Donna Teale
- 21
- reviews
- 8
- helpful votes
- 38
- ratings
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The Ending Fire
- The Ending Fire, Book 3
- By: Saara El-Arifi
- Narrated by: Nicole Lewis, Dominic Hoffman
- Length: 16 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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The Wardens’ Empire is falling. A vigilante known only as the ‘Truthsayer’ is raising an army against the wardens. Sylah and Hassa must navigate the politics of this new world, all the while searching for Anoor. Across the sea the Blood Forged prepare for war, requesting aid from other governments. Jond’s role as Major General sees him training their soldiers for combat, but it’s matters of the heart that prove to be the hardest battlefield.
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A disappointing end.
- By Donna Teale on 12-12-24
- The Ending Fire
- The Ending Fire, Book 3
- By: Saara El-Arifi
- Narrated by: Nicole Lewis, Dominic Hoffman
A disappointing end.
Reviewed: 12-12-24
Let's list the positive points first; Hassa's character progression was beautifully written, the introduction of new parts of the world was handled with care and attention to detail and the recurrence of certain themes from the first part of the story was masterful. The narrator was wonderful again too.
Now here's the rub; so many of the plot points and story threads were mishandled and tied off like a tangled ball of yarn. Jond, Cara, Sylah and Anoor all hacked and slashed. The Zalam had the potential to be so much more frightening overall.
Then we come to the final strife itself; while I appreciate the various view points given during the war I was spectacularly disappointed. This writer has remarkable descriptive skills and such incredible attention to detail, yet the battle scenes were disappointing and flat. Not to mention the entire war was over in seemingly a blink of an eye!
I won't leave any spoilers - because I have fallen foul of reading a review and finding out the ending too many times - but I will say this; after such a brutal, mysterious, complex and passionate story meticulously woven with care and emotion, the ending was trite and sugary and not great.
And that is really disappointing.
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A Duet of Sword and Song
- Tale of Stars and Shadow Series, Book 4
- By: Lisa Cassidy
- Narrated by: Danielle Cohen
- Length: 20 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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In the space of a night, Cuinn Acondor lost his crown and almost his life. Devastated by Talyn's disappearance, he's on the run, fleeing from Armun and Shadow hunters who want to destroy everything he stands for. But he won't give up. Together with the resurgent Wolves, he begins preparing to take back what Azrilan stole from them.
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I loved this series
- By [email protected] on 05-10-24
- A Duet of Sword and Song
- Tale of Stars and Shadow Series, Book 4
- By: Lisa Cassidy
- Narrated by: Danielle Cohen
I'm sad it's over!
Reviewed: 04-07-24
What an epic saga, what a cleverly woven and well written tale. I admit when I first started this series I was a little bit sceptical, especially as it took me a while to adjust to the narrator.
Once I got past that, I was hooked.
An excellent and solid end to an amazing journey.
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A King of Masks and Magic
- A Tale of Stars and Shadow, Book 3
- By: Lisa Cassidy
- Narrated by: Danielle Cohen
- Length: 19 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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The Shadowhawk has been unmasked to those he trusts most. Montagn, the most powerful empire in the world, prepares for invasion. And back in the tangled alleys and dark streets of Dock City, Vengeance lurks.
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Twists, turns and surprises
- By Donna Teale on 26-06-24
- A King of Masks and Magic
- A Tale of Stars and Shadow, Book 3
- By: Lisa Cassidy
- Narrated by: Danielle Cohen
Twists, turns and surprises
Reviewed: 26-06-24
absolutely brilliant. truly wonderful storytelling! I haven't been able to stop listening, the writing is so well paced and the characters all enjoyable and detailed with emotional complexity to boot. I'm off to get the next book now, I'm so invested in this!
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A Prince of Song and Shade
- A Tale of Stars and Shadow, Book 2
- By: Lisa Cassidy
- Narrated by: Danielle Cohen
- Length: 19 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Emboldened by the effect Talyn Dynan had on the humans of Mithranar, the Shadowhawk is working harder than ever to make a difference for those struggling to survive on the streets of Dock City. But when violence spreads to the citadel in a horrific murder, he finds himself torn between protecting the humans and keeping his identity secret from the increasingly determined prince of night and his Falcon hunters.
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Just brilliant
- By Donna Teale on 20-06-24
- A Prince of Song and Shade
- A Tale of Stars and Shadow, Book 2
- By: Lisa Cassidy
- Narrated by: Danielle Cohen
Just brilliant
Reviewed: 20-06-24
This story just keeps getting better and better! I've just this moment finished the book and am now downloading the next. Every time I think I've guessed something, another outcome happens and blows my mind! Amazing!
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Storm and Fury
- The Harbinger Series, Book 1
- By: Jennifer L. Armentrout
- Narrated by: Lauren Fortgang
- Length: 14 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Eighteen-year-old Trinity Marrow may be going blind, but she can see and communicate with ghosts and spirits. Her unique gift is part of a secret so dangerous that she’s been in hiding for years in an isolated compound fiercely guarded by Wardens - gargoyle shape-shifters who protect humankind from demons. If the demons discover the truth about Trinity, they’ll devour her, flesh and bone, to enhance their own powers.
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Enjoyable romantic fantasy adventure
- By Jessica Wolfe on 11-06-20
- Storm and Fury
- The Harbinger Series, Book 1
- By: Jennifer L. Armentrout
- Narrated by: Lauren Fortgang
Bit of a guilty pleasure
Reviewed: 01-09-23
Goodness me, it's easy to see that Ms Armentrout really enjoys certain character tropes! The powerful, brooding, mysterious yet loyal and faithful soldier esque male. The willful, impulsive, somewhat naive yet more powerful than everyone female. Sounds familiar.
Anyhoo, all that aside, I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this audio. I love this narrator and her style really helped the story along. I also loved how reassuringly predictable the tale is, I needed something easy to listen to after a couple of heavy reads!
I've already downloaded the second book. I'm an old lady - 39 years to be exact - so I really giggle at all the "romance" scenes. While I'm doing the dishes, or making dinner, or scrubbing the toilet. So romantic haha. I have really enjoyed listening along and despite having a fairly solid idea of the overall ending, I'm here for the journey anyways.
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1 person found this helpful
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The Shadow Cabinet
- Her Majesty's Royal Coven, Book 2
- By: Juno Dawson
- Narrated by: Nicola Coughlan
- Length: 15 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Despite thinking they’ve thwarted the prophecy, the witches are still reeling from the events of the past few months. Ciara now occupies her twin sister’s body as she prepares to take on the role of High Priestess. But why are the sinister government agents of the Shadow Cabinet so invested in her coronation? And then there’s the small matter of Dabney Hale: freshly escaped from Grierlings prison, he’s on the hunt for a mythical object that will give him unimaginable power.
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Incredible second book in the series
- By Sockmonkey on 18-06-23
- The Shadow Cabinet
- Her Majesty's Royal Coven, Book 2
- By: Juno Dawson
- Narrated by: Nicola Coughlan
I could not stop!
Reviewed: 11-07-23
I'm always a little sceptical about sequels to amazing stories, but this time that was unfounded. Oh my goodness, I couldn't listen enough.
I won't leave any spoilers BUT I will say this; whatever you think may happen, it's going to be way more than that!
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The Power
- By: Naomi Alderman
- Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh, Naomi Alderman, Thomas Judd, and others
- Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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'She throws her head back and pushes her chest forward and lets go a huge blast right into the centre of his body. The rivulets and streams of red scarring run across his chest and up around his throat. She'd put her hand on his heart and stopped him dead.' Suddenly - tomorrow or the day after - girls find that with a flick of their fingers, they can inflict agonizing pain and even death.
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Oh, I really am not sure I can make it to the end....
- By S. J. Veal on 22-02-19
- The Power
- By: Naomi Alderman
- Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh, Naomi Alderman, Thomas Judd, Emma Fenney, Phil Nightingale
Thought provoking
Reviewed: 22-05-23
First the practical things; I enjoyed the narration however a couple of the accents bugged me a little!
Now onto the story itself; to say I loved it would be an understatement because I haven't enjoyed listening to a story as much in a long while. The characters were thoughtfully crafted, their behaviours made sense, their triumphs and disasters were easy to empathise with.
I found myself pondering on the many points this book raised. As a woman, I have often had to take extra precautions when travelling, be careful how I dress or behave, constantly watch my drink in bars and so on. I'm very aware of the statistics on domestic violence and women that are harmed by men. I'm also painfully aware that the calls for greater protection, education and laws to protect women have largely gone ignored. To see this reflected onto men, for them to be the ones that are afraid, firstly caused me to feel a bit smug. But later, I found myself feeling disgusted by my own response - because isn't that the problem any way?
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The Amber Spyglass
- His Dark Materials, Book 3
- By: Philip Pullman
- Narrated by: Philip Pullman, full cast
- Length: 14 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Will and Lyra, whose fates are bound together by powers beyond their own worlds, have been violently separated. But they must find each other, for ahead of them lies the greatest war that has ever been - and a journey to a dark place from which no one has ever returned.... Read by Philip Pullman and a full cast of narrators.
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really good story
- By D. J. Macey on 15-12-21
- The Amber Spyglass
- His Dark Materials, Book 3
- By: Philip Pullman
- Narrated by: Philip Pullman, full cast
utterly exceptional
Reviewed: 21-03-23
The story, the narration, the performance of the voice actors, the whole thing...... absolutely wonderful. At one point I was listening while I tidied the kitchen after dinner and found myself sobbing into the sink!
Just wonderful.
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Her Majesty’s Royal Coven
- Her Majesty’s Royal Coven, Book 1
- By: Juno Dawson
- Narrated by: Nicola Coughlan
- Length: 13 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Hidden among us is a secret coven of witches. They are Her Majesty’s Royal Coven. They protect crown and country from magical forces and otherworldly evil. But their greatest enemy will come from within. There are whisperings of a prophecy that will bring the coven to its knees, and five best friends are about to be caught at the centre. Life as a modern witch was never simple…but now it’s about to get apocalyptic.
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I so wanted to like it
- By Abbi on 17-01-23
- Her Majesty’s Royal Coven
- Her Majesty’s Royal Coven, Book 1
- By: Juno Dawson
- Narrated by: Nicola Coughlan
Blown Away
Reviewed: 15-01-23
When I initially downloaded this book I had no idea at all that it's set in the valley I live in! However, I think that even without that personal connection, I would have loved this story.
Exceptional, riveting, beautiful, surprising, heartwarming and upsetting..... cannot wait for the next part!
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A Light in the Flame
- Flesh and Fire, Book 2
- By: Jennifer L. Armentrout
- Narrated by: Stina Nielsen
- Length: 26 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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The only one who can save Sera now is the one she spent her life planning to kill. The truth about Sera’s plan is out, shattering the fragile trust forged between her and Nyktos. Surrounded by those distrustful of her, all Sera has is her duty. She will do anything to end Kolis, the false King of Gods, and his tyrannical rule of Iliseeum, thus stopping the threat he poses to the mortal realm.
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slow with very little story except alot of sex
- By Brenda on 30-12-22
- A Light in the Flame
- Flesh and Fire, Book 2
- By: Jennifer L. Armentrout
- Narrated by: Stina Nielsen
Infuriatingly Excellent
Reviewed: 06-12-22
Jennifer L. Armentrout blows my mind. So many story threads skillfully bound off and woven into other new beginnings, making the picture of the world of the Shadowlands even richer and more vibrant.
No spoilers here; however I will give a quick head's up that there's quite a bit of smut in this tale!
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2 people found this helpful