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Steve W

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The Locked Door Audiobook By Freida McFadden cover art

Lazy writing.

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

Reviewed: 01-30-25

I couldn’t get behind this. The main character was constantly having breakdowns/breakthroughs that consisted of 3 minutes of “No no no no noooooooooo.” That’s poor if not lazy writing. Practically no character development, and the author didn’t seem to want to try to give Nora any depth.

I can only reiterate: this was lazy writing. Zero percent chance that I’ll pick up another book.

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I’d want a refund if it wasn’t free

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

Reviewed: 01-30-25

The author has writing chops and can definitely string together a good sentence. But the plot was pretty predictable. The protagonist was unbelievable and thoroughly unlikable. By the time the final twist came around, my eyes were rolling out of my head with how obviously the story would finish up. It wasn’t my cup of tea at all, though that’s entirely subjective.

Performance was good, but there were certain times and affectations that were jarring and difficult to immerse into. Granted, due to the stellar voice acting 90% of the rest of the book, I’m going to chalk that up to the writing not being in my wheelhouse.

I’d give the author another shot, if the book was free, but I think I’d read the summary and a few reviews a bit more closely before investing my time.

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Love it!

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

Reviewed: 01-18-24

Super fun modern take on Irish Mythology. This is my third time rereading it, and it was just as fun this time.

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Not for me

Overall
2 out of 5 stars
Performance
3 out of 5 stars
Story
1 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 12-29-23

Everything developed too quickly and the characters weren’t particularly complex, and none of them were likable. It all proceeded about how I expected it to. It was short, on the bright side.

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Masterful

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

Reviewed: 01-05-23

Carlos Ruiz Zafon is a master at evoking imagery. The performance includes ambient music and sound at parts. This is a wonderful audiobook production, as has been my experience with his other titles with this production company.

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Story somewhat predictable, but exceptional performance

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

Reviewed: 11-18-22

I had the story clocked well before any of the twists or anything, but it was still enjoyable nonetheless. The cast was incredible. Phil LaMar is a wonderful voice actor and played a great Sherlock Holmes.

All in all, a very pleasant experience listening. Also, the sound engineering was top notch, if you’re a bit of an audiophile like myself. If you’re undecided on listening, do yourself a favor and just listen. It’s free!

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Fun, dark and gripping

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

Reviewed: 03-22-22

I can’t recommend this enough as a horror story. Interesting plot and all shades of imagery akin to the gothic style. If you’re unsure about this book, just do it. You won’t regret it!

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Twisty and dark

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

Reviewed: 03-17-22

This was a good listen. The narrator was awesome. I kinda knew where things were going and had good idea of how it would play out. The protagonist is kind of irritating with her constant jumping to conclusions but it was completely in character so that was just me reacting to it. I’ll have to see if the author has any more books after this!

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Story felt rushed, but I was happy

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

Reviewed: 02-23-22

The story felt a bit rushed. If it had a bit more length I think it would’ve found itself a little more. Darcy changed very quickly and it felt very uncharacteristic for her. This book could’ve probably been split in two and expanded on as far as the pre and post of “that event”. I enjoyed the sound engineering and the quality was top notch. I’m definitely gonna check out the next of the series when I can. If you’re looking for an enjoyable, quick listen involving vampires that doesn’t go the typical twilight/soap opera route, I suggest checking this out. The premise was good and I’m glad I took a chance to check it out.

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Loved it

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

Reviewed: 02-22-22

I loved the dark thematic elements and actually found myself getting into the heads of all the characters. The ambiguity of what drives them made each character interesting, especially how the villains became that way in the first place! I recommend this book and couldn’t stop listening!

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