The Moon Dwellers

The Dwellers Saga, Book 1

By: David Estes

Narrated by: Julia Whelan, Will Damron

Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

In a desperate attempt to escape destruction decades earlier, humankind was forced underground, into the depths of the Earth, creating a new society called the Tri-Realms. After her parents and sister are abducted by the Enforcers, 17-year-old Adele, a member of the middle-class moon dwellers, is unjustly sentenced to life in prison for her parents' crimes of treason.

Against all odds Adele must escape from the Pen and find her family while being hunted by a deranged killing machine named Rivet, who works for the president. She is helped by two other inmates, Tawni and Cole, each of who has dark secrets that are better left undiscovered. Other than her friends, the only thing she has going for her is a wicked roundhouse kick and two fists that have been well trained for combat by her father.

At the other end of the social spectrum is Tristan, the son of the president and a sun dweller. His mother is gone. He hates his father. Backed by only his servant and best friend, Roc, he leaves his lavish lifestyle in the Sun Realm, seeking to make something good out of his troubled life.

When a war breaks out within the Tri-Realms, Tristan is thrust into the middle of a conflict that seems to follow Adele mysteriously as she seeks to find her family and uncover her parents' true past. In their world someone must die.

©2012 David Estes (P)2015 Podium Publishing

Fantastic Dystopian!

I started reading this as an ebook and just couldn't get into it. But on audio? It's a different book entirely!

This is one of those books that would make a fantastic movie. The action gets going and never lets up; there are chases and bombings and shootouts and escapes and outlaws and even a cannibal! Oddly, none of these situations are out of line with the plot, which is just a girl trying to put her family back together. They've been arrested and split up between prisons and an orphanage, and she's determined to break everyone out and reunite them. In the process, she picks up a couple of friends and crosses paths with the President's son and his right hand man.

The characters here are all well-developed and even endearing. Adele starts out seeming like a total badass, but her compassionate and sensitive side quickly emerges. Tristan is just a likable guy. He's not too pretentious or overly noble in his view of his father's politics. I think the best part for me was that neither of these two characters took themselves too seriously. When reading this previously in print, some of the dialogue and inner monologues seemed forced, like the book was trying too hard to be funny. But on audio, Julia Whelan and Will Damron are able to give such personality to the characters that they translated as having somewhat of a wry wit. Rock, who is Tristan's sidekick and best friend, has some of the best lines. This isn't a funny book at all, but there are occasional moments when things are a bit lighter. And that's good, because with all the serious action going on there needed to be some high points.

Rivet, the big bad guy, was somewhat underdeveloped. He was evil - but why? We really knew nothing about him other than he was the head of a goon squad and a brief physical description of him. What was his motivation? There was also a band of outlaws who were never really well-defined. They popped in and out of the story very briefly and it seemed a shame, because the leader had a lot of potential to be an interesting side character - maybe one that could have been morally gray. Maybe we'll see him again in the sequel.

Overall this was a great read, made even better by the narrators. They gave the story presence and atmosphere - I was right there in the damp caves with hard stone floors and utter darkness. The audio was really, really well done.

These two narrators also do the sequels in the series. I can't wait to move on to the next book.

Really Enjoyable Listen! Fabulous Narration!

Narration - Julia Whelan, Will Damron - Kick Ass! Both really good narrators. Great Pace, Great Drama, Loved it!

Really enjoyed this book. It's a dystopian society, futuristic, complex, has lots of suspense and danger at every turn. There's a bubbling romance and a whole lot of unanswered questions!

We're also introduced to a bunch of interesting characters that I really enjoyed getting to know. Adele is our heroine and she's strong and sassy. Tristan, the son of the president is a skilled fighter and he's drawn to Adele (even though he's never spoken with her) but you have to listen to the book to get all the deets about that!

I can't wait to move on to the next book in this series to get answers to more of the unexplained happenings.

A really great listen!

That is all!

Great!

Where does The Moon Dwellers rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The Dwellers Saga by David Estes is a great twist on the popular dystopian genre where a group of teenagers must save their world from a destructive civil war. The story takes place in the unnamed future, following a disastrous catastrophe that left the surface of the earth uninhabitable.

