Taste of Marrow

River of Teeth, Book 2

By: Sarah Gailey

Narrated by: Peter Berkrot

Length: 4 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

A few months ago, Winslow Houndstooth put together the damnedest crew of outlaws, assassins, cons, and saboteurs on either side of the Harriet for a history-changing caper. Together, they conspired to blow the dam that choked the Mississippi and funnel the hordes of feral hippos contained within downriver to finally give America back its greatest waterway.

Songs are sung of their exploits, many with a haunting refrain: "And not a soul escaped alive."

In the aftermath of the Harriet catastrophe, that crew has scattered to the winds. Some hunt the missing lovers they refuse to believe have died. Others band together to protect a precious infant and a peaceful future. All of them struggle with who they've become after a long life of theft, murder, deception, and general disinterest in the strictures of the law.

©2017 Sarah Gailey (P)2017 Tantor

Tied up loose ends

The book tied up the loose ends the last story left for us, but it the plot involved was not as engaging as the first book.

Disappointed

This is a great idea for a story. A little known nugget pulled from history. The first one was good enough to intrigue me enough to listen to this one. I will not make that mistake again.

A consistently solid conclusion to the series.

Taste of Marrow closes out the series with some plot twists and turns I didn't see coming. As well as taking good enough care to fully realise each of the character's developments as the series closes out. A few more loose ends could have been tied up in the end though. As well as spending a bit more time in the epilogue to get a good feel for all their closures.

The narration is of identical quality of the last. Fitting to the era/theme of the books, but fumbling slightly on the female voices.

Epilogue, introspection and hippo frenzies

This was not very cohesive compared to novella one’s lethal revenge “It’s not a caper” operation.
This novella’s plot is mostly about getting the band back together after the flood that allegedly killed them all in the last novella. There’s a half-cooked attempt to create a new bad guy and mission. The bad guy’s nefarious plan is laughably nonsensical.

The narration is hyperbolically overacted, like Capt Kirk in every StarTrek episode. Even random characters with bit parts, like the drunk or the bartender, are at 11 on a 1-10 scale of theatrics.
The overacting matches the writing, which lays on the inner and outer monologues real thick for every character from the first novella. It’s a lot of telling instead of showing, with speeches on motherhood, being a criminal, or lost love.

But, if you can roll with the eyeroll, and find the entertainment value in the scene-chewing everything (raging hippos, a vicious street urchin in a ball gown, repeated accidental throttlings of Hero, etc, etc),
this novella wraps up everyone’s arcs in a bloody good bow. (emphasis on blood)

Continuation of the first book

This won't make any sense if you haven't read Sarah Gaileys first book. If you have and enjoyed it you'll enjoy this one too.