AUDIOBOOK ➯ NONE SHALL SLEEP

BY ELLIE MARNEY

NARRATED BY CHRISTINE LAKIN, MAXWELL HAMILTON, ZACH VILLA, & JAKE ABEL

❐SYNOPSIS & BUY LINKS ON AUTHORS WEBSITE❐

❐ Overall Rating 4¾ | Narration 5

❐ Mystery/Thriller/Horror

❐ Very reminiscent of Silence of the Lambs

❐ YA-ish

❐ Serial Killers

An excellent story, creepily scary and bloody gruesome.  Billed as being Silence of the Lambs meets Sadie...I totally agree with the SOTL comparison, but I'm not feeling the Sadie comparison at all.  Set in the early 80s...maybe when profiling was just really becoming mainstream.  What they have these teens (who are 18) carrying out and/or what they end up doing on their own, I should say; felt a lot like profiling serial killers.  Either way, it was really quite compelling, and I didn't see the end coming...at least, not until right before the shit hit the fan.  Also, the narration by each of the narrators was performed perfectly.

❐ Libby Listen through my Library

❐ Length ➯ 11H 19M

❐ Plot ➯ 4.7/5
❐ Characters ➯ 5/5
❐ The Feels ➯ 5/5
❐ Twisty-ness/Mystery/Thrills ➯ 5/5
❐ Ending ➯ 4.5/5

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW ➯ THE LESSER DEAD

 

BY CHRISTOPHER BUEHLMAN

NARRATED BY CHRISTOPHER BUEHLMAN

❐SYNOPSIS FROM GOODREADS❐

THE DETAILS✎

❐ HORROR OF THE VAMPIRIC KIND

❐ SINGLE POV --JOEY PEACOCK

❐ NARRATED BY THE AUTHOR

❐ BLOODY, GRITTY, UNFORGIVING, AND ODDLY HUMOROUS

❐ LENGTH OF AUDIO ➯ 9 HOURS, 40 MINUTES

❐ I LISTENED ON LIBBY THROUGH MY LIBRARY

I've been saving this one for Halloween Bingo since it was perfect for Vampires Square.  I'm so glad I finally got a chance to listen to this book because it blew away my expectations.  

When I see that a book is narrated by the author, I'm always a little wary...sometimes they don't make the best narrator for the story...since you kind of need at least some acting chops to give a decent performance.  Christopher Buehlman knocked this out of the park...both with writing and narrating.

This book is dark & bloody, with scary-ass vampires...it made me feel like maybe they really could exist and they are just erasing are memories so we don't know...

so creepy...  

Joey Peacock, what a dandy name for a blood-sucking vampire, his wit and candor rival that of Damon Salvatore.  And yet, he is one-of-kind...he made me laugh out loud which was both odd and endearing at the same time.  I felt like I shouldn't have been laughing when he got pummeled between a subway car and the tracks...but the lines were delivered so crassly, so blasé, that I couldn't help myself.  

If you think you've conceived vampires in every possible way...and this couldn't add anything to the genre...you're wrong.

BREAKDOWN✎

Narration ➯ 5 STARS

Plot ➯ 4.5/5

Characters ➯ 5/5

The Feels ➯ 5/5

Pacing ➯ 4.5/5

Addictiveness ➯ 4.5/5

Theme, Tone or Intensity ➯ 5/5

Originality/Believability ➯ 5/5

Flow (Writing Style/Ease of Listening) ➯ 4.5/5

World-Building ➯ 5/5

Ending ➯ 4.5/5

SUMMATION ➯ 4¾ STARS

I LISTENED TO THIS FOR THE SQUARE

FOR HALLOWEEN BINGO 2020

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW ➯ RULES FOR VANISHING

 

