” in this one and it was a lot of fun. It’s not the sort of thing you can do in Atlanta but it fit very well with the almost medieval-type European setting. There were some drastic consequences for some of the characters which was sad but on the other hand, it makes sense that not everyone of the “good guys” is going to survive or come out unscathed.

A Witch’s Handbook of Kisses and Curses by Molly Harper, narrated by Amanda Ronconi

July 31, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I listened to it: I have enjoyed all of the Jane Jameson/Half Moon Hollow books on audio and picked this one up at Audible when it was released.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads): Nola Leary would have been content to stay in Kilcairy, Ireland, healing villagers at her family’s clinic with a mix of magic and modern medicine. But a series of ill-timed omens and a deathbed promise to her grandmother have sent her on a quest to Half-Moon Hollow, Kentucky, to secure her family’s magical potency for the next generation. Her supernatural task? To unearth four artifacts hidden by her grandfather before a rival magical family beats her to it.Complication One: Her grandfather was Mr. Wainwright and the artifacts are lost somewhere in what is now Jane Jameson’s book shop.Complication Two: her new neighbor, Jed Trudeau, who keeps turning up half naked at the strangest times, a distraction Nola doesn’t need. And teaming up with a real-life Adonis is as dangerous as it sounds, especially when he’s got the face of an angel and the abs of a washboard—can Nola complete her mission before falling completely under his spell?

What worked for me (and what didn’t): To be honest, I nearly quit this one about 10 minutes in. I usually enjoy Amanda Ronconi’s narration but her accent for the narrator and main character, Nola, was putting me off. I persisted, in the hope I’d get used to it. Fortunately, by the middle of Chapter 3, it was explained that Nola’s accent was a horrid mashup of Boston and Ireland and maybe something else. And you know what? That’s exactly what Nola’s accent sounded like. I thought it was Ms. Ronconi doing a really bad Irish accent. But I did her a disservice when I thought that – she actually voiced the character as written – it’s just that it’s not written right at the beginning of the story so it was a little hard to understand at first. When there were Irish characters, Ms. Ronconi did a fine Irish accent. I can’t say I’m sorry that the Boston dropped out of Nola’s accent for the most part by the latter part of the story. It did sound a bit like Ms. Ronconi’s teeth were clenched and that can’t have been comfortable.

I’m Over at AudioGals…

July 31, 2013 / Kaetrin

with an audiobook review of Laura Kinsale‘s The Dream Hunter narrated superbly by Nicholas Boulton.

Go here to check it out.

Im Over at AudioGals…

July 25, 2013 / Kaetrin

with an audiobook review of Cecilia Grant’s A Woman Entangled, narrated by Susan Ericksen. See what I thought here.

The Vor Game by Lois McMaster Bujold, narrated by Grover Gardner

July 9, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I listened: After finishing The Firebird, I listened to some podcasts – a bit of a sorbet if you will, and I thought it was safest to listen to something from another genre altogether for my next audiobook – Kearsley casts a long shadow. Also, Bujold is always reliable I have found. This was no exception.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Together, they can get into a lot of trouble. Trouble only the combined forces of the Free Dendarii Mercenaries can get them out of. At least, that’s what they’re hoping…

In this latest adventure with the galaxy’s craftiest mercenary leader Miles, starts out by so shaking up the High Command on his home planet of Barrayar that he is sent to the other side of the galaxy – where who should he run into but his old pals the Free Dendarii Mercenaries. And a good thing too, because it turns out that Miles’ childhood chum, that’s Emperor Gregor to you, has been the victim of foul play, and only Miles – with a little Dendarii muscle – can save him. This is very important to Miles; because if Gregor dies, the only person who could become the new emperor is Miles himself – and that he regards as a fate worse than death.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): As is most often the case with the Vorkosigan books, I didn’t read the blurb before I clicked play. The story begins when Miles is given his first assignment after graduating from the Barrayaran Military Academy. He is sent to Kiril Island (“Camp Permafrost”) where his mission is to learn to be subordinate to superior officers and to also learn how to command ordinary soldiers. What I thought was going to be the story (which perhaps would have been clearer had I read the blurb!) was not at all what the story turned out to be. But, it’s an adventure tale and it’s an adventure when you don’t know where the story is going. I was happy to go along for the ride and marvel at the way things went from point A to point Z and all the wonderful journeys in between.