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Diana in SC @AudiobookObsession

A fantasy set in New Zealand with Maori gods! Awesome!

Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2015

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I initially bought the ebook, and then I won a free copy of the audiobook from one of the authors in return for an honest review.
First, I want to comment on the narration. The narrator did a good, solid performance with really good pacing and excellent pronunciation of unusual Maori words. He has a pleasant, slightly gravelly voice. I have one minor complaint that when he is not doing characters' voices he sometimes sounds a too clinical and slightly monotone as if he is reading the nightly news. He does not attempt any New Zealand accents (he sounds American all the time), but I was fine with that. He is as good at women's voices as he is with men's, and he differentiates various characters' voices well. In addiction, the production was almost always very good. However, once in a while, I can tell there are one-sentence-long sections that I can tell were recorded later in a different location that has an unpleasant echo.
This book is an imaginative thrill ride that I loved. It is a natural disaster story mixed with thrilling action and fascinating fantasy based on the religion of the Maori, the native New Zealand culture. If, like me, you love Neil Gaiman's "American Gods", then try this action-packed novella-length story of several people trying to save New Zealand after the sleeping Gods rise up and cause all kinds of natural disasters. There are earthquakes, a tsunami, volcanic eruptions, and storms! It is also a cool travelog of all the most famous places in New Zealand from Auckland all the way to the far northern tip. Unlike crappy action movies, the action in this book makes sense, and the characters' escapes from death sound plausible to me.
FYI, there are no sex scenes, but I would rate it PG-13 or R because of some bloody injuries and some occasional chilling violence. Thankfully, there are no love triangles and very little romance. This is a highly enjoyable fantasy novella and audiobook. I have told all of my finds who like fantasy that they really need to try it.

Mary A. MadsenTop Contributor: Cooking

I wasn't sure I'd like a book of this type

Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2015

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I wasn't sure I'd like a book of this type, but I was completely blown away. What a mixture of horror and the mystical, characters and their relationships, and thundering thrills at every turn. I couldn't stop reading, ran down the battery on my Paper White and immediately ran to read it on my phone. I've *never* done that before.

Blown away, yes, but also scared out of my wits. That...er...animal seen in the face of the wave . Creepy. The volcanic eruptions were spot on in detail (we recently watched a documentary) without a single bit of that staggering force of nature overlooked or not given the full force of their power in the writing. And what good writing this was. The pace was unrelenting with full imagined scenes that were compulsively readable. I also enjoyed the relationships between the main characters and the evil human mixed in with the fury of the risen gods. And that smoke and ash and...Better stop. Don't want to spoil anything.

Meticulous attention was given to places and names that are often confusing. It's one of the main problems I have reading fantasy and books about foreign lands, but in this book it was well edited to give the reader a heads-up that kept everything in mind for the next time it came around.

I'm a fan of J.F. Penn's other series, and now I'll have to give J. Thorn a try. As a team writing together for the first time, this far exceeded any expectations I had, except for Penn's deft fingers on the pulse of ancient gods and mysteries.

Tony Parsons

barmaid) were doing their best to locate Lucy & Amber

Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2017

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Ben Henare (son) & Lucy Campion (daughter/sister, medical student) were in separate dinghies bouncing on the waves.
Christchurch, New Zealand. A 7.3 earthquake had hit, followed by a tsunami.
Bodies & debris were everywhere. Houses & cars were in shambles or in total disarray.
Sirens & explosions could be heard & seen.
Ben wasn’t sure if he was dead/alive.

Lucy was frantic looking for her mum & dad.
Lucy’s mum & dad were buried in the rubble of the family house.
Amber Campion (14, sister) had somehow survived.
Tamati (Ben’s grandfather) had escaped death also.
The Red Cross had finally arrived.
Amber had gotten separated from Lucy.
Sitona (m, cousin, trafficker) had found her wandering around.
An elderly woman had told Lucy an evil man had taken Amber to Kaikoura.
Rangi Anahera (boat taxi driver) had helped get Amber away from Sitona.
Lucy & Amber were finally reunited.