BY KATE ALICE MARSHALL

NARRATED BY JESSE VILINSKY, ROBBIE DAYMOND & ROB SHAPIRO

❐SYNOPSIS & BUY LINKS ON AUTHORS WEBSITE❐

THE DETAILS✎

❐ YA HORROR

❐ SMALL TOWN LEGENDS & GHOST STORIES

❐ STRANGE DISAPPEARANCES THROUGHOUT THE AGES

❐ FAUX DOCUMENTARY-STYLE, INTERVIEWS, VIDEO FOOTAGE & TRANSCRIPTS

❐ LENGTH OF AUDIO ➯ 11 HOURS, 5 MINUTES

❐ I LISTENED ON LIBBY THROUGH MY LIBRARY

The premise is the most promising thing about this book...that and the excellent cover.  This had the makings to be something spectacular...but the execution left me floundering to figure out what the heck was going on most of the time.  I wanted to like it more than I actually did.  I think it lost me fairly quickly with all the different characters to keep track of.  I tried like hell to remember who was who.

With the style of the narrative and the multiple POV's, someone should have realized that this would have been so much better with a complete full-cast.  Each of these narrators was really decent and performed very well, considering, though.  

Overall, I'm really not sure what it was that left me feeling indifferent towards this book.  This could be a hit for others...don't let my confusion keep you from giving it a listen or a read.  I'm really not sure what it was that left me feeling indifferent towards this book.

BREAKDOWN✎

Narration ➯ 4 STARS

Plot ➯ 3.8/5

Characters ➯ 3/5

The Feels ➯ 2/5

Pacing ➯ 3/5

Addictiveness ➯ 3/5

Theme, Tone or Intensity ➯ 3/5

Originality ➯ 3.8/5

Flow (Writing Style/Ease of Listening) ➯ 2/5

World-Building ➯ 2.7/5

Ending ➯ 2.7/5

SUMMATION ➯ 3 STARS

I LISTENED TO THIS FOR THE SQUARE

FOR HALLOWEEN BINGO 2020

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW ➯ BIRD BOX

BY JOSH MALERMAN

NARRATED BY CASSANDRA CAMPBELL

❐SYNOPSIS & BUY LINKS ON AUTHORS WEBSITE❐

THE DETAILS✎

❐ BIRD BOX #1

❐ TOLD IN THE PAST AND THE PRESENT

❐ AN UNSEEABLE MONSTER

❐ ONCE YOU DO SEE IT...YOU DON'T LIVE TO TELL ABOUT IT

❐ APOCALYPTIC HORROR

❐ A BIT OF A PSYCHOLOGICAL MINDFUCK

❐ THERE IS A MOVIE

❐ LENGTH OF AUDIO ➯ 9 HOURS, 8 MINUTES

❐ I LISTENED ON LIBBY THROUGH MY LIBRARY

The narration was performed terrifically by Cassandra Campbell.  Oddly enough she even sort of sounded like Sandra Bullock.  

I've thought about reading this book for some time now...even before the movie came out.  Ultimately, I always chickened out since scary isn't really my thing.  The movie (since I can't very well watch the movie before I've read/listened to the book, now can I) and Halloween Bingo made me give in to the experience of this book.  I'm thrilled that I did...because while it is super intense and I'm not even sure I'll watch the movie because of that...this book was undoubtedly an experience.  I will however listen to the second book (Malorie) that just recently came out.

I did think there were a few plot holes or things that didn't quite make sense...like how did she drive to that other house without laying eyes on one of "them"...she couldn't have kept her eyes closed the entire way...so, are we to assume that she just got lucky and didn't see any?  I was also really miffed by the fact that by the end, we still didn't know much about what this monster really is...so much mystery surrounding "them".  Maybe, were suppose to wonder about them, have these thoughts insidiously sitting in the back of our minds...worrying about it happening in real life.  Seriously though, even if that was the Authors intention and I had read this way back when it came out, I would have been really put off by the lack of a second book.

