Growl

By: Ashley Fontainne

Narrated by: Andrea Emmes

Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's Summary

My name is Sheryl Ilene Newcomb. And yes, my initials are SIN, a little piece of whimsical humor my parents found amusing when I arrived.

Then it turned out to be true. Looking back with wiser eyes now, my family and I concluded that the events leading up to my transformation started during the summer I turned nine. But the day we realized there was a problem - and there was no turning back - was a week before I started my senior year at Junction City High. That was the day the fangs and claws appeared, and the monster inside me emerged.

When mutilated corpses appeared near a pile of brush down by Caney Creek, everything changed. Evil woke up and growled, and its ominous rumblings were heard by every living thing in Locasia County, Mississippi.

©2014 Ashley Fontainne (P)2015 Ashley Fontainne

An intriguing read.

Any additional comments?

OK, the last 2 books I've read by this author, I loved, and this is no different!!! Such an intriguing and gripping read.

Right from the start Ashley Fontainne grips you and doesn't let go. She has a way with story telling that will immediately grab your attention. I love how she can create a world and atmosphere that pull you in. She tells the story with so many twists and turns that you never know where it's going to end!!

In Growl, Sin is a normal child, until the time she turns 9. Her life is changed totally and utterly but not in a good way. Sin was such an awesome character. She was confidant, brave and with a depth to her that was fantastic. She isn't what she seems and I loved finding out about her.

Plot wise, this was extremely fast paced and well written. I loved the lore and the history that is revealed during the story. It was fascinating and captivating and I have always loved Native American lore and this is steeped in it. Ashley did an amazing with the plot because at first I was thinking werewolves but it's not. It's so much more!!

Anyway, this was such a fantastic read and this author is quickly becoming a favourite of mine. She doesn't just tell a story, she weaves the tale in such a way that you feel like you are part of it. I was biting my nails during this and was on edge the whole time.

Now, what can I say about Andrea Emmes that I haven't said before! She really knows how to bring the words she is reading to life. Her southern accent is amazing and she captured Sin perfectly. The audio was so much better than reading the book, for me anyway, because it brings the book alive. Can not wait for more from both the author and narrator.

*I received this for review from AudioBookBlast in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Growl

Any additional comments?

Another fantastic book written by Ashley Fontainne. I like that the characters felt so real and well developed .The setting is so real that we feel as though we have been there. We see the main character change from a naïve young nine-year-old child to an eighteen-year-old woman in charge of guarding a sacred place .

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Transformation!

First, I received this audio from the author in exchange for an unbiased review. I want to mention that I loved the cover of the book and this is a book you can judge by its cover. When I first saw it in the authors newsletter I knew I had to listen to it. Ashley did a magnificent job with creating this story. I loved the names she chose for the two old skinwalkers. I really liked that she didn't call them shifters but skinwalkers. Everything Ashley has written in this story is perfect and keeps you immersed from start to finish. She has a vivid imagination that she captured perfectly in a way that the listener feels like she's there as the story is being told. This story of filled with mystery, religion, twist, and paranormal. A perfect story that you definitely should give it a listen.

Andrea Emmes was the perfect narrator for this story. She did a wonderful job with bringing this story to life. I enjoyed the southern accents she uses but I loved the main characters southern accent the best. The main character, Sheryl Ilena Newcomb was quite the character and Andrea does a perfect job at giving this character sass, you could feel her emotions, her being overwhelmed, and her heart break. Andrea made me c feel like I was in the story, I could smell the different smells that I felt was in the yellow story, the blood, death, and wet animal. Andrea Emmes brought Ashley's story to life and Ashley did a great job at picking the perfect narrator to tell her story.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Very good story!

*I received this book in exchange for an honest review*

This is the first book from Ashley Fontainne that I have read/listened too and I was pleasantly surprised. It was a new twist on skin walking that I had never heard before, and nowadays it’s not easy to have an original idea. The narration was good, with the narrator having a cute southern accent and speaking clear and consistent. The story itself was filled with activity and kept going at a pretty good pace. There were several times I was a little bit left behind as it moved too quickly for me, but it wasn’t long before I was able to re-orientate. For this confusion, I do drop my rating to 4 STARS. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and will look to see if there is other works from Ms. Fontainne.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

I'd forgotten how much I liked this book!

