Laura Greenwood

a trips down imagination road review

Reviewed: 08-18-15

If you could sum up Vitrium in three words, what would they be?

Action, Intricate, Engaging

What was one of the most memorable moments of Vitrium?

Not so much a moment but more the way that Em Eldridge brought each nationality to llife and gave each character their own personality.

What about Em Eldridge’s performance did you like?

See above! I never felt that the story dragged, which I think was partly down to Em Eldridge and partly the story itself

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, but only because I can't listen to audiobooks all in one go.

Any additional comments?

Title: Vitrium
Author: Michael Guthrie
Narrator: Em Eldridge
From: Review Copy
Genre: Sci-fi, Dystopian, Young Adult
Release Date: 6th May 2015
Challenges: COYER Scavenger Hunt, 2015 New Release Challenge
Links: Goodreads – Amazon - Audible

Jada is just 17 years old with her whole future ahead of her, even after the disappearance of her father. Jada’s grandfather is one of the lead scientists in the creation of a new substance, Vitrium, a substance that is stronger and more flexible in use than any other previously made. Knowing that Jada is interested in a career in nanotechnology, and having a close relationship with her, her grandfather tells her his secret. But someone else is after the knowledge that Jada’s grandfather has, and they will stop at nothing to get it, sending Jada on the flight of her life.

Where to start with this review! Being an audiobook, Vitrium takes me a lot longer to read than other books (because of when I listen to them, and also the fact that I can actually read faster than I listen anyway) and so I find myself somewhat more tolerant of things that would annoy me in written word. In this case it was the use of big words. Now I’m all for a bit of eloquent prose, and Guthrie definitely provides that for the most part, but every few paragraphs or so there was a word that I didn’t understand, which did make me think that if I’d read this book rather than listened, I may have given up.

However I did enjoy Vitrium, which makes me glad that I listened rather than read! The world which Guthrie created was interesting, detailed and above all; plausible. The way that the world economy was set up, and the way that technology integrated the lives of people worked for me. As did big brands such as Tesco (a supermarket for anyone that doesn’t know) changing for the new world. Guthrie clearly thought deeply about his future and honestly it kind of scared me!

This was one of those books where there was a lot of scene setting. The listener found out a lot about Jada’s life as it was and her strengths/wants, but the big thing about it was that it all turned out to be relevant! There were some scenes where I did wonder what the true point was, but then when it came to the main action of the book (probably about 60-65% of the way through) it did all become clear, which I definitely liked.

Jada as a character was 17. She clashed with her Mom and her brother, she had a close relationship to her Grandfather, she rebelled, she had a crush. There was nothing to disbelieve in her character, she acted like a 17 year old girl should, which I really liked. So often heroines seem to act above their age and this one didn’t!

Though there was a crush on Jada’s part, and the potential start of two romances (she’s 17 no one should expect her to be all out in love and settle down!) neither played a big role in the book, they were just part of life, and I liked that. It was so different from the romance being the central theme of YA!

Normally I talk about the narrator first, though I’m not too sure why I haven’t this time. Eldridge’s performance was spot on, and this can’t have been an easy audiobook to get right with all the various accents. I liked how she not only managed to capture each character differently, but she also captured each nationality differently (and there were a lot!). This was definitely a performance not a reading!

There’s a lot going on in Vitrium, and I certainly wouldn’t refer to it as an easy listen at times, but it is a good solid story, with fantastic world building and a narrator that really makes it!

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a trips down imagination road review

Reviewed: 07-16-15

What made the experience of listening to The Lady Meets Her Match the most enjoyable?

The sense of fun that the story evoked! The way that Cinderella was weaved in worked well.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Cyrus! He wasn't just an alpha male, and though he was stubborn he did also tend to listen to what others had to say.

Have you listened to any of Marian Hussey’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I haven't no, but I would more than happily listen to Marian Hussey's other performances!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

There were several moments where the characters made me laugh, either through asides or the banter between them!

Any additional comments?

Title: The Lady Meets Her Match
Series: Midnight Meetings (#2)
Author: Gina Conkle
Narrator: Marian Hussey
From: Review Copy
Genre: Historical Romance
Release Date: 7th April 2015
Challenges: 2015 New Release Challenge
Links: Goodreads - Amazon - Audible

Claire Mayhew is a woman determined to prove herself, despite London's poor view of women in business. Cyrus Ryland is not a man known for supporting women's rights, so Claire does the only thing she can think of; she steals his signature. Though Claire knows that there could be dire consequences to her actions, the last thing she expects is to meet Cyrus and feel the attraction that blossoms between them. While Cyrus and Claire explore the pull towards each other, they realise that there may be more to it.

Firstly, Marian Hussey's narration. What I didn't realise until I started The Lady Meets Her Match was that I would have thought it wrong to hear an American narrating (can't explain why if I'm honest) so I was very glad of Hussey's accent. I thought that the performance of the various characters was fantastic and it was very easy to determine which character it was that was speaking simply by listening to the voice (though weirdly I found the voice that Hussey used for Claire the most annoying). I thought that Hussey did a great job of setting the scene and the characters, it made The Lady Meets Her Match very enjoyable.

I couldn't help that notice that there were some points in the story that it seemed like there were a lot of things repeated. In a way this was good because it took me a lot longer to finish an audiobook than it would a normal book, so being reminded of little facts was important, but there was a small amount of frustration linked into that. I was also a bit wary of how I would feel listening to more sexual scenes, but because they weren't many in this book I didn't find them bad at all.

