C. Gould

I love Nora Roberts' work. She really excels in character development, and that is probably my favorite part of any book. In this one, she writes a very different kind of leading lady. Liz is a highly intelligent, literal-minded young lady with very little "real world" experience. She reminds me a bit of the TV version of Temperance Brennan, but in a very extreme way. She's so literal that it's funny. A very enjoyable read!

This book is based on a great premise, but it never really involves the reader in the story. I never felt part of the scene, in the character's head, or "drawn in" in any other way. On the up side, the narrator was great.

I could not finish this one. I love fantasy/paranormal and a bit of steampunk, but this one was too much for me. In the beginning, there were way too many things that were unexplained. It felt a bit like being lost in a nightmare from which you can't wake up. Then, by the middle, what was a "mystery" to the characters was very plain to the reader. I was so annoyed by the whole thing, that I just gave up.

I put off trying this series for a long time. I don't really recall why, but when I ran out of other things to listen to, I gave it a try. I was pleasantly surprised by the book and the main character. I ended up listening to the whole series (so far), and liked them all.

The reason I gave it four stars instead of five, is that the main character has an annoying habit of taking on responsibility for anything and everything bad that happens, even when she's not present. That was a bit much for me, but perhaps it's a character flaw that will be explained and/or developed later in the series.

All-in-all, it was a great listen!

This is not one of those Young Adult titles that crosses over well for adult readers. Although it has paranormal characters, it's basically boils down to a flimsy romance and doesn't have much to really grab an adult reader's attention and hold it.

First, why in the world would you change the pronunciation of "Manticoran" after twelve novels? Second, although this installment was much more interesting that the 12th book, I still protest the absence of the main character in so much of the book. Last, for the second time in a row, David Weber has ended the book in the middle of the story. That is extremely irritating!!

First, it's very irritating to find the main character present in fewer than one-third of the scenes in the book. Second, this particular book in the series ends in the middle of the action. Is this a soap opera or a novel?

I LOVED this one! Kira is a great, no-nonsense, female protagonist. She's real, very believable. I hope Ms. Frost will elaborate on this one in future endeavors. Great story!!!

I first listened to this audio book in 2000, and have listened to it seven times since. When it became available on Audible, I had to get my own copy. I absolutely adore the marriage of Nora Roberts' talent and character development with Dean Robertson's reading. This narrator infuses the text with authentic pronunciation, a natural story rhythm, and subtle intonation. I especially enjoyed the humor behind sharp-tongued Faith Lavelle (minor character). Listen to the sample piece to see what I mean. This is truly a great work.