Engaging the Enemy: Vatta's War, Book 3

The Vatta's War quintet continues with volume three in the series. The reader, Cynthia Holloway is never a pleasure to listen to, and the reading is less than inspired. But the real problem is that this space opera just hasn't stood the test of time as well as one might have hoped. It's not _bad_, just not as good as it could be. WAY too much angst and anguish and just plain stupidity, and too little decisiveness from the main characters. The one good story arc, that of Grace and Mac Roberts, is too peripheral to carry the weakness of Stella and even Ky. Overall, I'll finish the books, since I bought them. But I can't imagine re-reading them, ever.

I really enjoy Elizabeth Moon's books but the narrator makes it very difficult to appreciate this one. The narration is flat, poorly paced, and the little variation in tone that exists makes every character (as well as the rest of the text) sound arrogant, angry, or snide. I hope that I can get past the narration to finish the book. This is one of the few audiobooks that I regret having bought.

I enjoyed the first two books in this series and I thought this book would be the battles but that only happened at the end of the book. The book goes back and forth between Kylara, Sara and Grace. Lots of suspense, legal trial, Ky had to prove she is Ky and the communication to her home planet is still out. Some one is trying to Kill Grace. This book sets up for the next book that looks like it will have the battles. The narrator is poor.

I have downloaded approx 130 audible books, I have seldom felt compelled to write a review. However, this narrator is so hard to listen to, this is the first book I cannot get past 1/2 hour. Just the way every word is given the same inflection, the 'he said', 'she said' becomes irritating. If audible gave refunds this would be my first request. Sorry if this is overly harsh, but it is.. that bad.

I enjoy Elizabeth Moon's books, but this reader's rendition is stilted with poor phrasing and emphasis.

I hate to say it, but this is the first series of books I've just had to give up on without finishing them... Book 1 was bad enough, but book two was supposed to be a little better... it was, but it was just more of the same lame rambling around while pursuing "Trade and Profit", and basically rolling belly up for every ill tempered "Inspector" and "Pirate" in the multiple universes, giving up their basic human rights, and acting like any privacy is a luxury to be given up without much more than a token "internal" fuss...

The narrator just drones on and on, until I can't stand to hear ANY more words like "EE-nteral", "EE-mergency", "EE-motional", "EE-rased" etc, etc...

Just not going to bother with book 4, and wish I hadn't even started book 3, but there seems to be a "Book Slump" right now and it's hard to find anything worth listening to at the moment... so I think I'll just let credits build up a while and hope that some decent authors and narrators put out some some new decent books worth listening to.

I hate to bash a Book, Narrator, or Series, but this just got ridiculous... Mostly just Over-Pompous language, giving up all basic human rights with a smile, and more worry about "Things being Fair", and repetitious hammering on "Her secret Love of Killing", and only the most slight glossing over of her loss of her entire family, with no realistic reactions to anything at all, and so little action you look forward to more talk about their food preparation and clothing choices... her "War" seems to mostly be repeating things other people say, as questions... "We're going out of the lock", "Out of the Lock?" "Yes, out of the lock"...

Highly disappointed in this series.

Of all the many books I have listened too over the years (I started listening when they were just on tape), Cynthia, for this book, has the worst voice I have ever endured. She sounds like she is trying to portray a hard military female (very cliped, flat and emotionless). She has no noticeable voice change between characters. I agree with the one reviewer who said the series is now ruined for her. I need to start checking the reviews before I buy. I would try to return the book it it was allowed. Wonder if she was approved by the author?

I would give this audible book a 5 star if not for the narrator. I've read up to book 4 of this series on paperback and now after listening to this narrator I can't bring myself to read the rest of the series due to me hearing the narrator voice in my head whenever I read the series. Be worn if you have read this book and want an audible copy, don't buy it or ruins your enjoyment of the series too.

While I enjoyed part one and two in the series, in this book I was extremely annoyed with the repeating description of Stella's stubborness and her hurt feelings. Instead of creating a more intense listening experience, the author got me more and more annoyed and I fast forwarded the rest of the book.
I am not sure if I will read the other books, for now I am a bit tired of this. Pity. It felt to me as if the author was pushed to do this, it doesn't fit the book.

I may be biased as I cut my teeth on Dresden Files audiobooks, and James Marsters does a masterful job reading them, but... well, this series takes some effort to listen to. Once I get past the slow-reading-to-a-deaf-chimpanzee vocal style, the story takes over and I can ignore it, but it takes some work.

Storywise, I love the evolution of Ky into a command figure, and how she finally steps up to the plate and finds her niche. It does drag a bit at a few points, but only a little.