Sideswiped

The Peri Reed Chronicles, Book 1

By: Kim Harrison

Narrated by: January LaVoy

Length: 2 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's Summary

Bonus material! Includes the prologue and first chapter of The Drafter, the first novel in Kim Harrison's new series!

Don't miss this thrilling first look into the elite world of Peri Reed, government agency operative extraordinaire, and catch more of her character in The Drafter, the first book in the all-new suspense trilogy from number-one New York Times best-selling author Kim Harrison, out September 1.

Every hero, even the accidental ones, has a beginning. Silas' radical theory that drafters are not replaying time as much as they are temporarily sliding into an alternate universe has never been well-received, but frankly, the darling of Opti's research has enough clout not to care until a professor with a grudge tries to put a permanent end to it. Love can't alter time, and sometimes even being able to rub out a single mistake isn't enough....

©2015 Kim Harrison. All rights reserved. (P)2015 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

I really tried to like this book

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

All of Kim's other work grabbed me within the first chapter -- and I've read them all. Out of loyalty to an author who has thoroughly entertained me, I bought this book and really, really tried to like it. The characters in her other books were people I could relate to, could understand, and liked, respected and/or disliked. I cared about what happened to them. The situations into which they were placed made sense. But after 4 hours of this book, I realized that I just didn't care about any of the characters, let alone what happened to them. They were flat and boring. The plot was convoluted. The narration was ... forgettable. I just couldn't listen any longer. Very sad.

Would you ever listen to anything by Kim Harrison again?

Absolutely! Everyone is entitled to at least one dude. This was Kim's.

What three words best describe January LaVoy’s voice?

Boring.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment.

Any additional comments?

You might want to resurrect The Hollows, Kim. Or create something at least as dynamic.

Adored The Hollows. Not so much this one.

I was so excited to get this. Unfortunately I had a devil of a time following it. All the skipping around. Heroine was not too engaging. I actually rewound multiple times and after awhile I just sort of stopped caring. I adore the idea, the concept. It lacked characters to care about and a sense of continuity or sequence. I am a huge Kim Harrison fan. This just didn't "catch" for me. Sorry.

This reads more Sci-fi then paranormal. Sucks!!!

I wanted to like it I really did. But I don't !!! The characters just are not interesting at all to me. And it should be labeled more as a Sci-fi story rather then paranormal. When I read about the series before it came out I didn't think it sounded that interesting but I was willing to give it a try. I just could not find anything about it that I liked. I bought the first book and will read it also to give it another try but truthfully I'm only doing so because I bought this one and book one at the same time. Otherwise I wouldn't bother. Just wasn't good !!!

L.

Not as good as the hallows

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

no, it was the same thing repeted, over and over!

Has Sideswiped turned you off from other books in this genre?

No

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

she is a great speaker.

Could you see Sideswiped being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No

Any additional comments?

Ok,so my issue with this book is the way the main charictor is so darn self depricating! also, I got sick of the way he kept talking about how "perfect" his girl friend is, ok we get it she is to good for you #Grow a pair" but the worst part is this is one of my fav. Writers and it makes me sad:( to think this was written by her!!

Hammy Narrator Spoils Recording

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

I've always enjoyed Kim Harrison's work and had no reason to anticipate otherwise with this new series, but the narrator makes it almost unbearable.

What didn’t you like about January LaVoy’s performance?

A good narrator pulls you into the story and allows you to ride the current without drawing attention to herself. Not this one. She is so busy ee-nun-cee-ate-ing and emoting, she imbues every trivial observation (i.e. "He picked up the pencil.") with a gravitas more appropriate to the report of a plane crash. Everything she says sounds affected and phony; we're not supposed to hear the (bad) acting, but it permeates every word.

What character would you cut from Sideswiped?

The narrator.

Any additional comments?

I don't think I can make it through the series with this narrator and I'm annoyed that I've wasted my money. I'll have to check the books out at the library.

Very different

Did not like this story. Hard to follow the point and it's references. Very different short story and too quickly finished.

Hmmmm...

What did you like best about Sideswiped? What did you like least?

Overall this story didn't really grab me. I had just finished reading the Rachel Morgan series, and was hoping her next series would be my next love. I'm going try try again with the first full-length novel - this is a short prequel.

Would you ever listen to anything by Kim Harrison again?

Yes, I am planning to listen to the Rachel Morgan series at some point.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No.

Not what I was hoping for

I decided to try this book based on the author. Ordinarily, I don't choose science fiction, other realm kinds of fantasy. I much prefer urban noir/fantasy/paranormal kinds of stories. I didn't get very far before realizing that this series isn't for me. However, for those who do like this kind of science fiction fantasy it may be worth a try. Kim Harrison is a wonderful author.

Intriguing introductory novella

I got a little click happy when I saw something new from Kim Harrison. I really enjoyed The Hollows, so I jumped on this. It was only once I started this that I realized it was actually a novella prequel to the new Peri Reed Chronicles. My issue with novellas and short stories related to UF series is that they rarely ever feel like they have enough depth for character development and world building. Ms. Harrison does a decent job with this one and I am left wanting more.

This story does a good job of laying the magical foundation for the series. I call it magic, but it is presented more as a scientific ability to shift time. However, with the lack of explaining how the science works, it feels more like magic. Either way, so far, the description works for me.

The story is also a good introduction of the characters. Clearly, Peri Reed will be the main character, the series name kind of gives that away. However, this story is told from the perspective of Silas, (view spoiler).

The release time frame for this novella is brilliant. It allows the reader time to anticipate the release of the first book. That is precisely what I am doing.

Must read for all Harrison fans!!!

Typically, I shun novellas. I usually read books of a minimum hours length, because I want to invest time in characters and their story. The minute I saw Kim Harrison had a new entry into a brand new world, I popped the treasure into my cart. This is comprised of a novella, "Sideswiped", plus the first 30 minutes of a full-size book in the series, "The Drafter", hitting the stores (and Audible) 1Sep15. Although not the same complexity as her Hollows series, I really like the premise behind this new series, and Perri Reed promises to be heroine I will enjoy following. I hope Harrison will bring back others who have appeared in this novella, especially Silas. Now, I just have to wait impatiently until 1Sep15.