Permanently_Booked

Starlight Chronicles

Reviewed: 08-21-20 Listener received this title free

What a different read from some of the other fantasy novels I’ve dove into lately. Lucy comes in contact with a fallen star and a mysterious new guy in one evening. What ensues is a catalyst of world-as-we-know-it ending proportions and some heavy secret reveals.

There’s a few different things going on here and I have to admit I didn’t see a lot of it coming. There is a mixture of “aliens” and angels that left some background and world building to be desired. I am still a little confused on how these two separate entities can mesh in the world. I think a little more discovery into their histories and how they fit the Starlight and Earth worlds would help this out (maybe book 2). The two worlds were an intriguing idea by the author but I feel more was needed there as well. They held an almost unrealistic feel in the fantasy element if that makes any sense.

There’s a part of me that felt this could almost be a middlegrade read based on character personality, content and writing style. The pace is quick and the narration is easy to follow in cadence. The characters develop in personality slowly and I preferred the final portion of the novel to the beginning. Lucy definitely has some growing to do as a character. The ending was a well disguised cliffhanger and I think readers who stick with the story will like that plot twist.

Overall, there are pros and cons with this one. I liked the unique plot perspective into the Starlight world. The cover is beautiful and I can see potential for the second book in this series. Thank you to Parliament Press for the opportunity to listen to this novel via audible for an honest and unbiased review.

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"Be the wind, not the sail."

Reviewed: 06-26-20 Listener received this title free

"Be the wind, not the sail."

Edwin Morris Jr. at the age of 22 has become the sole proprietor of a cobbler's shop. After a string of bad luck and the loss of his first love he decides to cut his losses and embark on a trade ship for better horizons. Little does he know what awaits him on the unforgiving ocean.

I don't usually read novella type series but I can see the appeal of a fast paced adventure on the high seas. Magnetic and vindictive characters, treachery, cons, death and debauchery are packed well into this little punch of a novella. Add to the fact this is based on crimping which is the practice of kidnapping individuals to serve as sailors. A little historical fact I was not aware of and had me Googling.

I can't say that I ended liking the MC Edwin. I'm still grappling with my overall feelings on him as a whole. He's an interesting character with a magnet for bad news. Perfectly defined as a drifter, he makes decisions without too much thought and ends up in situations I could only shake my head at. Predicted to rise to the status of a crimping kingpin in this saga, I can only imagine what the next books will have in store for this character. Color me intrigued.

I am looking forward to his excursion to San Francisco in book two. I do hope that Tim Tidball continues to narrate the saga. He has a good cadence and a voice that fits Edwin in my head. There is cursing, sexual scenes and descriptive violence that fit the 1870 era for those wondering about language and content.

I'd recommend this to readers who enjoy historical fiction with a flare of criminal action. Thank you to Loaded Image Entertainment for the opportunity to listen to the audio version of this novella for an honest and unbiased opinion.

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This. Was. AWESOME!

Reviewed: 06-15-20

This. Was. AWESOME! Not to mention the hangover I am currently still nursing that needs the sequel to cure it. There is something about an audiobook that grabs you right from the start and whisks you away into the pages. There is witchcraft, romance, high school angst and an underlying evil that is waiting to explode (quite literally) out of Mariah's powers.

I am typically not one for fated or prophecy based love, let alone the teenage insta-swoonfest that most books seem to lean towards. This novel doesn't give me the willies though when Finn and Mariah connect. It lays a believable background that brings them together and stirs up your inner high school feels. First Date Mariah is SO me that I couldn't stop cheesy grinning as I listened along. You can just relate to these characters easily and I'm in my late 30s!

The writing style is smooth, the narration perfectly fits and it's told from the POVs of Finn and Mariah. Dealing with the loss of a parent, loss of a friend, accepting yourself, bullying, stereotypes and prejudices are a few topics that make their way through the plot line. I also want to mention a scene involving animal cruelty. It could be disturbing for younger readers.

This was such a great read for me and I highly recommend it in any format to my followers. This would've been my next binge series if I knew it existed when Stackhouse, Twilight and Fallen were making their rounds.

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Watching...Waiting....

