Magic Lost, Trouble Found: Raine Benares, Book 1

There is a rhythm and a beat to a well written, first person, story. Lisa Shearin feels it, Raine Benars has it. Unfortunately for the listener, Eileen Stevens has neither; at least not in this first installment of the series.

This is a happening story. It's fun, fast, believable, and full of magical mayhem of the highest caliber. Raine Benars, elf, is a street kid at heart. She has high standards, but they may not always reflect those of her society. She finds things for a living. Some of the things she finds may or may not be considered legally lost...

In this story she starts out with the best of intentions and, through a series of events which are completely beyond her control, ends up the center of attention in a wild magical quest which drags her through the lowest of the low to the highest levels her society can offer - and she manages to fit in perfectly at every turn. If you are ready for fun, this is the perfect series for it.

This story rates 4 stars. Unfortunately, the narration doesn't.

The Story/plot was pretty good, however the narration wasn't. I had to rewind several times as the monotonous tone of the reader had me drifting. The lack of inflection, and rise and fall of voice had me falling asleep several times. Get someone else to read this series as I believe it is a decent one. In my opinion buy the book.

My type of book, with the heroine who may be in over her head, will never walk away from doing what is right, even if she expects to die doing it. Her family may be the most notorious pirates around the seas, but she loves them anyway. While searching (which is her talent) and trying to keep her pirate cousin out of trouble she is attached to the most evil magical power. After fighting off those who wish to misuse this stone, and discovering her father used to be the protector of the stone is now vanquished inside the talisman she must go on to find a way to disconnect the stone from her before it eats her soul as well. Loved by both the most black magician around and the strongest white magician around, although neither will admit it, she must continue stumbling her way while trying to remain alive.

This is the latest series I'm listening to. As a first book, it was a pretty good start and the series keeps getting better as it evolves. I just bought book 5 and plan to get the rest. The only odd thing I had to deal with was trying to imagine tall sexy goblins. I've always thought of them as squat ugly things; but I just picture Legalos with fangs.

There is a flow to a story. This woman does not have any decent grasp on this concept.
The voice is fine. The rythme and flow are terrible. She chops it up in ways that really don't work. And if she messed up the flow of thought and action any more than she does, I would be pushed over the edge into screaming and pulling out my hair out of frustration. I have read these books in print. This recording is terrible. The fragmentation makes the story being read confusing. This is not a confusing text. The flow of the writing is quite natural and engaging, until this woman reads it. Avoid books read by Eileen Stevens.