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Rena

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Excellent sequel.

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

Reviewed: 05-03-24

Narration was again superb. The meta story slowly unravels, but they don’t make so little progress that I actually feel frustrated with it. I may have to go look up the series this one was spun off from.

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Outstanding Narration

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

Reviewed: 05-02-24

I really love the layered mysteries in this novel. I also found myself intrigued by the notion of a magical world that’s very much not the standard.

The main characters were likable, and I couldn’t guess correctly what was going on until right near the end of the book. The romance woven in is tasteful and doesn’t take over the story.

I’m a big fan of authors like Agatha Christie and Patricia Wentworth, but also enjoy tales of magic, so this hit several sweet spots for me.

The narration was superb. I lost myself in the story, and each character had a distinct and unique voice. I was never in question about who was speaking at any given time, and there weren’t any quirks to break the immersion for me.

I actually double checked after finishing to see if there was more than one narrator, given that both male and female voices were so well done. Will definitely listen to more from this narrator, and seek out more books from this author.

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Narration changes voices mid-sentence sometimes.

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

Reviewed: 03-09-24

Some of these stories had interesting concepts, others were so far-fetched that I struggled to have any immersion in them. (Holmes making constant math metaphors??) What kept me from finishing the book, in the end, was the inconsistency in the narrative voice. The narrator wasn’t ’bad’ as in horrible to listen to. It just seemed like pitch or tone of a voice would sometimes change and it would sound like a different character while it was actually still the same character speaking. Sometimes this would even happen mid-sentence. It became jarring after a while, so I eventually just gave up.

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Great story, poor narration of female voices

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

Reviewed: 10-13-22

I actually really like this story, and I’ve read it before, and will read it again. The world building is excellent, and the character building isn’t far behind. I’d rate the story 10/10 (Oh, and I'm not a teen, btw... while the story does center around teenage characters in the beginning, it gradually broadens out to encompass a fairly broad cast, even in this first arc.)

The narrator is pretty good with male voices, but seems to think that all females have high pitched/squeaky voices. I literally wince when he voices the younger sister. It’s not only shrill, it’s so shrill I can barely understand what’s being said. The other female characters are mostly not so severely high pitched and squeaky, excepting the other female child Zorian encounters, so perhaps this narrator believes that the younger the female the higher and squeakier their voices are. I actually gave up on listening to the audiobook part way, and went back to only reading via text because I found the narration of female voices so grating. Love the story. Cannot recommend the audiobook with this narrator.

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Just as engaging as the original trilogy

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

Reviewed: 07-01-22

I love time travel stories, and Rhysa’s works are ones I find hard to put down. I was just as glued to this one as I was to the original trilogy, and I’m looking forward to the other two books in this trilogy.

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It’s no longer possible to murder people? Or is it?

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

Reviewed: 09-17-20

As usual, Scalzi envisions a world where something fundamental has changed, and then starts asking questions about how people would react to that. It makes fascinating reading... or listening, in this case. Really enjoyed the narration as well.

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Unlikable Protagonist and Very Slow to Start

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

Reviewed: 05-07-20

Given that this book is 33hours long, you might expect a tad of a slow start. However, six hours in I'm still wondering what the point of anything that's happened so far is. I rarely fail to finish a book once I've started it, but I'm giving up on this one. The main character is very distinctly portrayed as a self absorbed childish character who is definitely intent on doing anything he's been told not to do, and seems incapable of actually learning much of anything. His only motivation seems to be if he thinks a thing will get him what he wants.

Six hours in, I still despise him, and he's shown no redeeming qualities whatsoever so far. It's also very clear that 'bad things' are happening, but mostly 'off screen' and the people here are hearing about them via letters or 'word from afar'. It's clear who the villain is supposed to be, but there's as yet no real hint as to WHAT is actually happening. There are also hints that there's something special about this main character... but the barest hints that there's 'something' with no hint as to what that 'something' actually is.

The narration was good, but not good enough to keep me interested in a lack of plot and a lack of characters I could actually like.

I got this book because I loved Tad Williams 'Otherland' series, so I was prepared for long descriptions, etc... but this book is just not enjoyable for me.

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The World of Books

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

Reviewed: 02-05-15

I've always loved books, and libraries, so the premise of this story intrigued me. I'm happy to say I wasn't disappointed. This book was a nice light-hearted listen, with some serious moments, and some serious discussions about literature.

The narration really brought out the personalities of the main characters and the dry wit of the writing. My favorite parts were waiting for the moments when one or the other of the main characters would have their preconceived notions shattered, and be forced to unwillingly admit they were wrong to the other party. I guess I enjoyed listening to them squirm.

The portions that involved other books (some fictional, some real), were also really well done. I felt like I caught a glimpse of the atmosphere of each of those stories as the protagonists explored them.

All in all, an enjoyable listen. I might listen to another, if the authors write more.

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2 people found this helpful

The narrator sold me on this book.

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

Reviewed: 12-03-12

I'll try to be as spoiler free as I can manage here...

This isn't the type of book I normally read, since it's pretty heavy on politics and warfare strategy. However, I was intrigued by the premise of a female's brain in an android's body, surviving her actual body and trying to right the wrongs of decades past. The name of Merlin intrigued me too. I'm a Merlin fan.

Once I started listening to the audiobook though (I originally borrowed this audiobook from my local library), I was completely sold on the story due to the dynamic and wonderful reading by Oliver Wyman. Scenes which, when I read them in a book are dull and tedious were brought to life in an entertaining manner. I don't think I would have enjoyed this book if I'd tried to read the paper version. Listening to it narrated here though, it was a fantastic mix of technology, slight of hand, and derring-do mixed in with the politics and strategizing.

When I'd finished, I was really looking forward to the next installment. This book was a fantastic listen. I'll be listening to it again soon.

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49 people found this helpful