paranormal

Awesome Audiobooks: The Automaton’s Wife by Vered Ehsani

Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, ghosts, mystery, Paranormal, Reader Resource , ,

Introduction:

This story picks up roughly where The Ghosts of Tsavo left off. The series is pretty cool if you’re into strange characters. The narrator’s perfect for the part.

Review:

5/5 Charming, Witty, Weird

Summary: Bee’s back and she’s got her hands full. There’s murder and mayhem afoot and bigger crises like warding off would-be suitors.

Additional Comments:

– I think I’ve said it before: this is my brand of weird. That said, it’s probably not going to be everybody’s cup of tea. If you’re in the mood for a serious book, definitely wrong series.

– If you’re in the mood for fun and weird, definitely a great series to try.

– The series combines the charm of Alexander McCall Smith’s #1 Detective Agency with the random, wacky weirdness of Seth Graham Smith’s Pride, Prejudice, and Zombies.

– I’ve listened to a lot of audiobooks lately and these are always a light-hearted bit of escapism.

– The character has a few quirks that can come across as annoying, especially in the way she describes things. But overall, it’s still highly entertaining.

– I find the blurb a tad misleading after you’ve heard or read the story, but if you enjoyed the first story, I see no reason for you to dislike this one. If this is your introduction to the series, you might want to grab book one so you have some context.

Conclusion: Decent entry in an awesome series.

Conclusion:

I’ve listened to dozens of audiobooks this year, and I have to say, this series is one of my favorites. They’re very, very strange, but quirky little mysteries. Most of the charm’s in the characters.

-Jules

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Audiobook Reviews: Christmas and Ghosts – 3 Books by Paul Fitz-George

Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, ghosts, London, Paranormal, Reader Resource , , ,

Something New, Something Strange …

The review this round is going to be a tad different than normal. I’m reviewing three different books by the same author. Paul Fitz-George writes about ghosts. He’s a bit of a supernatural historian.

The Reviews …

4/5 The West End Ghost Book: A Ghostly Gallivant Through London’s Haunted Heartland

Summary: Sort of a who’s who of creepy ghosts and where to find them in London.

Additional Comments:

– Kind of glad that I didn’t have this book before my trip to London.

– I heard the audio version. The narrator did a lovely job with the performance, but some of the titles were really hard to distinguish because of the sound effect used to make it even creepier.

– It’s like an occult history book. I found it interesting because it’s vastly different from my usual listening fare.

Conclusion: If you’re up for some ghosts, give this a go.

4/5 The Whitby Ghost Book

Summary: A peek into the supernatural goings on in Whitby, England.

Additional Comments:

– Writing and narration are both good, though I could do without the sound effects. Sometimes they help, but in this case, they just made some sections hard to hear.

– Cover’s pretty creepy, but it fits the mood nicely.

– A nice companion piece to the West End Ghost Book (though I think this one was actually the first book).

Conclusion: Historical supernatural accounts. Not exactly sure what to call them.

4/5 Christmas Customs of Old Whitby by Paul Christopher Fitz-George

Summary: A super-short, niche book about Christmas customs in an old English town.

Additional Comments:

– The title sort of says it all.

– I heard the audioversion. The narrator fit the project well.

– If you’re into history, it might be a good fit for you.

Conclusion:

Small slice of history with a touch of weird.

Conclusion:

Paul Fitz-George’s works definitely fall outside the realm of normal, but they’re fun and short overall. He’s got two narrators: Time Winters and Petrina Kingham. Both handle their respective stories well. I’d listen to more works by them.

As Always …

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Thanks for your time.

Sincerely,

Julie C. Gilbert

Audiobook Edge and it’s Matchmaker Program are completely free now, but if you wanna donate anyway, go for it 😉

Er, just do it as a friend b/c otherwise, you’re basically just paying paypal.


