Helen & Troy's Epic Road Quest

By: A. Lee Martinez

Narrated by: Khristine Hvam

Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

Witness the epic battle of the cyclops!

Visit the endangered dragon preserve! Please, no slaying.

Solve the mystery of The Mystery Cottage, if you dare!

Buy some knickknacks from The Fates! They might come in handy later.

On a road trip across an enchanted America, Helen and Troy will discover all this and more. If the curse placed upon them by an ancient god doesn't kill them or the pack of reluctant orc assassins don't catch up to them, Helen and Troy might reach the end their journey in one piece, where they might just end up destroying the world. Or at least a state or two.

A minotaur girl, an all-American boy, a three-legged dog, and a classic car are on the road to adventure, where every exit leads to adventure. Whether they like it or not.

©2013 A. Lee Martinez (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

not excellent but okay

ok. the characters are really well defined. remind me of TP a bit. end. o

Not up to standard

Would you try another book from A. Lee Martinez and/or Khristine Hvam?

Yes

Would you ever listen to anything by A. Lee Martinez again?

Yes

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

No

What character would you cut from Helen & Troy's Epic Road Quest?

Troy and probably Helen too

Any additional comments?

Really didnt enjoy it, the characters were boring, their romance was forced and the plot plodded along without ever giving me a surprise. Not as good as his other work, which on the whole I adore.

Started skipping parts, couldn't stick with it

Maybe it's just my mood today but I could not get in to this book. It looked and sounded like something I'd enjoy, especially for a little light hearted fun, but I just couldn't get interested in the characters. The narrator did a fine job and was pleasant to listen to.

For me, the story was too predictable and characters were too blasé. I like characters with quirky personalities and I like to get into their motivations. I'm not sure if it was that the characters seemed too shallow and not dimensional enough, or if it was because the plot kept dragging along. I kept thinking it would speed up and get more interesting. Maybe it did but I missed it because I started leap frogging pages etc. I finally gave up and bounced to the end just to see what happened. Even that extreme tactic didn't make me want to go back and find out how things got to the final endpoint.

I'd give the author one more try if I find another book that looks appealing. Othes have enjoyed his books so we'll see.

Not So Epic

What was most disappointing about A. Lee Martinez’s story?

For me it was the predictability of the story and the appallingly forced romance. To me there is nothing worse than a fake romance.

Would you be willing to try another one of Khristine Hvam’s performances?

Sure, her voice neither detracted nor enhanced the story

Nope

I really wanted to like this book, but it never drew me in. I could not connect with characters or the story.

Fast food for your ears.

Maybe it's just me, but this one just didn't grab me on any level. I was mostly just bored, bored, bored. Poorly plotted, poorly written, poorly read. Perhaps if the author had grabbed me more effectively at the beginning I might have gotten into it and stuck it out. After all, you'd think a story about a minotaur in a burger joint would be "compelling."

Unfortunately, in the case of this one, the burger joint" aspect won out and, well, is there anything more predictable, flavorless and boring than a fast-food restaurant? This is a "fast-food book." I'm giving this one back to Audible.

Not recommending.