Prized

Birthmarked Trilogy Series, Book 2

By: Caragh M. O'Brien

Narrated by: Carla Mercer-Meyer

Length: 12 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

Striking out into the wasteland with nothing but her baby sister, a handful of supplies, and a rumor to guide her, sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone survives only to be captured by the people of Sylum, a dystopian society where women rule the men who drastically outnumber them, and a kiss is a crime. In order to see her sister again, Gaia must submit to their strict social code, but how can she deny her sense of justice, her curiosity, and everything in her heart that makes her whole?

©2011, 2012 Caragh O'Brien (P)2013 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Reminiscent of James's Children of Men and Atwood's A Handmaid's Tale, this series practically begs to be a book club selection." ( VOYA)

A good second book!

Where does Prized rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I can't rank all my book series in the top 5. But I would give this book series an A- if graded.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes and I pretty much did.

Any additional comments?

This 2nd book was worth buying.

Can't wait to hear what's next!

What did you like best about this story?

I like how parts from the first book tie into this book and how little things become big parts of the story!

Any additional comments?

The way the landscape is described you can actually see what she's explaining in your head. VERY well written!

Great, better than first!

What did you love best about Prized?

the love triangle, 32 games, Leon winning the game and having Maya as his prize.

Have you listened to any of Carla Mercer-Meyer’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No. I thought her performance was just fine... this one wasn't as bad as the first, but I do think whoever was in charge of editing did a crap job. Again, at least in the first audiobook there as a lot of background noise (like something fell, turning pages, Carla taking breaths in-between lines)

Any additional comments?

I couldn't stop listening to it! Stayed up half the night, I was so intrigued!

Enjoyed while sick in bed

Very easy to follow and pleasant voice of narrator. There is kind of a Pro Choice agenda in this book and I don’t enjoy agendas. I did like it enough to buy more credits to hear the next one.

A necessary step but somewhat weak

Aside from the narrator's propensity for mispronunciation, this is a worthwhile listen. It's a bit of a deviation from the first book of the series, which I think is a significantly stronger offering from O'Brien. The story gets mired in some useless romantic turmoil, but some of it does serve to advance the plot so don't rule it out too quickly. Overall, a necessary step towards the conclusion of the series, but not the strongest plotwise.

Okay....

Not as good as Birthmarked, but not entirely bad either. Uncovering the truth was a great climax. I was not as pleased with this book as I was Birthmarked, but it was okay.

The BEST book I've ever read!

Where does Prized rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

#1

What did you like best about this story?

It's realism- the characters were just perfect and believable

Have you listened to any of Carla Mercer-Meyer’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No I have not but I definately will

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Oh geez! Um..... "Could you relinquish your child to your government?"

Any additional comments?

This is the kind I book that you never want to end and then book two and three and I really have prayed for a fourth. It's just that good! And they could not have selected a better narrator.

it's good

I would prefer a different narrator. I find myself turning it off to get a break from her voice. I also don't prefer some of the writing, like "mylass".

Great book, HORRIBLE READER!

Would you listen to Prized again? Why?

I would definitely listen to Prized again because it was a great story with a great plot. I would probably read it because the narrator was HORRIBLE!

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator was HORRIBLE! I don't think I could say it enough. The reader read everything completely wrong even when it said differently in the book. She would read a confrontation calmly when the book stated ".....blah blah blah, they argued." The book says that she becomes a strong woman and the narrator makes her sound like a weak little girl who has no clue what she is doing and is terrified like a 4 year old. When she is being interrogated, the narrator makes it sound like she is pleading by saying I'm sorry like a little girl when the book has her being strong and confident. This chick should never narrate a book again in her life.

Any additional comments?

NEVER LET THE NARRATOR READ A BOOK AGAIN! SHE IS HORRIBLE!

Great story, for the most part.

I liked the story, it was pretty good, kept me wanting to hear more. But I also had a lot of qualms with it. Parts were way out there and hard to believe. I found myself thinking "Yea right, who would actually say/do that". The narrator was okay, certainly not as bad as some of the reviews make it seem. Overall, I enjoyed it a lot.