Struck

Phoebe Meadows, Book 1

By: Amanda Carlson

Narrated by: Emma Wilder

Length: 8 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

When Phoebe Meadows gets struck by a strange light in the stock room of Macy's, life as she knows it flies out the window. As if being hit by lightning isn't bad enough, she's accosted in the subway by a man with a missing hand, arrives home to find a raven on her kitchen counter, and her neighbor Ingrid shows up dressed like a gladiator, hell-bent on protecting her.

Before Ingrid can shuttle her off to safety, Phoebe is kidnapped and tossed into one of the Nine Worlds, where she's quickly forced to come to terms with what she is: a Valkyrie. The only problem is, she has no idea what that means.

After a narrow escape, she finds an unlikely ally in Loki's son, Fenrir. Together, the Valkyrie and the wolf must battle their way back to New York City and reach the Valkyrie stronghold where Ingrid is waiting for her. But with danger and obstacles at every turn, Phoebe might not live long enough to learn the full truth about who and what she really is.

©2016 Amanda Carlson (P)2016 Amanda Carlson

Loved!

What made the experience of listening to Struck the most enjoyable?

I'm not really sure what it was that made listening to this story as opposed to reading more enjoyable. Perhaps it was the narrator who did a terrific job. I hadn't 'read' the story, prior to listening to it, but I have a feeling either way would have drawn me in. Thankfully, I have the second book in this series, so I'm very eager to find out what else happens to Phoebe.

What other book might you compare Struck to and why?

Obviously the whole girl grows up unknowing she's someone special from a special place, only to be thrown into a sh*tstorm is nothing new. But the author was able to bring it all together to make a really cool and interesting story.

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

I wasn't sure about her at first because she has a very unique voice, at least to me. She did a great job though with the different characters, especially the male ones.

Mythology comes to life

Who was your favorite character and why?

Phoebe for sure, she goes through so much during the book and her growth into a strong and confident woman is wonderful to see.

Which character – as performed by Emma Wilder – was your favorite?

All of them! Emma does an excellent job of the narration, each character has a distinct voice and is easy to recognize, both male and female voices are well done.

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

Yes, I only stopped because I needed to sleep and work, I still finished within 24 hours of starting.

Any additional comments?

The story is a wonderful mix of modern earth with Norse mythology, it has a strong well planned story line and great characters that combine to draw you in and make you want to know what happens next. If fact as soon as I've slept again I'll be starting the next book.

Note: This book was provided free in return for an honest review.

A date with mythology

Would you listen to Struck again? Why?

Yes. It's an interesting story that brings mythology to life

What was one of the most memorable moments of Struck?

When Phoebe and Fenrir meet

Which scene was your favorite?

When Phoebe tells Fenrir who her father is.

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

Yes.

Any additional comments?

Love the book & story. The Narrator is amazing for the story.

Excellent!

I was hooked right from the start! I love Norse Mythology. This is my first book but Amanda Carlson, not only will I read all of this series but will look for other books as well. I really liked the characters as they were real, not perfect not predictable and humorous. Loved Phoebe, she did need saving a lot but considering the turn her life took it wasn't annoying, Loved Fenrir both in wolf and human form. I want Sam as my best friend, loved to have a big brother like Tyr and who doesn't want a pet Raven named Huggy of all thing and great book! Can't wait to start the next

Fun start to a series

I truly enjoyed this book. It starts off with a bang and just keeps going through many action-filled twists and turns.

I enjoyed the interactions between all the characters. There were many funny moments throughout the book which kept it from getting too tense.

The narrator did a great job. She put plenty of emotion into her narration and did well with the different characters voices. She was easy to listen to and her voice worked with this audiobook.

I'd recommend this book to anyone that enjoys strong characters, mythology, a little heat, and quite a few laughs. I can't wait to listen to the next one!

Loved it!!! Super entertaining!!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes! The story is beyond interesting, and the narrator does awesome!

What did you like best about this story?

the Norse god angle was great

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

There are a whole bunch of creatures, and she has a different voice for all the different types, she does wonderfully!

Any additional comments?

