Conquest

By: John Connolly, Jennifer Ridyard

Narrated by: Nicola Barber

Length: 14 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's Summary

The start of an epic new series from bestselling author John Connolly, and Jennifer Ridyard. For fans of The 5th Wave and I Am Number Four. Earth is no longer ours. It is ruled by the Illyri, a beautiful, civilised yet ruthless alien species. But humankind has not given up the fight, and Paul Kerr is one of a new generation of young Resistance leaders waging war on the invaders.

Syl Hellais is the first of the Illyri to be born on Earth. Trapped inside the walls of her father's stronghold, hated by the humans, she longs to escape. But on her sixteenth birthday, Syl's life is about to change forever. She will become an outcast, an enemy of her people, for daring to save the life of one human: Paul Kerr.

Only together do they have a chance of saving each other, and the planet they both call home. For there is a greater darkness behind the Illyri conquest of Earth, and the real invasion has not yet even begun...

©2013 Bad Dog Books Ltd & Jennifer Ridyard (P)2014 Simon & Schuster, Inc

Critic Reviews

"Densely plotted and decidedly grown-up, this is YA fiction for readers who are bored of fluff and sparkles" ( SFX)

'If you enjoy exciting reads, regardless of your age, you'll enjoy this one' The Bookbag

Wrong narrator

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would not recommend this book to an adult reader because the narrator makes the story sound very juvenile. If it is pitched at teen readers this book ought to be in the children/teen section.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

She just sounds very young. Although the protagonist is a teenaged girl a male narrator would have been much better.

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

Possibly.

hmmm

Would you try another book written by John Connolly and Jennifer Ridyard or narrated by Nicola Barber?

MAYBE

What could John Connolly and Jennifer Ridyard have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Not my cup of tea....this is just my opinion but I cant finish it. For me its a book for teenage girls.

Who might you have cast as narrator instead of Nicola Barber?

Nobody, Nicola has a lovely voice its probably ideal for target market?

Really wanted to enjoy this

As far as the story goes, I enjoyed it.

However the narrator is infuriating to listen to!! I get that she is well spoken but to the point of mispronouncing words!? It spoilt it for me.
She over acts some parts to the point that I thought I was listening to a young children's book. (Which she'd be fantastic at). It made me feel like I was 5 again and it really isn't the type of book to be read to a 5 year old and I'm 30 years to old for it. Really hope the narrator of the second book is better, but you can get much worse!

ABOUT AS POOR AS YOU COULD GET !

What disappointed you about Conquest?

I'm sorry but this book is appalling. John Connolly is one of my very favourite authors his Charlie Parker's are the best in that genre. This however is probably the worst in the genre of S.F / Fantasy. The vocabulary is limited as though directed to a 10 year old. The story is simplistic to say the least. In the 1st 5 minutes we are asked to get our heads around the notion that a wormhole has opened up through which a vast interstellar force has passed. They hang around Mars for a while and then proceed to Earth. In 3 days the Earth surrenders totally. However, if you make it to 10 minutes of listening you will discover that these guys still use guns with BULLETS!
Possibly needless to say this is one of a very few books I have not managed to finish.
CONQUEST makes the Harry Potter stories seem like high literature.

Has Conquest put you off other books in this genre?

Not at all but I will not be following the series.

How could the performance have been better?

I was ready and hoping to applaud a female narrator. However she reads this almost in the style of a fairy story and her attempt at an accent, particularly a Scots one is almost laughable.

You didn’t love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?

None but thankfully my Kindle has an off switch.

Good listen well structured

A tad predictable but entertaining, already bought the next in the series. Nice to have a female lead!

Brilliant

This book had me captured within the first chapter. It was one of those books which I even had to listen to going to bed as I couldn't put it down. This is surely a must for all SciFi enthusiasts.