AUDIOBOOKING WITH LEAH: apocalyptic

BY ALISON STINE

NARRATED BY BRITTANY PRESSLEY

❐SYNOPSIS & BUY LINKS ON AUTHORS WEBSITE❐

THE DETAILS✎

❐ A STAND-ALONE...BUT IT FELT LIKE IT SHOULD HAVE A SEQUEL
❐ SINGLE POV
❐ CLIMATE CHANGE --ENDLESS WINTER
❐ APOCALYPTIC WORLD
❐ LENGTH OF AUDIO ➯ 9 HOURS, 46 MINUTES
❐ I LISTENED ON AUDIBLE

An endless winter...if I could pick one season to have as never-ending...winter would be the last one I would pick. Winter all-year-round would literally be a dystopian hellscape for me. Although, this particular hellscape feels like it could be an all too real scenario and this makes for a compelling, albeit alarming listen...one that I was completely there for.

Brittany Pressley nailed this performance as if it was written for her to perform all along. She is one of my favorites, and I'm never disappointed in her narration.

While very well written, with characters who were likable and had real depth to them, I was still ultimately put off by the ending because it didn't really have one. As if it was reaching for something that never really happened. I needed more from this story and from these indelible characters. Hopefully, there is a second book coming, but from what I could find...I don't think there is going to be.

BREAKDOWN✎
Narration ➯ 5 STARS
Plot ➯ 4.5/5
Characters ➯ 4.3/5
The Feels ➯ 4/5
Pacing ➯ 4/5
Addictiveness ➯ 4/5
Theme, Tone or Intensity ➯ 4.3/5
Originality/Believability ➯ 4.5/5
Flow (Writing Style/Ease of Listening) ➯ 5/5
World-Building ➯ 4.5/5
Ending ➯ 3/5
SUMMATION ➯ 4 STARS

I LISTENED TO THIS FOR THE SQUARE

FOR HALLOWEEN BINGO 2020

BY MADELINE SHEEHAN & CLAIRE C. RILEY

NARRATED BY CJ BLOOM

❐SYNOPSIS & BUY LINKS ON AUTHORS WEBSITE❐

THE DETAILS✎
❐ THICKER THAN BLOOD #1
❐ ZOMBIE POST-APOCALYPTIC
❐ SOME ROMANCE
❐ UNSATISFYING ENDING...
❐ LENGTH OF AUDIO ➯ 13 HOURS, 32 MINUTES
❐ I LISTENED ON LIBBY THROUGH MY LIBRARY

I feel like the graphic I made for this is way cooler than this book actually was. This is a bleak zombie-infested world with not even a hint of happiness to be found unless you count some good sex as happiness. Sadly, the fleeting happiness one can get from sex is the only bright spot in this world these Authors have created...and then only if it's consensual, and sadly, that's not always the case. Feeling-wise, it just wasn't enough for me. But...they did create a world that felt plausible...if a zombie apocalypse could ever be plausible, that is.

Since this is written by two authors who write Romance; I went into this thinking it would have romance...and it does to a small extent, it just didn't play out the way I thought it would. However, it's definitely heavy on the zombie killing, fucking people over, treating women like possessions, and killing off characters...so action-wise it's something like a hit.

BREAKDOWN✎
Narration ➯ 3½ STARS
Plot ➯ 3.5/5
Characters ➯ 3.5/5
The Feels ➯ 2.5/5
Pacing ➯ 3.5/5
Addictiveness ➯ 4/5
Theme, Tone or Intensity ➯ 4/5
Originality/Believability ➯ 4/5
Flow (Writing Style/Ease of Listening) ➯ 4/5
World-Building ➯ 4.3/5
Romance/Chemistry ➯ 2.5/5
Steaminess to Story Ratio ➯ 20/80
Ending ➯ 1.5/5
SUMMATION ➯ 3 STARS