Curse of the Blue Tattoo: Bloody Jack #2

I have to admit I bought the second book in the series before the first book because there was a discount on it. I figured that at least I wouldn't waste a lot of money... (admit it, you have said that too)
Well, this was the surprise of the year for me. Katherine Kellgren really brought the characters to life, with not only different voices well-suited for the characters, but with energy and pacing that suited the text. AND she can sing a nice song!
This was my first contact with any L. A. Meyer novel. I was looking for an easy listen to help get through the four 12-hour drives that faced me in the last 2 months. I got my money's worth, and the Wife and I were sad to get to the end of the book. There is some violence, and the encounters with some of the "women of ill repute" are a bit creepy. Might be some good discussion opportunities with your daughters.
Personally, I'm looking for more books from both this author and this reader! Five stars for each!

Curse of the Blue Tattoo is the sequel to Bloody Jack, and I enjoyed it even more than the first one. Don't read on if you haven't listened to Bloody Jack! - after Jackie is kicked off the Dolphin, she winds up at a finishing school for young ladies and experiences more ups and downs than possibly imaginable throughout Curse of the Blue Tattoo! Everything is told in Jackie's emotive voice, and the narrator keeps up the great tradition of voicing a number of characters all with great depth.

This was a great follow-up and I recommend this series to anyone looking for a great listen.

L.A. Meyer has created an immensely compelling book about a terrific heroine who one can't help but love despite (or maybe because of) her flaws and mishaps. Jacky Faber and her cohorts may find her misadventures harrowing, but it's tons of fun for the listeners to vicariously experience. The book is also educational as Meyer tries to keep the setting of the book as historically accurate as possible.

As previously mentioned by other listeners, this book may be a bit explicit for the young'uns, but it's definitely no worse than whatever one might find on the telly these days.

The true gem of this audiobook, however, is Ms Kellgren. She doesn't read; she performs. The different accents she affects are great, and her singing voice is beautiful. If she's narrating, then I'm listening!

STORY (historical fiction) - This story takes place in Boston around 1803. Despite the name and the cover art, this is a fun, lighthearted series. In Book 1 we were introduced to Jacky Faber, a young orphan girl (about age 13) who poses as a boy to get a job on a Naval vessel as a ship's mate. In this book, Jacky has been sent to a girls' school in Boston to become a lady. She tries to hide her humble past and fit in, but her antics will keep you in stitches. (Like carrying a full chamber pot into a room full of guests and asking where to dump it, or whacking her bread on the dinner table to make the weevils come out!) Jacky tries to do the right thing but always finds herself in the middle of some kind of trouble. She is adorable and her antics will make you laugh, but she doesn't learn from her mistakes or listen to what others tell her. As soon as she gets out of one mess, she gets into another one. I found that frustrating after a while but, all in all, it's great fun and has a wonderful ending.

PERFORMANCE - There are a handful of narrators that I save my 5-star ratings for, and Katherine Kellgren is one of them. She does a great job of Jacky's Cockney accent as well as a multitude of other voices, and the emotion she pours into every sentence is just wonderful. She also sings a pretty good tune. Awesome job!

OVERALL - This is a fun, easy listen. Audible labels this series as Teens age 11-13, but there are topics in this book that are not appropriate for that age group. I'd recommend this primarily for mature female listeners. There's a bit of language that borders on profanity and some sexual innuendos. It's Book 2 in a fairly lengthy series. It can stand alone, but there are questions left unanswered that will keep you hooked enough to continue on to Book 3.

Many long series can be read in bits and pieces-you can pick up any of the 'Eve Dallas' or Jack Reacher" or Stephanie Plum books in any order you choose to grab them. Then there are the series like "Outlander" and this Jacky Faber series that NEED to be read from book 1 on down the line. Oh-I guess you can really read any book you want but there is so much back story and each book builds on the previous one that, as other reviewers, who started in the middle of the series, post about not understanding what was going on, getting lost in the vast number of Jackys friends and her chaotic adventures.

I enjoyed this as much as I did the first one and am glad that, as my daughters request, I purchased the first 5 in the series at one time. I figured it would take me a couple of months to get thru these-they looked pretty long but I've averaging book a week of intermittent listening. I just can't put the headphones down.

I still think that this episode can be listened to by the entire family especially if younger ones got some explaining during it. I wish I'd have had this series when I used to take road trips with my kids.

Kellgren brings so much wonderful excitement into the plot by her great performances of all the many characters. It's easy to know who is 'talking' as Kellgren keeps her dialog accents straight - theres no guessing on my part about which character is which.

I hope the series remains just as good as these first two. Some of the best I've heard on Audible.

Well worth your monthly credit-and even worth purchasing more credits so you cn buy it at the membership discount!

If you're looking for a story that your book club can dissect, filled with characters to analyze, this isn't it...not a mind bender.

If you liked the Golden Compass series and the spunky child heroin, Lyra, which I did, you'll love the swashbuckling Jackie Faber.

And all the prior reviews about narrator L. A. Meyers are spot on. She makes what you obviously know will happen next, into a can't wait to hear what happens next.

Bloody Jacky Faber, scourge of the seven seas, returns in her second adventure where she makes Boston her own.

Lots of good adventure with neat historical details, and of course, an excellent cast of characters both high-born and low for Jacky to charm, get too close to, and run away from. There were shades of Ella Enchanted in Jacky and her finished school, which I really loved, and I thought Amy was a perfect foil for Jacky's headstrong ways.

The romance between Jacky and Randall was a little unbelievable, as Jacky's generally right sharp and did see through him immediately... but accepted his favor anyway? It was a little unlike her.

As usual, it was a fairly predictable story, but all around good fun and I'm looking forward to listening to the next installment.

As for Ms Kellgren's narration, we again get to hear more of her lovely singing voice, and she whizzes through the action. Sometimes its hard to keep on working during the action scenes as everything happens so fast, and sets my heart to racing.

Katherine Kellgren does a great job at narration. She has a beautiful singing voice. I really enjoyed the story. I listened every day on my drive to & from work. I looked forward to jumping in the car so I could get back to the adventure.

The only part that was a bit disappointing is the ending. It seemed somewhat abrupt and left me wanting more. Several things were left unresolved. I can only hope the next book, "Under the Jolly Roger" picks up where this one left off and answers most of the unresolved issues.

You're never too old to learn. This audiobook had me Googling terms like "Pope's Day" and "Press Gangs" to learn a little more about history.

I highly recommend the "Curse of the Blue Tattoo".

Favorite series! This is the best female reader EVER. All accents are spot-on, and character voices are unique. The story is engaging and entertaining. This is the 3rd time I'm hearing the whole series!

I will no doubt listen to the entire series again. It's so much fun. I will be starting Book 4 soon. I can't stop!

Jacky Faber of course.

I doubt I would have picked up Book 2 if I had only ready Book 1. Katherine Kellgren gives a one woman performace that is stunning.

Oh yes!