BREAKDOWN✎

Narration ➯ 5 STARS

Plot ➯ 4/5

Characters ➯ 4.5/5

The Feels ➯ 4.5/5

Pacing ➯ 4.2/5

Addictiveness ➯ 4.5/5

Theme, Tone or Intensity ➯ 5/5

Originality/Believability ➯ 4.3/5

Flow (Writing Style/Ease of Listening) ➯ 4.5/5

World-Building ➯ 4/5

Ending ➯ 4/5

SUMMATION ➯ 4½ STARS

I READ THIS FOR THE SQUARE

FOR HALLOWEEN BINGO 2020

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW ➯ BLOOD AND SALT

BY AUTHOR KIM LIGGETT

NARRATED BY CHLOE CANNON

❐SYNOPSIS & BUY LINKS ON AUTHORS WEBSITE❐

THE DETAILS✎

❐ BLOOD AND SALT #1 OF 2

❐ GOTHIC HORROR ROMANCE

❐ TOLD FROM ONE POV

❐ A UTOPIA...OR IS IT A CULT

❐ SECRETS, LIES, BETRAYALS & MYSTERIOUS DEATHS

❐ WTF IS UP WITH THAT CORN

❐ LENGTH OF AUDIO ➯ 8 HOURS, 23 MINUTES

❐ I LISTENED ON HOOPLA THROUGH MY LIBRARY

Since I'm woefully behind on my reviews lately...this is going to be super quick.  Take some forbidden romance, a set of fraternal twins, one of which sees dead people or one dead person, a creepy cornfield in Kansas, a little bit of alchemy, and a bit of sketchy immortality mixed with one weird little "town" where everyone thinks they are living in some kind of utopia and that is Blood and Salt in a nutshell.  

Chloe Cannon felt like she was the perfect narrator for the MC, Ashlyn, and brought out the atmosphere of the book quite adequately.

BREAKDOWN✎

Narration ➯ 4½ STARS

Plot ➯ 4.3/5

Characters ➯ 4.3/5

The Feels ➯ 4/5

Pacing ➯ 4/5

Addictiveness ➯ 4/5

Theme, Tone or Intensity ➯ 4.3/5

Originality ➯ 4.5/5

Flow (Writing Style/Ease of Listening) ➯ 4/5

Romance/Chemistry ➯ 3.8/5

Ending ➯ 4.3/5

SUMMATION ➯ 4¼ STARS

I LISTENED TO THIS FOR THE SQUARE

FOR HALLOWEEN BINGO 2020

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW ➯ THE GHOST TREE

BY CHRISTINA HENRY

NARRATED BY JAN JOHNS

❐SYNOPSIS & BUY LINKS ON AUTHORS WEBSITE❐

THE DETAILS✎

❐ YA HORROR

❐ WITCHES, CURSES, AND BLOODY SACRIFICES

❐ EVIL LURKING IN THE WOODS

❐ MULTIPLE POV'S

❐ SET IN THE 80'S...WITH PLENTY OF REFERENCES

❐ LENGTH OF AUDIO ➯ 11 HOURS, 43 MINUTES

❐ I LISTENED ON LIBBY THROUGH MY LIBRARY

This isn't really a retelling but it almost feels like it could be...there's even a princess...but you know, she dies (not really a spoiler)...that's pretty much what this author does turns the fairytales on their ass, so to speak.  If you've read and liked any of Christina Henry's other books...then you probably will like this one.  I haven't found a book by her that I didn't at least like.  She tells the story without any extra BS thrown in...which I'm a fan of...although this one had some mother/teen daughter drama in it...but it did have a reason for being there.

The narration by Jan Johns was excellently performed, her voice for four-year-old David (my fav character in the book) was so good...she made his personality shine through. Usually, I complain if a book has multiple POV's and only one narrator...but she pulled multiple characters off very well. I don't think I've ever listened to a book narrated by her before...but now I'm definitely a fan of hers.

BREAKDOWN✎

Narration ➯ 5 STARS

Plot ➯ 4.5/5

Characters ➯ 4.3/5

The Feels ➯ 4.5/5

Pacing ➯ 5/5

Addictiveness ➯ 5/5

Theme, Tone or Intensity ➯ 4.5/5

Originality ➯ 4.5/5

Flow (Writing Style/Ease of Listening) ➯ 5/5

World-Building ➯ 4.3/5

Ending ➯ 4.5/5

SUMMATION ➯ 4¾ STARS

I LISTENED TO THIS FOR THE SQUARE 

FOR HALLOWEEN BINGO 2020

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW ➯ THE TWISTED ONES

BY T. KINGFISHER

NARRATED BY HILARY HUBER

❐SYNOPSIS FROM GOODREADS❐

THE DETAILS✎

❐ FOLKLORE-ISH, WEIRDLY HORROR-IF-IC AND ODDLY ENTERTAINING 

❐ BONGO...A GIRLS BEST FRIEND IS HER DOG

❐ LAUGH OUT LOUD MOMENTS

❐ DEER EFFIGIES, CREEPY DOLLS & DISAPPEARING HILLS

❐ LENGTH OF AUDIO ➯ 11 HOURS, 4 MINUTES

❐ I LISTENED ON LIBBY THROUGH MY LIBRARY

This started out really well...I was loving the humor from the MC, I laughed out loud several times. I was loving Bongo, he was a pretty lovable dog.  Things started getting fairly creepy and mysterious.  Then just past the half-way mark, things went a little too wonky, and the humor got a little monotonous...she was obsessed with semi-colons, the dog's vet not finding out how unwell she's feeding Bongo, and basically with repeating herself, a lot...but, hey I still loved Bongo.  Dogs are cool...what can I say.

Apparently, this is some sort of retelling of Arthur Machen's The White People, which I learned from Char's review, and I have no clue what that is about...well, except for what I gleaned from this book.  All I can say is it's definitely on the freaky side.  Seriously, deer effigies, creepy dolls, and disappearing hills are just a few of the elements you'll find within this story...if you're a fan of the weird and unexplained this might be perfect for you.

I always like Hilary Huber's narration...her voice is so pleasing, I can't imagine anyone not liking her...but I did notice while listening to this that sometimes she does have some weird pronunciations of words, ones that make me wonder if it's actually me that doesn't pronounce it right...“¯\_(ツ)_/¯“.

BREAKDOWN✎

Narration ➯ 4½ STARS

Plot ➯ 3.7/5

Characters ➯ 3.5/5

The Feels ➯ 3/5

Pacing ➯ 4/5

Addictiveness ➯ 3.7/5

Theme, Tone or Intensity ➯ 3/5

Originality ➯ 4/5

Flow (Writing Style/Ease of Listening) ➯ 4/5

World-Building ➯ 3.7/5

Ending ➯ 3.7/5

SUMMATION ➯ 3½ STARS

I LISTENED TO THIS FOR THE SQUARE 

FOR HALLOWEEN BINGO 2020

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW ➯ I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER

 BY LOIS DUNCAN

NARRATED BY DENNIS HOLLAND

❐SYNOPSIS & BUY LINKS ON AUTHORS WEBSITE❐

THE DETAILS✎

❐ THE BOOK CAME FIRST

❐ THERE IS A MOVIE

❐ DEFINITE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE BOOK & MOVIE

❐ YA/MIDDLE-GRADE HORROR

❐ LENGTH OF AUDIO ➯ 4 HOURS, 52 MINUTES

❐ I LISTENED ON LIBBY THROUGH MY LIBRARY

This is geared more towards middle-schooled age kids and for what it's worth it pulls that off wonderfully.  I basically listened to this for Halloween Bingo 2020 and fulfilled the Fear Street Square with it.  It was a quick listen and it was interesting to see how it differed from the movie...or what I remember of the movie, anyway.

The narration would've been better with a female narrator...but this was probably put to audio quite some time ago...when they didn't seem to care about things like that.

BREAKDOWN✎

Narration ➯ 4 STARS

Plot ➯ 3/5

Characters ➯ 3/5

The Feels ➯ 2.5/5

Pacing ➯ 3/5

Addictiveness ➯ 3/5

Theme, Tone or Intensity ➯ 2/5

Originality/Believability ➯ 2/5

Flow (Writing Style/Ease of Listening) ➯ 3/5

Twisty-ness/Mystery ➯ 3.5/5

Ending ➯ 3.5/5

SUMMATION ➯ 3 STARS

I LISTENED TO THIS FOR THE SQUARE

FOR HALLOWEEN BINGO 2020

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW ➯ THE BRIGHT LANDS

 

BY JOHN FRAM

NARRATED BY LUIS SALGAS

❐SYNOPSIS & BUY LINKS ON AUTHORS WEBSITE❐

THE DETAILS✎

❐ MURDER/MYSTERY/HORROR

❐ LITTLE PARTS VARSITY BLUES OR FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

❐ LITTLE PARTS STRANGER THINGS

❐ LITTLE PARTS QUEER

❐ LITTLE PARTS WTF!!!

❐ TEXAS + FOOTBALL + SOMETHING REALLY DARK & TWISTED

❐ LENGTH OF AUDIO ➯ 12 HOURS, 42 MINUTES

❐ I LISTENED ON LIBBY THROUGH MY LIBRARY

This book had the makings of something great...but It missed the mark with me...too many POV's, and only one narrator kept me hella confused.  I would have given Luis Salgas 5 stars for his narration...but I can only give this book's narration two and a half because I never knew whose head I was in.  I will say that it helped to at least have whose POV it was on the chapter names.  Despite this, I wanted to know what was going on and never gave up trying to do so.  This could have been epic with a full-cast, and sadly someone let the full potential of this book down by not having one.  

There is plenty of crazy going on this football-obsessed Texas town of Bentley...and apparently, they are obsessed with more than just football in this town.  What are the bright lands and what exactly goes down there...these are the elements to pay attention to when reading this...and I literally never saw IT coming.  Jaw-droppingly weird is what it is.

BREAKDOWN✎

Narration ➯ 2½ STARS

Plot ➯ 3.8/5

Characters ➯ 4/5

The Feels ➯ 3/5

Pacing ➯ 3.5/5

Addictiveness ➯ 3/5

Theme, Tone or Intensity ➯ 4.2/5

Originality/Believability ➯ 4/5

Flow (Writing Style/Ease of Listening) ➯ 2/5

Twisty-ness/Mystery ➯ 3/5

Ending ➯ 2.5/5

SUMMATION ➯ 3 STARS

I LISTENED TO THIS FOR THE SQUARE

FOR HALLOWEEN BINGO 2020

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW ➯ HOME BEFORE DARK

 

BY AUTHOR RILEY SAGER

NARRATED BY CADY MCCLAIN & JON LINDSTROM

❐SYNOPSIS & BUY LINKS ON AUTHORS WEBSITE❐

THE DETAILS✎

❐ HORROR/MYSTERY

❐ TOLD FROM TWO POV'S (MAGGIE & HER FATHER)

❐ CREEPY AF HAUNTED HOUSE STORY

❐ WOODSY VERMONT SETTING

❐ LENGTH OF AUDIO ➯ 11 HOURS, 4 MINUTES

❐ I LISTENED ON LIBBY THROUGH MY LIBRARY

Every house has a story to tell and Baneberry Hall has one hell of a story.  People have died in that house and now it's said their ghosts are haunting it.  Our MC, Maggie Holt has, with the passing of her Dad, inherited Baneberry Hall and she doesn't believe in ghosts.  So she goes back to the house that she fled when she was five to get to the bottom of these allegations...allegations that her Dad (our other MC) wrote a book about and heavily perpetrated the existence of.  Ping-ponging between each of the MC's we get the present with Maggie and the past with her Dad.

The narration was superbly performed and kept me in the story at all times, which, was enhanced by the superb writing skills of the author.  Riley Sager is becoming my favorite male author...his books get better with each one he pens.  Home Before Dark is smartly written, perfectly paced, creepily spooky, outrageously crafty, and wickedly twisty.  I always find some readers that will say his endings are unbelievable...and when you sit and think on them for a bit...they actually are somewhat ludicrous, and yet they are so wildly entertaining, that it doesn't really matter to me.

BREAKDOWN✎

Narration ➯ 5 STARS

Plot ➯ 5/5

Characters ➯ 5/5

The Feels ➯ 5/5

Pacing ➯ 5/5

Addictiveness ➯ 5/5

Theme, Tone or Intensity ➯ 5/5

Originality/Believability ➯ 4.5/5

Flow (Writing Style/Ease of Listening) ➯ 5/5

Twisty-ness/Mystery ➯ 5/5

Ending ➯ 5/5

SUMMATION ➯ 5 STARS

I LISTENED TO THIS FOR THE SQUARE

FOR HALLOWEEN BINGO 2020

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW⤏ BURN OUR BODIES DOWN

BY RORY POWER

NARRATED BY LAUREN EZZO

SYNOPSIS & BUY LINKS ON AUTHORS WEBSITE⇣

THE DETAILS⇣

⤏ HORROR THAT FEELS SLIGHTLY SUPERNATURAL-ISH...WELL, MAYBE?

⤏ YA-ISH

⤏ A DASH OF CHILDREN OF THE CORN

⤏ A DASH OF THE MURDERS OF MOLLY SOUTHBOURNE

⤏ MIX IT UP WITH SOME PFAS-LIKE KNID OF SHIT...

⤏ LENGTH OF AUDIO - 10 HOURS, 9 MINUTES
⤏ I LISTENED TO AN ADVANCED LISTENER COPY VIA NETGALLEY IN EXCHANGE FOR A HONEST REVIEW

MY THOUGHTS⇣

What do you rate a book that completely baffled you...do you give high marks or low marks...I went with the middle of the flipping road, standing next to a cornfield, confused as hell...3 stars all the way.  

I have been eagerly awaiting Netgalley adding audiobooks...and the wait is finally over...but now I'm eagerly awaiting an update to there app that is less-than subpar.  I've been emailing back and forth with Netgalley to get some of these issues resolved, like chapter skipping and more...but it is so far not going well.  I know others on Andriod phones are having the same issues as I am...and I wonder if Apple users are having the same issues?  Okay, rant over...back to my review...

This cover, like with Wilder Girls, made me feel like I had to read/listen to it.  Another gorgeous cover from a Rory Power book...she's killing it in the cover department...she's also killing it in the book concept department...I just don't know how I feel about the execution of her concepts.  She tends to leave you confused...maybe that's her thing, IDK because she really had me confused in the first half...and then things got weird...like uniquely, crazily weird.  Was it a good kind of weird...again, I'm not sure.  This is one of those books you have to experience for yourself.

I also wasn't feeling Lauren Ezzo's narration, I feel like she's a hit or miss kind of narrator for me.  If depressing was what they were going for, though, then she may have nailed it, but I was not into it.  I listened to this on a speed of 2.0, and I don't think I've ever listened to a book that quickly but it was the only way to make it bearable.

BREAKDOWN⇣

Narration Rating ⇢ 3.5 STARS
Plot ⇢ 3/5

Characters ⇢ 3/5

The Feels ⇢ 3.5/5

Pacing ⇢ 4/5

Addictiveness ⇢ 3/5

Theme, Tone or Intensity ⇢ 3.5/5
Originality ⇢4/5

Flow (Writing Style/Ease of Listening) ⇢ 2/5

World-Building ⇢ 3/5

Ending ⇢ 3.5/5

Summation ⇢ 3 STARS

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW⤏ OUR LAST NIGHT

BY TAYLOR ADAMS

NARRATED BY SCOTT MERRIMAN

SYNOPSIS & BUY LINKS ON AUTHORS WEBSITE⇣

THE DETAILS⇣

⤏ SUPERNATURAL - GHOSTS, DEMONS & A CURSED FIREARM

⤏ TIME-TRAVELING-ISH

⤏ THRILLER W/INTENSE PACING

⤏ HORROR-IF-IC & GORY

⤏ DEALING WITH THE GRIEF OF A SPOUSE

⤏ A PET SAVANNAH MONITOR (I'VE NEVER HEARD OF THIS BEFORE)

⤏ LENGTH OF AUDIO - 8 HOURS, 33 MINUTES
⤏ KU LISTEN ON AUDIBLE

MY THOUGHTS⇣

The narration by Scott Merriman was decently performed...I just found his voice easy to tune out...he didn't keep me in the story...even when I had ear-buds in.  This is most likely just a personal issue for me, though.  Unfortunately, when you constantly fall out of a story it leads to not always knowing what's going on and less enjoyment of the story overall.  Especially when a story has a lot of technical time-travel-y jargon.  Plus the pacing was so intense...it was almost too intense to keep up with at times.  

