LISTENER

Sarah

  • 6
  • reviews
  • 54
  • helpful votes
  • 8
  • ratings

Inklings Read Reviews: Hush, Hush

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 01-25-12

I have a love/hate relationship with this book for one big reason: Why does Patch have to be such a jerk!? I mean, yeah I get that he has his reasons, but still. I’m growing tired of seeing YA characters falling for assholes. I also hate the fact even with him being such a jerk, I still fell for him just like Nora. I don’t know what it is that makes him so damn attractive. Really, it was quite frustrating! Can you say STALKER? I think the police would have been called by chapter 4 if I was Nora.

My initial reaction to Hush, Hush, was that it was going to be just like Twilight. Initial bio scene anyone? I was pleasantly surprised to find that the plot was quite original. It really picked up toward the end leaving me wanting more! I was super intrigued by Patch and his past. He’s such a mysterious character. At first I hated the dynamic between Nora and Patch, but Fitzpatrick’s writing quickly changed that. She wrote some super sexy and cute moments between the two. In the end, I fell for the sexy jerk of a fallen angel.

I’ll be honest that there were one or two parts I found VERY predictable. Other than that, this was a great listen and I will definitely be continuing the series! On another note: Caitlin Greer is a great narrator.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

20 people found this helpful

Inklings Read Reviews: Crescendo

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 01-25-12

I have a few bones to pick with this book. Not only is Patch a jerk in this books, but Nora is too! She is so close-minded and prideful that it prevents her from seeing the truth. I found her hard to relate to in this book, because sometimes she was just being plain stupid. Read it, and you’ll see. Don’t get me wrong, I am still a big fan of the Patch x Nora relationship and I will be reading Silence when it is released. I just wish that Fitzpatrick could have toned down Nora’s stupidity, pride, and naïveté a bit.

In Crescendo, the mysteries of Nora’s past are revealed and investigated. But as I said earlier, sometimes Nora was extremely dumb with the way she went about things. On the upside: There were several large twists kept me on my toes guessing! These twists put quite a bit of stress on Patch and Nora’s relationship. If you like tension, then this book is for you. I personally, found myself getting frustrated at the two of them for the way they handled things. I know I’m making it sound bad, but despite everything I’ve said, I still love the characters and the story. And honestly, what I stated above, is the only thing that I was able to find wrong with this book.The Hush, Hush series has a strange hold over me. Must have something to do with the whole “star-crossed lovers” thing.

Caitlin Greer, the narrator, did a great job! She made every single voice different. So much that I feel if she spoke to me in each voice that I could identify them no problem. She did an especially wonderful job with Rixon’s Irish accent. Overall this was an entertaining listen that I would definitely recommend!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

9 people found this helpful

Unwind Audiobook By Neal Shusterman cover art

Inklings Read Reviews: Unwind

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 01-25-12

Imagine for a second that you are a teen living in a world where at any moment your parents or guardians may choose to have you unwound. If you disobey them or become unwanted in any way, they may sign the papers and have you shipped off to a “harvest camp” where you will be prepped and then taken piece by piece. If you’re born into the right religion you may even have the privilege of being tithed (aka unwound with an honorable connotation). Satisfying both pro-life and pro-choice advocates, the justification of unwinding is that the teens live on within the bodies of the people given their parts. Disturbing? Definitely. Unrealistic? A bit… But this story and the characters brought such life to the idea, that is quickly became real.

Unwind has a very chilling concept! I loved it. Being my first audiobook experience, it took a little getting used to. I think I adjusted to listening vs. reading pretty fast. The narrator, Luke Daniels, was great!! He must have had over 10 original voices. It was very impressive and brought another dimension to the story.

Surprisingly, this was not a very emotional book. I expected it to be, but it was more- sit-at-the-edge-of-your-seat I-must-know-what-will-happen-next addicting. I was pleasantly surprised to find that there was a little love story in the background that was not gushy whatsoever.

Neal Shusterman has a definite winner here! Unwind is a chilling, action-packed, nail-biting, thriller. Supposedly Neal is working on a second book in the series titled, Unwholly that is due out in September 2012. You can bet I will be trying to get my hands on an ARC of that one! It also appears that Neal is working on the script to a movie based on Unwind. I’m extremely excited for that as well! Give this book a shot, or better yet try this as an audiobook, and you will guaranteed a thrilling ride.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

Inklings Read Reviews: Shiver

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 01-25-12

At first glance, I thought this was going to be yet another YA insta-love romance. I was incredibly wrong… Never once have I loved a werewolf story this much! The combination of this great story with some amazing narrators made this experience unforgettable. And when I say amazing narrators, I mean it. Jenna Lamia and David LeDoux are so freakin’ talented! Not once do I think I have been so wrapped up in an audiobook.

