Insidious

Jet Black, Book 2

By: T.S. Littlefield

Narrated by: Ray Greenley

Length: 5 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

The story of Jet Black continues, and more of the mystery unfolds as Jet and his friends prepare to rescue the remaining children held at Miracle Manor by the sinister Dr. Drexler. 

More clues come together to reveal a larger picture as Drexler's plans come to light, piece by insidious piece. 

Grandpa's story is continued, which further sheds light on the history of Nebulous and the Key holders who came before Jethro Black. 

The Enigma of Serenity further unfolds, and as Fig embarks upon this new world, opportunities are discovered for expanded perception and insight, not only into the past, present, and possible future, but perhaps into the very nature of mankind's existence. 

Insidious is the second release in the young adult science fiction series...Jet Black.

Warning: This book series will take you on an adventurous ride through the world of Jet Black. Here you will inevitably find various religious and spiritual undertones woven into the story. Some of these are subtle, some are not. Others are hidden as clues to a larger picture. While some listeners may value these as hidden treasures, others may choose to see them differently. If you are easily offended by religious and/or spiritual content, I suggest you turn back now. If however, you are not afraid of such things, by all means.... Proceed at your own risk.

©2015 T.S. Littlefield (P)2016 T.S. Littlefield

This is pretty darn good story

This is pretty darn good story, and it flies along at a nice fast pace.  I'm not exactly sure how to rate children's stories, whether based on my own image of what a children story should be (I don't really have a clear idea of that, I never read books of this nature when I was a kid), or compared to the historical, theological, or generally more adult themed books I normally read.  Neither seem very fair, so I went with what I think it deserves for what it is:  4 stars for good, clean, fun.

Jet's story continues, there are more children being kidnapped, hence, more children to rescue.  With the help of his friends, Balance (an alien computer), and some cool tech inherited from his grandfather, he does just that.

Meanwhile his father - long believed dead - has gone to Balance's home world to recover from some old injuries, and check things out in the hopes of bringing his family as well.  There are the obvious themes of good and evil throughout the book, but there is a lot of Christian analogy in the scenes that take place on Balance's planet.  It's rather pretty well done, not very subtle, though it might go over the heads of younger children.   We also get more back story for Balance and Serenity and their relationship.

Our villain, Dr. Drexler suffers from Evil Overlord syndrome, he can't stop monologuing, sees his enemies as puny weaklings, and hires idiot minions.

The production quality is fairly average, there are a couple places where the narrator whispers, and the overall sound of his voice changed a bit, but on the whole, it's consistent.  Every word is easily understood.  No music.

The writing is rather of the sensational style, which works pretty well for a children's story, and Ray Greenley amplifies it.   I'm still not sure how I feel about his narration.  His voices for minor characters get a little repetitive, though I never lost track of who was talking.  He does a good job keeping all the characters distinct, but a couple of his voices are on the weird side.

All in all, I'm still up for finishing the series.

Audiobook was provided for review by the narrator.

Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog

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Loved this incredible YA book

TARGET AUDIENCE: Young Adult, but great for adults too. Modern day Fantasy My 16 year old son loved it and so did I.

PROFANITY AND SEX: None, appropriate for all ages.

NARRATOR: Wow. Top notch. The narrator really brings this book to life. Ray Greenley is amazing, you never get confused as to who is speaking, each voice is rich and distinct.

OVERALL: Book number two of the series. My son and I have both listened to it, and have laughed at references to the “deseret bee” (you have to be from Utah), and the tree of life. My son has begged me to leave this review, and to get the next book in the series. Absolutely recommend this book. I can’t wait to find out what happens to this young hero. What happens when his mother finds that her husband isn’t dead? Will all the kids have gloves?

“This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.”

My son (13) and I enjoyed this book.

Any additional comments?

My son (13) and I had the pleasure of listening to Insidious, the second book in the Jet Black series.

We really enjoyed the first book, Nebulous. In fact, Nebulous is my son’s favorite book to date.