Despite all that, the potential for a five-star rating is there and plenty of others have given that.  There are a lot of elements at play in this book...and the concept alone is intriguing enough to recommend this book...maybe, I would suggest reading over listening, but again, you may really like the narration...it is available as a Read and Listen on KU...so that's always a great possibility for trying both mediums. 

BREAKDOWN⇣

Narration Rating ⇢ 3¾ STARS
Plot ⇢ 3.8/5

Characters ⇢ 3.7/5

The Feels ⇢ 3.3/5

Pacing ⇢ 3.5/5

Addictiveness ⇢ 3.5/5

Theme, Tone or Intensity ⇢ 4/5
Originality ⇢4.5/5

Flow (Writing Style/Ease of Listening) ⇢ 3/5

World-Building/Twisty-ness/Mystery ⇢ 4/5

Ending ⇢ 3.8/5

Summation ⇢ 3¾ STARS

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW⤏ SAWKILL GIRLS

BY CLAIRE LEGRAND

NARRATED BY LAUREN EZZO 

SYNOPSIS FROM AUTHORS WEBSITE⇣
Who are the Sawkill Girls?
Marion: the new girl. Awkward and plain, steady and dependable. Weighed down by tragedy and hungry for love she’s sure she’ll never
find.
Zoey: the pariah. Luckless and lonely, hurting but hiding it. Aching with grief and dreaming of vanished girls. Maybe she’s broken—or maybe everyone else is.
Val: the queen bee. Gorgeous and privileged, ruthless and regal. Words like silk and eyes like knives, a heart made of secrets and a mouth full of lies.
Their stories come together on the island of Sawkill Rock, where gleaming horses graze in rolling pastures and cold waves crash against black cliffs. Where kids whisper the legend of an insidious monster at parties and around campfires.
Where girls have been disappearing for decades, stolen away by a ravenous evil no one has dared to fight…until now.

BOOK TAGS⇣

⤏ NEW ENGLAND ISLAND STEEPED IN LEGEND

⤏ MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCES

⤏ CREEPILY ATMOSPHERIC
⤏ GIRLS LOVING GIRLS --WITH A SAPHIC SEX SCENE

⤏ DIVERSE AND TIMELY
⤏ YA-ISH

⤏ LENGTH OF AUDIO - 13 HOURS
⤏ I LISTENED ON LIBBY THROUGH MY LIBRARY

MY THOUGHTS⇣

The atmosphere that is set in place at the beginning was amazing.  With its poetic-like prose and the small island town feel of Sawkill Rock.  I was completely intrigued and there for it.  The characters were not cookie-cutter characters, they had layers and not the usual ones.  Even, Lauren Ezzo's performance was totally killing it.  I was really liking this until about the second half or so...

Then the weirdness got too weird and the action scenes went on for so long that I'm really glad I was listening...so I could kind of tune them out.  There were more than a few WTF moments...not what, but where...as in where the fuck is this going?  This really could have been a tad shorter...shaved off some of those action scenes and some of the WTF-moments.  With a few tweaks here and there, this could make for a super-cool movie, though.

BREAKDOWN⇣

Narration Rating⇢ 4 STARs
Plot⇢ 3.7/5

Characters⇢ 4/5

The Feels⇢ 3.7/5

Pacing⇢ 2/5

Addictiveness⇢ 3.5/5

Theme, Tone or Intensity⇢ 4/5
Originality⇢ 5/5

Flow (Writing Style)⇢ 3.5/5

World-Building⇢ 4/5
Steaminess to Story Ratio⇢ 20/80

Ending⇢ 3/5