Etzio

A Fantastic Add-on To The Game

Reviewed: 09-17-24

I'm a huge fan of the Xbox game that this book is based on, and I have to say that this book is an excellent companion to the story campaign of that game. The book takes place right after the events of the game, and while it helps tp have played the game or at least be familiar with how it ended, it isn't essential and they touch on the important stuff enough where it's not required to enjoy this story. The characters are interesting, complex, visceral and real. The author paints an incredibly detailed picture of the world of Sera, and really allows you to feel the despair of it all once the grubs upended all of human society. The awesome part about this book for me, the grubs weren't even the most interesting part, it was the backstory that explained how Dom and Marcus came to meet via Dom's brother, Carlos. You grow attached to these characters and really care about what happens to them by the end of the book. at least I did. definitely looking forward to reading the next installment, and I'll probably give the games a replay as well

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Slow start, big pay off

Reviewed: 05-24-24

reader beware: this is the purest form of sci-fi that you can get. One of my limitations going into this was that I don't think I've ever actually read a proper sci-fi novel, and it was overwhelming at first trying to keep track of the terminology being used to build the readers understanding of the world. admittedly, it was off putting it first but once you push through those first few chapters and you start getting an understanding of what's happening, it was a very interesting journey. I enjoyed the intrigue The setup for what is clearly about to be a huge showdown as the story progresses to future books. The narrator was excellent and gave much more context to the characters she was voicing, which made it easier to follow the story, especially with the complicated pronoun system they have going on in this story. definitely worth a read if you like sci-fi.

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I love The Suspense

Reviewed: 03-13-24

Not gonna lie, I was surprised how much I enjoyed the first book in this series, but I wasn't sure how the author would try to keep this going without losing a step. I can confidently say I didn't feel there was a step missed with the follow-up. This was a great read. A little slow in the very beginning but once everything was set up, there was plenty of suspense and intrigue to go around. I felt the pacing was good, the narrator absolutely smashed it, and left me satisfied overall. I know there are more books in this series, so I'll be checking them out. definitely a good read and a worthy sequel.

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Better Than Expected

Reviewed: 03-02-24

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, it was a random selection that I got at a two for one sale. I'd say I came away from this Way more invested than I expected to be.

first of all the narration was superb. The main character (Millie) was given a distinctive New Yorker accent that I feel the narrator pulled off flawlessly and really gave a lot of depth to her character. All the characters were distinctive and unique enough that I had no problem differentiating between voices when they were speaking.

while the twist in the story isn't terribly surprising and you can probably see it coming, I enjoyed the slow build up and reveal of it all. It was written well enough that even if you can anticipate what's coming, it's still pulls you in enough to want to see how it plays out.

overall I highly recommend this book, especially if you like thrillers. It's definitely worth the read and it's not an overly long book. 5/5

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Interesting, but...🤔

Reviewed: 01-10-24

I like the concept of the book, examining human nature through the lens of having an interview with the devil, to presumed mass manipulator of all negative things in this world. The whole thing is an exploration of self-determination and how one can better themselves by doing or not doing certain things. It's a great discussion piece, and despite the dubious origins of its author being a con man, I didn't let that overshadow the content of the book. It was an interesting read, and despite the shenanigans the author may have gotten into during his lifetime, if he made a body of work worth reading, I'll acknowledge it as such. That said, as far as the audiobook is concerned, I've seen many reviews that complained about the constant unwanted interjection of the editor, and that absolutely was the downfall of this particular purchase. It took me out of the narrative so much that I stopped reading it a few times and had to come back later. I don't know who told them that was a good idea, but never do that again. It's unfortunate because the narrator actually did a great job, but those interruptions by the editor completely ruined the experience. If you're going to read this, go ahead and get the physical copy.

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a pleasant surprise and not what I expected

Reviewed: 04-21-23

I'm reasonably new to reading Stephen King's novels, but for this being the third one that I've read, and it being a far cry from the horror genre that I've grown accustomed to associating with him, this was a surprisingly delightful read. I admit I was a bit confused about where the story was going in the beginning, and it felt like there were two different stories being told at a certain point, but ultimately we're all pays off. without going into spoilers, I'll just say that Stephen King continues to demonstrate why he is as highly regarded as he is in the literary world, and he is truly a master of storytelling. this was an exemplary read and I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy

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interesting concept, mid execution

Reviewed: 03-04-23

I enjoyed the premise of the story quite a bit; a highly intelligent black man getting his brain put into the body of a teenage white boy and trying to navigate the complexities of his former and current existence. the backdrop of the main character being a neuroscientist, while integral to the story, wasn't the most interesting part to me. in fact I felt like there were aspects to the story that were introduced that never really paid off, particularly in regards to the metaphysical. Midway through they introduced the idea of the main character being "haunted" by himself, and the tangible connection between the body and mind when a person dies. I thought that was actually really interesting and we never really see that play out. it also felt like there were two different stories being told; one about a budding black activist in a sea of anti black sentiment, and one of a neuroscientist trying to maintain his former existence while occupying the body of another person. honestly, I was much more interested in the former then the latter.

the readers performance was solid, no complaints there. I do think the story and the writing felt less polished than I would have expected, but it's still a decent read. especially clocking in around 3 hours.

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outstanding

Reviewed: 02-18-23

it's an outright crimr (no pun intended) that this story hasn't been adapted into an animated series on par with invincible or vox machina. Drew Hayes knocks it out the park again with the villains code series. it's tied right up there with Super Powereds. I can't praise this series enough, and this book especially is a substantial achievement in its own right. the sheer levels of character depth and development, the amazing world that has been created that this story takes place in, and the imagination that brings it all to life are truly top-tier quality writing. I felt genuine emotions at many points during this book. I was afraid for my favorite characters, I felt genuine sadness when there was a death that you were meant to take seriously. I felt pride in certain characters achievements. I thought pain at the thought of potential loss. if you haven't had the opportunity to take the journey yet I strongly encourage you to check out both books in this series. I can't wait for whatever comes next for this series, and I faithfully will read anything that Drew Hayes prints.

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a diverse legacy of regret

Reviewed: 01-03-23

I love the world of The Last Airbender. the novels that have stem from that story have been captivating and enrolling breeze and offer a much deeper inside into characters and cultures that weren't as thoroughly explored as I would like in the enemies series. especially interested in the lives of past avatars, and the way they propped up the legacy of Yang Chen, however vaguely, as always interesting to me. I'm thinking about these books that I enjoy is that it really takes the time to build on the Avatar's humanity and focus on what makes them flawed individuals instead of online on the awesome power that comes with their position. I mean you have that too but it's very much a human story from beginning to end and I love it. I'm excited to see what they do with the next installment.

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A Great Ride

Reviewed: 07-03-22

as an avid watcher of the TV series, I have admittedly been very curious about checking out the comic that inspired the show. I also have been incredibly lazy and haven't gone out of my way to find or purchase it. but just as luck would have it, I come across this audio dramatization of the comic book, which is a happy medium for me. I love everything about this. the acting is great, the story as it is adapted to this format is great, and it's different enough from the show to still be a surprise. I love this and I'm definitely going to be purchasing the other volumes.

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1 person found this helpful