shapeshifters

Audiobook Reviews 3/5 stars: Rebirth by Gayle Parness

Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Fantasy, Young Adult , , ,

Introduction:

I typically only post reviews of things I’ll put on the audiobook edge list. While this one will not be featured, it’s the sort of story that each person should decide for themselves whether to give it a go.

Summary:

A girl gets kidnapped and trained in her special skill …

 

Additional Comments:

– I am all for that premise! The first few chapters were decent as the MC discovered her identity and such. … But then it turned into a Twilight-esque paranormal teen romance, which I am not a fan of. (If you like that genre, you may like this book, so there’s merit in checking the series out for yourself.)

– Much of the book centered on Jackie meeting the team and working with them, but there wasn’t much of a sense of the danger in the wider paranormal world, except for some random werewolves who clearly wanted to cause havoc and a crazy Vampire chick.

– Aside on crazy Vampire chick – her motives were petty or unclear (if I missed the deeper motives).

– Content warning: the “adult” scenes were handled well but there is quite a bit of strong language throughout the book.

– The end battle was well described.

– As an audiobook was about 3 hours too long, but the narrator did a nice job with the performance.

– The end has an okay amount of closure, but it’s definitely left open for more. (I think the series has 5 books now.)

Conclusion:

I personally won’t be continuing Jackie’s adventures, but I can see how the series could appeal to diehard fans of paranormal teen romance. If that’s your thing, check it out and decide if you want to continue. Read up on the other reviews and see whose opinion you think your tastes match more. They typically tend to be in two camps (this was awesome and this was so terrible I had to warn somebody).

 

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 The Pygmy Dragon by Marc Secchia

Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, dragons, Fantasy, Reader Resource , , ,

 

Introduction:

Whenever you pick up a book by Marc Secchia, you can expect epic adventure. He’s created quite a wide world of dragons, shapeshifters, and humans locked in strife.

The Review:

Summary: Pip gets snatched away from her family and put in a zoo. There she befriends Hoonago (sorry about spelling, I heard the audiobook), a giant ape-like creature. After that, she’s rescued/ kidnapped by a dragon and taken to a dragonrider school.

Additional Comments:
– World Building – 5/5 The story’s full of imagination and neat world-building. The story fits within the same world as Aranya, though if asked to compare, I think that book’s better.
– Pip’s kind of a fun character.
– Pacing 3/5 – Parts of this book are unnecessarily long. I heard the audioversion, which made those sections bearable, but I don’t think it really got to the “meat” of the story until quite a few hours in. The time spent describing the zoo could easily have been halved and still given readers a feel for the horrors Pip faced.
– The end didn’t have as much closure as I like, but it’s still a good story.

  • Content warning: Recommended for upper teens and adults. While there’s nothing I’d consider steamy by any stretch, there are a few references to nudity and subtle suggestive comments made by some of the characters.

Conclusion: If you like dragons, Marc’s definitely a writer to check out.

Conclusion:

This is the second story I’ve listened to by this author. The narrator did a decent job, but I didn’t love his voice as I did with the narrator of Aranya. I know it’s a companion book, but it still sort of suffered sequel syndrome of not quite being as good as the first book experienced. That said, it’s still a solid fantasy read.

Associate links to follow…


Amazon Prime

Free Kindle Reading App

Audible

Awesome Audiobooks: Aranya by Marc Secchia

Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Fantasy, Kindle books, Reader Resource , , , ,

Introduction:

It’s been a while since I’ve heard a story like this. Don’t think I’ve ever come across the notion of Shapeshifter dragons, but Marc Secchia does a lovely job fleshing the concept out. The story’s on the long side, but it’s got fantastic world-building, great characters, and decent descriptions. I love, love, love this narrator. I’m super picky, so that’s saying a lot.

Summary:

Aranya goes from exiled princess to shapeshifter dragon.

Additional Comments:

– Content warnings: It’s a very enjoyable story with stellar narration, but this is not for children. I’d place it in the 14+ range. I’ve never seen so many references to nudity w/o there being a sexual connotation. (It’s mixed in with the rules of being a shapeshifter.) There’s mention of harsh torture. There are also a few curses.

– I love the narrator’s voice. The performance itself wasn’t flawless, but it was very, very good. (Some spots had the sound drop off oddly. Others, I think the character accents shifted about a bit.)

– It’s long; 14 hr 22 minutes as an audiobook. I get it, most fantasy books are long, but this one definitely could have been even stronger if it weren’t prone to quite so many meandering plot pts. For example, the big, long journey at the end didn’t add much. I think it went on for about 45 minutes or more and the basic gist was “it was a long, hard journey.”

– Character development is good, though I’m guessing some may think it clichéd.

 

What’s not to love:

  • Must every fantasy book use the word incorrigible? (It’s bothersome.)
  • Did I mention it’s long? It does have some pacing issues, but in the grand scheme of things, that’s a pretty mild complaint, esp in light of the fact that the narrator could make a dictionary sound awesome.

What’s to love:

  • Shapeshifter dragons! (awesome concept)
  • great world-building
  • evil empire/outnumbered good guys
  • Zip (some of her sass is hilarious)
  • end battle was sweet

Conclusion:

Overall – excellent dragon tale that will delight fantasy fans.

 

Special Treat:

If you want to get the book on 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.