The Finisher (Vega Jane, Book 1)

By: David Baldacci

Narrated by: Nicola Barber

Length: 14 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

Fourteen-year-old Vega Jane lives in the village of Wormwood, where life is nasty, brutish, and short. Villagers have been told that there is nothing outside of Wormwood except for the Quag, a foul forest filled with terrifying beasts. No one comes, no one goes, and Wormwood has stayed this way for generations. Until Vega's friend Quentin Herms disappears.

Quentin leaves Vega a secret message hinting that there's a way out of Wormwood and something extraordandinary on the other side. As Vega begins to investigate, she realizes that Wormwood is a village built on dangerous lies. And that powerful people are willing to kill in order to keep it that way. Soon Vega is careening down a path that will either lead straight to the truth...or straight into an early grave.

©2014 David Baldacci (P)2014 Scholastic Inc.

not your regular David Baldacci

Would you listen to The Finisher again? Why?

the only reason I would listen to it again is to refresh my mind if I decide to read the second book of the series when it comes out

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Finisher?

the ending

Any additional comments?

this is not 4 regular Baldacci fans. I personally am not a fan of his, but I do like young adult fantasy fiction and this book hit it right on the head.

Surely wish we could give partial star ratings

Any additional comments?

For me personally, this is more a 3.5 star book simply because I like deeper characters, conversation, and meaning in 4-5 star books. That being said, the fantasy is enjoyable and the mystery intriguing.
The story presents a very different world with imaginative creatures and customs of its own seeped in mystery. Entwined are current familiar figures of speech with occasionally inserted less used vocabulary words attributed to the main character of very simplistic thinking. I like the words. They just seem out of place. I only smile at such anomalies in a story and don't let it ruin the enjoyment. And it is an enjoyable story that exercises the imagination. Some of the "fight or flight" encounters went on a bit long for me and listening at 1.25 to 1.5 speed did wonders. I liked it better than just O.K. but not quite to the 4 star range.. Ah for those partial stars. I wasn't thinking of going to the next episode…..until the end..and now I just may want to know what happened next. There is an ongoing mystery here.

The Finisher - Uniquely Readable!!

I applaud Davd Baldacci's ability to grab one's attention to this great storyline! Here - Here!!

story ok just didn't care for reader

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

reader makes the story sometimes

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

didn't finish

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Nicola Barber?

the one that reads Ron McLarty

Was The Finisher worth the listening time?

na

Any additional comments?

just didn't enjoy so didn't finish

Great

The book was excellent. It had exceeded my exception s. I thought it would be another one of those total copies of Harry Potter, but it wasn't. I am looking toward to reading the next Vega Jane novel.

great story

loved it. very intriguing story. she did a great job narrating
THE final talk with brother was good and insightful

Fantastic read!

I fell in love with Vega Jane and Harry Two. Believable characters interesting and engaging plot and storyline. I like this departure from what we’ve all come to know Baldacci for in the world of mystery thrillers full of gunfire and suspense. Looking forward to the next in this series! Well done.

David Baldacci - Really?

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

Would rank this book near the middle of all the audio books I've listened to - mainly because it was not a typical Baldaci book.

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

Interest! Niccola Barber did a fantastic job of getting the dialect and emotions across to the reader. His narration alone is worth the listening time!

Any additional comments?

Very out of the norm for Baldacci, but took a chance on it. It's not the typical sort of book I would choose to listen to or read, but it was definitely worth the time. The narrator was absolutely superb!

Awesome!!!

Great story! Great narration. Can hardly wait for the next! Hope September gets here soon!

Different but good!

It was like a mixture of hunger games and Harry Potter or something (Lol). It was written well and was enjoyable to listen to. I think it’s cool Baldacci went another direction and went outside his norm. Another listener had stated maybe he has a 15 year old grandchild or something. Maybe he wrote it for her or that age group. All in all I would not continue on with this series. It’s just not my cup of tea. It is entertaining for a one time listen or read.