quest

Audiobook Reviews 3.45/5 Stars: The Sea-Stone Sword by Joel Cornah Narrated by Genevieve Sibayan

Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Fantasy , , , ,

 

Introduction:

It’s been awhile since I posted any audiobook reviews. Still got a mixed bag of them to review. Let’s start back up with a darker sort of epic fantasy. It had fantastic narration provided by Genevieve Sibayan, but I’m a little ambivalent on the plot and characters.

*spoilers possible in discussion part*

Summary:

A boy with grand ideas of being a hero finds the path much more complicated than the stories make it out to be.

Additional Comments:

– I fantasy books because they bring the reader to faraway places. This book was no exception in that regard. It contained quite a few neat world-building aspects, but there were also some major things I didn’t connect well with, which is how it ended up with an average rating (3 stars = it’s okay).

The Bad (I hate ending on negative points, so I’m going to start out with the things I struggled with).

– The book took me a long time to get through, even in audio form. That’s generally an indication that I’m just not that “into it.” Here are some of my major disconnects.

– I didn’t like the main character. I get from the blurb that the author wants this to come across as a gritty, realistic, life is messy sort of commentary, but I really like being able to root for the MC. Rob just annoyed me 90% of the time.

– Pacing – timeline and event flow didn’t seem smooth to me. That could be my fault as a reader/listener. Not sure. I remember being about a quarter into the book and being like “what? Who just died? Who the heck’s that guy?”

– Lack of Closure – There’s always a delicate balance to strike. Ending with a lot unresolved is a tactic to get most people to buy the next book, and maybe it works. But after 11+ hours I find the way it ended very annoying.

– Bad guy’s motives come across clear as mud. The amount of effort he goes through to manipulate events would be fine if something like world domination or promises of loads of wealth were at the heart, but that’s not the case.

 

The Good

– The narrator did a fantastic job of bringing the world to life.

– The world-building is cool with multiple races.

– The plot has some neat twists.

 

The Neutral

– Not sure picking a female narrator was the way to go with the MC being a 14 year old boy. On the other hand, many of the other characters were female.

– There’s multiple interesting races, though I will say most of them came across as stereotypes of themselves. i.e. all Penguish (sorry about spelling, I heard the audiobook) are ___.

 

Conclusion:

It’s okay. If you enjoy complicated fantasy (narrated very well), this might fit the bill for you. But if you really need closure in stories, avoid.

 

Associate links to follow…

Amazon Prime

Audible – If you buy some of my audiobooks with your first credits, I’ll pay the first month’s bill (beyond the free ones). (Terms and conditions: must have proof of purchasing my books, like a screenshot. Will also have to have paypal.)


Awesome Audiobooks: 4.5/5 Quest of the Dreamwalker by Stacy Bennett

Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Fantasy, Young Adult , , , ,

Disclaimers: Forgive any spelling issues I heard the audiobook. And I don’t own the rights to the pic. Got it off of audible.com.

Summary:

Cara’s a dreamwalker who’s practically raised by an evil sorcerer bent on gaining immortality. Captain Mason Khourey and Archer are mercenaries who get caught up in a tangled web of danger and intrigue. (Totally was not picturing the name spelled like that.)

Additional Comments:

– The world-building is fun, but a few aspects aren’t really fleshed out. Cara’s abilities aren’t really fully realized. I think that’s probably because this is book 1 of a longer story, but still, we’re told she’s a dreamwalker and then given maybe 2 glimpses of this at at play. Could be because it’s part one of a longer story.

– The characters are great, though I will say Cara kind of got annoying. I ended up liking Falin a lot more than Cara and she came into the book like 8 hrs into the story. There were a few points when she does something massively stupid that made me raise an eyebrow, but I can understand to some extent the necessity in moving the plot forward that way. It’s just not pretty.

– Several plot points fall under “well, that’s convenient” but it’s still a very compelling story.

– The end twist is excellent. But then the book continues, opening up a new aspect to the journey, which really messes with the sense of closure that could have been had.

– Content warnings: at least 2 “adult” content scenes; graphic violence and disturbing images

– The narrator’s performance worked wonders in bringing the story to life. It’s a long story, but he handled it well. The voices are distinct and pleasant to listen to.

Conclusion:

If you’re a fan of the genre, this is definitely a series to snap up.

 

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.

 

 

Movie Review: 4/5 Stars Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Men Tell No Tales – Surprisingly Good

Julie Gilbert Movie Reviews , , , ,

Introduction:

The fifth installment of Pirates of the Caribbean, Dead Men Tell No Tales, follows in same footsteps as the first few. It’s weird. It’s loud. It’s got a gorgeous soundtrack. They were never the “serious” tales. Overall, I enjoyed this one much more than 2-4. It suffers from being a sequel, but that’s to be expected. As a story, it has quite a few “convenient” moments, but it’s pretty standard fare action/adventure/humor with quite a bit of Disney’s touch upon the tale.

I’ll try to keep this relatively spoiler free. No promises though.

Additional Comments:

  • Casting worked out very well. I thought the guy who played Captain Sullivan would annoy me because his voice is super annoying in the trailer. It’s the same voice in the movie but thankfully, his speaking parts are limited and most of the time he’s just stomping about shouting. The young man they got to play Henry Turner and the young woman they got to play, Carina (sorry, dunno if it’s supposed to be K or C), did nice jobs with their roles. Depp is his usual oddball self as Captain Jack Sparrow.
  • The opening scene in St. Martin sets the tone for what you’re going to get. It’s pretty funny among other things.
  • There’s no real sense of danger for our heroes and heroine during any of the times they’re on the land. You know they’re going to escape. It’s just a matter of how.
  • The banter between Henry and Carina is not always funny, but they do innocent charm decently well.
  • Although I think this movie’s world’s better than 2-4, it also makes more sense if you’ve seen them, especially the 2nd movie.

Conclusion:

I don’t think it’s a see-8-times in theaters movie, but it’s certainly well-worth watching. I was entertained. I’ll probably end up buying the soundtrack. As usual, it’s a beautiful score that mixes the old and the new. Not bad for something inspired by a ride at Disney World.