The Undoing

Call of Crows Series, Book 2

By: Shelly Laurenston

Narrated by: Johanna Parker

Length: 12 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

No one would ever accuse Jace Berisha of having an easy life, considering that her husband killed her. But that was then. Now she fights for mighty Viking gods with the spectacular and vicious Crows.

But things are turning very bad very quickly for the Crows. A vengeful, ancient goddess has come into the world with just one thing on her mind: ending it. And the only way they can hope to stop her is if the Crows join forces with their one-time enemies, the Protectors - a Viking clan created to do nothing but kill every Crow they see.

©2016 Shelly Laurenston (P)2016 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Laurenston adeptly blends humor, romance, and action, her sizable cast fully fleshed out and always entertaining." ( Publishers Weekly)

Just keep them coming

The story is good the performance was good as usual. At least we heard from Niecy. I liked it.

Loved this book!

I loved everything about this book.

- Engaging characters ✅
- Lovable and quirky secondary characters ✅
- Interesting plot ✅
- Narrator who can successfully and distinctly portray a large cast of characters ✅

My one criticism is that with the audio. book it would be nice to have a written cast of characters because some of the characters have similar names and keeping them straight can get confusing. Not an over whelming problem though.

great story and reader

loved every minute didn't want it to end so much funny parts laughing out loud moments.

love the author and the narrator

I adore the author and love the narrator. I can not wait for the next book in the series.

Readers should research pronunciation

Would you consider the audio edition of The Undoing to be better than the print version?

Love the stories, but since the narrator hasn't a bloody clue as to pronunciation of key Viking names, (SKULD is NOT prounounced "skool" and HELHEIM is not "HELHAIM"), the books are better. Makes one crazy to continually hear Nordic Mythological names and places< so badly pronounced... it's really annoying. Would love to return for a refund, but that isn't happening. I will NOT be buying any of the others...

Who was your favorite character and why?

No favorites... like them all.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Johanna Parker?

Anyone who could pronounce the Nordic names and places correctly....

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Made me laugh and the horrible pronunciations made me cringe...

Captivating!

Can not wait for the next book!
Laurens ton has created a modern twist on Viking mythology that keeps you wanting more.

very creative

ms. Shelley always deliver the best stories I hope she keep the series going. thanks Shelley

Really good addition to the series :)

4-4.5 stars

This was a really good story. I liked Jace and Ski and enjoyed their story very much.

Jace is a Crow, one of a group of women that were brought back after death by the goddess, Skuld, in order to become one of her warriors. Jace was an unwilling part of a cult, having been married to the cult's leader when she was just 16. When Jace's husband killed Jace, she came back as a Crow and also a berserker which sometimes causes her to go into a killing frenzy in battle and she sometimes has trouble controlling it.

Ski is a member of the Protectors, a group of men that server the God Tyr. The protectors are all of Norse descent and are taken from their families at a young age to be trained to server Tyr. The protectors are focused on knowledge and their library is their most prized possession.

Jace is an introvert and hates crowds and small talk. Unfortunately, while most of the Crows realize she likes to be by herself, some think she's just shy and needs help by being pushed out of her comfort zone. Jace is very unthrilled when Chloe (the leader of the Crows) tells her she needs to get a job so she can get out of the house and socialize more. Ski and the other protectors had actually been trying to hire Jace already because she is a language wiz (speaking many languages fluently) and they have some books they need translated. The books have content that they don't want just anyone to see and since Jace is a member of another Norse clan they feel she's trustworthy. Jace had been turning them down because she's an introvert and didn't want a job that would necessitate her having to talk to people but when Chloe insists she get a job, Jace figured working with books would be easier on her than anything else she could do.

Once Jace and Ski start seeing each other more, the attraction between them becomes apparent. Jace is worried about dating though (how is she supposed to chat during a date when she's an introvert) and turns Ski down when he asks her out. Thankfully, Ski realizes that it's not that she doesn't like him, it's her introvertedness that makes her keep her distance and with this in mind, Ski works on Jace's resistance. While Jace and Ski are figuring out their relationship, there's a lot going on for the clans to deal with...namely one evil goddess that got loose from where she was imprisoned and wants to bring about the end of the world. There's a good bit of drama and danger due to that and some other issues that show up as well. Thankfully, Jace and Ski get through things well and end the story starting a HEA together.

I really enjoyed this story a lot. Jace was a good heroine and I liked her. At first Jace seemed shy and maybe a bit weak but as you get to know her, you realize she's really got a lot of strength and is someone you want good things for. Ski was a good hero...I liked him and was rooting for him to win Jace. I was very glad he wasn't easily deterred by Jace's original rejections (both for the job and the date). I had no major complaints about the story and overall, I liked it and would recommend it. :D

Great Book

Excellent performance and great plot. Made me laugh out loud often when listening.... recommend purchasing....

Has everything you could want in one book

Thank you for such a wonderful addition to this trilogy series. It is interesting, engaging and funny.