AUDIOBOOK ➯ THE AFTERLIFE OF HOLLY CHASE

BY CYNTHIA HAND

NARRATED BY ERIN SPENCER

❐SYNOPSIS & BUY LINKS ON AUTHORS WEBSITE❐

❐ Overall Rating 4½ | Narration 5

❐ Scrooge Retelling

❐ That's uniquely different

❐ The Ghosts of Christmas

❐ YA

I put this book off for way too long. The perfect Christmas book for someone who doesn't do Christmas books...because working in retail has killed my Christmas joy. A fun, modern twist on an old Christmas favorite that was a pleasant surprise. I actually really enjoyed this, from the Scroog-y beginning all the way to the terrific ending. If you like YA sometimes, or all the time, and you want a fun Christmas retelling of Scrooge...give this a try.

❐ Hoopla Listen through my Library

❐ Length ➯ 10H

❐ Plot ➯ 4.5/5

❐ Characters ➯ 4.3/5

❐ The Feels ➯ 4.5/5

❐ Theme ➯ 4.5/5

❐ Ending ➯ 5/5

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW ➯ POISONED

 

BY JENNIFER DONNELLY

NARRATED BY ROSIE JONES

❐SYNOPSIS & BUY LINKS ON AUTHORS WEBSITE❐

THE DETAILS✎

❐ THE SNOW WHITE RETELLING THAT YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR...

❐ MULTIPLE POV'S

❐ DARKISH YA FANTASY

❐ VERY TINY SPLASH OF ROMANCE

❐ LENGTH OF AUDIO ➯ 10 HOURS, 36 MINUTES

❐ I LISTENED ON LIBBY THROUGH MY LIBRARY

Jennifer Donnelly has got fairytale retellings on lock.  I loved this...absolutely fantastic...I do believe I liked this one more than Stepsister even.  It was the perfect blend of fantasy, darkness, badassness, and heart...so much heart in this one.  

As for the narration by Rosie Jones, well, she grew on me.  At first, I found her to be overly juvenile sounding...but eventually, as the story progressed and Sophie grew as a person she lost that childish voice more and more...until at some point I didn't notice it at all.

I wonder what fairytale this author is going to take on next...I think the ending hinted at the possibility of Rapunzel...so we will see.  Whatever it is or whichever...I am there for it.

BREAKDOWN✎

Narration ➯ 4½ STARS

Plot ➯ 5/5

Characters ➯ 5/5

The Feels ➯ 5+/5

Pacing ➯ 5/5

Addictiveness ➯ 5/5

Theme, Tone or Intensity ➯ 5/5

Originality ➯ 5/5

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

World-Building ➯ 5/5

Ending ➯ 5/5

SUMMATION ➯ 5+ STARS

I LISTENED TO THIS FOR THE SQUARE

FOR HALLOWEEN BINGO 2020

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW⤏ THE FORBIDDEN WISH

BY JESSICA KHOURY

NARRATED BY CASSANDRA CAMPBELL

SYNOPSIS FROM AUTHORS WEBSITE⇣
When Aladdin discovers Zahra's jinni lamp, Zahra is thrust back into a world she hasn't seen in hundreds of years -- a world where magic is forbidden and Zahra's very existence is illegal. She must disguise herself to stay alive, using ancient shape-shifting magic, until her new master has selected his three wishes.
But when the King of the Jinn offers Zahra a chance to be free of her lamp forever, she seizes the opportunity—only to discover she is falling in love with Aladdin. When saving herself means betraying him, Zahra must decide once and for all: is winning her freedom worth losing her heart?

THE DETAILS⇣

⤏ FAIRYTALE RETELLING

⤏ ALADDIN & THE JINNI

⤏ ROMANCE

⤏  LADY ASSASSINS
⤏ SECRETS, LIES & BETRAYALS

⤏ LENGTH OF AUDIO - 11 HOURS, 53 MINUTES
⤏ I LISTENED ON AUDIBLE

MY THOUGHTS⇣

Clearing out some of my backlog from the TBR shelf.  I think I've put this one off, despite having it on my Audible account since July of 2016, due to not being interested in it...I'm not sure that I've ever watched the Disney version of the movie (cartoon or live-action) all the way through.

Regardless, I should have listened to this a long time ago...because I really enjoyed this reimagining of the tale of Aladdin and the Jinni, also the fantastic narration by Cassandra Campbell didn't hurt either.  With familiar yet distinctively unique characters and an engaging, even somewhat badass, storyline, I was totally there for this.

Also, as a side note, I actually like the cover for the Audio more so than the original cover for the book...that usually never happens.

BREAKDOWN⇣

Narration Rating⇢ 5/5
Plot⇢ 4.7/5

Characters⇢ 4.5/5

The Feels⇢ 4/5

Pacing⇢ 4/5

Addictiveness⇢ 4.5/5

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

Flow (Writing Style)⇢ 5/5

World-Building 5/5

Ending⇢ 4.3/5

REVIEW⇢ DAMSEL

BY ELANA K ARNOLD

SYNOPSIS FROM AUTHORS WEBSITE⇣
The rite has existed for as long as anyone can remember: when the prince who will be king comes of age, he must venture out into the gray lands, slay a fierce dragon, and rescue a damsel to be his bride. This is the way things have always been.
When Ama wakes in the arms of Prince Emory, she knows none of this. She has no memory of what came before she was captured by the dragon or what horrors she faced in its lair. She knows only this handsome prince, the story he tells of her rescue and her destiny of sitting on a throne beside him. It’s all like a dream, like something from a fairy tale.
As Ama follows Emory to the kingdom of Harding, however, she discovers that not all is as it seems. There is more to the legends of the dragons and the damsels than anyone knows—and the greatest threats are not behind her, but around her, and closing in.

BOOK TAGS⇣

⤏ DARK FAIRYTALE RETELLING

⤏ QUITE SEXUALLY CRUDE & SHOULD COME WITH A WARNING
⤏ WITH A FORCED SEXUAL ACT...BUT NO ACTUAL SEX
⤏ DIDN'T FEEL LIKE YA TO ME
⤏ A DAMSEL IN DISTRESS...
⤏ WHO MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE NEEDED RESCUING

BOOK DETAILS⇣

AUDIO PERFORMED BY⇢ ELIZABETH KNOWELDEN
NARRATION RATING⇢  3.5/5
BOOK COVER⇢ THE COVER IS PRETTY...I GUESS

SETTING⇢ KINGDOM OF HARDING (really...)

SOURCE⇢ LIBBY AUDIOBOOK (LIBRARY)

AUDIOBOOK LENGTH⇢ 7 HOURS, 42 MINUTES

MY THOUGHTS⇣

I've never heard of a penis being referred to as a yard before, and it's done in this book repeatedly.  In fact, the whole entire story hinges on his (the kings) yard.  It was actually comical, at times.  This book has many harsh reviews, in fact, I think they are what drew me to read this at all...I just needed to see what all the fuss was about...and since it was a fairly short story, I figured why not?

The narration wasn't great...and it wasn't terrible either.  She just spoke in a really husky, kind of whispery voice.  Almost as if she was trying to make it sound sexy.  Which only added to my feeling that this was not something that should be classified as YA.  Overall, this was more uncouth than anything else...but the ending was just about perfect...so, go figure.  In fact, it gave me enough satisfaction that I don't even regret listening to this.

MY RATING⇢ 3✰STARS✰

BREAKDOWN⇣

Plot⇢ 3/5

Characters⇢ 2.7/5

The Feels⇢ 2.5/5

Pacing⇢ 3/5

Addictiveness⇢ 3/5

Theme or Tone⇢ 2/5

Flow (Writing Style)⇢ 3.5/5

World-Building⇢ 3/5

Originality⇢ 3.7/5

Ending⇢ 4.5/5

House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig

SYNOPSIS FROM AUTHORS WEBSITE⇣
In a manor by the sea, twelve sisters are cursed.
Annaleigh lives a sheltered life at Highmoor, a manor by the sea, with her sisters, their father, and stepmother. Once they were twelve Thaumas girls, but loneliness fills the grand halls now that four of their lives have been cut short. Each death was more tragic than the last—the plague, a plummeting fall, a drowning, a slippery plunge—and there are whispers throughout the surrounding villages that the family is cursed by the gods.
Disturbed by a series of ghostly visions, Annaleigh becomes increasingly suspicious that the deaths were no accidents. Her sisters have been sneaking out every night to attend glittering balls, dancing until dawn in silk gowns and shimmering slippers, and Annaleigh isn’t sure whether to try to stop them or to join their forbidden trysts. Because who—or what—are they really dancing with?
When Annaleigh’s involvement with a mysterious stranger who has secrets of his own intensifies, it’s a race to unravel the darkness that has fallen over her family—before it claims her next. House of Salt and Sorrows is a spellbinding novel filled with magic and the rustle of gossamer skirts down long, dark hallways. Get ready to be swept away.