Really intense thriller with unique characters. I'd forgotten how much I liked this book. I read it in ebook form when it first came out, but I'm really glad I got a copy of the audiobook, too! The narrator really sounds like a young southern woman and totally nails the tone of the main character and her quirky bunch of relatives. There were tons of plot twists and edge-of-your-seat action, and the author did a good job making sure the reader stayed tense. Loved it!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Growl

Any additional comments?

Growl was a really good book.Andrea Emmes did a wonderful job bringing it all to life.Sheryl was a normal child until age 9.By the time she was an active high school student her differences could no longer be denied.It turns out that she can't live the life she's chosen,she must follow a path set for her hundreds of years ago.The story is tight.I do think that the whole backstory we get in the epilogue should have been in a prequel,or the book could have been made longer.All in all a good story.
"I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast or MalarHouse dot com"

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Amazing

If you could sum up Growl in three words, what would they be?

Interesting, different, heart touching

What was one of the most memorable moments of Growl?

When Sheryl 1st found out the truth of who she was and her family.

Have you listened to any of Andrea Emmes’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes several. I never stopped being amazing at how she can adapt her voice from a sexy vixen, to a little girl, to more serious characters like she did in beautifully broken. She is amazing to listen to. She is easily on the top list of what will she do next. She has a truly amazing talent.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes I would have liked too.

Any additional comments?

I was amazed at how fast paced the story line was. I felt that I was emotionally all over the place with the characters in the story line. Sheryl goes through so much in the story line. A family member is killed, she is in love, her learns of her family's secrets, she finds herself being transformed because of said secrets. She also has a good verse evil problem she is the only one in the family that can resolve the problem. To say the story line is gripping almost feels like an understatement. I truly felt like the fly on the wall listening to the lives of the main characters developed along.

Kudos's to the author for writing an amazing story to take us to a new world to get lost in for a while.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

meh

What would have made Growl better?

its ok, narration is not bad but the story is not very riveting I give it 2 stars overall but there is potential so I hope if this is to be a series the author re reads the book and asks what they can do to add more...more excitement, twists, surprises, triumphs and failures...its just does not have much meat to it lol pun intended ;)

Would you listen to another book narrated by Andrea Emmes?

yes

Any additional comments?

its really just a mediocre plot and storyline, seems to mundane

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Something different

Any additional comments?

Let me just start out by saying that GROWL is different than any book I’ve read by ASHLEY FONTAINNE. I love it when authors take chances and let loose with something hidden in the far recesses of their imagination. It’s what keeps me hooked.

As usual, the writing in GROWL is perfection. The words came alive listening to the narrator. It’s terrifying. It’s exciting. It’s sad. It’s good versus evil in the most black and white, in your face way.

I highly recommend this read!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Another GREAT Story Alongwith Excellent Narration

GROWL was a good suspenseful story set in a rural town called Junction City. It's told in first person by the protagonist, nicknamed SIN. Her name is almost synonymous to the story. I liked the way the story was read in the style of interior monologue. This especially gives you the feel of the character, for example, sharing the experience. This made for a gripping, edge of your seat tale.

This is what sets ASHLEY FONTAINNE apart from many other authors in this genre. She has a special talent for pulling the reader (listener) into the story world. It's what I love about her work.

The antagonist is a shape-shifting black panther who's coming for SIN. He or it is picking off others to get to her. There were a few other supporting characters but the one I liked best was her meemaw. There's no shortage of thrills here. If you're reading this review, do yourself a favor and listen to all Ashley's audiobooks. They're well worth it. BLOOD TIES is in my queue and I can't wait to listen to it as well.

ANDREA EMMES is one of my favorite narrators. I especially liked the way she read this story. Her southern accent was excellent. She fit the story perfectly with her progressive style. Her voice inflections in this audiobook gives the listener the benefit of the emotions of the character. She did an awesome job.

Audiobook received in exchange for an honest review.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful