Maggie McMeekin

I did not expect the level of depth given to the sci-fi futuristic world the story takes place in, and toward the start, I wondered how on Earth the author would stretch the straightforward story and events of Cinderella across the length of the whole audiobook. After the early introduction of the Prince, I felt as though it could easily be wrapped up in half the book's length.

However, once side plots (like the plague and Lunar versus New Beijing politics) took off, I found the story much more enjoyable. I liked Cinder's lack of helplessness - she was determined and was her own Hero, and in many ways she seems set up to save the prince and the kingdom herself rather than be a damsel in distress.

By the end of the audio book, I could see ample plot to justify a sequel, and the cliff hanger ending has me enticed enough to warrant buying the sequel when it comes out (Feb 3, 2013 according to Amazon). I have not had a book prove me wrong before like this. I've picked up "chick lit" or other fairy tale retellings and found them so formulaic and predictable, with settings devoid of depth, that I was worried Cinder was headed in that direction. I am glad to be proven wrong. I found myself rooting for Cinder, and more importantly, I found myself REALLY hating the Lunar Queen. I am actually looking forward to the moment in the book series when the Lunar Queen gets what's coming to her (which I assume will occur).

I was interested in how cyborg parts functioned in the story, though not much detail went into detailing the science behind it. As I have watched Star Trek extensively, I am used to a degree of science and explanation behind scientific advantages, so this is clearly "soft" science fiction, versus traditional sci-fi.

One thing that did make me rate it at 4 and not 5 stars is that it is simply not the same level of literary work as other books I love. This book is written at an approachable but pedestrian vocabulary level, making it pleasant reading material for teenage girls or average intelligence adults. There were no words used that I did not know the meaning of. The level of mystery or suspense was shot because I guessed a major plot twist early into the book due to the conventional, even obvious, way clues were mixed into the narration.

Nevertheless, I found it an enjoyable story, and I look forward to a sequel to see where the story goes from here.

I love non fiction and learning about something new. I was very surprised at how clever the writing was in this book. Some one-liners downright had me laughing out loud. At one point, my brother (22 years old and a law student without much math or science in his background) sat through an hour long car ride in which I listened to this audio book, and even from a random point in the book, he found himself exclaiming in surprise at some interesting facts he learned, and laughing at the clever jokes and side comments.

I have to say that I learned something, but furthermore enjoyed learning it. It didn't feel tremendously technical or too plodding and long. It also explores the contributing social circumstances and history of the various mathematicians and scientists mentioned within its pages, which helps create a broad knowledge base on the topics at hand and about the people behind the discoveries as well.

Well, this audiobook was another solid, excellent narration by Marsters. I adore his voices, but then again I've adored him since he was Spike on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The story itself is also solid, and delivers all the twists and action that one expects from Dresden Files books.

**Spoilers alert:**

We see Harry Dresden's love interest Susan returns. You will find that you will root for it to work out. Harry's patient waiting for over a year for Susan to return kindles a sort of desire for their relationship working out inside me, it made me sit on the edge of my seat until the end of the book, wanting to know what will happen and if I get my way with the story. I won't spoil anything further than that, you just need to listen and learn.

What a fantastic series! I loved this audiobook. First of all, I am delighted with Marster's range, and it made me grin to listen to him do all the crazy faerie voices. Furthermore, there were quite a few exciting twists and turns that had me unable to put this audiobook down until it was finished. I think the more I get into the Dresden Files, the more I love Harry Dresden and the series itself.

I never expected myself laughing out loud while listening to an audiobook that is so, so old, written a very long time ago and certainly one that you'd think is out of touch entirely with society now. The story therefore surprised me thoroughly, as it was hilarious, multi faceted, rich and full of rewarding little tales and side plots that captivated my heart and imagination.

Our fearless Don Quixote is, needless to say, mad as the hatter. The amazing thing is, the story never hesitates to show how crazy he comes off to others, and much of the amusement comes from how deluded Don Quixote is. There are hilarious capers in which others of status play along with Don Quixote's madness in order to see what he will do and to bemuse themselves at the sight of his misadventures.

