The Book of Secrets

The Last Oracle, Book 1

By: Melissa McShane

Narrated by: Stephanie Spicer

Length: 6 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

Helena Davies just wants a job that will get her out of her parents’ basement. Abernathy’s Bookstore is disorganized, out of the way, and smells funny, but it pays well and promises to be interesting. She has no idea how interesting. By the end of the first day, Helena has a dead boss in the basement, an unexpected promotion, and the news that she is now a part of an endless war against creatures from another reality.

As Abernathy’s newest custodian, Helena is responsible for its secrets, including the most important one: Abernathy’s isn’t just a bookstore. It’s the world’s only living oracle, producing prophecies to help fight the war against alien invaders bent on draining this world of its magic. Helena’s job is to find books to answer questions put to the oracle by the Wardens, fighters in the Long War. It seems simple enough, but Helena’s new job is anything but.

Without training, without any knowledge of the magical world, and facing the hostility of those who’d wanted someone else to be Abernathy’s custodian, Helena must navigate the treacherous waters of her new world and find a place for herself within it. But there’s still a murderer on the loose, someone who intended to control Abernathy’s by killing its custodian - and Helena might be next on his list.

©2018 Melissa McShane (P)2020 Melissa McShane

I couldn't stop listening!

this was a different type of book than I usually pick for listening. It was good had lots of twists and excitement right up to the end.

Decent Story - Narrator was droll.

I agree with most of the reviews on this book in regards to the narrator. Even sped up its still not great narration. I still enjoyed the story and felt like it could appeal to all ages. Sometimes the characters felt a little flat and the author needed to revisit how she wanted us to feel about them. It was worth the credit for me and I am looking forward to seeing if the author is able to flesh out the characters more as the series goes on.

Added to my list of all-time favorites

I should say that I wrote this review after finishing the last book of the series. But I figured it would be more helpful to those deciding whether or not to start it.

I stumbled across this series while I was having a tough time getting interested in a book. I did not expect to enjoy it so much. Had I known, I would’ve waited to start it when I wasn’t so busy because I couldn’t put any of these books down. I read them instead of studying and stayed up until the early morning hours while I finished several of these books. I have no doubt that it’s become one of my all-time favorite series, along with Harry Potter, Fablehaven, and Inkheart. However, it’s the most mature of those series and I feel so thankful to have found myself again lost in a fantasy world, which I feared went away with my childhood.

Needless to say, I absolutely recommend this series. I was surprised by all the negative reviews. But I think that some adults (like my husband) need a series to be heavier and denser to find it worth my time. Not with me, I prefer to read a fantasy book effortlessly. I suggest you give it a shot and see if you can put it down. :)

Enjoyed It

This audiobook was an interesting and easy listen. This audiobook is enjoyable without being overly complicated.

Very well written and performed

The protagonist is a smart, somewhat repressed girl who is thrust into a new world she never expected. She grows and the story is both interesting and engaging. I recommend it heartily.

Definitely worth your credit ...

I was very happily surprised at the quality of the plotting, characters, mystery, and, may I say, the ethics of the author, who presented a straightforward paranormal urban contemporary mystery without relying on snark or sex as plot filler. There's mystery, action, monsters, magic, a completely fabulous book store of a type I haven't experienced before, and human characters with personalities we've all met, some we like, some we'd rather avoid. This is actually the real deal, and a fine start to a series. I'm actually interested to discover how it goes forward. I'm not going to recount it or explain it, suffice it to say, if you like urban paranormal, I expect you'll like this book. And, Audible will give you your credit back if you don't, so, you're covered, give it a try, it's worth your time and attention.

Unique Story

A unique story and a novel introduction into the realm of magic. I enjoyed meeting these fascinating characters, The narration however, was disappointing. I was surprised to learn she’s a seasoned narrator. No real voice inflection or effort at character portrayal. I bumped up the narration speed to 1.2 and it made all difference.

Don't.

Written like a high schooler had time on her hands and thought, writing couldn't be that difficult, could it?
Read by someone who can pronounce words.
I rarely leave a bad review, but this one required a warning.

Be warned, this is not written for (or by) adults!

This was a very disappointing book for me. The premise seemed promising, but to my dismay the language and writing is so adolescent that it is hard to stomach. As if that was not enough, it consists mainly of clichés and overused tropes (including the name Abernathy), and moves without timing. To top off the terribleness, the narrator reads as if the material presented is the index of the least interesting book ever written, without any feeling for the sentence structure or the story itself. Monotonous and dull is not good for any book, even a good one, and this one is now dead as can be.

Very refreshing...

Thoroughly enjoyed the book. Narration was right on, story was compelling and unpredictable. I am waiting for the next one..

EVERYTHING ABOVE THIS LINE IS NOT MY REVIEW. WHY WOULD I GIVE SOMETHING 1 STAR ACROSS THE BOARD, THEN SAY I ENJOYED IT? I HAVE NOTHING TO SAY ABOUT THIS BOOK, I CAN'T REMEMBER EVEN READING IT. i''VE BEEN HACKED.