The series begins with two main character who have never met: Adele, a young girl in the Moon Realm who has been sentenced to life in prison because crimes committed by her parents; and Tristan, the eldest son of the President of the Tri-Realms. After just a passing glimpse these two knew that they had an instant attraction, but how can a prisoner possibly meet the most popular young man in the Tri-Realms? All Adele knows is that she has to escape the prison and find her family who was separated at the hands of the authority. She does not even know if her parents are alive.

After a series of events, the two teens find each other along with some other trusted friends – Tawni, Cole, and Roc. They set out to find Adele’s family – a difficult task as the Moon Realm is being attacked by the Star Realm. Plus they are being hunted by the authorities since they escaped from the prison. Will the authorities capture them and sentence them all to life in prison, or even death? Are the rest of Adele’s family members still alive? Can she save them?


Meanwhile, Tristan’s father is up to his usual evil antics, creating havoc and disparity throughout the Tri-Realms. He sends the military out to capture Tristan and Roc while also creating unrest between the Lower Realms. Will Tristan’s father completely destroy the Lower Realms? Can Tristan escape the armed men that were sent to capture him?

If you like series like Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins), Uglies (Scott Westerfeld), Divergent (Veronica Roth), or Unwind (by Neal Shusterman), you should definitely read the Dwellers Saga! David Estes has created a great new series with original characters and an addicting plot that will leave you wanting more. Fortunately there are several books in this series including Moon Dwellers, Star Dwellers, Sun Dwellers and the Earth Dwellers (to be published later this year) all tell the story of the brave young teenagers who fight for the good of humanity. Additionally there is a sister-saga called the “Country Saga” which ties into the Dwellers series.

Falling in Love All Over Again

This review can also be found here: Confessions of a Bibliophile

Reviewer: Caedy Eries (aka. Martha Devnew)
Title: The Moon Dwellers
Author: David Estes
Format: Audio
Publisher: Podiium Publishing

Narrator(s): Julia Whelan, William Damron

Overall: 5/5
Performance: 5/5
Story: 5/5

Review:

Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.

I have fallen in love with this book by David Estes, and to be able to get a chance to hear one of my favorite books performed I jumped at the chance and was honored to be one of the ones selected for a free copy of this book. Adele and Tristan are two of my favorite characters.

Listening to Julia Whelan voice Adele, I feel she is absolutely the perfect fit for this spirited young woman. The life she brings to Adele, from the very beginning of her story, to the fight and her interactions with her two friends Tawni and Cole has me riveted. It only further cements that Adele is by far one of my favorite female leads.

Listening to William Damron as the voice of Tristan, my heart beats a bit faster. He is very, very close to the voice I imagine Tristan having (I've read the book on Kindle as well) and fall in love with him all the more. Strong, dedicated, and at the complete opposite social spectrum from Adele, yet he fights in the war between the tri-realms just as Adele does.

Tristian and Adele are tied together from the very beginning and their backgrounds are different, their stories unique. One fights to get out of the Pen and ultimately learn the truth about her parents past...the other seeks to make something good out of his troubled life, leaving the lavish lifestyle of a sun dweller and the President's son.

I highly recommend reading this book in audio, together Julia Whelan and William Damron bring a new dimension of life into this post-apocalyptic dystopian tale spun by David Estes. Decidedly a five star read.

Incredible Story

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this series and author whole-heartedly to readers of all ages because it is a compelling and poignant story.

Which character – as performed by Julia Whelan and Will Damron – was your favorite?

David has created so many wonderful characters for this series that it is next to impossible to pick a favorite.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

and risk revealing a spoiler?

Any additional comments?

This is one of those series where you almost dread finishing it and having to say goodbye to the characters as they have become almost like good friends that you will sorely miss.

Narration fell flat.

I like the idea of the book, it seemed like a great story. As I got into it the plot was "ok" (said with a shrug) and the narration was seriously lacking. When there are two Narrators I anticipate one person to do certain characters and the other narrator different characters so the the voices are the same. Instead the woman made voices for all the characters when she was reading and the man did the same, which made the already struggling story hard to get into.

