Secrets of the Sleeper

True Nature Series, Book One

By: Karen Lynn Bennett

Narrated by: Sophie Snow

Length: 7 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

Something sleeps within her.

Starting over in your hometown is like getting a tattoo removed. There’s a cost, there’s pain, and there’s a scar. Who knew moving forward after your mother’s murder would mean rewriting your past?

Tru Parker traded one kind of crazy for another. Werewolves and vampires? Real. No kidding. But no magic and no virus like in the movies. And they have different names - Usemi and Akharu.

It’s almost too much, but she can’t stick her head in the sand any more because she’s changing into something else. Not sure what yet. But she can do some weird stuff now.

None of this is the best way to restart a life. But when your last friend standing is your BFF and a force of nature with a makeover mission, the impossible happens, like the addition of two gorgeous guys at your lunch table.

It’s never that easy, though. Between trying to fit in and discovering no matter how hard you try you won’t ever be like the rest of them, like you may not be human...well, it’s time to resort your priorities.

And number one is finding out the truth, whatever the price.

©2014 Karen Lynn Bennett (P)2020 Karen Lynn Bennett

A solid YA novel

My initial thought when I chose to listen to this novel was that it would be a typical YA supernatural story. That's not a bad thing if it's what you like to listen to...and I do. Goodness knows that romance novels are almost plug-and-play. Either way, I wasn't sure how I would feel about there being multiple supernatural beings à la Twilight, but I was willing to give it a try. The main character Tru is a junior in high school, so she's right at that age that will allow a trilogy to see her grow. On the heels of a tragedy, she is trying to find her place in her new reality. Now throw in some freaky magic stuff and watch the show...

This novel doesn't stray too far from the YA supernatural paradigm, and there's not necessarily a twist on the story. Tru is written the way I would expect a 16 year-old to think and sound. The beginning of the novel had a lot of internal dialog, which worried me, but it quickly progressed into a natural dialog cadence. There is the obligatory love interest(s), and I assume the relationship will progress over the duration of the trilogy. I like that Tru has a best girlfriend that she can talk to about anything and who buys into all of the supernatural happenings. It can be frustrating to listen when a main character is completely isolated or when they hide everything using the "no one would believe me" excuse. Tru and her BFF take things in stride throughout the novel as Tru is having to come to terms with more and more paranormal events, and while I had a pretty good idea of who the main love interest in this story was (there were potentially two), it did not become more apparent until the end. I will say that the author pays attention to little details that make the story more believable. For instance...I probably would never have considered that a shirt with owl eyes might draw unwanted attention to certain female anatomy parts.

This novel is a little different from other supernatural YA lit in that the origin story is really...really drawn out. We don't really learn anything about what Tru is dealing with until the end of the book. It solidifies Secrets of the Sleeper as a first-in-series book so I would suggest that you plan to listen to book two if you listen to book one. Because we don't learn much until the end of the book, there is a lot of information that is thrown at you quickly, which had me wishing for an appendix (funny enough, Tru herself mentions how she can't keep track of everything). I assume (hope) that all of this will be ironed out in the second book. I thought this progression of the novel would bother me, but it was an enjoyable story and it eased Tru into the acceptance of the hidden world around her.

Sophie Snow is the narrator of this novel and is new on the scene. I didn't mind listening to her, but wish that she had more variation in her voice because at times it was difficult to distinguish who was talking. I will say that it seemed she was familiar with the novel because the inflections in her voice made sense with the prose. I mean that it didn't seem like the end of a sentence caught her off guard. It happens more than you would think.

Secrets of the Sleeper is a solid first novel by Karen Bennett. I can't say that it stands out in the genre, but it's an enjoyable story. It's pretty easy listening, but you probably want to grab a notebook and paper at the end.

(I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review).

Great story and narration!

I loved this fun and exciting thriller with teen (clean and sweet) romance. That narrator was perfect.

Refreshing Story

The debut novel “Secrets of the Sleeper” was a fun story that provided a refreshing story line that thankfully didn’t go in the direction I expected. The characters were realistic and relatable. The world created by Karen was very creative and descriptive which made it easy to imagine, and was very unique which was exciting. The ending left me eager for the next book in the series. The book definitely needs to be on your “To Read” list, and I’ll be recommending it to friends.