Natalie

No.

Kushiel's Dart or Fingerprints of the Gods

I suppose that the voice matched the character it portrays; childish, vapid, inane. I found the endless stream of email data particulars painful to listen to, and the entire pace slow, dragging me kicking and screaming through a paid credit's worth.

None of the characters were noteworthy. Christian's "dark" side was a joke. Becca's virginal mind laughably unlikely and the various other characters as lacking in depth and dimension as the two protagonists.

After all the hype and titillation of reviews and my friends, I seriously expected something WORTH the talk. This book hasn't got an ounce of human depth and dimension and the "kink" is a joke. In present times when storytellers like Jaqueline Carey can weave a tale so compelling and stunningly written one is bereft reaching the end - of each chapter, each book, but tripe like Fifty Shades of Grey gets the talk simply boggles the mind. If every woman thought she could write a romance novel, this book proves any woman can write about a tame "red room of pain" and get incredible publicity from it. It is an insult to educated readers; there is very little plot, zero character development and the writing is redundant and vacuous.

This was a lovely story drew me in from the beginning. While the storyline wasn't full of twists and turns, it was beautifully written, and left just enough to the imagination, while offering a treasure chest of herb and flower lore. Even better, there was an appendix of the flowers and herbs that provided a handy insight - I actually wish I had the written copy just for this!

The narration was lovely. Susan's voice was clear and crisp, the characters distinguishable, and she kept the story moving at just the right pace.

I would listen to this book again, I enjoyed it so much.

I was truly disappointed when it ended. A great story that brought an interesting blend of characters together. The narration was good, although there were times when I became confused as to whom was speaking due to overlap of accents and speaking styles. I would definitely get the next book in this series!

The storyline was intriguing at the outset, and the characters were certainly interesting. But the unfolding of the story didn't quite live up to the expectation that was set with the description. Eventually, the story got to the point where it just went on and on, and I was wishing it would just wrap up and send everyone home!

The narrator spoke well, and with good enunciation. She was youngish-sounding, however this fit well with the book and I think she did quite a good job.

The story was good, but the narrator spoke far too quickly. It felt like an information download rather than a story, and I found that I missed a lot of it. This could be me; I don't listen to audiobooks for the rapid transfer of information. I don't mind a story taking a while as a storyteller weaves the tale. She did have good inflection and enthusiasm, but I wish she'd taken it a little slower. (And yes, I did try cutting it to half speed, but got a double-voice that was even harder to listen to.)

The story itself was well set-up, but the ending seemed (ironically) rushed and trite. There were subplots that had taken ages to set up, then snapped shut like a clam. But the female lead was a realistic character (and nice to see one with something less "vanilla" in her tattoos and tastes).

The story wasn't too bad; but I wouldn't call it memorable. The narration was certainly acceptable, and far above others that I've listened to. Overall, a simple, enjoyable story, though not one that had me listening every chance I got.

When I saw another's reference to Darth Vader I laughed out loud. It was exactly my thought when I was listening to this novel - the more intense the scene, the more Darth Vader would have been jealous of the hissing stage whisper that turned what would have been a good listen into a comical gigglefest. She literally put the King of the Raspy voice to shame! (seriously.. there is no way to put it... I've never laughed through a sex scene like I did with this book - every mention of the word "her" sounded like a pained evil monster about to attack a fluffy bunny; it was just that out of place). I really recommend listening to the preview before purchasing.

The humour aside, the narration killed what would otherwise have been a very enjoyable romance novel with a strong male and very entertainingly wrought female character.

This was an excellent tale, one that kept us coming back to listen further. My son loved this story, and certainly impressed his teacher with the amount of Egyptology he picked up in the book! It had those little details that really brought the story to life and gave us something to learn and debate with each other (after all, there's nothing like a debate with an 8 year old). The narrators were very good, though everyone who listened greatly preferred the sections that Katherine Kellgren narrated (the story got us to and from a very long drive to the cottage, with company in the car). It is fast paced, keeps you on the edge of your seat (so to speak) waiting for the next shoe to drop as the two are plummeted through adventure after adventure. Told between brother and sister, the effect is amusing and clever. Wonderful story!

This story was absolutely captivating. I bought it for my son to listen to on our commutes to school, but found I was looking forward to listening to it just as much as he was. It is charmingly written, elegant and simple. It deals with solemnity and darkness with a gentle hand and weaves together the various threads of the tale neatly. It is simplistic for an adult's ears, but still immensely enjoyable, and my 8 year old loved it, asking for it to be put on the moment he got in the car. I would listen to it over and again simply for the amazing voices of the narrator - one never exhausted of hearing his voice and the clever use of different accents and overtones. This story was more performed than told, and it suited the tale well!