The male narrator sounded bored and oddly too old to read for Tristan. In my mindI know he was supposed to be late teens, but his voice keep making me picture a much older man.

The female narrator was better, but still didn't put much life into the characters. When characters were supposed to be upset, heartbroken, it was still just read in an almost whisper.

Some parts of the book were brilliant, but others just had you thinking "really?". Everything was too coincidental and explained away as fate.

I stopped listening with 1.5 hours left, I was so out of tune with the book that it was just becoming background noise.

Wow

I got this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly, I wasn't expecting much when it came to this book. I thought it was just going to be yet another Hunger Games, Divergent, or and I have to say I was really pleasantly surprised. When it comes to young adult books it seems that most of them miss the mark and simply copycat story lines but this was a great book. It does borrow elements from other stories but it twists them in new and refreshing ways. I loved how well written the characters were and the emotions that were portrayed.

As to the audiobook portion of my review: The narrators of the book were amazing. I usually end up finishing the audiobook by reading the last few pages (I read faster) but the narrators kept me coming back for the story. I could really feel the characters come to life through their voices. I'm definitely going to have to find other books narrated by them.

David Estes created a great book that combines young adult, slight romance, and adventure all in one. I'm definitely going to have to recommend this book to everyone looking for a fun new read. I only wish that it was available at Barnes and Nobel (not through the market place) because this would definitely be my next staff recommendation.

A fun teen-filled dystopia underground

In the Moon Dwellers, a society lives underground centuries after a meteor struck the Earth. The two main characters are Adelle, a young girl imprisoned because her parents were working against the tyranical government, and Tristan, prince and son of the dictator president Nalin, and someone who has nothing in common with his father. The novel is a whirlwind of action as eventually these two meet amongst a starting rebellion and must work to stop a war while also trying to save Adelle's father from prison.

This is one of my favorite books. I love dsytopias and underground ones are some of my favorites. Throw in some adventure, a quest, family, romance, friendship, and fighting against poor odds, and you have a winner.

Now nothing is perfect. Some of it can be a bit of a stretch (the cause of the headaches for Adelle and Tristan) and some situations that resolve too conveniently. The characters don't always make good decisions and the romance is a bit fast paced, but these are teenagers after all and the book is a fun read.

As for the audiobook edition, at first I felt Tristan's narrator sounded way too old. But eventually I got used to it. I thought Adele's narrator was a good fit. Overall, they both did a fine job of narrating the book and really brought it alive. This is a well done and polished audio edition and one that is easy to listen to.

You should really give this book a shot.. The entire Dwellers series is super great and it only gets better as it goes (the Country books are really amazing).

NOTE: I received this audiobook for free in exchange for an honest review.

Moon Dwellers

Would you listen to The Moon Dwellers again? Why?

I loved the book!!! Great story, wonderful characters. I loved the book so much that I had to search for this author's other books on Amazon.

I am now following this author. This is a great read for young adults to adults.

What did you like best about this story?

Getting to know the characters.

What about Julia Whelan and Will Damron ’s performance did you like?

Their performances flowed with the actions in the story.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When the girl found her father.

Brilliantly written and narrated

If you could sum up The Moon Dwellers in three words, what would they be?

Dystopia, thrilling, and family. This is a dystopia with a dual point of view. The focus of it is on friends and family how far would you go to save a loved one.

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite character was Adele. She is a really strong and complex character. She is sarcastic with a no quit attitude. She showed determination and fearlessness.

What does Julia Whelan and Will Damron bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Julia and Will bring to the table a brilliantly executed voice to all the characters. I was surprised how well they brought the sarcasm that the characters express.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I would have devoured it in one sitting if my schedule allotted me.

Any additional comments?

I loved reading this book. It is one of my favorite books of all time. I was pleased to find out it came out in audible version. I enjoyed listening to the narrators. They were the perfect voice to Tristan and Adele. I will continue to look forward to hearing the rest of the series.