That being said, I found myself loving Don Quixote and found him honorable, dedicated, and at times extremely wise in his thoughts and insights.

Sancho is ripe for comedic effect, and some of the funniest moments in the book come at Sancho's expense. The performance of his character is fantastic - he is stubborn, dramatic and very self confident.

I would really recommend this title, and I encourage anyone listening to it to have patience and truly allow themselves to become immersed in the comical, deluded world of Don Quixote. By the end of the first of the five parts of this download, I had laughed numerous times, so have patience.

I truly loved this audiobook. The performance is fantastic, the characters were diverse and colorful and I found myself truly rooting for the main character from the very beginning.

I do not wish to spoil the story, so all I will say is, the character of Goran is awesome and I am very satisfied with how things develop for him. His past and experiences were touching and felt very real and made sense.

The fact the main character is gay helps illustrate how difficult it is to be out and openly gay in our society, and how people's opinions toward us can change dramatically over learning something like that. I feel like this book is touching, beautiful, romantic, hopeful and in many ways creates a gay main character that isn't just a stereotype.

I think it ought to resonate with fans of Jim Butcher's Dresden Files, or fans of the TV series Supernatural.

I love Oberon, the loveable hound. So cute.

This was a very quick listen for me, I practically couldn't put the audiobook down until I had finished the entire thing. There are some amazing one liners in this book that, in context, had me laughing my bottom off - "did you just say the Ragnarok is poppycock?" for example.

The main character is loveable, and the assorted cast of mythical beings and supernatural carachters is extremely diverse and interesting. I love the fact I am learning odd bits of trivia on Celtic mythology or world mythology.

Now, as a native Polish speaker, I have to give kudos for the effort Luke Daniels put in to sound Polish. Unfortunately he sounds more Russian, though some words he nails perfectly in Polish. I love that there are Polish speaking characters in general in this book series however, partly for my own nationalist reasons and partly because I rarely, if ever, see Poland crop up in sci fi and fantasy books.

This book surprised me, as it took things up to the next level. Scarlet is a character that is very loosely based on Little Red Riding Hood. My biggest concern with Cinder was that it would try to mirror the Cinderella tale too closely, and now I realize my worries were unfounded. The Cinderella story has gone away, merely a stepping stone toward the larger, more awesome plot that has been unveiled.

I found all the new characters in this book very enjoyable. There was action, romance, drama... It reminds me of the television series "Once Upon A Time", but even better as it is set in an exciting science fiction setting.

I was not able to put this audiobook aside, so I listened to it all within a 48 hour period!

This was a fantastic book, revealing many fantastic insights into the lives of the physicists that shaped quantum physics, as well as explaining quantum physics in and of itself. We see the development of the periodic table, development of the understanding of atomic structure, and details about the borderline philosophical debates that Bohr and Einstein had regarding the quantum.

What really made it an amazing listen is, of course, the great narration and the fact it is written very well, with not too much physics, so it never feels like a dry recitation of a textbook. It wows you and makes you realize how much you're learning as it unveils physics concepts, then mixes it up entirely by going into the private lives and personalities of the physicists. You find yourself liking some more than others, or even surprised by how wild some of their lives were - like Schrodinger's sexual exploits, hehe.

Well, I have yet to listen/read any Murakami title and NOT love it.

Kafka on the Shore weaves together mythology, Jungian archetypes, the paranormal and reality, creating a surreal world that is much like ours, and yet very different as well.

I feel as though I've gone through the looking glass, and emerged fascinated, in love with the bizarre ways things operate, the strange ways things are symbolic, the relationship between life and death, and everything in between.

I wanted to know what's next through the entire thing, and even though I just heard the last line five minutes ago, I wish I had more. Not that the story feels incomplete, as it is quite perfect. I just wish I had more Murakami in my library. I hungrily devour everything he's ever written and can't wait for more.

Addictive, fun and fast paced. It is a great part of a fun series. If you're a fan of the TV show "Supernatural", you'll like this.