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Audiobook Reviews: 3.45/5 Diviner’s Prophecy by Nicolette Andrews

Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Fantasy, Paranormal , , ,

 

Summary:

A girl gets visions of the future and finds herself at the center of dangerous political games.

Additional Comments:

  • No ending. The end is more like the end of Act 1. Large portions of the story are therefore unresolved. Some people love things that are part of a larger story. I like that too, but I like there to be a complete closure to one story arc.
  • Characters are okay. Maea’s powers are cool. She can see other people’s dreams. I love the concept.
  • I loved Princess Sabine. Her guard was kind of a stick figure until the end of the story. I like that he gained more depth later.
  • The plot kind of meandered. There’s a lot of political intrigue going on. The beginning didn’t make much sense. Johai and the lady stole her memories? Why?
  • The thing with the handsome prince didn’t seem to make much sense either. One second she’s appalled by his casual sex with a lady during a party. And the next she’s inextricably attracted to him.
  • The end twist was decently handled.
  • The cover’s gorgeous, but the woman looks way older than the main character.
  • Narration was good. I like Anna Castiglioni’s voice.

Conclusion:

The beginning of a much longer tale that doesn’t really hold up on its own, but if you’re willing to read the whole trilogy, it offers a lot of magic and political intrigue.

The e-book is a free download. Go for it.

 

 

As Always …

If you want the chance to get the audiobook for free, please join Audiobook Readers’ Edge.

If you’re an author (or a narrator) with an audiobook you’d like featured, sign up for Audiobook Authors’ Edge.

Thanks for your time.

Sincerely,

Julie C. Gilbert

Audiobook Edge and it’s Matchmaker Program are completely free now, but if you wanna donate anyway, go for it 😉

Er, just do it as a friend b/c otherwise, you’re basically just paying paypal.

 

Awesome Audiobooks: 4.5/5 Apprentice Cat by Virginia Ripple

Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Fantasy, mystery, Reader Resource , , , ,

4.5/5 Cute Cat Goes to Magic School Type Story

Summary:

Toby’s only mediocre at magic, but he still wants to fulfill his mother’s dream of being accepted into the Academy. Once in, he stumbled across a colossal mystery.

Random Comments:

  • It’s an intriguing world where humans and cats work hand-in-hand. The description of it being a kingdom and them traveling in carriages sort of make me think it’s a steampunk type era. It’s a tad hard to tell though.
  • The characters are well-developed.
  • The narration is nicely handled. I personally didn’t enjoy the voice used for Terrence as that was a little tough to follow, but the characters are distinct.
  • The mystery meanders a bit, but things work out in the end.
  • It finds the balance between giving the reader closure and leaving enough loose ends to gracefully beg for a sequel.

Conclusion:

Slow start and lots of world-building, but overall, a satisfying tale.

 

The book is permafree! Go ahead and download it … then prep yourself for the first Sunday in October when you can request a free audio version.

As Always …

If you want the chance to get the audiobook for free, please join Audiobook Readers’ Edge.

If you’re an author with an audiobook you’d like featured, sign up for Audiobook Authors’ Edge.

Thanks for your time.

Sincerely,

Julie C. Gilbert

Audiobook Edge and it’s Matchmaker Program are completely free now, but if you wanna donate anyway, go for it 😉

Er, just do it as a friend b/c otherwise, you’re basically just paying paypal.

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Audiobook Reviews: Prestigium by Joseph Barone

Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Fantasy, Paranormal, Reader Resource , , , , ,

4.5/5 Paranormal Detective

Summary:

Tanya Cora gets drawn into a mystery with more magic than she bargained for.

