Reactive

Elite Trials, Book 1

By: Becky Moynihan

Narrated by: Em Eldridge

Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's Summary

An inescapable city. Three deadly trials. One way out.

Lune Tatum, adopted daughter of the Supreme Elite, has lived within her father's walled city for 11 years.

But she wants out.

Except she can't leave, and not because of the clans and mutated beasts that roam beyond the impenetrable, electrified walls protecting her life. Her plan has always been to win the Elite Trials and earn Title of Choice - her only chance at freedom. And the only way to return home to her mother.

Then a boy from her past arrives on her 18th birthday. His presence threatens Lune's carefully laid plans and exposes memories she's desperate to forget. He can't be trusted. Especially as he possesses dangerous secrets. And what he reveals could ruin the chance at freedom she's willing to die for.

©2018 Becky Moynihan (P)2020 Tantor

The Narrator

I feel like this book could have been ok. The narration was CRINGE. She told the story with no voice fluctuations. Ended each sentence with the exact same tone. I tried so hard but I can't take it. It ruins the entire story for me. Now that's 3 books I don't get to enjoy. Sad day.

Tragic narration failure.

I couldn't make it 5 mins into this book. The woman reading this is absolutely horrible. Sounding like the flipping TikTok AI voice and it was so distracting that I couldn't focus on the actual story. There is absolutely NO emotion in this reading. Ending every sentence with the same intonation. So disappointing. I will just download and read it myself if I want to give this series a try. Seriously, how did this reading make it to audible?

Plot had promise, but poorly developed

The idea for the story was intriguing, but Lune's character development over the course of the book was unrealistic. She spent all these years training to be strong and yet needed to be saved every other chapter? The narrator did a good job differentiating the characters, but her voice inflections did nothing to help the laughable storyline when it should've been suspenseful or intense.

An Impressive Romantic Dystopian Debut!

This series, how had I not known about it before?! I was lucky enough to find this when the author announced on a group I'm in that she was looking for reviews as the second book neared release...Then won a giveaway for paperback copies, and some amazing character art by the author, so I'm pretty sure it's safe to say, I'm a fan! That said, this review is voluntary and unbiased as it's my own opinions.

If the above doesn't sum anything up, I'll start with the beginning. I've found that I tend to have 'themes' each year, one year was fae, another retellings and RH. This year seems to be mythology and Dystopian type stories, and I'm not sure if these trends are what are publishing, or just happen to be books I'm drawn to at the time. That said, I've read some amazing books this year, but I loved this one in that it really stands out as something that both mainstream readers, and those who are more into reading indie or like me and kind of have their own tastes that might come off as picky to some (XD I'm teasing...maybe?)

From the first page, well maybe from the cover and blurb..., but anyways from the start, I knew I'd enjoy the writing style and tone used. As this is in first person POV, that also meant I'd likely like at least the main character. I did, but not only that, the more I read, and the more I got to know the other characters, I found so many that I enjoyed, and a few I loved to hate! (Yes, that's a good thing too.) I love the complexity each character shows, and even the ones that have less 'page-time' or aren't focused on still in the story feel real and as if they could easily become important as the story continues. This story has a The Hunger Games feel, and I also felt it shared some Ash Princess vibes, and I'd love to see Theo and Lune meet!

I love that the story also foreshadows...a lot. Some things are minor, just for fun mostly, but others are much bigger, and I found it fun to see how many I caught, and if I was right about them!

Great story

I really enjoyed this book, so much happened, and all through it all Lune remains strong, even in her weakest moments. The story captured my attention right from the start. The narrator did a great job!

my favorite series

I have read this series 2x and loved it both times. im so excited that it's now available on audio!! the narrator did pretty good. I think she does a good job with her male voices. The story is wonderful and the main characters will always have a place in my heart!