Scaramouche239

Incredible Comfort and Wonderful Information

Reviewed: 02-10-25

I can’t say how fantastic this book is for someone with ADHD and how many fantastic tips, tricks, and strategies are in it to help you bring out the best in yourself as you work with your unique brain! A must-listen and possibly listen again!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Great YA Ghost Story with Real World Issues

Reviewed: 05-30-24

Claudia Gray has done it again! Such a fantastic author and she’s written a great YA story that has an amazing subplot that a lot of youth and adults need to hear. As someone who has dealt with Anxiety all her life, it was refreshing to see someone addressing this well and learning to deal with it head-on. The ghosts and The Mansion were great and the three girls were wonderful. Just a fantastic story! The narrator was brilliant too! Wonderful collection of voices and does a great job of making the characters come to life without diminishing anything in the kids’ lives. 5 stars all around!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Not a Fan of the Narrator

Reviewed: 02-24-23

While I appreciate Ms. Larkin’s efforts to differentiate between voices, she doesn’t have a good grasp of the characters and gives them voices that aren’t appropriate. I love the stories of Agatha Raisin, but I have difficulty listening to Ms. Larkin reading them. In addition she mispronounces things like Mercester.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Another great performance of a brilliant work

Reviewed: 07-30-22

Agatha Christie first pulled me in with “And Then There Were None.” I remember finishing the book on my porch during a semester break and just sitting there astounded at the ending. I’m sure I uttered some expletive and my father looked up from his paper to ask “What?” I replied, “I think that’s the best ending to a book I’ve ever read!” So having read most of Ms. Christie’s works, I listened to these new recordings with Mr. Armitage’s narration out of order. If you’re new to Christie, start here. Not only is this a fun one, but Armitage does a fantastic job with a plethora of voices, and, most importantly, his voice for Poirot is spot on! Highly recommended, and (believe I wrote this in another review), I would love to see Richard Armitage fully bring Hastings to life in a reworking of the series via film or television. That said, as long as he is willing to read them, keep him narrating these wonderful books!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Fantastic Performance of Christie’s famous Poirot

Reviewed: 06-27-22

Honestly I’m a giant fan of Agatha Christie’s works. I re-read them periodically and have found them to be a new delight from the perspective of the stories every time. But I’m usually rather hesitant when new people voice these stories. Not all are good and, of course, I have my favorites. I am familiar with some of Mr. Armitage’s work as an actor, but was very skeptical that he would be able to do justice to the actual voice of Poirot himself. After completing “Poirot Investigates” my fears are allayed and I’m left with two thoughts: please have him continue to read these works and can someone ask him to play Hastings in a Poirot film? For this audible work: great mix of voices - age, timbre, gender, and dialect - and wonderful expression and pacing! Excited to listen to more!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

Fantastic Story and Performance!

Reviewed: 10-09-17

I am and always have been a lover of mysteries and of Agatha Christie in particular and I am always skeptical of those who perform her works (outside of Richard E. Grant and Hugh Fraser) but Dan Stevens does a masterful job of capturing not only the story, but the characters and making all come to life. The story is fantastic and I highly recommend this version!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Great Story and Read!

Reviewed: 09-22-16

What made the experience of listening to The Masquerading Magician the most enjoyable?

I enjoy most the voices that Julia Motyka does for all of the characters. I don't usually enjoy women readers, but I could listen to Ms. Motyka read the phone book. She is very expressive and has a wide range of voices.

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite character is the main character, Zoe Faust. She's a sweet person who truly cares and is dealing with a lot of issues and has a great sense of comedic timing.

Which scene was your favorite?

I really don't have one. The whole book was a great read.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

Hilarious Story, Fantastic Narration!

Reviewed: 04-04-15

This was a shorter, but brilliant story of the class system in England and a satirical look at the absurdities of English manners in the modern world. Hugh Laurie's narration brought the characters to life and had me laughing the whole way through! A thoroughly enjoyable read!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

Approved by a Doyle Fan Fiction Skeptic

Reviewed: 11-26-14

Where does Dust and Shadow rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book is fantastic and towards the top of my list - particularly of the mystery lists. I am a huge fan of Doyle's original Sherlock Holmes series, of all 56 short stories and 4 novels. I have been notoriously picky over the years of the fact that when people try to write Holmes fiction, they just don't understand the tone. I have to say that Lindsey Faye is one exception. She doesn't try to write more into Holmes, than Doyle would. She uses information for both the characters' of Holmes and Watson and the research from the Ripper cases to present a plausible look of what could have happened should Holmes have investigated Jack the Ripper.

Who was your favorite character and why?

While Holmes and Watson are and will always be my favorite characters, I have to admit that her additional characters very well-constructed and fit very well with the traditional cast of Holmes cases.

Which character – as performed by Simon Vance – was your favorite?

Vance is a brilliant performer and his Holmes was exceptional. Although Watson has more lines, he is not as hard a character to perform as Holmes. Vance performs the tonal qualities, mannerisms, and reactions of Holmes perfectly. I would even love to have him narrate other Sherlock Holmes stories or books.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

London's greatest detective versus London's worst nightmare: the Game's Afoot!

Any additional comments?

I would love to see Ms. Faye write another Holmes novel!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Think Riyria Can't Get any Better? Think Again!!!

Reviewed: 11-26-14

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this to a friend in an instant! The team of Sullivan and Reynolds are their own Riyria, making this the best Author/Performer mix!

What did you like best about this story?

The story is intense and the characters are ones you either love or love to hate. The humor throughout is perfectly balanced with lots of wit, and I often find myself cheering out loud for some of the characters.

What does Tim Gerard Reynolds bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He brings EVERY. SINGLE. CHARACTER. to LIFE!!! It's just a great experience and I really can't imagine being introduced to this series without his portrayal of these characters.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Wow . . . tough question . . . I'm sure there are a lot of great ideas, but this pathetic offering is the only thing I could come up with right now:
Love, Betrayal, Loss, Friendship, Family, Magic, Beasts - Battles come in all shapes and sizes, but the outcomes have only two alternatives: Win or Lose.

Any additional comments?

It wasn't until this set that I realized just how much research Sullivan has done! Most of my graduate work was in the Age of Sail and the nautical terminology, the feel for life on board ship, and the way ranks worked were worthy of O'Brian and Forester.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!