Random Comments:

  • There’s a lot of world-building here, so it takes some getting used to. The informational sessions are handled nicely in that the main character genuinely isn’t aware of most of it, so the reader gets to learn as she does.
  • The MC – Tanya – has a habit of commenting on everything that can get tiresome on occasion, but mostly, it comes across as amusing. She’s got a semi-jaded view of the world, but that fits well with the cop persona.
  • It’s definitely the sort of story that’s more fun to listen to than to read.
  • The cover’s okay. I would like a more solid view of what the main character looks like. Something deeper, darker would be cool.
  • The reader gets cheated a bit in the end where the epic battle is concerned. I’m not looking for blood and gore, but some description would be nice. References exist, but still …
  • The narrator’s good. I’m a fan.
  • I enjoyed how the story took familiar magic and elements and added its own twist.

Conclusion:

A worthwhile fantasy story.

 

As Always …

If you want the chance to get the audiobook for free, please join Audiobook Readers’ Edge.

If you’re an author with an audiobook you’d like featured, sign up for Audiobook Authors’ Edge.

Thanks for your time.

Sincerely,

Julie C. Gilbert

Audiobook Edge and it’s Matchmaker Program are completely free now, but if you wanna donate anyway, go for it 😉

Er, just do it as a friend b/c otherwise, you’re basically just paying paypal.

Prime Student – Oh, how I wish I was still a student.

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Audiobook Reviews: An Inner Fire by Jacki Delecki

Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Kindle books, Paranormal, Reader Resource, romance, women's fiction , , , ,

4/5 Stars Romantic Suspense Story with Fun Characters

Summary:

Grayce Walters, paranormal vet, gets a vision from Mitzi that Ewan Davis is in danger. He, of course, is a hot fire investigator who’s looking into a suspicious fire down at the wharf.

Additional Comments:

  • Writing quality is very strong overall.
  • The mystery itself is fairly straightforward. It’s not a police procedural or anything so the main character’s investigation is confined more to generic snooping. She does do some pretty stupid things overall, but it’s all because she loves her man … I guess we can at least understand the why of it.
  • The repeated use of strong language got tedious for me. (But I will say that the narrator did a nice job with the performance.)
  • The touch of paranormal in here was well done. I think more could have been done with the connection to Grayce’s sister, but the dreams/visions were decently described.
  • Twist at the end kind of cheapened all the character(s) did to investigate up to that point.
  • The idea of doing acupuncture on pets is intriguing. I know zip about acupuncture in general, but the descriptions sounded reasonable.
  • Fun side characters – Davis’s aunt and Grayce’s friend James are outlandish in their own ways
  • Content warnings: very strong language, adult content goes beyond the “mild” setting (I’d probably categorize it as medium level in at least 1 scene)

 

Conclusion:

Good romantic suspense/ mystery story if you can handle the descriptions of sex and the repeated strong language.

As Always …

You should still join Audiobook Readers’ Edge, but this book will not be featured in the regular list. It will be available by Matchmaker. Sign up then email me. (Devyaschildren @ gmail.com).

If you’re an author with an audiobook you’d like featured, sign up for Audiobook Authors’ Edge.

Thanks for your time.

Sincerely,

Julie C. Gilbert

Audiobook Edge and it’s Matchmaker Program are completely free now, but if you wanna donate anyway, go for it 😉

Er, just do it as a friend b/c otherwise, you’re basically just paying paypal.

Awesome Audiobooks: Ghosts of Tsavo (Society of Paranormals Book 1) by Vered Ehsani

Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Paranormal, Reader Resource , ,

 

Introduction:

If you like Pride, Prejudice, and Zombies, then you’ll probably enjoy the brand of weird presented here in Ghosts of Tsavo.

Summary:

Due to a change in financial fortunes, Beatrice Knight travels with her uncle and his family to Nairobi and becomes embroiled in a paranormal mystery. She’s an investigator for a society that seeks to study paranormals while at the same time keeping their existence a secret. As fate would have it, she’s also got the ghost of her dead husband Gideon following her.

Additional Comments:

Neutral:

– I’m guessing the way Bee speaks as a story narrator will evoke strong emotions. She’s hilarious, yet she comments on everything.

