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4 Stars: Spirit Singer by Edward Willett Audiobook

February 26, 2013 by Anya 6 Comments

I was quite excited to see Iambik Audio open for review requests and a new fantasy available with a young female main character :D. What more could I really ask for right?? As many of you know, I’m always in the market for more audiobooks due to my frequent driving. While the slower fantasy pace of Spirit Singer sometimes made me need to take a break, I overall very much enjoyed this classic-style fantasy! Thank you to Iambik Audio for providing me a copy to review.

Goodreads | Amazon
Print Copy scheduled for May 2013
Title: Spirit Singer
Author: Edward Willett
Length: 4 hours 33 min
Genre-ish: Fantasy (with spirits)
Rating: ★★★★☆- solid fantasy story, audio wasn’t great

Amarynth is a spirit singer, gifted – or cursed, as she sometimes thinks – with the ability to lead the spirits of the dead from the Lower World through the Between World to the Gate of the Upper World and the Light that lies beyond it.

While she is still an apprentice her grandfather and tutor dies, slain by a mysterious creature in the Between World that is blocking access to the Upper World’s Gate. Without a spirit singer her village cannot survive, so Amarynth embarks on a hazardous quest to find out what the creature is, how it can be defeated, and how she can become a full-fledged spirit singer – a quest that takes her not only from her tiny seacoast home to the soaring mountains of the south, but across the even more rugged terrain of her own soul. — Amazon

Strengths:

I really liked the singing magic idea behind Spirit Singer. Chanting is usually a part of magic rituals, but it’s not often that it IS the magic itself :D.
Spirit Singer has some devious plot twists. I can’t say that I didn’t see them coming, because I definitely had a feeling that something was up, but then I wasn’t sure…. And then I definitely was!
The “Between World” is this treacherous place between our realm and their version of heaven and the descriptions of it were very compelling. There are all sorts of wayward spirits and traps that Amarynth had to watch out for, and some of those images are just never going to be scrubbed from my brain….
Spirit Singer had solid main characters. I wish was had gotten to know Grandpa a bit more, but you can’t have it all ;-).

Weaknesses:

I think I just have a problem with male narrators, but I just never could get used to the narrator in Spirit Singer. Male narrators never seem to be able to do female voices, and since the main character was female, this ended up being a big problem for me.
The plot of Spirit Singer ended up being a fairly typical fantasy in the end, but there isn’t anything wrong with that if that’s what you are in the mood for :).

Summary:

Spirit Singer is a fun fantasy adventure with a solid female character. The narration of Amarynth’s voice didn’t do it for me, so I suggest picking up the book in print or ebook when you can. The premise and world of Spirit Singer were quite interesting and fun to explore and I look forward to learning more about them in sequels *hopeful eyes*. If you are quite discerning, you will probably see some of the plot twists coming, but the evidence went back and forth enough for me that I wasn’t sure ;-). All in all, Spirit Singer is a great book if you are in the mood for some good ol’ fashioned fantasy!

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- A

Spirit Singer by Edward Willett

Filed Under: What A Story - Book Reviews Tagged With: 4 stars, audiobook, fantasy, heroine, magic system, spirit singer, willett

4.5 Stars: Crash by Lisa McMann Audiobook

February 13, 2013 by Anya 8 Comments

I received Crash by Lisa McMann from Simon & Schuster Audio for review and was excited for a new spin on the paranormal YA book. Crash definitely delivers! I actually had to figure out how to hook up my iPhone to my car speakers (through my cassette player) and ended up borrowing an old converter that my friend had, but it was totally worth it ;-). I also ended up listening to most of Crash while driving in white-out conditions or horrible snowy roads, so maybe that was tempting fate a bit, but I was fine :D. Crash is a great combination of family shenanigans, weird paranormal stuff, and oh high school sighing, and this is coming from someone who doesn’t generally like too much of the swoony romance stuff, haha.
Goodreads | Amazon
Title: Crash
Author: Lisa McMann
Time: 5 hours, 18 minutes
Genre-ish: YA Paranormal
Rating: ★★★★☆- interesting premise, minor annoyances

If what you see is what you get, Jules is in serious trouble. The suspenseful first in a series from the New York Timesbestselling author of the Wake trilogy.Jules lives with her family above their restaurant, which means she smells like pizza most of the time and drives their double-meatball-shaped food truck to school. It’s not a recipe for popularity, but she can handle that.

