Bleu

I don't like zombies because I don't like gross, but I liked this book anyway. Allison McLemore's narration was great, and maybe it was the Southern accent, but it reminded me a little bit of the Sookie Stackhouse series. This was a fun book to listen to, and although there were definitely gross parts, it wasn't too terribly gory.

I loved this series and am sad that this was the final book, but it was also nice to have an ending that brought all of the threads of the story together in a satisfying way. I think it would have been hard to keep the story fresh if it had continued on for a long time, and it's sad when a series starts to feel like it's dragging on. I'll miss these characters, but I'd rather have that than get tired of them.

Loved getting more of Georgina's history, and also love that the overarching story of the series is becoming more complex.

It may have been exacerbated by the fact that I didn't care for the narration, but this book really got on my nerves. I thought all of the characters were really one-dimensional and not very likeable, and Bettina was just annoying. I also thought it was about 3x longer than it needed to be. There were a couple of bright spots with the humor -- the mundane world references to things like Rocky Horror and Cracker Barrel were kind of funny, but they seemed very random and out of place. The sylph Salem was the only character that I really liked, but he still seemed like a caricature. There were quite a few sexy bits, but something about the language seemed too crass to me and the Dracula-style accent that the narrator gave to Trehan was really disconcerting. I also really dislike the romance novel tropes of "Oops -- I had sex with you by accident, thought you were someone else!" and "Well, since I can't have sex with who I really want I'll just practice with you." Overall, bleh.

I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I was going to. I'm generally not a huge fan of apocalyptic scenarios, and it definitely felt like a young adult book, but it really kept me engaged. I enjoyed the theme of the Tarot, the spunk of the heroine, the twisty storyline and the focus on Cajun culture via the hero. This was also a particularly good book to listen to on audio -- I have no idea how accurate narrator Emma Galvin's Cajun accent is, but it was certainly sexy and added a lot to Jackson's character. The book ended on a pretty hefty cliffhanger, so I'll probably check out the next book in the series when it comes out.

Even though this felt a little more rough around the edges than usual (especially in the beginning), I still liked this book and loved the series overall. The ending was what I expected it would be, and I thought it was absolutely the right choice for Sookie to make. Although I'll miss my annual foray into the life of Sookie Stackhouse, I'm glad that Harris chose to end the series rather than drag out a story she really isn't inspired to write anymore.

I read this book years ago and loved it, and decided to listen to the Audible version on my way home from my first Savannah vacation. Like many people, this book inspired my initial interest in Savannah, and it was a lot of fun to revisit it now that I've been there and am familiar with the locations referenced in the book. It was very well narrated by Jeff Woodman, so it was also a treat to listen to rather than read. Also, as I started listening to it with my husband on our drive home, I think it helped me convince him that we should move to Savannah in a few years. I've been trying to get back to the South for over 13 years, so much thanks to John Berendt for capturing and communicating the magic and beauty that is Savannah!

I don't agree with all of what Jillian Michaels says, but I like her philosophy overall. . Although it's nice that Jillian reads it herself, the lists, URLs and point system aren't really conducive to audio -- I think it would be more useful to read it (and then maybe listen to it as a supplement or reinforcement).

This series continues to keep me entertained -- I really like the growth of the characters and the central relationship.

I think this was, technically, a good book and I suspect I may have enjoyed it more if i had been reading rather than listening, but it wasn't really my thing overall. It's very grim and takes itself very seriously, but the premise is interesting and the writing enjoyable, often lovely. The narration is also very good, but it's a very convoluted plot line for listening.

I think the book would have felt a little more balanced if the protagonist had managed some happier lifetimes instead of being mostly brutalized over and over, but I supposed that would have made carrying on despite the futility of life just seem too easy. I did, however, appreciate the fact that there was quite a lot of cake.

If this book had been cut by about two-thirds I still wouldn't have loved it, but at least it would have been a little more interesting. The majority of the story just dragged, and while the last bit had some action, the whole thing was plagued by the saccharine (and often silly) over-drama that is teen romance. Also, this may have been exacerbated by the fact that I was listening to an audiobook, but the main character (and the other souls) came off as really robotic and therefore hard to sympathize with. They felt more like AIs than aliens. The best I can say is that I liked it more than Twilight.