Crossfire

Book 1, The Omega Group

By: Andrea Domanski

Narrated by: Melissa Chatwood

Length: 5 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

Birthdays suck!

For her 18th, Mirissa Colson receives a package from the mother who abandoned her over a decade ago. The family secret it reveals transforms her life from trying on prom dresses to battling an ancient race of demons. Thanks, Mom.

Her 19th brings forth an even more treacherous foe - one maniacal demi-god bent on ruling the world. So much for dating. Thankfully, the years of martial arts and sharpshooter training her ex-Navy SEAL dad put her through gives her the perfect skill-set to build upon.

When she's called on to save the world - literally - Mirissa finds she has a lot more in her arsenal than just a mean roundhouse kick. Burgeoning powers she previously thought impossible, like controlling the elements and sensory expansion, give her some confidence. But when she is propelled into a world teeming with preternatural beings - all with powers of their own - she finds herself outmatched and outgunned.

©2014 Andrea Domanski (P)2015 Andrea Domanski

Great way to experience this book

Would you listen to Crossfire again? Why?

This was so much fun to listen to; I will definitely do it again-- and let my daughter listen, too. Which is what I'd bought it for, but I wanted to take a sneak peek to get an idea of the narrator ... and I couldn't turn it off. I own the print version, so I kept thinking "I'll turn it off at this point-- nope, I'll wait until ..." Oops!

What did you like best about this story?

I love Ms. Domanski's words and story-flow. The book is full of fun information with cool twists about Amazons and other mythological characters. I loved all the action and the interplay of the characters, and "watching" the lead, Mirissa, come into her own.

What does Melissa Chatwood bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She was fun to listen to and had a great voice for the lead-- catching the snark and sarcasm of the teen and the strength of the Amazon.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

If I had that many hours to sit and listen from beginning to end, I would. But that's what's so great about audio books; I can be doing stuff around the house and still be "reading."

Any additional comments?

Well done-- and fun that this author has chosen various narrators to go with her other Omega books, capturing the feel of the leads!

Amazonian warriors, gods, demis, & more, gotta lov

Wow, tons of action with all sorts of creatures and a couple of gods keeps your attention in this story. Standard good verses evil with epic battle and love of family are included. The narrator did a fine job, but the recording not so much. The sound at the beginning of sentences was very loud and then softer. It made adjusting volume tedious. I voluntarily reviewed this audio book after receiving an advanced copy.

wonderful

what a wonderful book. nice up beat book. ready for the next book enjoy reading it

A Fantastic Journey

I love this book. Mirissa is one of the best protagonists I've "read" in awhile. It's refreshing to see a female teenage character who is not only tough and independent, but she certainly doesn't need a man to help her achieve her goals. Sure there are hints at a romance, hints that I hope grow into something more. But Domanski has created a character who is totally human, totally teenaged, and totally tough.

If I had a daughter, this is the book I would want her to read. Instead, I can only enjoy it myself and recommend it to others. A little bit Buffy, a little bit Xena and then a whole bunch of her own unique flair, Mirissa is a character to idolize. I hope this book gets the recognition it deserves as I would love to see more girls and women wanting to be more like Mirissa.

I know I didn't give too much about the plot- but I don't want to give spoilers. It's a kick ass story that you need to check out. You won't be disappointed.

I can't wait to listen to Greco (book 1.5 in the series) next! I love this world!

4.5/5 A Twist on Super Heroes

Summary: Marissa discovers some intriguing powers and finds herself at the center of a much larger conflict.

Additional Comments:
- The flashbacks at the beginning were a tad difficult to follow.
- Fight scenes were excellent.
- Marissa came across as whiny at first, but by the end, she's pretty cool.
- Characters: Marin and Steve are also interesting characters. There's a whole host of other Omega Group characters with intriguing powers.
- I enjoyed the way this story wove in Greek gods/goddesses, demigods, and amazon warriors.
- The narrator's performance was good.
- Once the plot settled after the flashbacks it moved forward with great speed and nice tension.
- Overall, this is an awesome YA story about a young woman just discovering her destiny.

Conclusion: Quick, entertaining YA adventure.
*I received a free audiobook. The choice to review as well as the rating and words are solely my own.*

A very Original Story, Highly recommend

I was given this audible copy in exchange for a Review. After listening to the story I have gone ahead and purchased then next 2 audible book in this series, That is how much I truely enjoyed this authors book!! It is rare to find a story that breaks out of the general genre written now a days, so I found this refreshing!