Claire was a great character. She was a determined woman who wanted to prove herself, but she was well aware, and accepting, of the restraints put on women in the era. Despite the fact that she was a progressive heroine, I actually felt that the book was more era appropriate than a lot of similar plot lines. Both Cyrus and Claire acted within the constraints the time would have given them.

There were some hints of Cinderella in The Lady Meets Her Match but I did think that they were only slight and though interesting and enjoyable to pick up on, they weren't central to the story. Nor were they overwhelming. This wasn't a retelling of Cinderella, rather it was a book with some elements added in. I liked that (not that I don't like fairy tale retellings, I actually love them).

This was an enjoyable listen, and has further encouraged me when it comes to my opinion on audiobooks!

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2 people found this helpful

a trips down imagination road review

Reviewed: 07-16-15

Would you listen to Cherry Stem again? Why?

Yes, enjoyable with good narration. The story kept a good pace.

What did you like best about this story?

The characterizations not just from the author but also from the narrator.

Which scene was your favorite?

Any scene where Cherry proved that she wasn't just something to look at!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, but only because I can't listen in one sitting, I didn't want to stop listening at some points though!

Any additional comments?

Title: Cherry Stem
Series: Vampire Cherry (#1)
Author: Sotia Lazu
Narrator: Wendy Tremont King
From: Audible Review Copy
Genre: Paranormal, Crime/Mystery, Romance
Release Date: 13th January 2011
Challenges: COYER Scavenger Hunt
Links: Goodreads - Amazon - Audible

Cherry was at the beginning of a promising career in the adult video industry when she was turned into a vampire. Having learnt to cope on her own, she meets Alex, a police officer in charge of finding missing girls in her city. Instantly drawn to him, the more she talks to him the more she likes him, but when the mystery involves him she steps it up.

Cherry Stem was one of those books that I really wanted to read, then started to read, wasn't too sure about, then ended up really enjoying. It was a complex relationship, and I'm not all that too sure how much of that was to do with the fact that it was an audiobook or not.

Wendy Tremont King was brilliant as a narrator. Not only did she have a wide variety of voices that suited each individual character and helped to round them out both personality and physically, but she also added emotion behind Cherry's thoughts that not all narrators would have done. Saying that this is the first person narrative book that I've listened to as opposed to read, so it could be that.

There were some particularly hot scenes between Alex and Cherry, and the chemistry between them was well played out by both the author and the narrator. It was easy to see that they worked well together both intellectually and physically.

Vampires were approaching the traditional in Cherry Stem, they couldn't go out in the sunlight and were quite difficult (but not impossible to kill). I did like the way that vampire politics came into it, and the way that the author introduced the idea of having a 'well known' or recognisable person turned.

The mystery became clearer and clearer as the book went on , and I liked how it unravelled in front of me (or into my ears). Because Alex was a detective it worked well as he was able to put pieces together, even more so when Cherry added vampire knowledge!

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1 person found this helpful

a trips down imagination road review

Reviewed: 04-06-15

What made the experience of listening to Wind Chime Café the most enjoyable?

Being able to switch between reading and listening, particularly because this was my first real audiobook!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Taylor, she'd been through so much and yet was happy to work through it, and to help otther people work through it.

What does Hollis J. McCarthy bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I think that the only main difference was the pacing, and potentially the voices of the characters

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, but that was nothing against this particular audiobook, rather it was because of my slightly shorter attention span when listening than when reading

Any additional comments?

Title: Wind Chime Café
Author: Sophie Moss
Narrator: Hollis McCarthy
From: Audible Review Copy (Blog Tour)
Genre: Romance
Release Date: 28th January 2015
Challenges: Bookish Resolutions
Links: Goodreads - Amazon - Audible

After a tragic event at her daughter's school leaves her with PTSD, Annie moves herself and Taylor to Herron Island, a quiet community with a rumoured development which would make Annie's dream of owning a fancy restaurant a reality. But when Will Dozier finds out it is his land that could make the resort a reality, he starts to drag his feet for the sale...or is that because of the new red-head in town? As Will deals with his own PTSD, he finds himself falling more and more for Annie and her daughter, and finds himself remembering the good things about Herron Island.

Firstly let me say that I did half listen and half read this book (due to wanting to know what happened a bit too much when listening wasn't possible!) But actually I found it surprisingly easy to switch between the two, and I found listening to the audio more enjoyable than I expected. I did challenge myself to listening to more audio books, and the reason I jumped for this one was because I've read and enjoyed books by Sophie Moss before, and so felt sure I'd enjoy the story. Once I got into the narrator's reading style I actually found it really soothing.

I really liked Will and Annie's relationship, it started off slow, and built up over the course of time, and even better than that, their relationship always included Taylor. She wasn't a surprise to Will, and he quickly discovered about her PTSD and what had happened to her. The passion was there for the pair of them, but it didn't feel like it was the main focus of Annie and Will's relationship.

I also really liked the way that Will's relationship with Taylor grew. It wasn't just because he was interested in her mother, but also because of their shared traumas the pair of them seemed to bond. It felt realistic and it added a level of comfort to the story, particularly at moments where horrors of their pasts were uncovered.

Annie was a very relatable character for me, and I particularly liked her relisation that there is nothing wrong with 'just' being a waitress. Considering it is a similar career path to the one that I want to take, I found her very relatable and that definitely helped my enjoyment of the story.

This was a good read and a good listen, I don't think I'll be listening to loads of audio books, but this has definitely opened me up to the idea a bit!

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