• Secret Origins

  • Story Thieves, Book 3
  • By: James Riley
  • Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne
  • Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (146 ratings)

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Secret Origins  By  cover art

Secret Origins

By: James Riley
Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne
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Publisher's summary

Bethany travels to a new fictional world to rescue her father in this third book in the New York Times best-selling series Story Thieves - which was called a "fast-paced, action-packed tale" by School Library Journal - from the author of the Half Upon a Time trilogy.

Owen and Bethany have sworn off jumping into books for good. But they didn't make any promises about not jumping through strange portals that lead to a comic book world.

Jupiter City was once filled with brightly costumed superheroes and villains, but nowadays, there's nothing left but the Dark. Even the villains are terrified of the Dark's shadows, and most of the heroes have either disappeared or been lost to mind control. The one hero who might have stopped all of this, Doc Twilight, has been imprisoned by the Dark.

But who is Doc Twilight really? And how can Bethany and Owen defeat the Dark without superpowers of their own? They'll definitely need the help of some old friends and new allies to bring the light back to Jupiter City, and find out the truth behind the Dark.

It all comes back to Bethany's own secret origins. What really happened when her fictional father disappeared years ago? Who is Nobody, and why is he writing these Story Thieves books? And what kind of supervillain name is The Rotten Banana?

©2017 James Riley (P)2017 Simon & Schuster Audio

What listeners say about Secret Origins

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story, performance ehh

Great story, was a lot of fun to listen to. The voices the performer used were very good, however it was cringey to the point that it was hard to read in moments where the characters were yelling (witch happens a lot) the performer over “voice” acted like
Crazy in those moments. Way too overly dramatic it was horrible. It was like that in the other two books as well. The fact that I am sure this continues in the next two is making me question if I will be buying those books. That’s how bad it was.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Is it a paradox?

I’m at a loss where to begin? The Story Thieves series is written, or marketed, as a Middle Grade tale. Perhaps at its most basic, it could be considered as such. However, the way the story is written really makes one think. Riley presents us with an idea, completely far-fetched in our reality, that makes one pause and think, “well, what if ...?”

If you are considering this book (#3 in the series), then what follows shouldn’t be a spoiler. ... so, what if writers actually were get glimpses into other worlds through their fantastic imaginations? And, what if one or more of these “characters” became self aware outside their own story? Would it make sense for them to feel manipulated? Controlled?

Considering what Riley presents in this series brings me to consider a time paradox. Honestly, these books are a lot more thought provoking than I would ever have considered. That said, I recommend to anyone who enjoys a great story, a plot that is intricate and certainly not easy to figure out, and characters that are dynamic (yes, in the literary meaning) this would be an excellent choice.

I listened to the first three on audiobooks and the narrator did a great job. I believe they would be enjoyable either way. The next one that is ready to go is presented as a “pick your plot” story. Now, there is an excellent reason for this choice, but you have to read Book #3, Secret Origins, to find out what it is. That said, I’m not sure how that option would work on audiobooks? It is available however, so it must work somehow. I’m not sure which way I will go yet, BUT, I will go there.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Find the thumbs down

Ok so all you have to do is find the hidden thumbs down. Ready go

👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👎👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍


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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good comparing to the other books

It was fine and I was happy that she found him but they always scream that I hate but except from that it was fine plot twists were more like the plot doing what ever it wants instead of twisting so after all maybe they could improve with the sound and also stop screaming I actually scared someone with this so maybe not the best.





Should you buy this?
I think it is worth listening to but not next to people they scream a-lot it’s really loud.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Awesome

I loved it, it was a easy to read page turner. I have to read the next one if you mind.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing

I loved it and didn't struggle to finish it at all. 🌍 🌎 🌏

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I love it

it's so good but when the people yelled it's to loud but other then that it's amazing

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Rating story thevies

I liked it a lot. It met expectations for me. You will proudly like it. It's pretty darn good 😏

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story

It was completely different than what I read but I loved it a lot more then a lot of books!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Meh

It was just okay, not great, not bad, just okay. The performer was very enthusiastic.

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