Runes

By: Ednah Walters

Narrated by: Stephanie Terry

The Amazon YA paranormal romance best seller that launched the Runes series introduced listeners to Raine and Torin.

Seventeen-year-old Raine Cooper has enough on her plate dealing with her father's disappearance, her mother's erratic behavior, and the possibility of her boyfriend relocating. The last thing she needs is Torin St. James - a mysterious new neighbor with a wicked smile and an uncanny way of reading her. Raine is drawn to Torin's dark sexiness against her better judgment, until he saves her life with weird marks, and she realizes he is different. But by healing her, Torin changes something inside Raine. Now she can't stop thinking about him. Half the time she's not sure whether to fall into his arms or run.

Scared, she sets out to find out what Torin is. But the closer she gets to the truth, the more she uncovers something sinister about him. What Torin is goes back to an ancient mythology, and Raine is somehow part of it. Not only is she and her friends in danger, she must choose a side, but the wrong choice will cost Raine her life.

©2013 Ednah Walters (P)2015 Audible, Inc.

Good start... very interesting

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Yes, the story is simple, but interesting. I love mithology, so this book was something great to listening, since brings the norse mithology as centaral element of the plot.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

I get interesting to know what is hte Norns goal, and curious about what would happened after all.

Have you listened to any of Stephanie Terry’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No. THis was the first time, and I appreciate it.

Was Runes worth the listening time?

Yes, as I said, he story is simple, but interesting.

The Gods walk with us daily and we are clueless

Would you consider the audio edition of Runes to be better than the print version?

I liked the audio version better than the print. The voices the narrator used helped me gauge the characters as strong individuals.I even laughed out loud a few times. I don't usually like YA books, but this kept my interest. The story is not predictable. I was suprised frequently. I read this in print first and I found that my version of the Raine and Torin world was not as vivid. The narrator was magic.

Have you listened to any of Stephanie Terry’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I did not find anything wrong with this narrator. Her voice came across as the correct age for the teenagers, adults and the nasty villains. The character voices developed quickly. The way she did Torin's voice....wow sexy. I forgot this was a woman narrator.

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

My favorite moments in the book were when the runes were being used. I actually bought this book because of the mention of Runes. In this book, they went beyond basic protection. The author gave the drawing of runes some interesting functions.

Any additional comments?

The market is flooded with Norse Gods and Vikings right now. However, this story line fit into the modern world completely. I couldn't turn the book off - I took it to the grocery store and listened on my phone App. I must have looked pretty stupid standing still in the middle of the isle to make sure I did not miss an intense scene. The drawing of the runes on skin to give special gifts worked well in this book. I am currently listening to Seeress (book 4). I plan to listen to the Eirik series once it becomes audio.

Amazing!!

If you could sum up Runes in three words, what would they be?

Fun, Love, Loyal

What other book might you compare Runes to and why?

Elsker, by S.T. Bende would be a similar book to Runes. They are both about a girl who gets drawn into the Norse mythology world yet in different ways. Both the girls in these stories become apart of the Norse world as well. These girls are also strong, brave, and very loyal to their loved ones.

What does Stephanie Terry bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Stephanie brings the characters to life by adding voice and emotion to the words and story. Having the characters feel more alive to me helps me feel more a part of the storyline. Stephanie did a wonderful job with her character voices, especially smooth transitions between voices.

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

Yes I would have loved too if my life allowed and I would definitely want more to the story through the other books.

Any additional comments?

I love listening to audio books and how alive the story is brought to me. Runes is amazing story which I have truly enjoyed listening too. Stephanie Terry does a wonderful job bringing this story to life through her voices, pitches, and transitions,

Loved it!

Great world building, captivating story line and outstanding narration. Definitely ready for the next book!

Won't be listening to book 2

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Majority of the voices were done well.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No

Any additional comments?

I will not be reading book 2. What happens in the cliffhanger has been told a million times and it is not for me.

I was really enjoying listening to this story, but then the last 20 percent, I just wanted it to end. I loved the banter between Raine and Torin, but I did not like how Raine treated Eirik.

The heroine's mother annoyed me. Her protectiveness felt forced. She just seemed like the airhead mom anyway.

And then Raine's BFF, Cora, could not be more annoying. Then I see later Cora will have her own story...PASS. I kind of want my money back for the audible.

Easy listening...very enjoyable

Listened to the full audiobook in one day. The reader was easy to listen to and did an awesome job with the voices of each character. Loved it.

Surprisingly good

I avoided this book for awhile due to the audio clip. It sounded very immature - mainly the narrator. I finally gave it a shot when some more positive reviews showed up and I figured it must be decent if there are so many books in the series.

I'm glad I did. Yes, the book has many similarities to other young adult paranormal books, but it's still good. It caught my attention and kept me interested the whole time - never felt like it was dragging. It also was different than other books in that the characters didn't deny the signs of something paranormal going on. Torin told her right away that he used magic (though couldn't give her any other details). The type of paranormal is also different from other books I've read, though I won't give away the details.

I didn't like the narrator in the beginning. Sounded too young, and the accent she gave Torin sounded really cheesy, but I got used to it quickly and didn't mind it as the book continued. The only problem I had later was that some of the characters sounded the same at times, and I couldn't tell who was talking. That was confusing.

I look forward to the rest of the series!

a good teen fantasy romance

it's for a younger audience but I've read the whole series a dozen times at least

it was ok for a first book.

I feel the narrator could have done a better job. The story itself was a little cliche. The book even refers to where they got the idea for the couple and the relationship. the only difference between the story they copied it from what's the two boys were not brothers.

Fine YA novel, heavy on all-consuming love

Great for teenagers. love confused with lust in my opinion. well written and good narration