Magical Coming of Age Story

Crossfire is a fast paced thrilling story that grabbed me on page one and held me until the end. The characters and world building are well developed and I became quickly invested. Melissa Chatwood did a good job as narrator with easy to understand and distinguishable characters. I look forward to more in this series and from this Author.

A great young adult novel with an Amazonian twist

Any additional comments?

CROSSFIRE - Omega Group Book One

Author: Andrea Domanski

Type of Book: Audiobook - Unabridged

Narrator: Melissa Chatwood

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal Fiction

Length: 5 hours, 29 minutes

Release Date: March 3, 2015

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

* I received a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I was not sure what to expect from this audiobook. The descriptive blurb intrigued me and I decided to give it a chance. I am glad I did. I enjoyed the mixture of genres that are included in this book.

This book combines paranormal fiction with science fiction and mystery all in a Young Adult friendly novel.

Mirissa Colson's mother left for work one morning, twelve years ago, and never returned.

Now, on Mirissa's eighteenth birthday, a package arrives from her mother. Mirissa is of course both intrigued and repelled. Does she really want anything from the woman who so callously left her husband and six year old daughter?

What Mirissa discovers is that she is not just an average teenager, in fact she is descended from an ancient line of Amazon women and it is her destiny to fight and defeat evil.

Mirissa's gift was an Amazon ring. Her mother sent it to her and now must learn what her powers are and exactly what the ring can do.

Of course, no story would be complete without the requisite bad guy. In CROSSFIRE the bad guy is an evil genius.

There are battles, teen angst, Amazon warriors, good versus evil elements and of course a budding romance. What more can readers want?

CROSSFIRE is a young adult novel. There are many elements to the story that listeners will enjoy. There is a bad guy who is set to take over the world and it is Mirissa's destiny to stop him.

Melissa Chatwood narrates this book with evident skill. There are a lot of characters in this book and it would have been easy for listeners to become confused, but Melissa navigates through the characters with ease. The listener is able to immerse herself in the story. I give the narration 5 out of 5 stars.

I rate this audiobook as 4 out of 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Born and raised near Toronto, Canada, Andrea Domanski moved south to get away from the snow and cold when she was 24 years old. She now lives in Savannah, Georgia with her husband, Mark, their two children, and their Golden Doodle.

After selling her business in 2012, Andrea focused her energies on raising her two children and finding a new career path that excited her. It wasn't long before she decided that writing a novel - something she'd always wanted to do - would be her next big adventure.

A fun fantasy read

This is not normally the kind of book I read, but I have to say that I rather enjoyed it. I would consider it a YA modern paranormal fantasy. I'm fascinated with the legends of the Amazons, so that is one reason this book appealed to me. It is packed with action and keeps the reader engaged and wanting more. I listened to the Audible audio version narrated by Melissa Chatwood, and I liked the narration. She has a nice voice and gives characters distinct voices. If you enjoy YA fantasy, I would recommend this one. Its a fun read.

This was an interesting concept

This was an interesting concept but was not executed very well, the main character was not believable to me at all, there is such a thing as too perfect. A good heroine has flaws, even superheroes. The writing seemed very disjointed to me. Also, this is listed as young adult….that is pushing it for me, it seems more of a tween/pre-teen type book, I can honestly say that at the age of 16-18 I would not have considered this “young adult”.

The gist of the story is on her 18th birthday Marissa discovers she is not 100% human, she is descended from the legendary Amazonian women and her destiny to fight evil. I don’t know if it was the writing, the narration or both but I did not connect relate or even really like any of the characters, I was not engaged in the story and ultimately did not care what the outcome was.

The narrator Melissa Chatwood is a new to me narrator, in general she did a good job of reading/telling the story….but something about the voice she gave Marissa just struck me as kind of whiney and petulant which is probably one of the reasons I did not care for her as a character. The other voices used/given to other characters fine other then she seemed a bit exuberant in the narration at times. While I would not mind listening to other books she narrates, I’m not going to run out and see what books she has done like I do with some narrators.

This may be a case of “it’s not you, it’s me” as there are many review’s and ratings that say this book is wonderful. If you are a pre-teen/tween girl (13-16ish) you will probably enjoy this Audiobook, if your me…..no so much.

Audiobook provided for review by the narrator.

Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog

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