whatsheread's reviews
2209 reviews

As a sequel, there is less of the Pimpernel's sleight of hand and more of Eleanor's stepping out of the confines of her role as maid. There is more philosophy as the story explores the ideology of the French Revolution and the League's involvement. With its cliffhanger ending, I still want more, as I'm curious to find out how Eleanor reacts to her new findings and the philosophical aspect of everything.

Theft and murder mystery with Slavic folklore as the backdrop. Kosara is a fun character. She is generous, knowledgeable, savvy in the ways of her world, and carrying a lot of guilt. Good, quiet chemistry with others. Definitely want more of this world and these characters.

Marlow is such a cute MC. The mystery is decent and totally expected from Ms. Johnson, Good cast. Atmospheric and entertaining.  The entire story kept my attention. In some regards, Marlowe is much more enjoyable than Ms. Johnson's Stevie Bell. 

Not as impressed with the finale as I wanted to be. The whole story is entirely too predictable. I never felt emotionally invested because I knew no one was in real danger. Still fun but meh.

 Decent romance but not much in the way of plot or action. Very repetitive, especially regarding Chrysantha's anger and desire for freedom. In fact, Chrysantha is not as dark as the synopsis implies; she's just fed up with the status quo. She's definitely not the monster Eryx is. I feel the first book in this world is much better. 

Whimsical and hopeful but not without lots of shadows. Hopes and imagination (dreams) can not only beat back the night/dark but overcome it forever. Great timing as we enter the dark days before the election when the world feels like it is teetering on the edge. 

 A thoroughly enjoyable, creative story that makes you cheer the villains. A bit too predictable, and Rae is a bit too clueless for my taste. Still, she has confidence, a heart/conscience, and a blast doing everything. So many unanswered questions with an explosive ending makes me anxious for the sequel! 

Short and sweet, I find HAUNTED IN DEATH to be a fun little interlude between major cases. We get to see all of our favorite characters. Eve is able to give Peabody a little on-the-job training by letting her take point for several aspects of the case. Roarke gets to come in and play cop for a bit. The best part of HAUNTED IN DEATH is that, for once, the identity of the murderer isn’t quite as clear cut as it usually is. When you have a series in which clairvoyants and psychics are accepted as normal, what is a little thing like a ghost?

One wouldn’t think a book about the walking dead, ghosts, and bones would be fun, but I certainly think Nicki Pau Preto’s BONESMITH is exactly that. Wren is a fabulous character, and I enjoyed nothing more than her bluffing and strutting her way through every situation. Everyone should have that level of confidence! And yet, Ms. Presto allows us to see the soft, gooey heart at her core, the one that craves love and acceptance and who has been damaged by her father’s and grandmother’s distance. While BONESMITH did not hold many surprises, I enjoyed every reveal as it happened. I love a good magic mystery and a character discovering unknown powers, and BONESMITH delivers that and more.

This latest version of George Orwell’s 1984 from Audible Studios is a difficult listen. While some of the sound effects are cheesy, it doesn’t detract from the fact that you are hearing people cheer after a prisoner is hanged or hearing someone undergoing torture. No matter how stark Mr. Orwell’s words are, hearing them acted out is a very different experience. 

The adaptation itself is decent. You miss some of the explanations a reader gets only because we only hear the story through Winston’s mind. Joe White tries to capture some of the omniscient narrator effect through Winston’s rambling thoughts, but it just isn’t the same. I would say Andrew Garfield is a bit too emotional and irrational if only because I never got the impression that Winston Smith was emotional and irrational. Apathetic and depressed? Most definitely. Visibly nervous and jittery? Not so much.

That being said, Tom Hardy is the perfect choice to voice Big Brother. His voice is already so hearty and rich, it emphasizes the larger-than-life character that Big Brother is. The same goes for Andrew Scott as O’Brien. He has the best voice when it comes to playing characters who exist in the gray areas of society. Depending on what you know, his voice could be gentle, beguiling, and safe, or it could be angry, accusatory, and dangerous. Mr. Scott plays the role so well that even listeners who know the story and how it ends will be fooled. 

Up until I listened to this adaptation, I felt that 1984 was a book that was firmly ensconced in the past. That it was no longer relevant today because Big Brother and thought crime as such generally known things. After listening to it, I can’t help but feel shock at just how uncomfortably close we are to a 1984-like society. With all of the anti-vaxxers and flat-earthers, we have reached the point where 2 plus 2 equals 5. Big Brother is the Trump, and his followers are the party members who believe he spouts the truth every time he opens his mouth. We have been at war with one country or another practically since the end of World War II, and our politicians actively encourage involvement in foreign affairs to fill their war chests. It is both depressing and disturbing to see that for all the warnings and the fact that the book is supposed to be satire, we are much closer to George Orwell’s 1984 than you ever imagined.