Ben & Gina (American, barmaid) were doing their best to locate Lucy & Amber.
Lucy & Rangi went over the Bombay Hills & ended up in Auckland.
Ben, Lucy & Amber were back at the Pegasus Bay Sailing Club.

I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review, only an honest one. All thoughts & opinions are entirely my own.

A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very well written dark fantasy book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great fantasy movie, or better yet a mini TV series. It ws just OK for me so I will rate it at 4/5 stars.

Thank you for the free Curl Up Press; Amazon Digital Services LLC.; Author; book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)

Top reviews from other countries

Godiva 2000

Great Supernatural thriller set in New Zealand

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 25, 2015

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This book is set in New Zealand, and starts with the 2 main characters (Ben & Lucy) being caught in a tsunami which strikes the coast of South Island, causing huge damage to the coast.
This tsunami was apparently caused by an underwater earthquake, but as the story unfolds it becomes apparent that there is a more supernatural cause, the ancient gods of the Maori people.

Ben, who is a Maori and Lucy, a white New Zealander, are separated and each comes in to possession of an amulet. These amulets need to be bought together and offered as a sacrifice to appease the gods and save the whole of New Zealand.
There is a nice symmetry that Ben gets assistance from a white girl called Gina, and Lucy ties up with a Maori called Rangi. Both pairs face edge-of-the-seat adventures as they head north and finally come together for the final push to the place where they must offer the amulets.

I have read all of Joanna Penn's books, but am not familiar with J. Thorn's work (yet), so can't comment on how this compares to his other work. But this book certainly won't disappoint Joanna's fans, as it contains her usual mix of great characters, fantastic plot, with the usual dark moments, evocative descriptions of locations and huge amounts of research. I have a working knowledge of Norse and Greek mythology, but didn't realise that the Maori mythology was so rich, it has inspired me to find out more.

Overall a great book which I enjoyed so much that I managed to finish it in double quick time, as I found it so difficult to put down. If there is one, very small criticism, it is that the glossary of Maori words is at the back, it would be useful if it was at the front so that it is more obvious.

I did receive a free advance copy of this in return for an honest review, but I liked it so much that I bought it anyway!

Ms. L. Haycocks

Hold onto your hats, you're in for an exciting read.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 2, 2015

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I received a free ARC in exchange for an honest review, and I enjoyed it so much that I bought a copy too !

Bloomin' heck !! The first couple of pages is nice, calm and gentle, then before you know it all hell breaks loose ! I was glued to my kindle, I kid you not. The start of this book is truly EPIC and the rest is no gentle stroll in the park either.
I hate spoilers , so I don't want to go into minute detail about the story in case I let something slip.
This book manages to bring the gods of Maori Mythology into a modern world. The interlacing of different cultures and beliefs involving the different characters is really well done. The authors have managed to weave an exciting adventure with many threads into a book that would be fit for a blockbuster movie.
I really recommend this book to anyone who is into mythology, and fans of books and films such Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.

Antony

Entertaining without blowing me away.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 29, 2016

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If you're in the mood for turn-the-brain-off popcorn adventure, this is worth a punt. It's like an average big-screen blockbuster in literary form, in that it is big on spectacle but low on engagement, and has the usual problems that a movie CGI-fest suffers - a series of set pieces strung together by a road trip, like the Day After Tomorrow. Roland Emmerich should definitely direct if the rights sell.

Cramming in Maori cultural references every couple of paragraphs sometimes drops you out of the story, and that every Maori citizen they meet has some sort of mystical affinity with proceedings is a bit of a contrivance.

As I said, it's not high literature, but equally it doesn't quite engage as much as JF Penn's London Psychic series. Entertaining without blowing me away.

Samantha McKeating

GRIPPING FROM START TO.FINISH

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 24, 2018

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An awesome tale with a twist in almost every sentence. Love the descriptive way the author brings the environment to life. Superbly written with believable characters and an obvious connection to the land she writes about. Will be reading another.

Lisa Badger

Great read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 10, 2017

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Strong characters, tension & a great story. Highly recommend. Very hard to put down once u start reading you just need to see what is going to happen next

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