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PerfectlyTolerable

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ABRIGED

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

Reviewed: 09-26-24

I did not realize until after I had finished reading this that it was the abridged version! Audible needs to put it in the title and make it more clear!!!!

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Great Setting!

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

Reviewed: 08-15-19

When I first started reading this I didn’t realize it was set in Russia, and I am glad I didn’t know that beforehand because I probably wouldn’t have read it otherwise. (I don’t have anything against Russia but I wasn’t really interested in Russian stories) I’m not exactly sure why I bought this on Audible in the first place? It was most likely because I liked the cover and knew it was a popular book? I started reading this book completely blind as to the plot. All I knew it was Fantasy. And I ended up really liking it!

I loved the world of the GrishaVerse. The magic system was simple yet strong and unique. Tho they sometimes used Russian words and I kept getting them confused with each other. (which might not have happened if I was reading a physical copy instead of listening to it?) But it was still a strong story with a cool setting.

The plot was kind of an epic-type fantasy. I was expecting it to be a lot faster paced, like most hyped fantasy books lately. I kind of got the feeling not a lot happened throughout the book, yet I found it interesting and I never felt bored. The writing was awesome and the story was good. I wouldn’t call it slow, but if you are looking for a fast paced fantasy, then maybe this one isn’t for you.

Overall, I really liked this book and I am looking forward to reading the remaining two books in the series!

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Both super informative and super interesting!

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

Reviewed: 07-23-19

The book is awesome.  If you can't tell by the xkcd comics, Randall Munroe is super snarky and super smart.  Put those together and you get seriously absurd scientific answers to absurd hypothetical questions. Here are some of the questions he answers:

* If every human disappeared how long would it be before the last artificial light source would go out?
* If an asteroid was very small but super massive could you live on it?
* How much force power can Yoda output?
* When, if ever, will the bandwidth of the internet surpass that of FedEx?
* What if everyone who took the SAT guessed on every multiple choice question, how many perfect scores would there be?

If the answer is lame and unexciting he tweaks the question till we get more and more outrageous answers.  (Q: what happens if we add even more power? A: Everything Blows up) And the best part is he backs up all his answers with scientific evidence.  These aren't conspiracy theories, these are completely and totally plausible answers. (no offence to the conspiracy theorists out there)

You may think that all this scientific information would be boring, but its not. Like I said before, Randall Munroe is super snarky.  He actually makes it super interesting.  Then, to top it off, the audio book is read by Wil Wheaton, and its the perfect combination.  (Wil Wheaton is the king of sarcasm in my opinion!) It also helps that each chapter ranges from 3-14 minutes in length (each question is a chapter) so each answer is short and sweet.  Trust me, Munroe does all the research but he condenses the answers into short, understandable, and interesting chapters.

If you have any inclination toward interesting and scientific answers to random questions then you will like this audiobook.  Literally the only thing I didn't like about it was that it referenced some of Munroe's comics and I couldn't look them up because I was driving.  Otherwise it was perfect.  I was actually super sad when it was over.

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Loved It!

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

Reviewed: 06-06-19

What I did not realize was that this version of Emma is an adaptation.  It is only 8 hrs long, when most Emma Audiobooks are 14-18 hrs long.  (I wonder if this would count toward my retelling challenge because it is a dramatization of it?)

I have never listened to a dramatized audiobook before and I really liked it.  The voice actors did an amazing job and I had no trouble telling them apart.  Harriet Smith's voice was my favorite, though Emma's and Knightley's voices were really well done too!

Even though this edition of Emma is about half the length of a full version, I didn't feel like it missed anything. Granted, its been years since I read the full thing, but I didn't get the feeling of missing anything important, or of the story being rushed.  It was very well done and it felt complete.

