Tag Archives: audiobook

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Book Review: Night in His Eyes, by Emma Alisyn

Night in His Eyes (by Alisyn Fae/Emma Alisyn) was featured over on Sadie’s Spotlight some time back. So, when I saw a chance to nab an audio code for a copy, I took it.

audio night in his eyes cover

A war of Fae Houses. A Prince waking from darkness. A woman drenched in his blood.

Prince Renaud, my mother’s killer, is waking. The Court has not felt the full weight of an Old One in centuries, and it’s my fault.

I am Aerinne Capulette, Lady of House Faronne, and I will have my vengeance against House Montague and Renaud. But despite the ground war I’ve led since I was a child, we remain locked in bloody stalemate.

If the Prince takes the field against us, he will rip from my mind the secret that will shred any hope for peace, or victory.

He will kill me if he discovers the truth. . .

. . .sweet, foolish child. Your death is not what I desire. I have not waited, watched, and planned for centuries to let something as petty as a halfling girl’s vengeance keep me from claiming what is mine.

To protect you, and to ensure my reign, I will bend you to my will. I will slake this obsession with your blood and tears, and I will yield you to no one.

Let your House protest. Let my Court look aghast. They are nothing.

And you—you are my anchor.

We may be enemies, but your hatred only seduces my darkness.

my review

I’m torn about how I feel after listening to this book. On the one hand, it sets up an interesting world with interesting characters. I especially appreciate the mixture of Europeanesque fae lore with Kenyan culture and characteristics. Plus, the writing (and the narration) are perfectly functional.

On the other hand, the events of this book don’t seem to be anchored into any identifiable, over-arcing plot. I’ve finished it now, and other than the lust between the two characters, I DO NOT KNOW WHAT THE PLOT WAS OR WILL BE GOING FORWARD. And that’s a pretty big deterrent when thinking about continuing into the next book and beyond.

night in his eyes photoI also don’t particularly consider it a romance. The power imbalance prohibits it. I sense this might be addressed at some point. But as of the end of this book, one is powerless because the other holds all the power in all situations.

I am undecided if I will continue the series. Maybe if I come across a free copy of book two, I’ll read it, but I can’t see putting any effort or money into acquiring it.


Other Reviews:

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Book Review: The Shadow Order, by J.S. Malcom

Somewhere around the internet, I picked up an Audible code for a copy of J.S. Malcom‘s The Shadow Order.

The shadow order audio cover

Either I defeat the monster or I become the monster.

As if being locked up in the crazy house wasn’t bad enough, I wake up to discover that the person I trust most in the world just morphed into a bloodthirsty monster. My only chance for escape comes in the form of two women calling out from within a shimmering tunnel. So, it’s either stick around and get murdered or jump through some kind of portal.

I take the option that doesn’t involve dying and find myself ushered into an ancient society of witches. I’m given a choice: I can either go it alone and take my chances or join their magical training program. The problem being I didn’t even know I had magic, never mind the kind that can open a doorway between realms. But that’s exactly why I’m being hunted by a Fae demon looking to settle an old score. Now, I either find a way to defeat him or he’ll be using my magic to bring in the rest of his kind. If that happens, it won’t only mean the end for the world of witches. It’ll mean the end of the world.

my review

This is very clearly a spin-off of something else. Because the reader is just as clearly expected to know some of the characters and the world. Plus, there comes a point where the story, from, what I assume is the previous books, is reported from one character to another. I did not know it is a spin-off.

I have not read the previous series. I did not know the characters. I did not know the world. That means I spent almost 9 hours listening to a story about people I didn’t know or care about in a world that had no limits or explanations. Further, I couldn’t even tell you with any certainty if Amaya or Cassie was supposed to be the main character!

the shadow order photoIt’s probably unnecessary to now say that this was a 100% flop for me. I think that even if I had read the previous series, I would have given this, at best, a 3-star rating. It’s just too based on a confused girl accidentally doing things and people reacting to it. Nothing felt as if it was moving toward any end-point. The ‘training’ was unbelievable, and…again…random. Which just makes the whole Shadow Order a joke. I do not think I would have enjoyed it, even if I hadn’t been uninvested. Amy Hall did a fine job with the narration.


Other Reviews:

 

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Book Review: The Long-Forgotten Winter King & The Twice-Scorned Lady of Shadow

I borrowed audio copies of The Long-Forgotten Winter King & The Twice-Scorned Lady of Shadow through Hoopla. These are books 2 and 3 of The Guild Codex: Unveiled series, by Annette Marie. (Narrated by Tim Campbell and Cris Dukehart.) I reviewed book one, The One and Only Crystal Druid, earlier this year.


The Long Forgotten Winter King

About the Book:

Everyone is keeping secrets.

Zak won’t reveal what really happened between us ten years ago. Ríkr’s been hiding so much I scarcely recognize him anymore. But the biggest secret belongs to my parents, and it’s the one I’m most desperate to unravel.

Finding out who they really were, and who I am, means solving their eighteen-year-old murders. For reasons unknown, Zak decides to join me—and that makes me nervous, especially when the trail leads us into the most dangerous fae territory in the lower mainland.

The questions keep piling up, but as I realize too late, my parents’ killer is no mystery. He’s been lying in wait all along.

But not for me.

I’ve led Zak and Ríkr into a hell with no escape, and I need more than answers now. I need power—because without it, none of us will make it out alive.

my review

I generally enjoyed this. I still liked the characters a lot, the world is interesting, and Marie’s writing is easy to read (or listen to in this case) as always. However, it did feel a little like the middle book it is—you know, like you’ve been dropped into something but without any final conclusion. Maybe this wouldn’t have been such an issue for me if it hadn’t been so long since I read book one. But my experience is what it is. Basically I liked it, but didn’t feel overly invested in it. I’ll be continuing the series, however, and that says more than anything else.

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The twice scorned lady of shadow

About the Book:

I’m learning to embrace who and what I am, but there’s one thing I can’t face: the night Zak betrayed me. But even with the mysteries of our shared past hanging between us, I can’t turn Zak away when he asks for my help.

Powerful fae are going missing, and when he tried to investigate, Lallakai vanished too. Now he wants me to venture with him into the territory of the Shadow Court, but its bloodthirsty courtiers don’t welcome meddling druids.

Danger is gathering around us, seen and unseen. As we uncover incomprehensible clues about the missing fae, we realize this nightmare runs deeper than we imagined, and unveiling it means delving into the past—our past.

If I abandon Zak now, he’ll never make it out alive. But if I stay at his side, if I face the truth of that night, it will destroy us both.

my review

I don’t really have a lot to say on this one. Three books into the series, and I’m still enjoying it. I’m invested in seeing how it all works out, and I appreciate that Marie has allowed these young adults to have made grievous errors in life that hurt each other horribly, but they be the mistakes of youth. Not need to complicate it with deep machinations. The writing, as always, is easy to follow, and the narrators are doing a fine job.

I have to admit that I’m not finding myself falling in love with the characters, though. It’s a story I flow along with easily, but I don’t think I’ll remember it next week. Regardless, the series is getting me through my ‘company is coming’ scramble to get the house clean.

the twice sorned lady of shadow photo


Other Reviews:

Hidden Pages – The Guild Codex: Unveiled

Books of my Heart – The Guild Codex: Unveiled