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The original Game of Thrones

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

Reviewed: 05-05-2024

Informative, entertaining and highly accessible account of one of the most tumultuous periods in English history that has long captured the imaginations of many. Expertly narrated by the author.

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Great SciFi romance with a generous splash of horror but didn't vibe with the narrator

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

Reviewed: 10-03-2024

Fascinating premise, especially as the story progresses and answers to some mysteries are revealed. This was surprisingly romance heavy, though I enjoyed the progression of the relationship between the two main characters. They're both fundamentally good people who are ideologically opposed to begin with, and I enjoyed the exploration of that dynamic as it shifts as they uncover the disturbing truth about their themselves and humanity's future. There's really effective use of horror elements as the tension ramps up.

The narrator, however, doesn't appear to be able to distinguish between character voices without giving them a random accent for no apparent reason... and they're baaaad. English, fine. But then he cycled through a dizzying array of attempts at American, South African, French, Irish(?), Australian(?), etc. accents, with varying degrees of success. It was really distracting and often threw me out of the story. Different narrator, but I had the same issue with Priory of the Orange Tree.

I'll definitely be reading the next book in the series but I'll stick to a physical copy!

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A macabre yet heartwarming adventure

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

Reviewed: 14-09-2022

A princess/nearly-nun, a dog made of cursed bones, a gravewitch, a fairy godmother, a former knight, and a chicken possessed by a demon go on a quest to save a queen from a horrible fate… What more could you want in a story?

The aforementioned princess/nearly-nun, Marra, is a fully realised, relatively ordinary, relatable heroine that doesn't fall into any of the usual tropes. She's in her 30s, she's had life experiences, she has her flaws and anxieties, and doesn't have any particularly special abilities (apart from embroidery). What she does have, after spending half her life in a convent and discovering her sister is trapped in an abusive marriage, is the realisation that no one else is going to save her and the determination to do it herself. Marra must find the courage to face the outside world and the horrors that come with it. She finds help along the way in the most unlikely of companions and a sisterhood with unusual but powerful women develops to put right the terrible works of men.

I adored this book. It's beautifully written, the horror elements are superbly macabre, and there's never a dull moment. The story touches on some very dark themes (domestic abuse, cannibalism, murder, child death, and other horror elements) but throughout it all, the author's humour and wit is delightful and the friendships that develop between the ragtag band of somewhat morally grey characters shine through.

The narrator did a great job of giving voice to the different characters.

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Great story, wrong narrator

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

Reviewed: 27-06-2021

I really enjoyed the story but the narrator simply wasn't up to the task of reading this book. She mispronounced words, varied her pronunciation (e.g. couldn't make up her mind how to say Kwiriki), and many of the character voices and accents were truly awful. Kalyba was particularly laughable but when I got to the Unceasing Emperor's random Southern American accent I couldn't take it anymore. It was downright ridiculous and completely detracted from the story. I switched to the Kindle version to finish the book and I wish I had read it in that format in the first place. Pity because this book deserved better.

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