Blood Engines

A Marla Mason Novel

By: T. A. Pratt

Narrated by: Jessica Almasy, T. A. Pratt (Introduction)

Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

Meet Marla Mason - smart, saucy, slightly wicked witch of the East Coast....

Sorcerer Marla Mason, small-time guardian of the city of Felport, has a big problem. A rival is preparing a powerful spell that could end Marla's life - and, even worse, wreck her city. Marla's only chance of survival is to boost her powers with the Cornerstone, a magical artifact hidden somewhere in San Francisco. But when she arrives there, Marla finds that the quest isn't going to be quite as cut-and-dried as she expected...and that some of the people she needs to talk to are dead.

It seems that San Francisco's top sorcerers are having troubles of their own - a mysterious assailant has the city's magical community in a panic, and the local talent is being (gruesomely) picked off one by one.With her partner-in-crime, Rondeau, Marla is soon racing against time through San Francisco's alien streets, dodging poisonous frogs, murderous hummingbirds, cannibals, and a nasty vibe from the local witchery, who suspect that Marla herself may be behind the recent murders. And if Marla doesn't figure out who is killing the city's finest in time, she'll be in danger of becoming a magical statistic herself.

BONUS AUDIO: Includes an exclusive introduction written and read by author T.A. Pratt.

©2007 T.A. Pratt (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

I LOVE Marla Mason's world --

Marla Mason is a spunky wizard with a city to protect, and she doesn't apologize for her priorities. It's such a fun world that I got sucked in immediately. The narrator is awesome, so great in fact, that for me, she IS Marla Mason. Come on T.A., give us what we want -- hurry up and publish book 5! Pretty please?

Marla is a badass

I love this series so much. Adding the audio book to my list has given me the chance to hear this story a totally different way and enjoy it all over again!!

"Blood Engines"

Marla Mason is a unique character and needs a unique voice. Jessica Almsay is such a voice. There are some readers who become one with their books--Susan Ericksen with those of J.D. Robb--Anna Fields with those of Susan Elizabeth Phillips--Barbara Rosenblat with those of Elizabeth Peters and Jessica Almasy with those of T.A. Pratt. I have listened to all four books. Marla is quirky, complex but consistent. Each book is original though true to the world concept. The last book left off in mid air. I Want Answers! Mr. Pratt write faster...

Fun Story!

Very fun listen. Enjoyed the fantasy world and the characters. Great way to pass the time stuck in LA traffic

Slow Start

Would you listen to Blood Engines again? Why?

Yes

What was one of the most memorable moments of Blood Engines?

I liked it when Marla and Rondeau went to Finch's party

Have you listened to any of Jessica Almasy and T. A. Pratt (Introduction) ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Only the books in this storyline. This was the first one.

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

No, at first I didn't know if I liked Marla at all, and that was a bit of a deterrent. Once it got maybe 1/3 of the way in I couldn't put it down.

Any additional comments?

At first I found the character of Marla Mason very unlikable. She seemed very self absorbed and rude, but I stuck with it anyway since the story was gaining speed and I wanted to know what happens. By the end, even though I still thought she was a bit mean I also thought she made a good character and got the next book.

Average Characters

Marla Mason, touted as a most powerful sorcerer and leader of Felport travels to San Francisco with her sidekick Rondeau to get extra power to maintain her "throne" so that another sorcerer, Susan, doesn't steal it from her. That's the long and short of the book. The duo gets into trouble almost constantly. The story line is creative and inventive, but the characters are lacking in development. We don't learn much about how Marla got to where she is and we know even less about Rondeau, although his character is much more likable than Marla's. Marla is very sarcastic, which could be funny if the wit were appropriate. She reminds me of Myron Bolitar in Harlan Coben's books, but without the panache or even the delivery. Pratt doesn't quite pull it off. In her defense she claims she had intended this book to be a stand alone. Yet even really good stand alone books get the reader personally involved in the character. I wasn't pulling for Marla. But I wasn't pulling for Susan, either. It didn't matter to me. I could have put the book down anytime and not missed it. In fact, after reading it, I went on to my next book. And when I finished that and was deciding what to read next, I pulled up Blood Engines again. Of course I realized after 30 seconds into the book that I had already read it. But to not even remember the title or the characters until I clicked on it again speaks volumes about the book. It's just not memorable.

Fantastic Story, weird audio decisions.

I am new to Marla Mason but I love where it's going so far. I could not get enough of book one and just tore through it in just a day or two. It is frustratingly difficult to find a female lead done right but Pratt nails it with Marla. She has depth and complexities, she is given the room to have an emotional response (and she sometimes ignores that room, which is also fantastic) and she gets things done.

Jessica Almasy does a great job with the narration, but I did rate the "performance" section lower because somebody had the terrible idea to throw the rare random sound effect into the book. I dislike sound effects in my audio books but at least the ones that have them are usually consistent and I can eventually learn to ignore them. But I was about half way through the book before suddenly, and loudly, a sound effect and background music was used for a few minutes then just as suddenly disappeared. And again, a couple hours later, another completely random, inappropriate sound effect. I do not understand the direction choice to add those in and throughly disapprove. They completely detracted from the storytelling and pulled me out of an otherwise enjoyable suspense of a tense moment in the story. If not for those I would also be rating the performance as a five because Jessica did do a fantastic job.

Good Beginning to series

I am definitely glad I had listened to Bone Shop first, so that I had some historical background of Marla Mason and Rondeau. Marla comes across as cold and calculating and a bit ruthless at times. Rondeau helps to counterbalance that and to also allow some of her softness to show or she might be a bit to cruel to be considered as a heroine. Also, one wonders if she might be a bit gentler is she still possessed her memories of Daniel, which she has erased from her memory in Bone Shop by a spell she asked for. At least we know now that she realizes that she has to be careful how she uses her cape, lest it take her over and she becomes a rampaging serial killer. Despite all of this, one comes to appreciate and even like Marla. You get the feeling that she really does appreciate her friends and she is trying to do what is right. I hope we get to see 'B" in future novels as his "seeing" can provide a different slant on how the direction of the story can go. I also have been actually enjoying Jessica Almasy's reading of this series. I wasn't sure I would at the beginning of Bone Shop, but she actually does a credible job. I didn't find her annoying at all once I got into the story.

not bad

Not bad. Good enough to listen to series! Narration ok. Good buy on sale! Ended up buying them all.

Not bad, not great, poor narrator choice

First, the narrator sounds like a very young girl...it is very disconcerting for Marla's voice, let alone for the male voices. It is a shame. It is not so bad that i couldn't get through the story.

There are a number of 'fill-in-the-blank'omancers...you know, technomancer, etc. When we got to pornomancer I was so disappointed - really, it came across as a cheesy way to throw in a big orgy with b&d and s&m scenes filled with things I stopped giggling at in my twenties. Throw in a twisted necrophilia and rape as revenge scene and I was truly disgusted. Disgusted that an otherwise interesting writer stooped to something so cheap and cheesy. Really, you had to go there?

Get past that part and you find a story that will keep you occupied for a few hours.