What she can’t handle is the recurring vision that haunts her. Over and over, Jules sees a careening truck hit a building and explode…and nine body bags in the snow.

The vision is everywhere—on billboards, television screens, windows—and she’s the only one who sees it. And the more she sees it, the more shesees. The vision is giving her clues, and soon Jules knows what she has to do. Because now she can see the face in one of the body bags, and it’s someone she knows. Someone she has been in love with for as long as she can remember. – Goodreads

Strengths:

The premise of Crash is really interesting. I haven’t read any premonitions books lately, so it certainly seemed fresh to me. Jules just keeps seeing the same vision over and over and it is steadily taking over her life. Crash has just the right amount of paranormal to add spice, but not so much that you started to wonder who was sending these visions (at least not yet!).
Jules develops well as a character, and Crash is definitely a coming of age story as well as a mystery/romance/paranormal. Apparently solving a mystery and saving lives really makes a girl grow up fast, who knew?
Sawyer is adorable and a great love interest. I’m rather tired of jerks/stalkers as love interests, so it was nice to finally have a genuinely nice guy!
Love Trey!!!! I’m happy with McMann for having a gay brother and not shying away from that character, but also not making him too over the top. As someone who has gay friends all across the flamboyance spectrum, I was quite comfortable with the way Trey was portrayed and the fact that being gay was not all that he was. He was also a good brother, son, and sometimes student ;-).

Weaknesses:

“Oh my dogs” might be my new least favorite expression. I don’t care that it adds uniqueness or that real teenagers might say it, it’s bloody annoying to hear over and over in an audiobook. Please never use “dog” in place of “God” again.
The narration was a bit awkward at times, especially in the shower scene.. >.> <.<
I won’t go into much detail the ending revelation and romantic developments seemed rushed to me, maybe it was because I thought the crash was the ending and it would be just a brief wrap up after that, but then there was more?

Summary:

Overall, I really liked Crash and am looking forward to the next book, especially after what we found out at the very end! I haven’t been reading a lot of similar books, but the idea seemed fresh and I thought the plot was well developed. However, Crash has been a very polarizing book, and many people haven’t liked the characters and plot development, so I recommend checking out some of the links for both if you aren’t sure. I also would probably recommend against the audiobook if the expression “Oh my dogs” sounds annoying to you, because it’s probably easier to ignore in text….

Other reviews:

Crash from .Xpresso Reads 2 stars

Crash from Heise Reads & Recommends 5 stars

Crash from Appraising Pages 4 stars

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- A

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Filed Under: What A Story - Book Reviews Tagged With: audiobook, cashore, fantasy, four stars, graceling, heroine, magic system, trilogy, ya

Five Stars: Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor Audiobook

February 6, 2013 by Anya 8 Comments

Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor is the second in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy, so this review will definitely contain spoilers for the first book. Instead of worrying about those, just pop over to my equally glowing review of Daughter of Smoke and Bone :D. I actually had a bit of trouble forming thoughts for this review since my thoughts were mostly “glub blug awesome more glub why must I wait for the next one gah!” But I thought more, gave it a couple of days, and came up with at least semi-coherent reasons why you should continue with Days of Blood and Starlight if you started this trilogy and aren’t sure.

Goodreads | Amazon
Title: Days of Blood and Starlight
Author: Laini Taylor
Time: 12 discs (15 hours)
Genre-ish: Fantasy mixed with our world
Rating: ★★★★★- beautiful, poetic, can’t get enough

Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a world free of bloodshed and war.