THE KEY POINTS OF THE STORY⇣

⬥RETELLING OF TWELVE DANCING PRINCESSES

⬥DARK & CREEPY STORYLINE
⬥GHOST-LIKE APPARITIONS

⬥FANTASY

⬥YA-ISH
⬥ROMANCE

STATS⇣

AUDIO PERFORMED BY⇢ Emily Lawrence --she was pretty good, some of her male voices were kind of ruff sounding.
BOOK COVER⇢ The different colors all look like just one color...which makes it kind of blah.

SETTING⇢ Highmoor Estate, on an Island.

SOURCE⇢ Libby Audiobook (Library)

AUDIOBOOK LENGTH⇢ 12 hours, 50 minutes

MY THOUGHTS⇣

This started really slow...like I had to force myself to listen to it outside of when I was driving. It didn't really pick up until the last quarter of the book...and then all the boring parts of the story I sat and listened through started coming together and forming a rather darkly delicious retelling of the 12 Dancing Princesses.

There's a murder(s) mystery to be solved, ghost-like apparitions, a secret door (kind of like Narnia) to tons of balls, where plenty of dancing is done and shoes are worn thin.  Plus darkly haunting deaths and even some sort of mythology to round out the tale.  Overall, if you can get through the slow parts the last quarter is a favorable payoff.

MY RATING⇢ 4 STARS | GRADE B+

BREAKDOWN⇣

Narration⇢ 4/5
Plot⇢ 4/5

Characters⇢ 4/5

The Feels⇢ 3.5/5

Pacing⇢ 3.7/5

Addictiveness⇢ 3.5/5

Theme or Tone⇢ 4.3/5

Flow (Writing Style)⇢ 4/5

Backdrop (World Building)⇢ 4/5

Originality⇢ 4.3/5

Ending⇢ 4.3/5

The Girl in Red by Christina Henry

FEATURING⇢

Red Riding Hood
On Her Way to Grandma's House
Fairytale Retelling

Viral Apocalypse
Survival
Darkish & Mysterious
Horror-if-ic

LINK TO SYNOPSIS (AUTHOR'S WEBSITE)

MY RATING⇢ 4.2 STARS | GRADE B+

MY THOUGHTS⇢

If you like your fairytale retellings to be fun and full of happy elements...this isn't quite the right fit for you.  This one is bleak and full of end of the world sadness and destruction.

For a fairytale retelling, the ending is perfect.  But, for an apocalypse story, I was like WTF this can't be ending like this.  I was left wondering...what about this and what about that...no way, you're just going to leave me hanging like this.  I also read on the Author's site, that she has no plans at this time to write a sequel...insert disappointed face.

Basically, she took an apocalypse/dystopian premise and weaved it into the story of Little Red Riding Hood.  When looked at it from this standpoint the story completely delivers.  But, when looked at it from the standpoint of an apocalypse/dystopian story with references to Red Riding Hood...it definitely leaves you wanting more from it.  Her premise for the end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it was not only clever, but it was also rather intense at times.  With an air of mystery added to it, I was completely hooked.

But...I want more...seriously, I know I'm not the only one...

THE BREAKDOWN⇢  

Plot⇢ 4.2/5

Narration Performance⇢ 4.5/5

Characters⇢ 4.3/5

The Feels⇢ 4.2/5

Pacing⇢ 4/5

Addictiveness⇢ 4.3/5

Theme or Tone⇢ 4.5/5

Flow (Writing Style)⇢ 4.3/5

Backdrop (World Building)⇢ 4.3/5

Originality⇢ 5/5

Ending⇢ 3.8/5 Cliffhanger⇢ Not exactly...but it is rather open-ended.

_____

Book Cover⇢ It's actually quite awesome!

Setting⇢ I believe it's in the US...but, I'm not sure if they ever mention an actual town name.

Source⇢ Own Audible Audiobook

Length⇢ 8 hours, 21 minutes

Romanov by Nadine Brandes

๏ ๏ ๏  Highlights ๏ ๏ ๏ 

Retelling

Russia
Based in Truth

Historical
Fantasy

Magic Spells

๏ ๏ ๏ Links ๏ ๏ ๏

Kindle eBook | Audio

Add to Goodreads | Add to Booklikes 

๏ ๏ ๏  My Thoughts ๏ ๏ ๏ 

The first half of this book is based in truth and the second half is more fantasy seeped in magic spells.  Sadly, I had to force myself to read the first half of this...it was boring and downright depressing, and I get that it followed the actual history of the Romanov family so it was bound to be boring and depressing.  The one good thing that came about from me reading this is I actually looked up and read about what exactly happened to the Romanov's because honestly I couldn't remember ever learning about it; if I ever did.   The bad; is that half of the story read a lot like the wiki page did, almost verbatim.  Added to that, the overall writing is kind of mediocre, so much so that I had to start skimming to get through the story. 

The second half of the story is what saved it from a two-star rating.  It was much easier to get through and the writing even improved some too.  The romance was easier to believe by the last third of the story because it felt kind of off before that.  Despite finding the fantasy elements easier to read, they still didn't make me feel like anything is possible...

Overall, I wanted to like this more than I actually did, but it just didn't pull me in enough for it to happen.  Maybe, if the actual historical truths in this, like the time they spent under lock and key, had a smaller part of the story...than maybe I could embrace this a little more.

๏ ๏ ๏  MY RATING ๏ ๏ ๏ 

☆2.7☆STARS - GRADE=C-

๏ Breakdown of Ratings ๏ 

Plot⇝ 2.5/5

Main Characters⇝ 2.7/5

Secondary Characters⇝ 2.5/5

The Feels⇝ 2.5/5

Pacing⇝ 2/5

Addictiveness⇝ 2/5

Theme or Tone⇝ 2/5

Flow (Writing Style)⇝ 2.3/5

Backdrop (World Building)⇝ 3/5

Originality⇝ 3/5

Ending⇝ 3/5 Cliffhanger⇝ Nope.

๏ ๏ ๏

Book Cover⇝ It's quite compelling...it's what made me request it in the first place.

Setting⇝ Russia

Source⇝ I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

๏ ๏ ๏

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Alice by Christina Henry

The Chronicles of Alice #1

๏ ๏ ๏  Highlights ๏ ๏ ๏ 

Fairytale Retelling

Darkly Atmospheric

Horror-if-ic

Sex-plicit

Magic

With Narration Performed by Jenny Sterlin

๏ ๏ ๏  My Thoughts ๏ ๏ ๏ 

A very dark, twisted and decidedly adult twist on Alice in Wonderland.  It really reminds me of the TV show Gotham.  All, or at least some, of the usual suspects, were there including the Jabberwocky.  Some of them have variations of names like Hatcher instead of Hatter.   While I didn't like this as much as The Mermaid or Lostboy, it was a decent story, except for that anti-climatic ending.  The most disappointing aspect of this was the narrator, most of the voices she did for other characters were sadly pathetic.  The narrator is supposed to put you in the story...not take you out of it.

๏ ๏ ๏  MY RATING ๏ ๏ ๏ 

☆3.5☆STARS - GRADE=B-

๏ Breakdown of Ratings ๏ 

Plot⇝ 3.8/5
Narration Performance⇝ 2/5

Main Characters⇝ 3.7/5

Secondary Characters⇝ 3.2/5

The Feels⇝ 3/5

Pacing⇝ 3.7/5

Addictiveness⇝ 3.5/5

Theme or Tone⇝ 3/5

Flow (Writing Style)⇝ 3.7/5

Backdrop (World Building)⇝ 3.7/5

Originality⇝ 4/5

Ending⇝ 3/5 Cliffhanger⇝ It has closure, but it does end sort of abruptly.