Full review -

I loved this!! I love this type of premise! Phoebe is a woman who is struck by lightening, and it completely changes her life! She finds out that she isn't exactly human, and that there are quite a few enemies that want her dead due to a prophecy, so begins Phoebe's crazy adventure! I love that this story has to deal with some Norse mythology, and I loved that Phoebe is in her 20's, so the story is more adult. This book deals with Phoebe finding out more about who she really is, and Phoebe begins the first leg on her quest to discovering just what in the heck is going on. I love the unique creatures and worlds Phoebe encounters, and I liked all of the side characters. Phoebe is a bit of a damsel, but she does have some awesome, kickass moments, and I'm looking forward to seeing her grow more into her powers, and I'm excited to see where her quest is going to go. I loved the connection between Phoebe and Fen! This story has some steamy moments! There is lots of cool action sequences, and some interesting enemies. I also listened to the audiobook version of Struck, and the narrator did an amazing job! Not only does she do different female and male voices, she also does a whole bunch of different creatures, and she does great with them all! I'm definitely looking forward to the next book! The adventure is just beginning!

Action-packed

Since the Norse mythology is new to me I felt this was a fresh and different urban fantasy. It had a lot of action and great characters. Emma Wilder did a great job with the voices. I'll be getting book 2 next.
I think I'm suppose to state that I won the audible copy of this book in a contest. I joined the contest because I loved the Jessica McClain books and have all the ones available at audible.

Nice start to the series

I’ve been a fan of Amanda Carlson’s since I read the first Jessica McClain book several years ago. I was really excited to hear that she had a new series coming out and it was based on Norse Mythology. This is a section of paranormal that I’m not extremely familiar with, but I’ve been enjoying the stories that I’ve read based on this mythology.

So here we have Phoebe who has always thought of herself as a pretty normal person. She is fairly new to New York City. She is making her way working in the shoe department of Macy’s. That is until one day she is struck by lightning. Well, she didn’t realize it was lightning at first, because how do you get struck by lightning in the middle of a building. It isn’t until she gets home and finds an extremely large raven in his apartment and her neighbor busts in, wearing really weird clothes and talking about things that couldn’t possibly be real, that things start to really get weird for Phoebe.

Phoebe has a really difficult time dealing with this change in her life. This makes it difficult for the people around her to really save her. She is whisked away to another realm where she continues to meet more people who are going to be a large part of her new life and help her along the way.

I’m having a hard time deciding how I want to rate this story. I liked the characters. The plot was fast paced and exciting, which is something I knew I would get from Amanda Carlson. Her stories are almost too fast paced at times. The romance between Fen and Phoebe was extremely quick and not well developed. I think this series has promise, but felt that this story could’ve used a little more depth. I also felt like somethings just worked out too easily for Phoebe and her friends. There were obstacles, but they were easily solved and moved on to the next one. I would like to see things not be quite so easy for her in the future.

Narration
I enjoyed Emma Wilder’s narration. I had not listened to her before this book, but I would listen to her again. I thought did a good job with males and females. Each character had a distinct voice. I thought her pacing was perfect for this fast paced story. I would try her again.

**I like to thank the author for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Amazing!

Would you listen to Struck again? Why?

Yes, It's a great story

Any additional comments?

Loved this book and it's take on Norse characters/myth. I'm seriously loving the pairing of Pheobe & Fen! Great Characters and a great plot, I can't wait for the sequel!

Good Start to a New Series

What did you like best about this story?

I enjoyed that you didn't need a strong Norse background to follow it and there was a lot of uncertainty and growth. If Phoebe had been prepared for being struck and beginning the transformation process of becoming a Valkyrie, the story would be much less compelling

Have you listened to any of Emma Wilder’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I enjoyed it. She's not my most favorite narrator but she did well. She was very soft spoken in some internal dialogue that I had trouble focusing on when I was driving to work at 6am but I loved her character speaking voices.

Any additional comments?

My traveling companion was very concerned that I would listen to this book while I was at work or at home without her. i really appreciated that the WhisperSync function and latest Kindle update allowed me to read head without losing where she and I were in it.