Sara

I downloaded this book because it was Neil Gaiman recommended.

I'm always eager to read (or in this case listen to) books and authors that are inspirations and influences on authors I love.

I truly enjoyed this book. I loved the each chapter seemed to almost be a sort of novella that added up to the story of a fledgling witch.

I also loved that this was written by a man. It has a truly feminine voice to it, and that's not just because of the fabulous job done by Nicola Barber in reading it. I mean that the way in which it was written truly seemed female, there was no forced "this is how girls should be/act" or any stereotypes that some male writers feel should be put in. it reads as just a story of a girl, who happens to be a witch, growing up and finding her place.

I highly recommend it.

I have two real problems with this.
One is a personal issue, the other is a narration issue.

Problem the first:
I have an irrational fear of embalming (I know, I know...that's why it's irrational), and as this takes place partly in a mortuary, it's a no brainer that embalming will be mentioned...I have no issue with that...but it wasn't just mentioned. It was described. I do have issues with that...listening in the car on the way to work was not the best idea...blarg...once I got past that bit I really began to enjoy the story.

The second issue:
I have an issue with the decision to cast John Allen Nelson as the narrator for this audiobook. Don't get me wrong, he has a wonderful voice for reading, just not for reading a narration by a 15 year old boy. His voice makes John Cleaver sound like a news anchor. I just don't think it was a good fit. I see that there is a diffrent narratior for the next two books, so I hope he's a better fit.


With the exception of these two thing I really enjoy this book, and would definatly recommend it.

I actually enjoyed this series more then the original Mortal Instruments series. I look forward to see where this goes.

It's not that she did a bad job, but her voice was just too squeaky for most of the secondary characters...she even made the pixies sound too childlike and girlie. I could almost ignore that, but her pronunciation of characters names and things (ie layline said as leeline) made them almost unreconazable. It really pulls you out of the story.

I really just picked this up on a whim. I liked the concept of a gay superhero who is just starting on his journey.

This book exceeded any expectations I could have had for it. It had moment of humor that would make me laugh out loud, as well as brilliantly written scenes that caused me to cry. The characters had flaws that made them real and relatable, and even some of the secondary two dimensional characters you can envision seeing around school or the workplace.

I also want to say that Michael Urie's reading of this was brilliant! I don't think they could have found a better narrator. His reading of each character was well done, and allowed me to sink into the story without getting distracted by confusion of which character was supposed to be talking.

I could go on and on about how much I love this book, but I think I should end this review by stating I love Ruth. She is my favorite character, and if I had nothing else to say about this book it would be that I'm glad I read it, just because I got to meet her.

I will indeed be reccomending this book in any format to people.

I never quite felt that Emily Shaffer was right for reading from Rose's POV, however I feel that she's perfect for the voice of Sydney. I was please to see that they brought her back for this.

If you love the original Vampire Academy novels, then you need to give this book a listen.

Khristine Hvam reads this like a gossipy teenager talking about her crush on the quarterback.

I'm sure I would enjoy her reading something else...that didn't involve doing accents, however she was the WRONG choice for this.

She makes Rose sound like a squeaky cheerleader and can't seem to get a grasp on accents...someone really should tell her that there is a HUGE difference between Scottish and British accents, and...well I could go on, but really it boils down to me not fully enjoying this audio book.

Download this if you enjoy the series, but don't expect to be completely immersed in the story.