Insidious continues directly where Nebulous ends, and is a more action filled story. More secrets are revealed, and the story is unfolding at a satisfying pace.
The book does seem to be a little more adult, but I believe that is to be expected for a series of this nature. The characters also get more fleshed out, and the scope of the story landscape is widened considerably. My only real negative comment is that the small bit of romance in the story seems a bit forced and the chemistry between the characters involved really is not there at this point. It is a very small part of the story, but I suppose it stood out to me because so many of the other characters and situations flow much more naturally.

The narration is excellent. Ray Greenley has a way of making each characters distinct. You always know who is talking just by the sound and cadence of Ray’s voice. His tone works very well for this style of book.

Here is my 13 yo old son’s review:

“It was an interesting book with a good story and a good plot. It was a quick read, and in my opinion had everything necessary in it to be a short entertaining book. I liked it because there was a lot of action sequences and the adventure part of the story I found interesting. I give the book 5 stars and I would recommend it to the ya. Also Ray Greenly did a very good job at narrating the book being sure to change his voice for each character.”

Disclaimer, We received an audio copy of this book in exchange for a written review.

Can't wait for more!

I really love this story! It's something I can share with my twelve year old on our long weekend commute! The adventures of a boy and his spaceship, this is fantasy at its finest!

Cliff hangers

Please complete storylines for each book. I don't mind buying a series of books, but each chapter should have a proper conclusions stead of cliff hanger endings.

Good continuation of this series

What did you like best about this story?

This is a continuation of Nebulous, the first story in the Jet Black series. It picks up right where Nebulous left off with Jet, Travis, Balance, and everyone else trying to finish the rescue efforts they started in book 1. It was fast moving, and I was disappointed when it ended because I was really getting into it.

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

I have listened to several other books narrated by Ray Greenley including the first Jet Black book and part of The Atomic Sea series. Greenley shows development as a narrator in this book, and seems to have found his flow in creating fitting character voices. This one is a bit more fun and lighthearted than the darker Atomic Sea series.

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

Yes, and if my drive time was longer I would have been able to (not that I'd want to be driving longer...) It was over too quickly, the time just flew by as I was listening. It was one of those books that presents the strange dichotomy of "Oh man I want to hurry up and listen to it all RIGHT NOW" and then "Aww, man, it's over....now I'll have to wait for the next book."

Any additional comments?

This is a fun, lighthearted young adult series that is quick-moving and interesting. The story has a few plot holes and too-easy solutions at times, but overall the story is engaging and it's easy to overlook those few imperfections.

Awesome follow up... Bring on the sequel!

Even better than the first book. I can't share much about what I liked in the story without spoiling it so I will just say that if you liked the first story... don't think, just spend a credit. I love how the characters are developed and that Greenley used the same voices as with the first.

I am now even more hooked than before and hope the next installment is here soon. I'm sure it is a great read but the audio performance is top notch so I wouldn't know. T.S. Littlefield would be very wise to keep the same narrator here for the sake of the listeners who appreciate the individualized voices behind each evolving character and how this adds to the experience.

More dramatic than the first

As a second book of a series I can’t say that this was “better” than the first, simply different. I don’t feel like the characters progressed much and while the dramatic scenes were immersive, things seem rather convenient **most** of the time. Perhaps this book is merely a staging zone for book three. I’ll let you know if it is—I guess that means this book was enjoyable regardless since I want to know how this whole thing ends!

Parents; super clean YA series. Don’t think twice about having them read it.

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

I don't think I like where this is going.

I thought the first book in this series was sifi and maybe some paranormal, this kept me interested and wanting to see where it was going. I don't think I like where this story is going. Many religious parallels are happening, and it wasn't holding my attention very well. I'll give the third book a shot.

Is that fair?

Where does Insidious rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

2, really insufficient data for a meaningful ranking.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Jets escape from his bonds on the table. I find wishing your way out of tough situations to be a bit of a cheat. But then it looks as if this story is relying heavily on some form of spiritualism. Personally my interests lie in the physical world and I like my solutions to be there as well.`

Which character – as performed by Ray Greenley – was your favorite?

Jet.

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

Would have been nice but I had to break it up, managed to get it listened to in a single day.