Warning Call

The Black Pages Series, Book 2

By: Danny Bell

Narrated by: Whitton A. Frank

Length: 12 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

Elana Black. Saving the day even if she has to tear a hole in the universe to do it.

An unbeatable mythological horror has its sights set on Elana, and that's not the worst of her problems. Gods want to use her, shadowy agents want to eliminate her, and a powerful sorcerer wants to kill her; all as she rushes to stop an event that portends the death of her best friend, Olivia. It's all catching up with her, and just in time for Christmas. Elana is going to have to figure out how all of it is connected but she's in over her head, outnumbered, and running out of time.

And she always thought magic would make her life easier.

©2017 Danny Bell (P)2018 Danny Bell

Critic reviews

"In this fantasy, Elana Black can insert herself into a book or television story and engage with all the characters. Whitton Frank narrates this story breathlessly, portraying the characters, both real and fictional. Frank's narration becomes more emotional as Elana flexes her skills, her ability to change storylines and save their characters from death. Unfortunately, Elana is not the only person who can change stories, a situation that forces her to battle for her life. Frank works hard to keep up with the shifting scenes as the line between fact and fiction blurs and the action heats up. Her performance fades into the story as good battles evil and characters chase one another from book to TV and back again. The dialogue is nonstop, the action fast paced, and the story good enough to make listeners willing to suspend their disbelief." (AudioFile Magazine)

A Killer Sequel that Stands on Its Own!

One of the problems I have with sequels is that they are usually just weak reflections of the first book. Not this time. This book has a strong story, possibly stronger than the first book.

We start out the book with our heroine Elana Black again. In the first book, she had just discovered what she was and what she could do, now she's not only having to deal with it, but has to deal with a Godzilla-sized monster sent to destroy her. There is loads of action that leads to an epic battle, but a solid plot as well. The characters in this book are faced with many unpleasant choices and sometime they cannot escape making those choices. This book is a rollercoaster ride, yes, but not without pulling on your emotions. A completely absorbing, 100% original tale. A bravo to the author for having a female hero who isn't afraid to throw a punch or a sarcastic line, yet still manages to be completely human.

The narrator...what can say. She is the character, no matter who she's playing. The right voice, the right emotion. What a stellar team!

The third book can't hit the site quick enough.

I enjoyed the first book, but this one showed the author's growth as a storyteller.

A more focused story

Warning Call serves as the follow up to Empty Threat, making it the second in what looks to be a long series.

Right away, Warning Call is a much bigger story. While Empty Threat often bounced around, taking care to set up a lot of dangling threads for the rest of the series to tug at, in this story we are immediately treated to a more linear experience with a bigger cast. Most of the cast returns for last time in the form of Bres, a psychotic antagonist, Claire and Olivia, two of Elana's friends. The mysterious Aos Si. But the actions Elana took in the first book make a larger cast necessary. She's gained attention and notoriety. This time around she gains more friends as well as enemies, the problem is that she's not always sure which is which.

The plot is more focused. Elana isn't quite the fish out of water she was the first time out. She knows what she can do and what she's capable of to an extent, but now she needs to put it into practice. Someone is trying to kill her, a monster threatens everything, and she needs to survive long enough to save her friends life. It sounds simple, but in practice it is anything but. It's all connected and she needs to figure out how and why.

Whitton Frank narrates the book fabulously, adding real emotional depth to key scenes. Her performance makes the book a very easy listen and keeps it all moving along at a comfortable pace. The story moves fast and frantic and in the hands of a lesser narrator the story might have suffered. Thankfully what we got instead was energetic and emotional and fun.

Empty Threat left the readers with a lot of questions for the future and Warning Call does a great job of answering them, showing that every inch of the story is deliberate. However, for every question it answered it feels like another one popped up in its place.

Elana is slowly but surely becoming a hero, I'm excited for the next installment.

Crazily magical...:)

The second book in the series is even faster, crazier and more magical than the first one...:)

Elana is in trouble, big trouble this time...
Again, the book starts quite innocently, with a short outing with a friend into the mountains. What could go wrong with that, right? Well... it's Elana, so you cannot expect everything to go according to plan...:) And then it starts: monsters, gods, sorcerers - everyone wants Elana, most of them want her dead... And all she wants is to save Olivia, a friend she feels she let down in the past...

