Here at Chapter Break, we don’t always write a full review of every book we read. Well, now we decided to do these monthly wrap-up posts with roundups of our reviews this month and mini-reviews to fill in the gaps. Enjoy!
Looking for Dei (The Godseeker Duet Book 1) I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook from Audiobook Boom. Looking for Dei was so-so for me.
I liked the magical aspect of using runes, the magical abilities being used and introduced were interesting. But I did not care for the spiritual/religious aspect of the book. It was too much for me.
I also was not a fan of the torture scenes and how much the training took up of the book. Plot-wise, the book dragged and I had a really hard time getting into it. I put it down for long periods before finally finishing. I did enjoy the surprises in the plot, the reveals, and the family conflict.
This being part of a series, there wasn’t much resolved. It just went to set up the next book, which might be more interesting now that all this foundation is down – but the first book syndrome is strong with this one.
I did really enjoy the audio narration though. The narrator’s voice is great, and looking her up it looks like she’s narrated hundreds of audiobooks! I’ll have to give some a listen.
Serpent & Dove: This month’s book club selection. And one of the free Audio Sync books from last summer. The beginning did not start out strong for me. It reads like every other YA book lately, heroine in trouble, rescued by our hero. But by the end, I was into the characters more than anything with this book. Louise, or Lou as she prefers to be called, is a strong lead heroine. And Reed is a conflicted hero. Lots of clever trickery by Lou and Coco, her best friend. Danger ensues. Shocking reveals. And the ending hooked me in for the next book in the series. The audio was ok. Lou’s (female) narrator did a good job. Reed (male) narrator had a habit of dropping his voice 20 octaves for dialog. Which was irritating. But I guess told the listener, Hey. This is dialog!
A Curious Beginning: I thoroughly LOVED this book. Like shout from the rafters, highlight quotes on Goodreads, tell everyone I know, LOVED. Our heroine is strong, LIBERATED, and defiant. She’s a cross between Amelia Peabody\Sherlock Holmes\Lady Keira Darby. Not afraid to speak her mind. Has her own opinions about love and relationships, and isn’t afraid of an argument. Sparks fly between Ms. Speedwell and our hero, Stoker Templeton-Vane (sadly no relation to Bram Stoker!) Stoker is just as strong-willed, intelligent, and a bit of a pirate with an eye patch in the looks department. (That’s a good thing, to be sure.) The verbal sparring between these two characters was a joy to listen to. Oh. And the audio narration is well done! Distinct voices between the characters and had me captivated from the start. 12/5 Stars. READ THIS. Or really, LISTEN to this book!
Books we reviewed this month:
- [8 Jan] House of the Rising Sun by Richard Cox ★★★★★
- [28 Jan] ELY AIR LINES Select Stories from 10 Years of a Weekly Column, Volume 2 by Linda Street-Ely, Mike Ely ★★★★
- [29 Jan] Meet the Mermaids: Hi, I’m Sofia by Lois Petren ★★★★★
