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Magonia  By  cover art

Magonia

By: Maria Dahvana Headley
Narrated by: Therese Plummer,Michael Crouch
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Publisher's summary

“Maria Dahvana Headley is a firecracker: she’s whip smart with a heart, and she writes like a dream.” (Neil Gaiman, best-selling author of The Graveyard Book and Coraline Aza)

Ray Boyle is drowning in thin air. Since she was a baby, Aza has suffered from a mysterious lung disease that makes it ever harder for her to breathe, to speak - to live. So when Aza catches a glimpse of a ship in the sky, her family chalks it up to a cruel side effect of her medication. But Aza doesn't think this is a hallucination. She can hear someone on the ship calling her name.

Only her best friend, Jason, listens. Jason, who's always been there. Jason, for whom she might have more-than-friendly feelings. But before Aza can consider that thrilling idea, something goes terribly wrong. Aza is lost to our world - and found, by another. Magonia.

Above the clouds, in a land of trading ships, Aza is not the weak and dying thing she was. In Magonia, she can breathe for the first time. Better, she has immense power - but as she navigates her new life, she discovers that war between Magonia and Earth is coming. In Aza's hands lies fate of the whole of humanity—including the boy who loves her. Where do her loyalties lie?

Neil Gaiman’s Stardust meets John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars in this New York Times best-selling story about a girl caught between two worlds, two races, and two destinies.

Don’t miss Aerie, the stunning, highly anticipated sequel!

©2015 Maria Dahvana Headley (P)2015 HarperCollins Publishers

What listeners say about Magonia

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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Hard to Review

What did you like best about Magonia? What did you like least?

I really liked the world building, for the most part. It was fairly creative and new. Some of the things were a bit on the ew factor (birds in your chest) and other things are never truly explained to my satisfaction (the whole taking that skin thingy) but it's still very colorful and interesting.

The worst part was the beginning, the characters, and somewhat the plot. It's very obvious that the author put a whole ton of thought into the world building but it's just as obvious that she let the world building take precedence over character and plot. To be quite frank, this book doesn't actually start going until chapter 6. If you skip to chapter 6 with the knowledge that Aza has an unknown, uncureable illness than you've just still a whole lot of annoying mindless prattle that is largely self-aggrandizing (along the lines of 'yeah, I'm dying but I'm so down to earth about it all') and seems to go on and on and ON and WILL-THIS-NEVER-END ON!

What's worse, for me, was that once this starting actually going somewhere we were forced back into a second POV that was largely just thinking and PI shit. So you're like YAY! FINALLY! A PLOT! and then you're dropped into Jason's head and you're all DAMN IT ALL!

Moreover, the beginning and the rest of the story don't feel like they fit together. The beginning has, for the most part, little to no magic in it and you're thrown head first into an incredibly magically heavy UF after chapter 6/7 that you're not be prepared for (that's the original UF concept part.) I know some have expressed a difficulty in the sharp/sudden contrast.

The characters are a bit cliche and this is one of those "strongest magical girl ever alive EVER-LIKE-FOR-REALZ" type UF book.

Still, it's an original idea and that's always welcome. I'd be willing to read more from this author if the author worked more on her characters and plot.

What does Therese Plummer and Michael Crouch bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

They did a good job.

Do you think Magonia needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Eh.

Any additional comments?

As I said, this is very hard to review. You'll see people say they gave up because the beginning (which is rather long tbh -- 20%, I think) is incredibly slow. No, wait, I'm not sure that's right since it doesn't go anywhere and the use of the word slow implies movement. Anyway, if you can handle that then give this book a try. If you're thinking of giving up, skip to chapter 6 and try from there.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

I wish there were more stars to give!

An absolutely spellbinding narrative. Once I started listening I could not turn it off, the story took me under two days to finish 😳😁
Unbelievably heartfelt acting. The narrators had me in tears so many times, I cannot rave more highly about their performances.
This is my new favourite book. I am over the moon. The world created and the characters who lived in it - just amazing.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Hooked from the beginning!

The narrators are awesome and the story is amazing! I went into this book, not sure what to expect because the summary sounded good. I was never bored and such a good read. Probably a new favorite book as well. If you're looking for something that isn't your usual type of book, go for it. The narrators totally make the book. I'm now off to recommend this to everyone I know!

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Too much teenage drama

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The plot is creative and the ending leaves room for more development of this interesting world. However, I was left with more questions than answers about the relationship between Magonia and earth, and also about Aza's relationship to both. It just seemed so far away from me, and too different to grasp.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Therese Plummer and Michael Crouch ?

Michael did a great job; but as for Therese, there are times I just wanted her to stop! She made every character sound like a ball of uncontrolled emotion. I understand that the characters were thrown into some pretty challenging situations, but I don't understand why they always sounded like they were barely holding it together. Aza's character was the worst, but I quickly realized that this was Therese's performance style when all other characters she represented exuded the same thing.

Do you think Magonia needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Yes and no. Yes because the world was so underdeveloped. She spent more time on the character development and the visual -- which was great -- but that doesn't help me connect to the world at a deeper level like I would have preferred, especially one so different as Magonia. No because I don't want to read another teenage drama at this level. If there could please be a little more depth beyond the barely pubescent teenage emotional state in the characters, I could enjoy it a little more.

Any additional comments?

Overall, I don't think I would read a sequel to this book. It was just like I put in my headline -- too much teenage drama. I don't think I can listen to one more recital of the number pi from the main male character, or one more iteration of ((()) ))(( {}{{{{}} symbols to represent words because of angsty, emotional, communication issues.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Something Utterly Magical

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

The narrators. Therese and Michael delivered an utterly BEAUTIFUL performance, which made this fantastical story so much more vibrant and real. Their inflections and acting really made you understand the character - they brought real life to the story.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Magonia?

All of the Jason chapters, and the entire final arc of the story.

Have you listened to any of Therese Plummer and Michael Crouch ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but I will certainly be looking into more books narrated by them.

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6 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Lost me at Owl Attendant

Narration was great. Voices were clear and pleasant. However, the story was just ok. Teenage love story , scifi style . I finished the book . Left off like another story to come ?

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6 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Top contender for best YA fantasy of the year.

The one-line synopsis of this book would probably be pretty trite, e.g. "Young adult, after first endangering the world, finds her place in it, and in doing so saves us all." But the characters are far more compelling than this plot line leads one to expect. There are also two very different settings--a mundane human one, and a fantastic one--both meticulously drawn and each, in its way, entirely credible. Great narration by both Plummer and Crouch.

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4 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Therese Plummer excels

Without any form of spoilers:
This story came to life through the exquisite performance of ms Plummer! There are actors on screen that convey less emotion.
Wonderful and a lovely story as well!
Recommended!

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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New and refreshing

Nice to listen to something that didn't try to conform to some one else's view of fantasy. This book paints a new world that draws you in and keeps you interested till the end.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

The female narrator was incredible!

Listen to the audio for this book. You won't be disappointed! The whispersync was more than I typically ever pay but decided to treat myself and am so glad I did. Both narrators were great but the narrator for Aza was incredible. She had great voices and emotion and she added so much more emotion to this story. The only weird thing is that the less than 2 page prologue wasn't narrated. Not a big deal though.

I loved this book. It was so creative and interesting. I was totally captivated. This is a book that I will read and listen to again.

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