As for the original story, I love Emma's character growth and the role that Mr. Knightley plays in it.  Left unchecked Emma tends to run wild and can be very unthinking, but she is not a bad person.  I love when Mr. Knightley calls her out when she makes mistakes.  She just needs a voice of reason to help her realize what she already knows, but sometimes overlooks.  In the beginning Emma is super annoying, but you can see her growing as a person and I really like that.

Overall, its a great book (though definitely not my favorite Jane Austen book!) and it was a great adaptation of it.  I got butterflies in my stomach in all the right places (which is a super technical way of judging a book/adaptation). If you want to listen to Emma but don't want to listen to a full 16 hour version of it, I would highly recommend this version!

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Victoria Schwab is a genius!

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

Reviewed: 04-02-19

Victoria Schwab is a genius! I have now read 5 books by her and I loved them all! (Shades of Magic trilogy, Vicious, and This Savage Song)  (In full disclosure I tried reading Vengeful and just couldn't get into it, but I think that was a timing thing and not anything to do with her writing!  I want to give it another try eventually)  I am not usually a fan of distopians or super dark books, but I will read all of her books.  She has a way of sucking me in and I can't get enough.

I am a sucker for romances, but I know a lot of people wish there were more books without love stories.  If you are one of those people then this book is for you! Kate and August develop a friendship so strong they can overcome anything, but there isn't anything more than that.  They have a bond for sure.  But, at least in this book, it is completely platonic.  (I have no idea what the sequel holds!)  I absolutely loved both Kate and August and together they could rule the wold.

The world building in This Savage Song was fairly subtle.  You are given pieces of information as the story goes along, there are no info dumps full of descriptions, which I appreciated.  It keeps you wondering and wanting to know more.  It eventually answers all your questions, and the suspense is worth the wait.  It adds to the story and never bores you with loooong descriptors.  I thought it was done really well.

This Savage Song is action packed and exciting but it also deals with some pretty tough topics.  What makes you good or evil? Are you born that way or made that way?  It also deals with family; chosen, adopted, and blood.  If you family is evil are you too?  What do you do if your family members cross the line between good and evil. This Savage Song doesn't preach good vs evil.  It embraces all the messiness of the gray areas of life.

“You wanted to feel alive, right? It doesn't matter if you're monster or human. Living hurts.” 
― Victoria Schwab, This Savage Song

The narrator was great! She was able to do lots of different voices and they didn't sound forced or faked.  They added to the story and personality of each character.  Her voice sounds super familiar, I think I have listened to stuff by her before?

Overall I loved this book! I listened to it in 3 days, and I am going to start the sequel immediately! 

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Long story short, I loved this book and you should

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

Reviewed: 03-08-19

I absolutely loved the narrator of The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue and was a little worried that I wouldn’t like this narrator as much, but I loved her every bit as much! Maybe I’m just a sucker for English accents?

I loved The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy ❤ I loved the chemistry between Felicity, Sim, and Johanna. They are all so completely different from each other and that makes them perfect for each other. Felicity is outspoken and strong, Sim is quiet and fierce, Johanna is girly and smart. None of them are perfect, and there are a lot of misunderstandings, but they make it work and figure it out as they go!

As much as I love Monty and Percy, I am glad they were minor characters in this story. I thought they got the perfect amount of screentime. They weren’t just teasing cameos, they actually had parts to play, but they didn’t overshadow Felicity’s story either. It was perfectly done.

Completely coincidentally, this is the absolutely perfect book to read during Woman’s History Month, and its fitting that I am writing my review on International Woman’s Day. This book is all about girl power! Felicity, Sim, and Johanna are fighting against the social restraints placed on woman in the 1700s. Felicity especially has been struggling against these bonds her whole life and she is eager to make a name for herself in a man’s world. I do want to clarify that, while this book is all about girl power, it isn’t shove-it-down-your-face political feminism. Its simply an inspirational story about a group of girls fighting for what they want.

