Double Life

Razia, Book 1

By: S. Usher Evans

Narrated by: Jennifer Baggiero

Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

Piracy is a game. How much are you worth?

Since she was a little girl, everyone - from her father to the Great Creator himself - told Lyssa Peate the same thing: she's worthless. But when she becomes the pirate bounty hunter Razia, she can see the price tag on her own head. Employed by one of the four pirate syndicates, she uses bank transactions and her considerable wits to capture rival members. At least, she would be if Razia's boss ever gave her a chance. It's a man's world, and all she's allowed to hunt are purse snatchers while she languishes on probation.

To pay the bills, she's stuck in her old life as Lyssa, discovering and analyzing distant planets and selling them for cash. She's doing just enough to stay out of trouble, pretending to be continuing her father's mysterious research while away for long periods of time. Her slimy boss is always asking questions and even assigns one of her younger brothers, Vel, to intern with her. Already struggling to keep the balance between her double lives, she tries everything to rid herself of the kid...until the universal police mistake Lyssa's intern for Razia's hostage.

©2014 Sun's Golden Ray Publishing (P)2017 Sun's Golden Ray Publishing

Meh

I found this book somewhat boring and dull. The characters aren't interesting and the story fell flat for me.

The narrator was ok but couldn't do voices and was terrible at male characters.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review.

A decent space pirate book

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

I kind of liked this one... It was kind of Ice Pirates but less silly (I loved Space Pirates, by the way, so that's totally not a diss). My only complaint was that the narrator's voice was kind of boring and she didn't do male voices well. I upped the speed to 1.5x and that actually helped. For the record, another reviewer suggested that and I this was the first time I tried that on an audio book and found myself surprised that it did actually help. I think this would be better being read than listened to, but if you really like sci fi, up the speed and you'd be fine.

Enjoyable story

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Really enjoyable listen. Who doesn't love space pirates?! Great pace, no lulls or drags. Fun story and characters. My one complaint would be the female vs male aspect. You'd think in an age where we have space pirates and new planet exploration, gender would no longer be an issue. But hey still a great fun story.

Space pirates? So much fun.

Space pirates? So much fun.
Both audio and written versions.
A great beginning for a series. I can't wait for more of this series, I want to say more about this story but I absolutely hate spoilers, so I won't do it to you by going into details.
The narrator brings the story to life.
Reasons I enjoyed this audio book:
Witty, Wonderful characters, Page-turner, Great world building, Unpredictable, Original, Easy-to-read/listen, Entertaining, Action-packed, Funny.
Bookshelves/tags:
adventure, angst, dystopian, futuristic, humorous, mystery, outer-space, pirate, science-fiction, series, suspense.
This Audio book was given to me at my request from the publisher, author or narrator and I provided this unbiased voluntary review.

Fantastic space opera

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes! It was exciting, had great characters, had an awesome story, and an excellent narrator.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Lyssa/Razia she's sarcastic and prickly, but is protective of those who matter to her.

Which scene was your favorite?

When Razia goes to the pirate club.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Lyssa goes back into Leibman's Vortex.

Any additional comments?

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Fun story, and great sci-fi diversity

With this story you get to delve into two worlds at once! The science exploration world of Dr. Peate and the pirate world or Riza (with a bit of a Cowboy Bebop feel).

I never knew space pirate fiction was a thing

Any additional comments?

I may have found a new genre to love. Previously I've only run across space pirates as Han Solo and his spiritual descendants like Firefly. This felt entirely different.

Sci-fi/fantasy has a lot of common pitfalls and Double Life avoided them all skillfully. It was a good length: neither long and self-indulgent nor too terse and unengaging. The world was interested and developped without becoming the central figure itself (I'm looking at you Ringworld). The characters, esp Razia/Lyssa, were interesting and developped.

I really enjoyed the narration and it kept me engaged always. My only complaint is that it was far too slow, but at 1.5x speed it was perfect for me. Obviously a skilled voice actor and I can't wait to hear more from her.

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

Cool sci-fi story

Any additional comments?

I thought this audiobook was quite entertaining and it held my attention. I liked the characters and the ending was good. The narrator did a good job, but the high pitch for some of the men's voices were a little annoying. I look forward to the next in the series. I voluntarily reviewed this audiobook after receiving an advanced listeners copy.

One dimensional.

What would have made Double Life better?

I found the story in the book to be very one-dimensional. Lyssa and her alter ego Razia are different personas, but these two characters themselves are flat. There isn't much intrigue or nuance. And Razia's adventures are not exciting either. And Lyssa herself isn't very likable. After running with these two characters for time, I lost interest in them. I'm not a writer, but I would've wanted the characters to have layers and different shades.

What didn’t you like about Jennifer Baggiero’s performance?

Jennifer has a high pitch voice which is fine by itself. But when she voices male characters, that sticks out like a sore thumb. Those parts were kinda annoying tbf.

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

I liked Lyssa's backstory; how she was mistreated by family and how she became the way she is now. That part really resonated with me because I know of someone similar.

Any additional comments?

I voluntarily received a free copy of this book from the author / narrator / publisher and I'm leaving an unbiased review.