Derek Swader
- 8
- reviews
- 2
- helpful votes
- 13
- ratings
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Onyx Storm
- Empyrean, Book 3
- By: Rebecca Yarros
- Narrated by: Jasmin Walker, Justis Bolding, Teddy Hamilton, and others
- Length: 23 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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After nearly eighteen months at Basgiath War College, Violet Sorrengail knows there’s no more time for lessons. No more time for uncertainty. Because the battle has truly begun, and with enemies closing in from outside their walls and within their ranks, it’s impossible to know who to trust. Now Violet must journey beyond the failing Aretian wards to seek allies from unfamiliar lands to stand with Navarre. The trip will test every bit of her wit, luck, and strength, but she will do anything to save what she loves—her dragons, her family, her home, and him.
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I'm spoiled by graphic audio
- By CAtkins on 01-22-25
- Onyx Storm
- Empyrean, Book 3
- By: Rebecca Yarros
- Narrated by: Jasmin Walker, Justis Bolding, Teddy Hamilton, Rebecca Soler
Great narration.
Reviewed: 03-02-25
But honestly. WTF. The end is annoying. I’m all for cliff hangers but this one leaves way too many issues totally open.
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The Keeper of Happy Endings
- By: Barbara Davis
- Narrated by: Robin Siegerman, Hope Newhouse
- Length: 15 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Soline Roussel is well schooled in the business of happy endings. For generations her family has kept an exclusive bridal salon in Paris, where magic is worked with needle and thread. It’s said that the bride who wears a Roussel gown is guaranteed a lifetime of joy. But devastating losses during World War II leave Soline’s world and heart in ruins and her faith in love shaken. She boxes up her memories, stowing them away, along with her broken dreams, determined to forget.
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French accent
- By Lilya on 10-22-21
- The Keeper of Happy Endings
- By: Barbara Davis
- Narrated by: Robin Siegerman, Hope Newhouse
Lovely
Reviewed: 01-19-25
Lovely interwoven and star crossed story of multigenerational heartbreak, loss and intrigue.
The storytelling was sweet. There did come a time when I could see the ending coming, however the storytelling was still nicely told.
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Under the Whispering Door
- By: TJ Klune
- Narrated by: Kirt Graves
- Length: 14 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Welcome to Charon's Crossing. The tea is hot, the scones are fresh, and the dead are just passing through. When a reaper comes to collect Wallace from his own funeral, Wallace begins to suspect he might be dead. And when Hugo, the owner of a peculiar tea shop, promises to help him cross over, Wallace decides he’s definitely dead.
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Lovely, simply lovely
- By DDB on 09-23-21
- Under the Whispering Door
- By: TJ Klune
- Narrated by: Kirt Graves
Darker than I expected
Reviewed: 01-12-25
Sometimes I read books knowing literally nothing about it. This was that kind of pick. I like Klune books. I like this one but it was definitely NOT like HotCS.
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Iron Flame
- Empyrean, Book 2
- By: Rebecca Yarros
- Narrated by: Rebecca Soler, Teddy Hamilton
- Length: 28 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Everyone expected Violet Sorrengail to die during her first year at Basgiath War College-Violet included. But Threshing was only the first impossible test meant to weed out the weak-willed, the unworthy, and the unlucky. Now the real training begins, and Violet’s already wondering how she’ll get through. It’s not just that it’s grueling and maliciously brutal, or even that it’s designed to stretch the riders’ capacity for pain beyond endurance. It’s the new vice commandant, who’s made it his personal mission to teach Violet exactly how powerless she is–unless she betrays the man she loves.
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I wish I could throw this book off a cliff.
- By Rebekah L Johnson on 11-10-23
- Iron Flame
- Empyrean, Book 2
- By: Rebecca Yarros
- Narrated by: Rebecca Soler, Teddy Hamilton
I saw it coming
Reviewed: 09-05-24
And yet… it was still well written and well performed. Characters develop well and reasonable. Plot is also nicely done.