This is not that world.

Art student and monster’s apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is—and what she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it.

In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Karou must decide how far she’ll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life.

While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope.

But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream? – Goodreads

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Filed Under: What A Story - Book Reviews Tagged With: angels, audiobook, days of blood and starlight, fantasy, five stars, heroine, magic system, taylor, trilogy, ya

Four Stars: Graceling by Kristin Cashore Audiobook

February 1, 2013 by Anya 10 Comments

So, I was the odd-duck and listened to Fire by Kristin Cashore first, which is the companion novel to Graceling. I can tell you that it is safe to read them out of publishing order, though I did have to check with my reading buddy on one name that I think would have been an obvious connection to me if I had read them the other way around. In any case, I had been hesitant to grab Graceling on audiobook because it has a different narrator than Fire (and I loved Fire’s narrator), but I just put some time between the two and didn’t have any problem adjusting. Even better, Graceling is a full-cast audio, so each of the characters has their own voice actor :D.

Goodreads | Amazon
Title: Graceling
Author: Kristin Cashore
Time: 11 discs (12 hours and 30 mins)
Genre-ish: Fantasy
Rating: ★★★★☆- fun world, didn’t pull me in

His eyes, Katsa had never seen such eyes. One was silver, and the other, gold. They glowed in his sun-darkened face, uneven, and strange. She was surprised that they hadn’t shone in the darkness of their first meeting. They didn’t seem human….

Then he raised his eyebrows a hair, and his mouth shifted into the hint of a smirk. He nodded at her, just barely, and it released her from her spell.

Cocky, she thought. Cocky and arrogant, this one, and that was all there was to make of him. Whatever game he was playing, if he expected her to join him he would be disappointed.

In a world where people born with an extreme skill – called a Grace – are feared and exploited, Katsa carries the burden of the skill even shedespises: the Grace of killing. She lives under the command of her uncle Randa, King of the Middluns, and is expected to execute his dirty work, punishing and torturing anyone who displeases him.

When she first meets Prince Po, who is Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change.

She never expects to become Po’s friend.

She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace – or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away…a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone. – Goodreads

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Filed Under: What A Story - Book Reviews Tagged With: audiobook, cashore, fantasy, four stars, graceling, heroine, magic system, trilogy, ya

Five Stars: Daughter of Smoke and Bone Audio Review

November 29, 2012 by Anya 14 Comments

As if Prague wasn’t mystical enough, it is also the gateway to another world, full of a war between angel-like beings and beings part human and part animal. Daughter of Smoke and Bone is the fantastic tale of a human girl caught in the middle of an ancient war and love story, with a destiny far greater than she ever hoped.

I was browsing the library’s YA audiobooks section when I was in need of a new audiobook, and I have found that all the best books are in the YA section :D. I had seen a lot of good reviews for Daughter of Smoke and Bone, so I figured I’d give it a try. Boy, I had no idea what I was in for! First off, I didn’t really know anything about the story going in, and so when it started off in what seemed like a very normal Prague, I was worried there wasn’t any fantasy in it. No worries people, there is plenty of fantasy :D.

Goodreads | Amazon
Title: Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Author: Laini Taylor
Discs: 10
Genre-ish: Fresh fantasy with the human world too
Rating: ★★★★★ - OMG so epic!

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious “errands”; she speaks many languages not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.

When one of the strangers—beautiful, haunted Akiva—fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself? — Goodreads

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Filed Under: What A Story - Book Reviews Tagged With: angels, audiobook, daughter of smoke and bone, fantasy, five stars, heroine, magic system, taylor, trilogy, ya

Five Stars: Fire by Kristin Cashore Audiobook

November 5, 2012 by Anya 12 Comments

“It is not a peaceful time in the Dells.” –Goodreads summary of Fire by Kristin Cashore. Indeed, between strange boys with two different colored eyes and the power to influence minds invading and the rebel lords just waiting for a time to strike, the King has his hands full. Unfortunately for Fire, he also therefore, has need of her supernatural abilities, though her supernatural beauty is also the last thing some people seem to want around the king….

