Zaria Fierce and the Secret of Gloomwood Forest

By: Keira Gillett

Narrated by: Michele Carpenter

Length: 4 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

On her birthday, Zaria Fierce finds her usual path to school blocked by an ugly river-troll. At first she’s surprised and curious, but then Olaf threatens to eat her, which is an act Zaria could not in good conscience consent to, so Zaria counteroffers. A deal is struck and she goes to school, but Zaria is about to learn the hard way that one does not trick a river-troll and expect to win.

©2015 Keira Gillett (P)2015 Keira Gillett

Great listening experience

I really enjoyed the immersive experience of being taken to a new world where anything could happen. While this was a complete story, it left me wanting more, so I will definitely be listening to the next book. I highly recommend this for anyone who enjoyed the Harry Potter series because this had a similar listening quality. Thank you Keira for giving this fun story to the world!

The book was truly amazing!

I really like how easily the author can can express the excitement she shows in all of her books! Her books really are incredible.

I’d definitely recommend it to preteens

I’m 51 years old but this story reminded me of some of my favourite books as a preteen—just enough reality (needing to be responsible enough to leave notes for parents) mixed with fantasy to be fun and encouraging. I will definitely be recommending these to young nieces and nephews and might even look for a sequel for myself.

The narrator was pretty good. Not 100% consistent with accents but close enough because the book keeps you engaged enough to not always notice. I particularly like how she voiced the main female character when she was being soft and compassionate.

I received a free copy of this book, but it didn’t influence my review.

Lively fantasy adventure!

Deal maker for me was Norwegian setting. Zaria is a bookworm who learns that things known and unknown to her are real. Having read many Norwegian tales to my own children, I was delighted to pass this one along to the grandkids! The audio performer did a magnificent job of interpreting differences between beings. Hoping to read more of Zaria, and hope that Michele Carpenter will perform them!

Very, very good.

When a bridge troll kidnaps her friend, Zaria and her friends go on an adventure to get him back. This book was written for middle school age kids but can be enjoyed by all. Entertaining and engaging, short enough to finished in one sitting. Narrator did a good job with the different voices. Production quality very good.

Fun First Entry By New Author

A fun adventure by a new author. Designed for teenagers but can be enjoyed by all, The genre is similar to novels like The Hobbit, The Chronicles of Narnia Keira and early Harry Potter entries. Gillet, nails it on the first try and brings the characters to life. I look forward to the later books and appreciate the chance to experience this first entry into Zaria's world with her ragged band of friends keeping the world a little bit safer and brighter for all of us.

NOTE for the audio version - narrator is clear and the different voices for different characters is appreciated.

A fun and entertaining read.

Zaria Fierce was such a quick and engaging read that I listened to it in a day. It's the type of book that is so easy to listen to that you've most of it done before you realise.

One thing I loved about the book is Zaria herself. She is a bookworm and loves fantasy books so is quite surprised to meet an honest to goodness troll named Olaf. He wont let her cross but she tries to trick him like in Billy Goats Gruff. She tells him she will do something for him, but once passed she thinks that maybe her mind played tricks on her and it wasn't real. She returns to "real" life but a few days later, one of her best friends never returns home. She soon realises that the troll has taken him and won't return him till she agrees to get the Heart of Gloomwood Forest for him. She reluctantly agrees, and along with some of her friends, finds herself on an amazing journey through a land she thought only existed in books. Zaria was smart, brave, loyal and an all round amazing role model.

Plot wise, it was really fast paced and interesting. I loved the lore behind the world and the author really brought the land to life through her vivid descriptions. I had no problem visualising the place and creatures. I also loved the sheer variety of fantastical creatures that are featured. We have a bit of everything!

In all, this was such a pleasant read. The characters are easily relatable, the plot was fast paced and kept my interest and the book as a whole was thoroughly entertaining. I'm looking forward to the next one to see what adventures await Zaria and her friends.

Michele Carpenter did a really good job with most of her voices. She had a ton of different ranges for the trolls and all the creatures, I just found some of her human voices were a little off. Her accents for a few of Zaria friends sounded like a blend of different ones, and maybe that's what she went for, but personally, I thought they sounded a little weird! Other than that, she nailed the creatures.

Zaria is a great YA read, and a great listen

Would you listen to Zaria Fierce and the Secret of Gloomwood Forest again? Why?

Yes, I will certainly listen to it again. Zaria's story is a good one, engaging and intriguing. I especially like that it was crafted to be part of a larger whole. The entire world feels alive, like we're just seeing a part of what this new mythology has to offer. Obviously, this was written to be the beginning of a trilogy, but the whole framework makes me itch to see how the details will be painted in over the years, hopefully with many more books and characters.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Zaria Fierce and the Secret of Gloomwood Forest?

There were a couple good character reveals, which I won't spoil here, the most obvious being the background of Zaria herself. There were also some great chase scenes, although in at least one case, I was actually running myself as I listened to the audiobook - something I haven't done before, but enjoyed immensely while listening to the Zaria books - which added another immersive element. But all in all, it wasn't the "a-ha moments" about the book that moved me as much as the consistent pacing, beckoning me on.

What does Michele Carpenter bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrator brought a thoroughly "listenable" voice, and a wealth of amusing accents to the characters, as well as fulfilling the important job of providing consistent pronunciation for some of the unusual names. It may be an obscure reference, but Mz. Carpenter's voice reminds me strongly of Nina Gordon (of Veruca Salt fame) - that's a good thing - and I thought her airy smoothness was perfect for capturing Zaria's mixture of youthful uncertainty and intrinsic courage. Every one of the other characters had a recognizable and distinct voice, including those of other races, which particularly gained an extra layer of mental imagery from her expressive treatment. (Still, my reason for four stars is largely that there were no distinctly Norwegian voices - that is, none of the voices sounded like the few Norwegians that I've worked or played soccer with, or the tracks on my learn-to-speak CDs - so while I'm admittedly not an expert in accents, I came away feeling like several of the important human characters weren't properly placed by the accents that she ascribed to them. This was a minor point, though, and one that most listeners would probably never notice or care about.)

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

Yes; in fact, I made each of my listening opportunities as long as possible, including (as mentioned above) even listening to it while I ran - an activity well-suited to the adventurous nature of the tale. I crammed in every minute of listening that I could, so that I could hear how it turned out.

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed this book greatly and was eager to tear into the next one. If I could rate it four and a half stars, I would. The only concern that I had was that I felt some of the mechanics of the writing showed the author's relative inexperience - of course I'm saying this as one who has never written a book, or even a book review - and that the story could have been made even better with a little more thorough editing. I'll temper that further, however, by saying that some turns of phrase were clearly deliberate, and were simply not my personal preference; and, more importantly, I think she has done a wonderful job of writing in a way that shows how kids speak, and how they think, but without downplaying the use of language and more advanced words. The kids at the heart of this story are smart and brave, and they are ushering us into a world that I want to know more about. Bring on the tales!

A fun fairytale...

What a wonderful fairytale full of trolls and dragons and an enchanted forest. Also Michele Carpenter does a great job giving the characters many different voices.

I couldn't stop listening and I am looking forward to part two. Recommended - you always want to know what comes next / how the story continues.

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

Fun listening!

What other book might you compare Zaria Fierce and the Secret of Gloomwood Forest to and why?

I liked the setting, it was reminiscent of Tolkien's Hobbit, and a hint of Grimm's with modern day touches.

What does Michele Carpenter bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I really enjoyed her reading, it's easy on the ears, and she does a good job of keeping all the character voices unique and separate.

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

I did listen to it all in one sitting, so, yes!

Any additional comments?

I have to say I had no idea what to expect, but I enjoyed this much more than anticipated. Zaria is lovable and kind, and her friends are brave and supportive. And their adventures, while significantly less violent and hair-raising than much of modern fantasy, is, in my opinion, perfect for its intended audience.

I enjoy the writing style, it flows well, and is far more mature in phrasing and dialogue than most YA fiction I've read. Gillett does like her big words, and this book will definitely push a child's vocabulary skills. I think I came across a word or two I wasn't familiar with.

Bonus points for not using any repetitive slang words or phrases like so many YA books.

I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.