Reviewed: 06-11-20 Listener received this title free

When I was younger I lived in the very woodsy State of Connecticut. I would go foundation hunting with my mom and hear stories of witches who were burnt in their homes or settlers and such. We'd go to these areas and dig about looking for knickknacks. Now I don't recall much of my really little years but I am fairly certain that some of those places were areas kids would dare other kids to go into. Test the bravery, prove the ghost stories weren't real. Inside is that kind of story. Young kids taking on the local haunt to be the cool kids in school. Sometimes though, it's better to heed the warnings...

The audio is told from five POVs (Danny, Alex, Reid, Heather and Clint). I applaud a narrator that can use different voices for a vast amount of characters and stick with them throughout the book. Very well done and I will probably hear "watching....waiting" in that high pitched creepy voice for the remainder of the week in my head. The characters are your typical kids with the tomboy, the loyal one, the bully, the quiet one and the nerd. Underlying themes of child abuse, alcoholism, and cancer play well into the plot too. Though I can't say I was frightened, I really did enjoy the work that went into building this labyrinth of horror. The author effectively created a novel I could see gracing the screen of my Friday night horror movie watching. Between the narration and writing style this was a well done 1980s horror read.

Thank you to Parliament Press and D.M. Siciliano for the opportunity to listen to this advanced listening copy for an honest and unbiased review. True rating (3.5/5 rounded up)

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Vampires, Bats and Zombies, Oh My!

Reviewed: 06-09-20

Vampires, bats and zombies… oh my! This isn’t necessarily a retelling but it has some really great elements from The Picture of Dorian Gray. I started this trilogy a little out of sequence with Book 2 and finally had the pleasure of listening to the novel that started it all.

Bray and Brenik are twins escaping the world of Laith and ending up on Earth. In Laith they are known as Bats but to us they look like Fairies (just don’t tell them that). Bray has a kind heart and is always looking out for her brother Brenik. Brenik is a jealous sibling who wants the spotlight and attention feeling belittled and looked over most of his life. Typical sibling rivalry? Possibly, but when Bray displays a power that Brenik does not have he demands to have his soul’s desire fulfilled. Be careful what you wish for though.

I read the other two novels and loved them! I had the ability to listen to this one on audio and had to take a moment to adjust to the narration. I think the way I read the other novels didn’t connect to the way I heard this one. The tone used for the males was “guttural” and didn’t flow well. I did like Bray and how she was read though. I think the narrator connected with that personality better than the male figures in the book.

I am so book-nerd thrilled to be caught up on this trilogy. Thank you to the Parliament Press and Candace Robinson for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook for an honest and unbiased opinion.

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A Whisper of Love

Reviewed: 06-02-20 Listener received this title free

"I heard that if you whisper to the moon a message that you want to tell someone that you're too shy to tell in person, the moon will relay it back in the other person's ear while they sleep."

This is my first introduction to Macaraeg's work and his first full romance novel outside of his thriller genre. I was not disappointed. The story starts off bringing us into Robert's world of photography and his final college semester. He's healing from the breakup of a four year relationship that abruptly ended and starts to find himself falling for a new love interest, Catherine. The societal views of how I was raised rarely focused on the softer side of a man's thoughts on love. I think that is why I enjoy reading romance novels written by men because it's intriguing to see their take on falling in love, soulmates and handling roller coaster situations. I feel the author and his decisions coming through his characters making it that much more personable. Both characters personified the every day individual. They could be me or you or anyone walking on the street and I appreciated them not being glorified into something singular or outside of this idea. I connected with them as if I were a part of their group and not a reader.

Robert is from the Philippines and Macaraeg blends this backstory into the landscape of San Diego. By the time I finished reading I wanted to visit and eat at every spot that was mentioned. The details of the city was perfect and not overdone in any way.

I have two drawbacks. The first is based solely on personal preference and did not take away from my rating. I felt the relationship between Robert and Catherine grew a little too quickly and some of his words to Catherine were a bit unrealistic for me to see a guy saying. The reason this doesn't affect my rating is because this is a feel-good romance novel and I expected this outcome. It's tastefully done and doesn't take away from the scenes or characters. My second is the narration. The inflection of words and manner in which this was read was not how I pictured this beautifully written novel to be narrated. There was an underlying angst in the narration that didn't fully fit. I definitely enjoyed physically reading this instead of listening. However, reconnecting with Robert and Catherine was definitely a plus.