– There are some plot threads that aren’t resolved. This didn’t bother me as much as it does in some books. It’s balanced by the overarching fact that this episode of sorts wraps up nicely. There’s definite lead into a new story but I got enough of a sense of closure to satisfy my need for it here.

– Fact vs fiction thing at the end. This one was good, but those bother me in general.

What I didn’t like:

– Breaking the fourth wall – There’s no reason to address the readers! It busts that nice little bubble of fantasy the author’s weaving and yanks you out of the story.

What I liked:

– The narrator fit the story perfectly. This is definitely one of those stories where I believe the audiobook version is vastly superior to the written word. That’s akin to book blasphemy I know.

– It’s actually a rather simple story. What makes it funny is Bee’s commentary. The story’s the same brand of ridiculous as Pride, Prejudice, and Zombies. It’s probably less gory than that book, but it’s got the same obsession with old school British society and manners. (She points out things like how rude it is for ghosts to come through walls instead of using doors. Just because you’re dead doesn’t excuse one from having bad manners.)

Conclusion:

If you can handle weird, then you will likely enjoy this book.

 

 

Bonus:

This title is permanently free. Go grab a copy.

As Always …

If you want the chance to get the audiobook for free, please join Audiobook Readers’ Edge.

If you’re an author with an audiobook you’d like featured, sign up for Audiobook Authors’ Edge.

Thanks for your time.

Sincerely,

Julie C. Gilbert

Audiobook Edge and it’s Matchmaker Program are completely free now, but if you wanna donate anyway, go for it 😉

Er, just do it as a friend b/c otherwise, you’re basically just paying paypal.

 

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Audiobook Reviews: Shadow Grove by Lacey Edward

Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Paranormal, Young Adult , , , , ,

 

Introduction:

This is a case where the book probably makes more sense in context of it being part of a series. It took quite a bit of time and didn’t have that much of a bang in the end, but there is still potential for the series.

Summary:

Around her 18th birthday, Ariel finds out she’s a witch. The rest of the story’s pretty much about her training to use those powers and avoiding the people trying to kill her because of those powers.

Additional Comments:

Content warning: a few mild curses

Neutral:

– The plots pretty slow moving. I get that there’s a lot of setup, but really, I could only think of 2 pts in the book that had any sort of action.

– Some of the bad guys’ motives seem weak.

– Ethan kind of seems along for the ride. He doesn’t add or detract much. Wish he’d done more as Ariel’s father.

– I wish Ariel had done more. She’s learning a lot, but it seems a lot of other things/people are protecting her. I want to see her become the in control witch ready to take on the forces of darkness.

What I didn’t like:

– A lot of the training scenes involved inane questions that seemed designed solely to move the conversation on so the other character could continue his/her lecture. For some reason, in the audio, that drove me nuts. (Really? I’m a witch? A book? Etc)

– Unresolved questions: – Why does Oren offer to help her if he’s just a collector? Who is the queen? What the heck happened to James? The queen shows up at the beginning and the end, but we’re specifically not told anything about her.

– Lack of closure in the end. There would have been better closure without the very last scene. We already know it’s book 1 and the story continues, but the last scene sort of stamps a “to be continued” sign on the story. I find those annoying.

What I liked:

– I enjoyed Ariel as a character. The tried and true girl-has-special-powers trope is always a fun one, and Ariel’s pretty likable.

– Oddly enough, I enjoyed the Vampire. He was a nice addition.

– I think the series as a whole has merit. There’s a lot of setup in this book.

– I loved the narrator’s voice for Dione. (British accents rock.)

Conclusion:

It’s a slow start, but there’s a ton of potential for the series.

 

 

As Always …

If you want the chance to get the audiobook for free, please join Audiobook Readers’ Edge.

If you’re an author with an audiobook you’d like featured, sign up for Audiobook Authors’ Edge.

Thanks for your time.

Sincerely,

Julie C. Gilbert

For a limited time, I’m offering a fantasy book to anybody who supports Audiobook Edge.

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