I definitely was a little turned off at first by what seemed to be “insta-love” but upon further examination, I realized that it was more of a mutual curiosity/fascination between the two. That curiosity developed into a deep love: one that I found both believable and interesting. Not only did Sam and Grace have a very cute relationship, it was also extremely sexy at times. Maggie did a wonderful job making Sam a super sweet, sexy, and loyal male lead. It was easy to fall for him right along with Grace. Their struggle to be together really amped up the tension in this book, and at times I just felt so sorry for their situation… It was a combination of this struggle and Maggie’s writing that made this book so stunning.

Maggie’s graceful writing made it easy to savor every moment… For example:

"As the hours crept by, the afternoon sunlight bleached all the books on the shelves to pale, gilded versions of themselves and warmed the paper and ink inside the covers so that the smell of unread words hung in the air." – Maggie Stiefvater

There were bits like that in every chapter. Maggie’s writing is very emotionally-charged, but not once did I ever tire of it.

Overall, this was a great book! If you are a fan of werewolves and YA romance then reading this is a must! I highly recommend this audiobook. Nothing beats listening to Maggie’s poetic writing. I cannot wait to listen to Linger and continue this great love story!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

Inklings Read Reviews: Linger

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 01-25-12

Linger, the second installment of the Wolves of Mercy Falls series, was simply amazing! All of the voice actors were cast so well that I can’t imagine actually reading it. I wouldn’t want to read this… Listening to their narration brought so much dimension to an already great story. Believe me… this audiobook is worth every penny. The thing I really loved about Linger was that not only do you get Sam and Grace’s point-of-views but also Isabelle and Cole’s. They each have their own little side stories that really add to the mix.

Speaking of Cole, at first I didn’t like his character. I found him to be selfish and annoying. But I must say that he really grew on me. If you are looking for some amazing, to-die-for male lead characters then you MUST read this. Sam was great as usual, but what I really enjoyed was the opportunity to learn more about Cole and explore his dark past.

Things really blow up in this book and get very intense. I was on edge for much of the time… Not only was there the desperation and love between Sam and Grace, but there was also murder, secrets revealed, parental issues, and more. There was so much tension that lets just say I didn’t want to get out of my car to go to work…

I cannot express how great the voice-acting is in this audiobook…. All of the narrators were cast to perfection. I honestly cannot imagine a better team. Even if you are not interested in this series, this audiobook exemplifies excellent voice-acting. I cannot wait to see what else comes from this narration team in the future! Linger is an unstoppable force with its top of the line narration and beautiful love story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

The Fault in Our Stars Audiobook By John Green cover art

Inklings Read Reviews: The Fault in Our Stars

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 01-25-12

The Fault in Our Stars is absolutely brilliant. It is perfect… Though it may be early to make this claim, it could possibly be my favorite book of the year! It’s always difficult for me to write reviews on books that I love this much. I feel that I can never quite do them justice. I will let a quote from The Fault in Our Stars describe it for me:

“Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book.” – The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green

That’s exactly how I feel... All of us have had our lives touched in some shape or form by cancer. Whether it be watching an actor fight it or a family member, it’s not a foreign thing to us. This book is not just about Hazel and Augustus, it’s about humanity. Anyone who reads this will be able to find some truth in Green’s words. Yes, I have never read any of his previous books… *GASP* I know, crazy right? But this experience has made me contemplate why have let such a gem of a writer go unread for so long… Green’s writing is beautiful, poetic, and completely genius!

Green wrote about a dark subject and yet maintained some glimmer of hope throughout. While this story did make me cry, it did not devastate me. In fact, it was extremely inspirational. The characters were easy to love, understand, and relate to. I couldn’t get enough of the playful banter between Hazel and Augustus! Even living on borrowed time, their relationship progressed naturally and developed into a beautiful, deep love.

I cannot forget to mention the phenomenal narrator of this audiobook, Kate Rudd. It would have been easy for the narrator to take the emotion too far and overdue it. But not Kate! She portrayed the perfect amount of emotion in every single situation. The narration was so real and believable, that it only added to the beauty of Green’s words! She is genuinely talented.

The Fault in Our Stars left me with what can only be described as "that wow feeling." As readers, you all know what I’m talking about: When you sit silently for awhile after finishing a book because you are so in awe of what you had just experienced. You don’t just read or listen to this book, you experience it in the deepest sense… It will make you want to live your life differently! It will change you. And it has certainly set the bar high for the rest of the upcoming YA books this year. The Fault in Our Stars receives my highest recommendation for any reader, regardless of genre!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful