Reader Girl

Unlikable protagonist

Reviewed: 08-19-21

I found myself rolling my eyes multiple times throughout this book. I’m assuming the author is a very young woman or a man, because she’s leaning way too hard on cliches and nasty middle age jokes she’s clearly heard second hand.
The main character regularly TELLS us about her scientific mind but we rarely see it in action. She constantly complains about her children and even considers having a stranger “scare them straight” even though in the text both children appear perfectly well behaved, respectful, and compassionate.
And don’t get me started on her nursing experience. I genuinely wonder if the author has ever even met a nurse in her life. No woman and no nurse needs to be told why an elderly dying woman insists on using the actual bathroom while she’s able, rather than the bedpans.

The narrator Regan Brown was fantastic. I will definitely listen to her again.

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2 people found this helpful

Meh. Boys are so dull and predictable

Reviewed: 01-28-21

Yup. Yet another spoilt entitled dudebro with zero respect for the woman who keeps him in food, clothes, and shelter. Too lazy to get a job and zero thanks for everything handed to him on a silver man-platter. If it’s all Mum’s fault you suck, maybe it’s time to get a job and move out.

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Russian and German are not the same language

Reviewed: 11-02-20

First of all, Dyatlov Pass is one of my favourite unsolved mysteries and I enjoy all the theories. I also love a good cryptic story, so I was sure I would enjoy this book. But I didn’t for several reasons.
1. Though Russian and German may have a slightly similar accent to an untrained ear, they are not the same language. What ever google translate or other free translating app the author used for the smattering of “Russian” spat out German as well and she clearly didn’t care enough to double check.
2. Are you telling me that a professional journalist who travels the world, trained for 6 months to trek the Pass but didn’t learn even a little Russian? Да, нет, пожалуйста, Спасибо? Typical American to assume that the Russian would know English, so why be polite and make the effort...
3. Also a professional female journalist, didn’t recognise the massive red flags coming from the man gaslighting, trolling, and stalking her?
4. And finally, I had no issue with Andrew being gay, but you know he can just be gay, you don’t need to tell us every time his character is in frame. Give him a love interest (thus showing us rather than telling) or just bring it up if it’s needed, there’s no need for the main character, Nat, to think it every time she sees him. It’s as if his being gay is the only thing she knows about him, which to be fair isn’t shocking considering how vapid and self involved she is.

I wasn’t expecting Shakespeare or anything here, but I expected more from an author who’s been compared to Stephen King and Gillian Flynn. This could have been a fun, if slightly out there thriller. But instead it was just annoying, ignorant, and stupid.

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1 person found this helpful

Fantastic!

Reviewed: 09-09-20

I genuinely enjoyed this podcast series. Lots of twists, a fun narrator ( main character), and some laugh out loud moments that drew attention during my commute.
Highly recommend!

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3 people found this helpful

Ending very unsatisfying

Reviewed: 04-18-20

The villain of this book just walks away and everyone behaves as though threatening old people and kids is no big deal. I feel like we needed a chapter before the end where we deal with what they did and possibly have some kind of comeuppance before everything just goes back to normal.
It just left me feeling kind of icky and annoyed.
Lexus did a fantastic job though.

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Okay I guess

Reviewed: 04-16-19

This story was interesting with some solid ideas but the main character was very passive and the dialogue reads like the author has never had a real conversation with another person and has never had a female friend.
The narrator did her best.

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Couldn't finish

Reviewed: 04-29-17

The story seems okay but the narrator has no expression in her voice. It may as well have been read by my computer text to voice.

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2 people found this helpful

Bad narrator!

Reviewed: 01-27-15

Since I'm unable to return this book for a refund I will leave a bad review to warn other readers. In all fairness the book itself might be okay and I may pick it up and read it myself at a later day if i find it on a bargain shelf but due to terrible narration I wasn't even able to finish it.

I understand the the story was set in the south and ordinarily wouldn't have had a problem with a southern accent but this woman was putting it on thick like she was reading Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. There was NO emotion and emphasis was slapped in all the wrong places making me wonder if she even understood what it was she was reading.

If you're interested in this story grab the actual book don't bother with the audiobook.

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WOW! Just WOW

Reviewed: 11-24-14

It's been a while since Stephen King wrote a book that really grabbed me but this blew me away! A tight, well crafted story that feels almost like a a true bow of respect to the greats who came before: Lovecraft, Matheson, & even Burroughs.

Both entertaining, endearing, and existential, Revival touched on the big questions that plague us all regarding religion, life, and what it is that makes a person who they are and who they become. I could talk all day about what it is that made this book so enjoyable and worthy but it's impossible to do so without spoilers and this is one of those books you need to come at with a clean slate.

Awesome read, well worth the credit and the time.

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2 people found this helpful

Awesome & Powerful Zombie Read!

Reviewed: 09-02-14

When I started listening to this book I had my doubts that it was going to be a memorable zombie novel. I mean it starts like something Janet Evanovich (when she was good) might have written. I was enjoying the characters and the back stories and the funny nurse stories BUT what does any of that have to do with zombies or horror??

Oh My God was I wrong. When everything went to hell - I cared - a lot. At one point I had to sit down, with my hands over my mouth at the sheer horror of it. The tone of the story and the voice of the narrator made for a very real woman in a very real world overrun by flesh eating zombies.

This story was scary, funny, at times endearing, and at times so disturbing I had to stop what I was doing and just listen with my head in my hands.

Wonderful!

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2 people found this helpful