While we are on the topic of girl power, I love how this book breaks the normal “strong girl” tropes. Johanna is frilly and likes fancy dresses, but she is also not afraid to get her hands dirty and is super smart. I think its important to show girls that they can be both girly and smart. So often in books girls have to be one or the other. Of, if they are both, it is said they are strong, despite their love of girly things. There is nothing wrong with being girly! I love that Johanna embraces and loves girly things and that she is a super strong character. Throughout the book, Felicity is biased against “normal girls” and Sim and Johanna call her out on it. Her bias is not only incorrect but it is unfair, and Felicity eventually learns this.

And of course pirates! I love books with pirates! The action and adventure in this book was perfect ❤

And the cover is absolutely gorgeous! Just look at it ❤ Its waaaaay better than the cover of The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue!

Long story short, I loved this book and you should read it!

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Loved it!!

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

Reviewed: 03-06-19

I loved this book! It is jammed packed with action and adventure and the narrator has a super sexy voice! I can’t believe I waited this long to read it and I am going to start the next book right now!

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Not bad but not great either

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

Reviewed: 03-04-19

My roommate from college recommended this to me. He said that everyone he has convinced to listen to it has absolutely loved it and continued on with the series. I really wanted to love it for his sake, but I thought it was just ok. I liked it and I didn’t have any trouble finishing it, but I have no desire to continue on with the series.

Lets start with the good. The premise was super unique: “[Bob] has been uploaded into computer hardware and is slated to be the controlling AI in an interstellar probe looking for habitable planets.” I am sure there are plenty of Sci-Fi books with human minds in robot bodies, but I haven’t read them. And besides, Bob’s “body” is a spaceship, so that is pretty awesome.

I also really liked the narrator. His voice was easy to listen to and he portrayed emotion really well.

I didn’t like how many POVs their were in the story. Bob’s job is to create more of himself so the chapters jump around from Bob to Bob as we follow their different journeys. This was confusing because they are all basically the same person. Also I found some of the stories super boring and others super interesting. It was annoying when the story moved from one I liked to one I didn’t. And, because there were so many story lines, you learned a little about each instead of a lot about one. I am sure the next books will go further into each one, but I am not curious enough to find out.

Finally, the book was fairly technical in places. (which is probably why my ex-roommate and all his friends liked it so much! They are Software engineers.) I found some of the technical stuff super interesting, but there was just too much of it and it got tedious.

Overall, its a decent book. There really wasn’t anything wrong with it, it just wasn’t for me!

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Warning – This book uses the F-word a LOT

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

Reviewed: 09-19-18

Warning – This book uses the F-word a LOT. Like, a ridiculously unnecessary amount. I usually don’t care about people using the F-word, but I thought it was too much! So, just a heads up, (especially if you are listening to it on Audiobook like I did) there are a LOT of F-bombs!

Not taking into account the excessive use of the F-word, I thought this book was just ok. I liked the premise well enough but the execution was poor.

The story is about a group of friends who get sent into a game of Caverns and Creatures. (aka Dungeons and Dragons) They have become their characters and must overcome the obstacles within Caverns and Creatures. It sounds awesome!

I have only ever played one Dungeons and Dragons campaign, but there was always a path, of sorts, to follow. There were quests, side quests, and a main objective. Caverns and Creatures didn’t seem to have that. The characters floundered around a lot with no direction, which was kind of annoying.

I enjoyed the action scenes and the problem solving. I also liked the main characters a lot, but I did not like the antagonists. They were too wishy-washy. They were “good guys” who were trying to bring the main characters to justice, but then they kept forming temporary truces and then complaining about them the whole time. It would have been nice to see the protagonists fight real foes, or take on a quest.

I also hated the ending. I thought it was awful! At the time I didn’t realize this was a full series, so the ending makes a little bit of sense, in that the series can now continue, but I still didn’t like it!

Overall I liked the characters but not the plot. So it gets a 3 out of 5 rating because it was “meh” I will not be reading the rest of the series.

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