Curse of the Blue Tattoo: Bloody Jack #2

I have to admit I bought the second book in the series before the first book because there was a discount on it. I figured that at least I wouldn't waste a lot of money... (admit it, you have said that too)
Well, this was the surprise of the year for me. Katherine Kellgren really brought the characters to life, with not only different voices well-suited for the characters, but with energy and pacing that suited the text. AND she can sing a nice song!
This was my first contact with any L. A. Meyer novel. I was looking for an easy listen to help get through the four 12-hour drives that faced me in the last 2 months. I got my money's worth, and the Wife and I were sad to get to the end of the book. There is some violence, and the encounters with some of the "women of ill repute" are a bit creepy. Might be some good discussion opportunities with your daughters.
Personally, I'm looking for more books from both this author and this reader! Five stars for each!

Curse of the Blue Tattoo is the sequel to Bloody Jack, and I enjoyed it even more than the first one. Don't read on if you haven't listened to Bloody Jack! - after Jackie is kicked off the Dolphin, she winds up at a finishing school for young ladies and experiences more ups and downs than possibly imaginable throughout Curse of the Blue Tattoo! Everything is told in Jackie's emotive voice, and the narrator keeps up the great tradition of voicing a number of characters all with great depth.

This was a great follow-up and I recommend this series to anyone looking for a great listen.

L.A. Meyer has created an immensely compelling book about a terrific heroine who one can't help but love despite (or maybe because of) her flaws and mishaps. Jacky Faber and her cohorts may find her misadventures harrowing, but it's tons of fun for the listeners to vicariously experience. The book is also educational as Meyer tries to keep the setting of the book as historically accurate as possible.

As previously mentioned by other listeners, this book may be a bit explicit for the young'uns, but it's definitely no worse than whatever one might find on the telly these days.

The true gem of this audiobook, however, is Ms Kellgren. She doesn't read; she performs. The different accents she affects are great, and her singing voice is beautiful. If she's narrating, then I'm listening!

If you're looking for a story that your book club can dissect, filled with characters to analyze, this isn't it...not a mind bender.

If you liked the Golden Compass series and the spunky child heroin, Lyra, which I did, you'll love the swashbuckling Jackie Faber.

And all the prior reviews about narrator L. A. Meyers are spot on. She makes what you obviously know will happen next, into a can't wait to hear what happens next.

Bloody Jacky Faber, scourge of the seven seas, returns in her second adventure where she makes Boston her own.

Lots of good adventure with neat historical details, and of course, an excellent cast of characters both high-born and low for Jacky to charm, get too close to, and run away from. There were shades of Ella Enchanted in Jacky and her finished school, which I really loved, and I thought Amy was a perfect foil for Jacky's headstrong ways.

The romance between Jacky and Randall was a little unbelievable, as Jacky's generally right sharp and did see through him immediately... but accepted his favor anyway? It was a little unlike her.

As usual, it was a fairly predictable story, but all around good fun and I'm looking forward to listening to the next installment.

As for Ms Kellgren's narration, we again get to hear more of her lovely singing voice, and she whizzes through the action. Sometimes its hard to keep on working during the action scenes as everything happens so fast, and sets my heart to racing.

Katherine Kellgren does a great job at narration. She has a beautiful singing voice. I really enjoyed the story. I listened every day on my drive to & from work. I looked forward to jumping in the car so I could get back to the adventure.

The only part that was a bit disappointing is the ending. It seemed somewhat abrupt and left me wanting more. Several things were left unresolved. I can only hope the next book, "Under the Jolly Roger" picks up where this one left off and answers most of the unresolved issues.

You're never too old to learn. This audiobook had me Googling terms like "Pope's Day" and "Press Gangs" to learn a little more about history.

I highly recommend the "Curse of the Blue Tattoo".

I jsut can't say enough good things about this series. I'm smitten with all the close calls and close scrapes Jackie navigates through. Talk about a gal with a heavy dose of bad, and good, luck!

love it, my favorite bloody jack book and I've done 4 so far. Love it!!

LOVED IT! This was such fun to listen to - Katherine Kellgren is super fantastic!

The writer and reader have combined to tell an engaging tale of Jacky Faber, a girl who never forgets where she came from nor where she'd like to go. A friend to all good-hearted, she is nonetheless ready to use her significant intellectual resources to wreck havoc on the lives of those less worthy. A girl must do what a girl must do. Highly recommended for MS and adult readers. Listening to this book is AMAZING!