Once Upon a Western Way

By: Marguerite Madden

Narrated by: Sallie Downing

Length: 7 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

Young Susan finds herself moved far away from her childhood home, and betrothed to the prince of a neighboring kingdom. She vows to hate her new husband, but when they are young adults, an unstoppable force destroys their homes and families, and he is the only one she can turn to.

Prince Joseph fell in love with her the moment their eyes met. But her prickly attitude tells him that he will have to work hard to win her affections. And when circumstances out of his control throws them together, he would give his own blood to keep her safe.

Together, are they strong enough to defeat the most unlikely of foes, and free the people of the Western Empire from slavery? Or will they simply vanish into the hourglass of time, two small grains of sand lost forever in history?

Markie Madden Author/Publisher Metamorph Publishing https://metamorphpublishing.comhttps://www.facebook.com/booksbymarkie

©2014 Marguerite Madden (P)2015 Marguerite Madden

Different and exceeded my expectations

What did you love best about Once Upon a Western Way?

I wasn't sure what to expect when I got this audio book for a road trip. What drew me to this book in the first place was the beautifully designed cover and then the description. What I found interesting is the time setting. It is set in the future, not in the past as I expected.

I was enthralled with this book and the narrator did an excellent job. I loved how she was able to distinguish the characters with her voice. My favorite voice was Mac's.

The story line itself was very engaging. In fact, when one of my favorite characters dies, I almost cried. I was driving so I didn't but I wanted to. For an author to expel that kind of emotion out of a reader then you know the reader connected to the character.

The ending wasn't what I expected and I can't say more without giving spoilers.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Mac - his accent and the way he inter-related with the Queen.

What about Sallie Downing’s performance did you like?

I enjoyed the way she made all the characters come to life. She used different voices to do this.

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

yes

Any additional comments?

I loved this book.

Well, it's an interesting read

This novel had me questioning the plot and story's structure from the very beginning. I was often confused and unsure what the story was about with it's odd mix of future and past. Once I finally got a grasp on where the setting was it made the main characters more enjoyable/relatable but made it all the more disconcerting that it was little children reading it. I liked the ideas presented in the novel, I just don't think they were written well.

The narrator, Sally Downing, was superb. She had the perfect reading voice and her tempo was spot on. I even enjoyed her choice of vocal nuances in the novel. I look forward to listening to more of her work.

This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.