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The Lost Bookshop
- By: Evie Woods
- Narrated by: Avena Mansergh-Wallace, Olivia Mace, Nick Biadon
- Length: 12 hrs
- Unabridged
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For too long, Opaline, Martha and Henry have been the side characters in their own lives. But when a vanishing bookshop casts its spell, these three unsuspecting strangers will discover that their own stories are every bit as extraordinary as the ones found in the pages of their beloved books. And by unlocking the secrets of the shelves, they find themselves transported to a world of wonder…where nothing is as it seems.
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Incredible history book story
- By Elisabeth on 10-25-23
- The Lost Bookshop
- By: Evie Woods
- Narrated by: Avena Mansergh-Wallace, Olivia Mace, Nick Biadon
When the characters are developed so well
Reviewed: 07-02-24
The characters are so well developed they seem real. It is a character driven story that delves into the dark history of women claiming their power.
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1 person found this helpful
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House of Earth and Blood
- Crescent City, Book 1
- By: Sarah J. Maas
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Evans
- Length: 27 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Bryce Quinlan had the perfect life-working hard all day and partying all night - until a demon murdered her closest friends, leaving her bereft, wounded, and alone. When the accused is behind bars but the crimes start up again, Bryce finds herself at the heart of the investigation. She'll do whatever it takes to avenge their deaths. Hunt Athalar is a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow. His brutal skills and incredible strength have been set to one purpose - to assassinate his boss' enemies, no questions asked.
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What a disappointment
- By Hollie Morales on 03-09-20
- House of Earth and Blood
- Crescent City, Book 1
- By: Sarah J. Maas
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Evans
Great Plot
Reviewed: 05-03-24
Okay… hear me out. This was a behemoth effort to get into this book. In paper copy form I was on a serious starlit struggle bus to get beyond the world building. But then I did. And I gotta say this one is WAY better than ACOTAR. Complex. Thorough. Weaving.
My only ick… the chosen one trope. I’m tired of it. But at least this one has great history building.
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Yellowface
- A Novel
- By: R. F. Kuang
- Narrated by: Helen Laser
- Length: 8 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars: same year at Yale, same debut year in publishing. But Athena’s a cross-genre literary darling, and June didn’t even get a paperback release. Nobody wants stories about basic white girls, June thinks. So when June witnesses Athena’s death in a freak accident, she acts on impulse: she steals Athena’s just-finished masterpiece, an experimental novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers to the British and French war efforts during World War I.
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I've never hated a character harder
- By ashelyn downs on 07-26-23
- Yellowface
- A Novel
- By: R. F. Kuang
- Narrated by: Helen Laser
Could have been shorter
Reviewed: 12-30-23
An Asian author writing a novel from a Caucasian narrator who stole a novel from an Asian author… I’m appalled at the dishonesty of the narrator and the way she continues to tell herself she had the right to plagiarize. So in that kudos… the author got me to feel. But as for sympathy for the narrator, I had none. And the story carried on too long.
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1 person found this helpful
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The Well of Ascension
- Mistborn, Book 2
- By: Brandon Sanderson
- Narrated by: Michael Kramer
- Length: 28 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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The impossible has been accomplished. The Lord Ruler - the man who claimed to be god incarnate and brutally ruled the world for a thousand years - has been vanquished. But Kelsier, the hero who masterminded that triumph, is dead too, and now the awesome task of building a new world has been left to his young protégé, Vin, the former street urchin who is now the most powerful Mistborn in the land, and to the idealistic young nobleman she loves.
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Slower but worthwhile
- By Jeff on 01-28-10
- The Well of Ascension
- Mistborn, Book 2
- By: Brandon Sanderson
- Narrated by: Michael Kramer
Good but slows.
Reviewed: 03-04-23
Liked the unexpected twists and hints of foreshadow.
Thought some of the developments took a while.
Sanderson is a master at breadcrumbs.
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