Korra II Baskerville
- 168
- reviews
- 14
- helpful votes
- 187
- ratings
-
Chronicles of Maradoum, Volume 6
- By: Ross Hughes
- Narrated by: Matt Weisgerber
- Length: 6 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dip your toes into the exotic waters of Maradoum, exploring the realm through 11 stand-alone short stories set in the same world as the Convent Series. From the brutality of dust-blown Ogbun Nagali and the barbarism of high society in Zamphia to the rotten heart of civilized Justiqua and the treacheries secreted beneath the soothing tropics of Ishambria, this high fantasy anthology is stuffed to the gills with witches and wizards, gods and monsters, tales of love beyond death and familial vengeance, coming of age and reunification, and questing warriors and even noble foes.
-
-
Great addition to the Mardoum series.
- By David C Taylor on 01-28-22
- Chronicles of Maradoum, Volume 6
- By: Ross Hughes
- Narrated by: Matt Weisgerber
Baskerville Book Reviews
Reviewed: 02-09-24
I was somewhat pleasantly surprised by this collection. The first few stories out of the gate were pretty interesting, unlike volumes 4 and 5. I went into this, dreading it, after my experience with the last 2.
It does suffer from the same forgettability of the first 2, however. I was about to DNF it after listening to it over a couple of days and hardly remembering anything about it. I decided to finish it, when I noticed I only had 10 minutes left (at 2.55x speed).
Aside from the first 2 – 3 stories, the most noteworthy thing about this collection is how rapid-fire they feel. They start quickly, get interesting, and then end abruptly. It was a bit disappointing when I’d be invested in a story and then it ended and moved on as if it never happened. The only ending I found satisfactory was that of the first story.
The narration has also improved since the last 2 books, to a degree. The character voices could use some work but were passable, and the ever-present background hissing was incredibly distracting and annoying. Other than those issues, I’d say it’s better than most audiobook narrations.
NOTE: This copy was provided to me free of charge as a digital review copy. The opinions stated in this review are mine and mine alone, I was not paid or requested to give this book a certain rating, suggestion, or approval.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Toric's Dagger
- Book One of the Weapon Takers Saga
- By: Jamie Edmundson
- Narrated by: Greg Patmore, Bridget Thomas
- Length: 11 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Toric's Dagger is just another religious relic, until it's stolen. Belwynn and her twin brother, Soren, volunteer to lead a team tasked with its retrieval. Drawn into a world of danger and treachery, they must rely on Soren's magical abilities, and on the telepathic bond they share. Now, as kingdoms and empires start to fall, the twins confront the dark forces that threaten them. They must not let the Dagger fall into the wrong hands. But when mercenaries, zealots, and sorcerers are all hunting for the same weapon, who should they trust?
-
-
Good Start to the Series
- By Lachlan Kendall on 07-14-18
- Toric's Dagger
- Book One of the Weapon Takers Saga
- By: Jamie Edmundson
- Narrated by: Greg Patmore, Bridget Thomas
Baskerville Book Reviews
Reviewed: 08-26-23
To start off with, I’ve previously reviewed Bolivar’s Sword, which I received as a review copy. I fondly remembered it, and the narration, but I found it was partially lacking, due to the lack of context of who anybody was, or what they were about.
Book 1 starts off with a heist of some sort, and it left me feeling like I was listening to Bolivar’s Sword all over again. I’m following this group of characters I know nothing about, the scene is tense and potentially dangerous, and I have no reason to care. A few chapters in, I decided to restart the book and slow the speed down, from 2.55x to 2.0 and I did pick up on a detail or two that I’d missed previously, but I still felt lost.
The introduction made the book difficult to get into, but I powered through it. Thankfully, it paid off and I started to get a better idea of who everybody was, how they were connected, and their place in the world. Despite not remembering their names, I even recognized some Bolivar’s Sword characters. (That’s not an issue with the book, I just have a hard time with names, faces, and voices.) Looking back, I do see how several bits of information explained in the prologue were relevant later on in the plot and that was a nice way to sprinkle them in.
