Arija and the Burning City

Hall of Doors, Book 3

By: Zachary Chopchinski

Narrated by: Mike Sanders

Length: 5 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

"Welcome to hell, ladies and gents, where the demons are monsters and so are the angels."

In a city filled with angels and demons, the real monsters are harder to find.

When Arija jumps through a portal, she finds herself in the most beautiful city she's ever seen. But looks can be deceiving. Has she found a paradise, or is it hell?

Adal can't believe he let Arija go into the portal alone. When he goes in looking for her, he finds himself in a hellscape. With a demon around every corner, Adal must find his girlfriend before it's too late.

But someone watches from the shadows.

When heaven and hell collide, Adal and Arija must figure out who they can trust. Will they solve the puzzle before it's too late?

©2019 Zachary Chopchinski (P)2020 Zachary Chopchinski

WOW!!!

I love the audio version of this! I had already read the book, and it was wonderful getting into the story again. The characters are amazing, the worlds are well thought out and so realistic. The narrator brought a great energy to this work. The intensity is perfect and the voice changes are awesome, but my favorite detail is the laughter!

Steampunk fun!

This is the third book in Zachary Chopchinski's "Hall of Doors" series and they just keep getting better and better! This series is hard to categorize but I would call it a mix of Urban Fantasy and Steampunk. Mostly, I call it great fun!

Adal and Arija's friend, the mechanical boy, Kip, is missing again and Arija is determined to rescue him. However, Adal has promised Webley that he will stay in the World Machine to help him battle evil forces. After Arija enters the door to find Kip, Adal realizes that he shouldn't have let her go alone and decides to follow. Needless to say, mayhem ensues in this new, disturbing world!

The Burning City is full of fallen angels, succubi, demons, monsters that will eat you with their many mouths and the worst nightclub that I have ever encountered! There is plenty of action (of course!), lots of strange creatures and difficult times for our hero and heroine. And the reappearance of their psychopathic friend, Ypsilon, is a wonderful addition to the story. The dialogue is wonderful with plenty of Mr. Chopchinski's expected snark and I found myself laughing out loud several times. No matter how much danger these characters face, they are always ready with the snarky remarks.

The action scenes are well written and I could almost see it in my mind as I read. Sometimes, the action is so fast paced that you have to remind yourself to slow down and just enjoy!

Some of my favorite quotes:

"All sacrifices must be purchased inside. Do not bring your own victims."

"Well, isn't this place like every crappy sci-fi movie ever?'"

"What is the fun of pestilence if it is not around long enough to enjoy?"

And, finally, we get to see if Adal and Arija will ever realize that they belong together. The readers have known the answer for a long time and this book gives us the answer in a very steamy scene. But, is the steam between our two protagonists or will Adal be duped by the Succubus, Starelle? Stay tuned to find the answer!

I hope that this series continues for a long time. It is a greatly entertaining story and I love Mr. Chopchinski's imagination! I first read the ebook but jumped at the chance to listen to the audiobook version. The narrator, Mike Sanders, does an amazing job and his performance added a lot to my rereading of this book. His voices were perfect (even the females!) and his narration brought this amazing book to life.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from the author and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Arija Kicks Some A$$!

Angels, & demons, & succubi, oh my!

I’m really enjoying Zachary Chopchinski’s Hall of Doors series and Arija and the Burning City does not disappoint. The world that Arija, Kip, Ypsilon, and Adal visit this time is darker and even more intense. Welcome to hell, ladies and gents, where the demons are monsters and so are the angels.

It was interesting to see Adal and Arija separated. They’ve always had each other’s backs, until now. In this book, they have to each survive on their own. It’s a new look at loved characters.

I love how Mr Chopchinski has created a universe with such varying world within. Get family characters and then watch as they get thrown into new worlds and new rules!

As usual with this narrator, he has a splendid range of male voices. The style choice of going with extreme falsetto isn’t my thing. (I don’t like it when female narrators try to give their characters voices below their range either). The plague doctor, however, is perfection.