Overall, this is a clean and charming read. The situations and outcomes are well thought out and realistically genuine. I'd recommend this for anyone who loves romance reads.

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Two Supernatural Shorts

Reviewed: 04-23-20 Listener received this title free

This volume contains two longer stories and I felt I had more time to invest in the characters and plot like this. The narrator for this audiobook is still a nostalgic favorite. His cadence and tone are oddly soothing even with these paranormal shorts.

The first story reminded me of the Bell Witch series with the creepy box. Sinister and suspenseful theme with a truly evil grandmother. The second story is more a mixture of the outcome of greed and be careful what you wish for scenario. A mirror that holds a dark secret and a family member that let's his narcissism get the better of him.

Though I wouldn't call this a novel or collection (maybe more of a novella edition) I enjoyed the paranormal stories and look forward to more.

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Scary Story Nostalgia

Reviewed: 03-26-20

This is like a mixture of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and Are you Afraid of the Dark. My inner creepy kid hi nostalgia hard and enjoyed each of the tales in this short volume. There are three uniquely different stories to lose yourself in. If you're worried they'll be too horrifying or graphic I can assure you this is more on a PG-13 level with instances of graphic description. Think more along the lines of Grimm's original disturbing fairy tales and folklore having a story baby. Now to catch up on the other audio volumes!

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The Bell Witch Series Books 1-3 Review

Reviewed: 03-17-20 Listener received this title free

I think this should be labeled under young adult "horror." It's like Hunger Games meets psychotic demon with a grudge. Though I wasn't necessarily scared by any of the scenes it was still creepily graphic in areas and pleasantly weird. Basheba Bell is by far my favorite character and I'm pretty sure most reviews hated her. She's crass, to the point, has an amazing dog named Buck who can kill on order and has a deeper side that I know is waiting to explode. Anyone who can comically include "crotch goblins" to describe children is a winner in my book. She brought a comedic and melodic side to the plot that made the book for me. I'm looking forward to her part in Book 2.

I will say that Cadwyn was the only other character I connected with. His strength and calm during chaos was admirable and he knew how to handle Basheba, honestly all of the characters. I think without his role they would not have been able to work together the way they did. The plot goes fast and some areas are a bit rushed but I appreciate not having drawn out narratives. Overall I enjoyed this read and place it in the genre of Anna Dressed in Blood.

I won the e-arc through LibraryThing and the audiobook through Scare Street. The narrator for this book did a great job with the characters.. probably why I like Basheba so much. Reviews for books 2 and 3 on my Goodreads account (permanently_booked).

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Nocturnal Meetings of the Misplaced Review

Reviewed: 03-17-20

I must admit that I went into this book a little blind and based solely off the title. I didn't read the synopsis and I was pleasantly surprised with how this turned out in the end. Tommy and his sister are "orphaned" to their Aunt's house as their mother goes through rehab. As they adjust to a new school and a new group of friends the reader gets a taste of the odd happenings and history of Summertime. Missing girls, mysterious deaths, sinister cops and kidnappings are just a few checks on the list of intrigue for this novel.

The beginning of the novel was slow for me and ebbs into the sibling's acclimation into Summertime. We meet Finn, who is the second POV in the novel and has his own dark family situation. The reader also gets to know Annie and Silence and their individual parts to the plot that they play. It took me a moment to adjust to the narration. The inflection of words and cadence of the reading was choppy at times. By the middle I grew accustomed to Irvine's narration style and was able to connect more with the story and characters.

There is a lot of middlegrade and highschool vibes to this read. The social structures, fitting in, and crushes between protagonists are very prevalent and the beginning of the book is mostly surrounding these aspects. However, these themes are also tied into dealing with hard situations like family alcoholism, death, sexual abuse, physical abuse, verbal abuse, being a kidnap victim and racism. I can see why the author chose to include the chapters dedicated to this plot growth. Once the pieces fall into place the intrigue picks up and I found myself captivated and shocked at the spin. Truly did not see that ending coming the way that it did.

Overall, this was enjoyable and I finished this in less than a day. If you like young sleuths who unravel shocking mysteries than I recommend this one. Take note of the mentioned situations above for trigger warnings.

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