The Altar Girl

A Prequel (Nadia Tesla)

By: Orest Stelmach

Narrated by: Tanya Eby

Length: 7 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

The daughter of uncompromising Ukrainian immigrants, Nadia was raised to respect guts, grit, and tradition. When the events around the seemingly accidental death of her estranged godfather don't add up, Nadia is determined to discover the truth - even if she attracts the attention of dangerous men intent on finding out what she knows through any means possible.

Her investigation leads her to her hometown and to the people least likely to welcome her back: her family.

In this thrilling prequel to the Nadia Tesla series, Nadia must try to solve the mystery surrounding her godfather's death - and his life. The answers to her questions are buried with the secrets of her youth and in post-World War II refugee camps. What Nadia learns will change her life forever.

©2015 by Orest Stelmach (P)2014 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved

It was entertaining enough

Like the narrator’s voice. The story intertwined a youth story and adult to to a good feel for the character.

Was OK...Kept Me Listening...Did Not Guess Twists

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

Yes but only to learn about Ukranian plight in Soviet Union and pretty good twists and turns and switchbacks in time.

Would you be willing to try another book from Orest Stelmach? Why or why not?

No. The plot did not "grab" me. Interesting but not engrossing.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Sure but I got the sense from narrator that I was reading a YOUNG ADULT book. Is this a young adult book? Got a sense of my 4th grade teacher in class. Nice voice. Very good skills...polished. She should add some "edge" to her performance for murder and intrigue.

Did The Altar Girl inspire you to do anything?

Yes, to talk with my Ukrainian acquaintances about the plight of their forebears under an oppressive regime.

Any additional comments?

Author not hard enough on the horrible Soviet government.

Great surprise!

I was expecting some fluffy background story but was pleasantly surprised to find the logical prequel to the trilogy. Well done!

Very entertaining.

I enjoyed this book. I was not sure that I would, but it sucked me in and kept going.

Alter Girl

The book is well written. Even when a memory intrudes into the present, it is clear what is happening. Narrator of Audio book was perfect.

Orest Stelmach is brilliant! Love this book.

Where does The Altar Girl rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top 5...and I have listened to 100+ audiobooks

What did you like best about this story?

The rich characters and the development of their relationships.

Which scene was your favorite?

The surprise ending.

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

Absolutely, I had to pull over in my car during key parts of the story.

Any additional comments?

The Altar girl was rich in characters, Ukraine history, and a realistic blend of how nature and nurture impacts who we are and how we evolve. I applaud Orest Stelmach's courage to create a story with such depth, his writing spans the depth of the human experience.

Better if you're not Ukrainian

I found the narrator's pronunciation of the Ukrainian words distracting. Though I certainly don't expect them to be perfect, something closer would have made a difference - I am surprised that the author or someone on the production team couldn't help. The story was ok, but a little disappointing as well.

Fast paced

This story grabbed my attention and moved right along without dragging! You won't be disappointed.

Narrator's little girl voice gets really tiring!!!!!

The narrator has a high pitched little girl voice and whenever something suspenseful is happening, she uses the same tone as for everything else. Plot line was not interesting enough to keep me going, although I did reluctantly finish this audio book as I was stuck in a 2-day car trip. Skip this one!

Terrible narration

Unfortunately I could not listen to this book because it is so badly narrated. I will just have to read the book. The tone of the narrator does not at all express the emotions in the story and is very monotonous and boring. I tried but I finally gave up.