dmoschetti
- 4
- reviews
- 10
- helpful votes
- 24
- ratings
-
Of Shadow and Sea
- The Elder Empire: Shadow, Book 1
- By: Will Wight
- Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller
- Length: 12 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,182
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,907
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,902
The Consultant’s Guild has served the Aurelian Empire for over 1,000 years, working in the darkness to hunt dissension and eliminate traitors. Now, the Emperor is dead. For Shera, an assassin in the employ of the Consultants, the Emperor’s death is the beginning of a nightmare. Powerful forces hunt the Heart of Nakothi, a cursed artifact that can raise a second Emperor...and corrupt him in the process. But some desire power at any cost. The Guild of Navigators, an infamous collection of swindlers and pirates, has been paid a fortune to secure the Heart.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Some good, some bad
- By Matthew on 02-21-20
- Of Shadow and Sea
- The Elder Empire: Shadow, Book 1
- By: Will Wight
- Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller
Love Will Wight's books...but
Reviewed: 03-12-21
There was a tug-of-wsr for me on which aspect made the experience worse for me, 1) the performance, and 2) the story.
1. The performance. The woman"s speaking voice is pleasant, nice cadence, etc. But, she butchers the characters. Many of the female voices are whiny and high. The male characters are all afflicted with throat cancer, or have just swallowed a spoon of gravel, low, forced and unnatural. For me it went so far as to distract from the story at times.
2. The Story. So Shera clearly is a type of psychopath, lacking empathy etc. Some stories embrace their characters psychopathy and make it interesting, giving them unique views of the world, motivations that make them identifiable to the reader. Shera...has narcolepsy, so she's boring. Really really boring, and unrelatable. I found myself rooting against her & her team. Can't forgive her for Ursia. And now I need a break from this series. Not sure if I'll finish, but I liked the Calder Martin view, so I'm torn.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
7 people found this helpful
-
Of Sea and Shadow
- The Elder Empire: Sea, Book 1
- By: Will Wight
- Narrated by: Travis Baldree
- Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3,034
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 2,663
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,656
The Guild of Navigators has ruled the Aion Sea for centuries, using their fleet of mystical ships to collect trade for the Aurelian Empire. Now, the Emperor is dead. For Calder Marten, Captain of The Testament, the Emperor’s death is not an end, but an opportunity. He and his crew seek the legendary Heart of Nakothi, an artifact that could raise a second Emperor...and earn Calder a fortune. But they’re not the only ones who want the Heart. The Consultant’s Guild, an ancient order of spies and assassins, will stop at nothing to keep the world in chaos.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Harnessed Gibbering Mind Horrors
- By Matthew on 06-08-20
- Of Sea and Shadow
- The Elder Empire: Sea, Book 1
- By: Will Wight
- Narrated by: Travis Baldree
Becoming a Will Wight fan
Reviewed: 03-07-21
I started with the Cradle series, and as of Spring 2021, they are not finished. :( So I went seeking other Will Wight books. I had a difficult transition from the Cradle series and took a little break.
This being the first in a new series I must say I am intrigued and look forward to continuing with this and the parallel series.
Great imagination, story telling, and characters. All in all, good stuff!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
The Autumn Throne
- Eleanor of Aquitaine, Book 3
- By: Elizabeth Chadwick
- Narrated by: Katie Scarfe
- Length: 18 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 601
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 543
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 538
England, 1176. Imprisoned by her husband, King Henry II, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen of England, refuses to let her powerful husband bully her into submission, even as he forces her away from her children and her birthright. Freed only by Henry's death, Eleanor becomes dowager Queen of England. But the competition for land and power that Henry stirred up among his sons has intensified to a dangerous rivalry.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Eleanor was a badass!
- By serine on 11-15-18
- The Autumn Throne
- Eleanor of Aquitaine, Book 3
- By: Elizabeth Chadwick
- Narrated by: Katie Scarfe
VERY female perspective
Reviewed: 12-28-20
It gave some perspective & personality to some mammoth historic figures, but just a little boring.
I am a female and I enjoy books about a more patriarchal period of history. But for me, this series focused on clothes and jewelry and flirtation. Eleanor was NOT represented as a DEEP mind, and perhaps she wasn't, but since this is a fiction for a modern day it just felt a little shallow.
I struggled in the beginning & the end, somewhere in the middle I was interested. But way too "fluffy" for me.
The narrator does much of the reading very well. But, her voice was horrifically grating at the emotional parts, made me want to claw my ears out. I'm not trying to be cruel I know the lady worked hard, and she brought age to Eleanor's character very well, but I wanted to throw my phone out the car when she read for the emotional parts.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Joan of Arc
- By: Mark Twain
- Narrated by: Jim Hodges
- Length: 15 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 560
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 489
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 488
Originally published in Harper's Magazine in 1895 as chapters attributed to the fictitious author Sieur Louis de Conte, Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc is what American novelist and humorist Mark Twain considered to be his greatest work.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Narrator is just not right
- By j gonzales on 12-11-20
- Joan of Arc
- By: Mark Twain
- Narrated by: Jim Hodges
Twain humor & wit
Reviewed: 10-24-20
Undeniably a Mark Twain creation, the telling of Joan of Arc in this voice is beautiful and deeply touching, peppered with much dry and clever observations of human spirit. Humanity is a deeply troubled vice and Twain shows it so.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful