KK

Some familiar bits… but it’s still my favourite in the series.

Reviewed: 31-05-2023

I’ve enjoyed the Stormlight Archive series so much but they’re difficult books. This novella isn’t. It was rather a relief to be able to enjoy a Brandon Sanderson story without also ‘enjoying’ the emotional overload that reading them puts you through.

Edgedancer is still exciting, it still has an unpredictable Brandon Sanderson twist to the plot, but there’s a little bit of humour in there and there’s a nice fast pace to the dialogue.

I was initially really peeved that the first 1.5 hours (roughly) of this novella are an excerpt from a previous book. And I still think it is a bit cheeky to sell the same words to the same audience twice - I know that that part of Lift’s story is very important, but it didn’t have to be told in the same way twice (maybe through several minor characters’ eyes instead?) but despite that small complaint, by the end of the novella I was just so happy and had enjoyed the story so much, that I’ve given a 5 star review anyway.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Best yet!

Reviewed: 22-10-2022

I loved A Testament of Character and I’m hanging out for the next instalment, I hope Sulari Gentill is writing away!

Rupert Degas is such a fantastic voice actor, he brings each character to life. After so many books, I can instantly tell which character is speaking, he captures them all so perfectly. I think he did a wonderful job of all the different accents in this book, so many different American voices. I particularly love the way he reads the news clippings that start the chapters, he sounds just like the old news reels.

In my opinion this was possibly the best book in the series. Sometimes a series can start to feel a bit stale when you get to book 9, but not yet. I’m still as in love with Roland Sinclair and his arty friends as I was in book 2. There is less art and painting in this book but that’s ok, there was enough of everything else to make up for it.

I enjoy all the little cameos, recognising the actual historical figures amongst the fiction. Also the game of Monopoly Edna and Milt played… it went exactly as well as you’d expect. Little moments like those, the humour, break through the heavy topics Sulari Gentill handles in this book.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Couldn’t stop listening!

Reviewed: 20-09-2022

I had this book recommended to me by my mum and I was just as hooked as her.

I loved how true the characters were, all of them felt real to me, even the antagonist - and so did the family dynamic.

The way the author switched between narrators worked well, I loved getting to listen to the character’s own thoughts and then seeing them from someone else’s point of view.

The plot is really gripping. I wanted to stay up all night to find out what had happened. It’s the kind of book you want to talk to your friends about, it’s so clever and interesting. Definitely going to listen to more of Liane Moriarty’s books.

The narrator is great too, she is really easy to listen to and all the characters have their own voice, there’s nothing I found intrusive about her reading style.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Buy it! Just as good as I had hoped!

Reviewed: 31-08-2021

I was so excited when All the Tears in China FINALLY became available on Audible. It was worth the wait. I adore Sulari Gentill’s writing and Rupert Degas is such a wonderful narrator. When a friend happened to wander in while I was listening to this book, she stood listening and was amazed that just one man was the source of all those different voices.

All the Tears in China continues the Roland Sinclair friends story perfectly. They travel to China on Wilfred’s orders and stumble into trouble through no fault of their own (as you’d expect) - though I bet Wilfred is going to be angry all the same (as you’d expect…)

I wish I could thank Sulari Gentill for all the hours of happiness and interest she has given me, her novels are my go-to comfort listening when I’ve had a hard day. I hope she is well and spending lockdown writing ;)

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Not funny

Reviewed: 18-04-2021

Thought the sample was ok, not fabulous but had the possibility of a laugh or two, so I bought this for my 9 year old who loves the Horrible Histories TV show. Neither of us enjoyed it. His comment at the end was ‘the voices were just silly and it didn’t make me laugh much, I didn’t learn anything new either’. I wonder if it is a bit dated? It has that old radio play feel to it.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Want to avoid spoilers? DON’T READ THE OTHER REVIEWS (promise there are no spoilers in my review)

Reviewed: 26-03-2021

I’m not sure how I’d have felt about this audiobook if someone hadn’t spoiled the ending in one of the reviews!

So, spoilers aside, it’s a pretty good story but the characters feel a little forced. I feel like the author knew what the characters were going to do, but didn’t really know why they would do those things, other than because it sounded kinda interesting. Their motivations are a bit of a stretch and their emotional reactions a bit random. Also, I don’t think the author writes children well, the 9 year old is more like a 12 year old.

Otherwise, it’s not bad, rather enjoyable, quite clever, and the performance is not bad either. I guess it’s sort of average for the genre, not mind-blowingly amazing with unpredictable twists, but quite fun escapism.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Absolutely brilliant - a story you can listen to over and over again

Reviewed: 19-07-2020

The second book about Morrigan Crow is just as good as the first, this series promises to be the best children’s fantasy series of the decade.

I love the foreshadowing throughout the book, Jessica Townsend gives hints of what might come next but she is never predictable. Her characters are likeable, there is plenty of humour and plenty of adventure. In this book Morrigan Crow becomes a member of Unit 919 and while her new ‘brothers and sisters’ aren’t quite what she had hoped, it is particularly enjoyable to get a better understanding of the strange mesmerist Cadence Blackburn.

Gemma Whelan is an amazing narrator, I particularly love the way she reads Morrigan’s best friend, Hawthorne Swift, and Jupiter’s nephew, Jack.

I have listened to the first two books in the series a couple of times already, I hope the third book is out soon!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Wonderfully narrated, Juliet Stevenson brings this clever, romantic and amusing novel to life.

Reviewed: 19-06-2020

I love Jane Austen however there are so many different audio versions of her novels on Audible that it can be quite tricky to decide which to buy. A poor narrator can just destroy a Jane Austen novel, as so many of the narrators seem to miss the arch humour and just read the books seriously. Having now listened to Juliet Stevenson narrate both Persuasion and Northanger Abbey, I really recommend you try out the audiobooks she reads as she does a wonderful job of bringing the characters to life without being over-the-top - and definitely without missing the humour.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

Well read murder mystery

Reviewed: 29-03-2020

I love a murder mystery and Lucy Foley has written a great modern take on a traditional murder mystery. There are lot of similarities to an Agatha Christie novel - wealthy beautiful people, secluded location, old secrets, over the top motives, a very definite list of suspects. I rather liked that the author didn’t even reveal who had been murdered until late in the piece, so not only were you guessing who the murderer was, you were guessing who had been murdered. The narrators were all great too. All in all, a very solid, enjoyable murder mystery. I’m looking forward to reading more by Lucy Foley.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

Great story, let down by the narration

Reviewed: 28-12-2019

I really enjoyed this novel, it is one of my all-time favourites. I’ve read it as well as listening to the audiobook and unfortunately I think it’s better to read than to listen to.

I found the narration by Jack Garrett took me out of the story, it took me longer than usual to listen to the book because I didn’t enjoy his narration. I think my issue was partly because he has a very deep American accented voice - the central character, the Prince, is a young man and the narrator’s interpretation of his voice just didn’t work for me, he sounded too old and somber, not at all how I had imagined him.

This is obviously a personal reaction and possibly for an American listener it would be less of an issue. I was just disappointed as it is a favourite book and once a book has been recorded, that tends to be that, it’s very rare for a new version to be released. I have enjoyed the readings of other Brandon Sanderson novels I’ve purchased on Audible, so if you, like me, don’t enjoy the narration of this one don’t let it turn you off trying one of his other books.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!