Once I got past my personal burnout and the initial hurdle of not knowing what the fuck was going on, I was extremely invested. Not just in the plot, but in the characters and scenes as well. Combat scenes were intense and exciting, I felt the genuine danger and worry as the characters did. This was one of those books that had me hanging onto every word. That being said, I’ve only listened to the audiobooks, and the narrators are 2 of the best I’ve ever heard, in over 1,000 hours of listening. I can’t praise either narrator enough for bringing so much life into these characters and this world. I can’t comment on this from the perspective of somebody who has only read the physical or eBooks, so take that into consideration. I’ve said many times, that a good narrator can make or break a book.
That being said, I do take issue with the way Greg Patmore say “wh” sounds as “hhhwh”, that’s not an issue exclusive to him. It’s really fucking annoying when people pronounce “when” or “white” as hhhwite” or “hhwhen” in general.
The only other real issue I took with the story was the ending. I fucking despise cliffhanger endings. I get that it’s a series, and not everything is going to be wrapped up with a bow. I’m totally fine with that aspect of it. What I take issue with is this ‘ending the book in the middle of a scene, right after a character is introduced’ bullshit. All a cliffhanger ending tells me is that the writer is incompetent, or they have so little belief that their writing will have readers wanting to see where it goes next, that they’ll rely on unfinished business to lure them back in.
I’ve shitcanned series I was very invested in for shit like this. I’m lucky because I already have my old review copy of Bolivar’s Sword to re-listen to. I don’t have books 3 and 4 yet, so I won’t be able to finish this series for a while. At the time of writing this, I plan to listen to book 2 for the third time and re-review it, and if it ends on a cliffhanger as well, I’m going to be furious. I plan to listen to this story again as well, and if I have any additional thoughts, I’ll share them here.
While I normally don’t recommend books with a cliffhanger ending, this is one case where I can, because I can vouch for the quality of the sequel as well.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Chronicles of Maradoum, Volume 5
- By: Ross Hughes
- Narrated by: Greg D. Barnett
- Length: 6 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The alien but oddly familiar realm of Maradoum welcomes you home with a magical medley of stand-alone short stories. From the ancient mysteries of Gorodzmeya - the lizard city in the desert - to the deities who protect the people of Quing Tzu, from the hidden treasures of Shimyahein to the sacking of the Spardican coast, this sword and sorcery anthology will keep you at the edge of your seat with stories of comeuppance and revenge, of mighty warriors and creatures of evil, of the lost finding family, of omens and urchins, and of portals to realms beyond what is known.
-
-
COM V5, Fantastic Fantasy Here
- By kutzkai on 01-17-22
- Chronicles of Maradoum, Volume 5
- By: Ross Hughes
- Narrated by: Greg D. Barnett
Baskerville Book Reviews
Reviewed: 08-12-23
This is my second DNF from this series. I previously listened to and reviewed #4 and found it suffered from being predictable, boring, and forgettable. I thought maybe I was too hard on book 4 and put more effort into trying to suffer my way through book 5, but it wasn’t worth it.
It suffers from the same issues as Book 4, it’s forgettable and boring. I’ve had this as my qued up book on Audible for months and every time I open the app and see it, I dread having to start listening to it again. I’m 3 stories into #5 and the only story that has left an impression on me was story 1 from #4 due to how insultingly predictable it was.
If you’re looking for a short story collection, there are dozens more I could recommend by genre. Unfortunately, this series falls flat.
Unfortunately, I don’t have much good to say about the narrator either. The way he pronounces words like whip and “hhwhip” will forever be insufferable to me. As is the way he reads nearly every single line in the same voice. While he does deserve credit for his character voices, or, I should say attempt at character voices. While they do sound somewhat different from each other, none of them could be considered distinct, and all still more or less sound like a slight variation of his speaking voice.
NOTE: This copy was provided to me free of charge as a digital review copy. The opinions stated in this review are mine and mine alone, I was not paid or requested to give this book a certain rating, suggestion, or approval.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Chronicles of Maradoum Volume 4
- A Fantasy Anthology
- By: Ross Hughes
- Narrated by: Ruel T. Fulford
- Length: 6 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Travel back to the enigmatic realm of Maradoum with the fourth Chronicles, set in the same world as the Convent series, beginning with A Dead Wizard’s Dream. From the forbidden forests in the downtrodden land of Paeu to the strange and secretive folk high in the Kutzian mountains, from the cracked black wastes of Zamphia to the lush jungle of Shala’Hyddin, please enjoy this collection of zestful and zany sword and sorcery short stories.
