AUDIOBOOKING WITH LEAH: magical realism

Showing posts with label magical realism. Show all posts

Friday, October 2, 2020

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW ➯ BONE GAP

BY AUTHOR LAURA RUBY

NARRATED BY DAN BITTNER

❐SYNOPSIS & BUY LINKS ON AUTHORS WEBSITE❐

THE DETAILS✎

❐ MAGICAL REALISM
❐ PART CONTEMPORARY, PART FANTASY
❐ YA- ISH
❐ WHIMSICAL WITH A DARK EDGE
❐ SPLASH OF ROMANCE
❐ LENGTH OF AUDIO ➯ 8 HOURS, 21 MINUTES
❐ I LISTENED ON LIBBY THROUGH MY LIBRARY

An unusual, fairytale-ish story with a mysteriously darkish lining to it, that ultimately lost me somewhere along the way. I think it was when the magical horse came about.

I could see that it had the potential to be something for other readers...it just wasn't for me, no matter how hard I tried to make it be. I even kept rewinding it to see if I could figure out what was going on. Part of the reason I failed to connect, I think, is it needed a second narrator for Roza's parts. I feel like that could have only helped. Dan Bittner is a good narrator, but some reason I tune him out so easily...I feel like his voice is maybe too pleasant.

BREAKDOWN✎
Narration ➯ 3½ STARS
Plot ➯ 3/5
Characters ➯ 4/5
The Feels ➯ 3/5
Pacing ➯ 3/5
Addictiveness ➯ 2/5
Theme, Tone or Intensity ➯ 3/5
Originality/Believability ➯ 3/5
Flow (Writing Style/Ease of Listening) ➯ 2/5
World-Building ➯ 2.5/5
Ending ➯ 3/5
SUMMATION ➯ 3 STARS

I LISTENED TO THIS FOR THE SQUARE

FOR HALLOWEEN BINGO 2020

Thursday, August 27, 2020

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW ➯ THE LIFE YOU STOLE

BY JEWEL E ANN

NARRATED BY PAUL WOODSON & ANDI ARNDT

❐SYNOPSIS & BUY LINKS ON AUTHORS WEBSITE❐

THE DETAILS❐
❐ THE LIFE SERIES #2 OF 2
❐ FOUR POV'S
❐ ROMANTIC PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER
❐ WITH A TOUCH OF DARK MAGICAL REALISM
❐ CHEATING --BUT IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK
❐ LENGTH OF AUDIO ➯ 8 HOURS, 34 MINUTES
❐ I LISTENED ON AUDIBLE

Inevitably...the truth will always set you free...

I don't think I'll ever look at graham crackers the same again...not without wanting to throw them on the floor and stomping all over them.

Jewel E Ann...where or how do you come up with these ideas for your stories? Seriously...

If you're looking for something different in the contemporary romance genre because most of what you read is the same story with slightly different characters...Jewel E Ann could be a perfect choice. Her stories are not cookie-cutter, they are refreshingly different and hard-hitting. This one is also a bit psychologically thrilling with a twist of magical realism. While many will look at this book as having cheating...it's really so much deeper than that.

When it comes to narration, I'm never disappointed with Andi Arndt...she is one of the best, especially in a romance. Paul Woodson was really good too...his french/sexy accent was just right and I felt the pain that he was in.

BREAKDOWN❐
Narration ➯ 4½ STARS
Plot ➯ 4.2/5
Characters ➯ 4/5
The Feels ➯ 4.3/5
Pacing ➯ 4.3/5
Addictiveness ➯ 4.3/5
Theme, Tone or Intensity ➯ 3.7/5
Originality/Believability ➯ 4.3/5
Flow (Writing Style/Ease of Listening) ➯ 4/5
Twisty-ness/Mystery ➯ 3.5/5
Steaminess to Story Ratio ➯ 15/85
Ending ➯ 4/5
SUMMATION ➯ 4 STARS

Saturday, March 28, 2020

REVIEW⤏ NOTHING TO SEE HERE

BY KEVIN WILSON

SYNOPSIS FROM AUTHORS WEBSITE⇣
Lillian and Madison were unlikely roommates and yet inseparable friends at their elite boarding school. But then Lillian had to leave the school unexpectedly in the wake of a scandal and they’ve barely spoken since. Until now, when Lillian gets a letter from Madison pleading for her help.
Madison’s twin stepkids are moving in with her family and she wants Lillian to be their caretaker. However, there’s a catch: the twins spontaneously combust when they get agitated, flames igniting from their skin in a startling but beautiful way. Lillian is convinced Madison is pulling her leg, but it’s the truth.
Thinking of her dead-end life at home, the life that has consistently disappointed her, Lillian figures she has nothing to lose. Over the course of one humid, demanding summer, Lillian and the twins learn to trust each other—and stay cool—while also staying out of the way of Madison’s buttoned-up politician husband. Surprised by her own ingenuity yet unused to the intense feelings of protectiveness she feels for them, Lillian ultimately begins to accept that she needs these strange children as much as they need her—urgently and fiercely. Couldn’t this be the start of the amazing life she’d always hoped for?