I’ve heard a lot of good things about Graceling, and so when I saw the companion (but not sequel), Fire by Kristin Cashore on audiobook at the library, it seemed a logical choice! I haven’t read Graceling, so there won’t be any spoilers :D. This is also proof that you don’t need to have read Graceling to enjoy Fire.

Goodreads | Amazon
Title: Fire
Author: Kristin Cashore
Discs: 10 (audiobook)
Genre-ish: Epic fantasy (YA?)
Rating: ★★★★★ - Imaginative world, strong plot
Setting: Fire by Kristin Cashore is set in the same fantasy world as Graceling, but a different part of the world. In the Dells, there are not people with two different colored eyes (for the most part), but instead there are individuals of all species born with coloring of bright and unusual color and extreme beauty. These individuals also have the ability to control unprotected minds and read thoughts. While “monster” insects and other small things are uncommon, but seen fairly frequently, monster humans are so rare, only one is currently known to be alive.
Premise: The Dells were under the rule of a mad king and his cruel monster adviser previously, until that king and adviser both died horrible deaths. Now, the mad king’s children are trying to put the kingdom back together, but two rebel lords are not making that an easy task. What would make it easier, however, is if the monster adviser’s daughter, Fire, who is the last known monster human, would use her mind control power on these strange empty-headed spies that have started cropping up in odd places…. Unfortunately, Fire is nothing like her father, and is determined not to use her powers for evil, though these empty-headed spies are starting to worry and intrigue her as well. The very precocious boy with two differently colored eyes that showed up at the palace and started torturing monster animals is starting to worry and intrigue her as well….

Strengths:

The narrator! I looooooved Xanthe Elbrick‘s narration. The voices that she used for the different characters were marvelous and unique, and really added another dimension to an already wonderful story.
Fire! While Fire had moments where she didn’t make the best decisions, she had strong morals and a dedication to friends and strangers that was just so moving. She’s a character that I’d really like to meet in real life, since I really ended up wanting to be friends with her.
I loved the feel of the world and the powers that monsters had. This came from a combination of the fantasy writing style and the idea of all animals being able to be born multi-colored and with mind-control powers! It was really fun to see how Cashore worked this into the society with the poor using monster rat pelts as decorations and the rich having monster cats which used mind-control to catch rats. Cashore was very creative in her use of such a cool idea :D.

Weaknesses:

Why is there so much need to talk about periods all the time?? I swear, we heard about every single time that Fire had her period, and it just wasn’t necessary!
There were some strange inconsistencies and random things that didn’t end up actually mattering, which annoyed me. The rest of this line could be seen as a minor spoiler, though again, didn’t actually matter for the plot, but just to warn you. At one point, Fire makes herself infertile for a while, which generally (at least with our modern science) means that she shouldn’t get her period anymore, but she still does (which we know, because we hear about every time!). This didn’t work for me. It also didn’t end up mattering at all, so I didn’t see the point in Cashore writing about it to begin with….
Archer and Fire’s relationship is a bit “loose” at times? And apparently this bothers people, not me in particular, but other people, and maybe you. But it also doesn’t end up mattering in the end.

Summary:

I really enjoyed listening to Fire by Kristin Cashore on audio, and definitely recommend you grab the audiobook version if you are in the need of an audiobook! I found the world and characters to be fun and compelling, and am really looking forward to reading Graceling and Bitterblue! While there were a couple things that through me off about the book, for the most part I found myself super looking forward to driving just so that I could go back to the Dells and hang out with Fire some more. Cashore did a wonderful job portraying a vibrant character and story, since the way I keep wanting to describe this book is with color, and my memories of the scenes are all with bright colors!

Have you been reading the Graceling books? What order are you reading them in? What did you think?

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- A