-
-
Baskerville Book Reviews
- By Korra II Baskerville on 06-08-23
- Chronicles of Maradoum Volume 4
- A Fantasy Anthology
- By: Ross Hughes
- Narrated by: Ruel T. Fulford
Baskerville Book Reviews
Reviewed: 06-08-23
This review primarily focuses on the audiobook, which is a DNF from me.
There are two huge issues with this book for me. The first is the lesser of the 2. The stories are all SUPER short. I enjoyed the first one, despite how predictable it was. The rest have just been forgettable at best.
The biggest issue by far is the narrator and his obnoxious, ever-present background hissing. He reads every line in the same lifeless, soul-sucking, monotone, boring-as-shit voice that puts me to sleep. Up until now, I’ve tolerated it, because he does decent character voices. As I said in my post “Finding quality audio narrators“, most narrators are either good at doing character voices, or scene narration. But his character voices aren’t anything special either. At best, they’re a respite from his lifeless narration. He puts the same amount of enthusiasm into a character mid-battle as he does a character taking a leisurely stroll walking down the path.
NOTE: This copy was provided to me free of charge as a digital review copy. The opinions stated in this review are mine and mine alone, I was not paid or requested to give this book a certain rating, suggestion, or approval.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
The Fair Queen
- The Fair Chronicles, Book 1
- By: Lyndsey Hall
- Narrated by: Olivia Barnes-Brett
- Length: 6 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Seventeen-year-old Aria is bored of her small town and dreams of a life filled with excitement and adventure. She’s about to learn the meaning of “be careful what you wish for”. After a chilling encounter at the local summer fair, Aria is ripped from her normal life and dragged through the Veil into the Fair Realm by a strange, silver-eyed boy and his band of fairy soldiers. They believe she is the legendary Fair Queen, the subject of a prophecy that promises to unite the war-ravaged realm and bring an end to the centuries-long conflict between the Five Kingdoms.
-
-
The Fair Queen review
- By Mark Mackey on 02-14-24
- The Fair Queen
- The Fair Chronicles, Book 1
- By: Lyndsey Hall
- Narrated by: Olivia Barnes-Brett
Baskerville Book Reviews
Reviewed: 09-25-22
I can’t recommend this book for a few reasons. The first is how unoriginal it is. I’ve read or listened to this exact plot probably a dozen times over the last year and I’m sick of it. While I’m the type of person who will re-read the same series dozens of times, it’s for books with far more compelling characters and settings than this one has. That’s not to say the writing is bad, it’s just eh.
The issue with recycling the same plot as countless other stories is I predicted every single twist and plot point it threw at me. None of the revelations had any weight and even had I not previously consumed similar stories, I still would have figured it out.
I will say the ending took me by surprise. I wasn’t expecting any sort of wrap-up, as so many authors choose to do. I’m grateful to the author for at least giving people a stopping point in the series. It’s not as if every plot point is wrapped up and done with, it’s more that the writer doesn’t leave you handing in the middle of a scene, expecting you to read the sequel to see the other half, which is something I despise.
As for the narration, I found it extremely grating and wanted to DNF this book because of it. The narrator opted to read the story in a bland tone of voice with few inflections. Which was also the same voice she used for the protagonist. The only time she sounded even slightly different was when she was narrating conversations or other characters, which made those scenes a breath of fresh air.
Maybe if you don’t listen to many audiobooks, this would be tolerable. As somebody who listens to audiobooks every single day, this is a very sub-par and amateur performance. Credit where it’s due at least, she did speak in a clean and clear tone of voice without any flubs, errors, static, or other common Audible issues. It’s not the narration as a whole, but her performance that’s lackluster.
NOTE: This copy was provided to me free of charge as a digital review copy. The opinions stated in this review are mine and mine alone, I was not paid or requested to give this book a certain rating, suggestion, or approval.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
These Deadly Games
- By: Diana Urban
- Narrated by: Kate Rudd
- Length: 10 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Crystal Donavan gets a message on a mysterious app with a picture of her little sister gagged and bound, she agrees to play the kidnapper’s game. At first, they make her complete bizarre tasks: Steal a test and stuff it in a locker, bake brownies, make a prank call. But then Crystal realizes that each task is meant to hurt—and kill—her friends, one by one. But if she refuses to play, the kidnapper will kill her sister.
-
-
Pleasantly surprised
- By Mickey and Robin Crawford on 03-15-23
- These Deadly Games
- By: Diana Urban
- Narrated by: Kate Rudd
Baskerville Book Reviews
Reviewed: 09-20-22
Oh my me. These Deadly Games is the best thriller I’ve listened to in a good, long while. There’s never a moment where the danger ceases. It’s impossible to tell who can be trusted, as you’ll likely find yourself hoping Crystal will get her friends to help her.
I did find myself wishing the “five years ago” flashbacks had been a little less spread out throughout the story. They did help me figure out who was behind the threats, to a degree. I was “in the same ballpark”, so to speak. I wasn’t able to figure it out entirely, I just had a suspicion that I couldn’t prove.
I found the lingo insufferable. I fucking hate it when people say “IRL”, to mean “In Real Life”. As opposed to what?! Fake life!? I haven’t been in school for over a decade, so I can’t comment on how accurate the rest of the dialogue was. Though I will say everything felt well researched, it was easy to follow and made sense to me. I think people who don’t use a lot of technology or are even more behind the times than I am could struggle through.
I found These Deadly Games to be exciting, intense, and fun. It’s a thriller that’s actually thrilling. When most of the thrillers I read or listen to are passable at best, These Deadly Games stand out like a beacon of quality.
As for the audio narration, it’s alright. I’m always going to knock points off from anybody who can’t tell the difference between O and Zero. “3o1” isn’t a time. Her male voices were lacking and pretty awful, to be honest. Finally, at one point, a character was supposed to be speaking in an accent and I couldn’t hear it at all. Had it not been brought up in the dialogue, I wouldn’t have even known to make a note of it. Other than that, her narration for Crystal is really the only saving point.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Tangled in Thorns
- Thornwood Fae, Book 2
- By: Nicolette Andrews
- Narrated by: Mia Hutchinson-Shaw
- Length: 5 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Catherine thought she would be content with her garden and a quiet life. But she longs for connection. When she tries to reach out to others, disaster strikes. Creeping vines emerge from Faery choking the gardens of Thornwood, corrupting the minds of those who encounter it and turning them into raving zombies. Among those infected is Catherine’s niece. To stop the spread, they must find the plant’s origin and destroy it. Catherine’s magic can do that if she can learn from Ray. As her magic flourishes beneath his tutelage, so do her feelings that she’s tried to deny.
-
-
More
- By Mina H. on 12-16-22
- Tangled in Thorns
- Thornwood Fae, Book 2
- By: Nicolette Andrews
- Narrated by: Mia Hutchinson-Shaw
Baskerville Book Reviews
Reviewed: 09-20-22
What I have to say about this book depends entirely on a few factors. The first, and most important is, has the sequel been released in audiobook format? The reason is that this book is extremely slow, and not much of note happens. This story only serves to push the story ever so slightly forward.
So the second question to answer is; Did you listen to the prequel and book 1, and did you enjoy them? If yes, then this book is more of the same. If not, why are you reading this? While I didn’t enjoy book 1 much, as I thought it was going to be a happy romance, based on the prequel, this story managed to renew my interest in the series.
While the story is mostly filler, there are some interesting scenes and reveals along the way that took me by surprise. Those scenes are the saving grace for the book, and the only thing preventing me from suggesting you skip it outright. I think they’re better experienced firsthand, as opposed to finding them out in book 3.
The audio narration was great. There were a handful of words the narrator pronounced that threw me off, but otherwise, she did a great job of narrating and acting out the character’s lines.
NOTE: This copy was provided to me free of charge as a digital review copy. The opinions stated in this review are mine and mine alone, I was not paid or requested to give this book a certain rating, suggestion, or approval.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Beauty's Curse
- Beast and Beauty, Book 1
- By: Brantwijn Serrah
- Narrated by: Brantwijn Serrah
- Length: 9 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After the fall of Alaric Khan, Sadira finds herself still at his mercy, held siege in his castle by a deadly curse: Alaric's ultimate revenge. Surrounded by chaos, rising paranoia, and disasters, Sadira discovers an unlikely ally in the barbarian warrior Bannon Sha'kurukh. Alaric's killer...and her new master. To escape Alaric's power, Sadira must bring Bannon into her secret world of domination, possession, and desire.
-
-
Baskerville Book Reviews
- By Korra II Baskerville on 09-20-22
- Beauty's Curse
- Beast and Beauty, Book 1
- By: Brantwijn Serrah
- Narrated by: Brantwijn Serrah
Baskerville Book Reviews
Reviewed: 09-20-22
This is yet another hard DNF from me. If you’ve read any number of my audiobook reviews, you know I can’t stand bad narrators. The only thing I hate more is pisspoor author narrations.
This narration is so dull and lifeless, it’s sucking the life out of me, as well as my will to live or continue. Every single line is read in this same dull, lifeless, listless, boring, monotonous tone of voice.
Here’s a setting; A warlord just conquered a city and has to prove himself by conquering the former lord’s woman, but she’s a fighter and she isn’t going to go easy. So then tell me, why does she sound bored? Why is it when she says she’s not going to be conquered without a fight, she sounds like she’s got other shit to do and this needs to hurry up? The author/narrator sounds as bored as I feel like having to listen to this.
NOTE: This copy was provided to me free of charge as a digital review copy. The opinions stated in this review are mine and mine alone, I was not paid or requested to give this book a certain rating, suggestion, or approval.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Childhood, Interrupted
- Raising Kids During a Pandemic
- By: Sanjay Gupta MD
- Narrated by: Dr. Sanjay Gupta
- Length: 46 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this evocative, personal piece, Dr. Sanjay Gupta reflects on his life as a parent during this unprecedented time. He shares his fears and questions about raising his three young daughters amid our current public health crisis - and gives listeners a candid glimpse into how he’s navigating the pandemic at home.
-
-
COVID parenting is hard, but you’re not alone
- By 🔥 Phx17 🔥 on 08-07-20
- Childhood, Interrupted
- Raising Kids During a Pandemic
- By: Sanjay Gupta MD
- Narrated by: Dr. Sanjay Gupta
Baskerville Book Reviews
Reviewed: 09-19-22
This book might be interesting, from the perspective of a parent, but it holds little value to me. A lot of it is just speculation for the future, and “here’s what I do as a parent”. I was hoping for something a bit more in-depth.
I normally despise author narrations. This was one of the few exceptions, where the author did a fine job.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Agent 355
- By: Marie Benedict
- Narrated by: Emily Rankin
- Length: 2 hrs and 7 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The tide is turning against the colonists in the Revolutionary War, and 18-year-old Elizabeth Morris cannot sit by idly. Quietly disdainful of her Tory parents, who drag her along to society events and welcome a British soldier into their home during their occupation of New York City, Elizabeth decides to take matters into her own hands. She realizes that, as a young woman, no one around her believes that she can comprehend the profound implications of being a nation at war - she is, effectively, invisible. And she can use this invisibility to her advantage.
-
-
Should’ve leaned into history or romance
- By 🔥 Phx17 🔥 on 07-03-20
- Agent 355
- By: Marie Benedict
- Narrated by: Emily Rankin
Baskerville Book Reviews
Reviewed: 09-17-22
As I occasionally state, I don’t read summaries to avoid spoilers or any info that might influence my opinion. I didn’t know this was historical fiction, based on somebody known to exist. It changes my opinion, for the better. It’s sad that this hero has been forgotten to time.
As for the storytelling, I found it fantastic. I thought this was a suspense story and it genuinely had me nervously hanging onto every word, fearful for the protagonist and her plight. It was well written, easy to follow, and did a decent job of explaining the customs of the time without going into excessive detail or leaving me with more questions than answers.
I found the narration to be alright. It did a serviceable job, but I found the protagonist and her mother sounded too similar for me. Aside from that early issue, I didn’t notice or make note of any of the other characters while listening.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!