The plot is crazy as hell, fast as hell and magical as hell :) We get more insight into the system of magic, and I still don't grasp it in its entirety - but that's OK, Elana doesn't either :) There are more characters we deal with than in book one, and they play more important parts in the story. They are very well written, complex and with secrets of their own, which makes them intriguing and believable. And although the book may be read as a standalone, there's definitely an opening for the next installment in the series - and you do want to continue with Elana's adventures :)

Narration by Ms Frank is as good as in book one - she does the individual voices really well, with the personality of the characters shining through her words. She's also great at conveying emotions; we do feel them while listening to her.

DISCLAIMER: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Warning Call is Awesome!! Get it!!!

I really loved the first book, Empty Threat, and immediately marked Danny Bell as an author to watch. Warning Call, the second book in the Black Pages series shows that the first book was no fluke. If anything Warning Call, is even stronger than the first book and shows Danny’s growth as a writer and crafter of tales. Elana Black is one of my favorite new protagonists— complex, layered and surprising in the best way possible. The Audio book is so well performed by Whitton A. Frank, it’s up there with my favorite audio books, like Neil Gaiman’s own reading of Neverwhere. She embodies Elana and the other characters with great nuance and skill.
I highly recommend this book and series!

Amazing

After finishing the first book, I wanted more. the 2nd book doesn't let you down. The deeper I got in, the more i wanted to know. I can't wait to see what happens next.

Fun story

Strong female characters keep me interested in this series. they are relatable and fun. I also love the relationships between them.

The world of Elana is starting to be revealed.

I immediately started this book after reading Empty Threat because i wanted to know what happens. The second book really starts to build and show you the world of magic that Elana is in and it's huge and so diverse that it has endless story possibilities. I really enjoyed it and it gave me a sense of completeness that I won't agonize over what happens next unlike other series where your waiting years to know! I will get the next book when it comes out now that I've grown to enjoy the company of Elana, Olivia and the rest of her friends.

Who needs a Tardis when you have a Bookstore?

This book was a lot to unpack. It doesn't stand alone, by the way, so read Empty Threat first.

I have to say that I wish there had been more reminders of who is who and what is what. Because. Unpacking. Lots.
Elana is a young introvert who has stumbled (maybe) into magic and a special brand of fantasy. She has a major God-like creature angry at her and another who wants her to become her pet assassin. While evading 2-headed monsters and avoiding murder, she's also trying to re-build broken friendships.

But all she really wants to do is save everybody. And, for some reason, she wants to do it by herself. This is a hard concept for me. I mean, even Jack Bower had sidekicks. Though usually they were at a desk on a computer while he outran all the bullets on his own. I did like her refusal to accept that, if your only two choices suck, then there must be a third choice out there. That is heroism in the vein of Kirk and Kent. I can only guess that Elana's sweeping embrace of her sudden power and purpose are about her, as yet unrevealed, heritage. Stay tuned?

Whitton Frank is very talented with dialogue. I think her exposition needs work. And that may be because the core voice of the book is Elana's and I found that voice too stagey and not personal enough. As in she's performing the story from a big stage instead of telling it to me in my headphones. She does find that intimate tone in several of her other characters though - so yay! Her accent work was fun and not heavy-handed. The book itself has some very funny lines and concepts in it and I think Ms. Frank didn't do Mr. Bell's humor the justice it deserved.

Overall, I did like it and can recommend it highly.

Mr. Danny Bell has done it again!

Yep! This second book in his series was absolutely riveting!!! I cant wait for the next book! I am completely hooked on these novels. with the build from the first book, the second one took twists and turns that I wasn't expecting. The suspense was perfect. Fantastically wonderful job by Ms. Whitton Frank as well. It is so easy to tell who is who by her vocal changes. And her accents in the first and second book are great! Love this book!! I would absolutely recommend it to anyone and everyone. Well done Mr. Bell!! Keep these stories coming!!!