๏ ๏ ๏

Book Cover⇝ Meh...

Setting⇝ The Old City

Source⇝ Audiobook (Scribd)
๏ ๏ ๏

The Lost Codex by Heather Lyons

The Collector's Society #4

๏ ๏ ๏  Highlights ๏ ๏ ๏ 

Fairytale Retellings

Fascinating Premise

Parallels

Sex-Plicit

Dark Fantasy

Fav Series

Series Rating: ☆4.3☆

๏ ๏ ๏  My Thoughts ๏ ๏ ๏ 

I wanted to love this…I have loved the first three books in The Collector's Society.  This has always been a uniquely told book series, but this one was just too out there in left field and left me feeling confused and sadly disappointed.  It felt like it dragged a lot of the time and was the longest 411 pages ever.  I've adored these characters and I have been fascinated with the premise, so I tried to let that reflect in my rating.  I guess, overall I just wanted this play out differently…and that ending…well, I guess ultimately that ending left an opening for this story to play out differently...

I actually finished the last half or so of this book with the Audio version, because I was being plagued by migraines and couldn't continue reading.  I did not care for the narration of this at all, though.  Heather Lyons, in my opinion, this series could have benefitted from a different narrator, in fact adding a male voice would have been worked much better for Finn's parts and for the print version, you really need to have someone proofread it.

๏ ๏ ๏  MY RATING ๏ ๏ ๏ 

☆3.5☆STARS - GRADE=B-

๏ Breakdown of Ratings ๏ 

Plot⇝ 3.2/5
Narration Performance⇝ 3.5/5

Main Characters⇝ 5/5

Secondary Characters⇝ 3.8/5

The Feels⇝ 3.7/5

Pacing⇝ 3/5

Addictiveness⇝ 3/5

Theme or Tone⇝ 4/5

Flow (Writing Style)⇝ 3.7/5

Backdrop (World Building)⇝ 4.3/5

Originality⇝ 4/5

Ending⇝ 4/5 Cliffhanger⇝ This is supposed to be the last one…but it could be continued…with the way it ended.

๏ ๏ ๏

Book Cover⇝ It's somewhat cool...

Setting⇝ The Institute, Antarctica, Wonderland

Source⇝ I own Kindle eBook 
๏ ๏ ๏

eBOOK REVIEW ➯ TIGER LILY (UPDATED REVIEW)

 

BY JODI LYNN ANDERSON

❐SYNOPSIS & BUY LINKS ON AUTHORS WEBSITE❐

THE DETAILS❐

❐ THEME SONG LOST BOY BY RUTH B

❐ A POETIC ALMOST DREAMY PROSE

❐ FAIRYTALE RETELLING-ISH OF PETER PAN --TINKERBELL'S POV

❐ DARK-ISH

❐ SOME ROMANCE

❐ YA-ISH

❐ GORGEOUS COVER

❐ LENGTH OF eBOOK ➯ 309 PAGES

❐ I READ/PURCHASED ON MY KINDLE

MY RATING➯ 2¼ STARS

This book suffers from too many words…the prose; while quite beautiful…ultimately dragged the pacing of the book for me and made it difficult for me to stay in the story.  Maybe, it would have been better on audio, although, after listening to the sample...I'm not sure about that narrator, she sounds like a 10-year-old.  An example of this beautiful but verbose writing…

At dusk in Neverland, as with anywhere else, all the colors begin to fade one by one before night comes. The last color to disappear is green, and in those moments between dusk and darkness, it stands out brightly for lack of all the other colors, and almost glows.

If you like it when something like dusk is way over-explained, then this could maybe work for you. It kind of reminded me of high school when I had to read Shakespeare...and it felt like torture.  Fun fact...I didn't really like reading until I was around 19...so most of what I read back then felt a little tortuous, with Shakespeare being a special kind of torture.

BREAKDOWN❐

Plot ➯ 2.8/5

Characters ➯ 2/5

The Feels ➯ 2/5

Pacing ➯ 2/5

Addictiveness ➯ 1/5

Theme, Tone or Intensity ➯ 3/5

Originality ➯ 4/5

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

World-Building ➯ 4/5

Ending ➯ 3/5

SUMMATION ➯ 2¼ STARS