R. Fry

Better read than listened to

Reviewed: 08-22-14

Is there anything you would change about this book?

1. This isn't a good contender for audio version. There is too much tech talk that doesn't translate well into spoken word. For example: "Sorry, ma'am, according to the Maynard Act 397275-x4001 subsection A-90399-229-4118, subset 304-b..." yeah, say that out loud and see how far you get before you are totally pissed off.
2. While this is a space opera, we get a lot of scenes about tertiary characters, their whole life stories right up until the park they are in gets blown to bits. Who cares? This was "page filler" and there was a lot of it. If I was reading the book, I could have skimmed this but you can't really do that in audio version.

Would you recommend Starshine to your friends? Why or why not?

In print version maybe but not in audible format. if my blind friend had no hands, i still wouldn't recommend the audio version to them.

How could the performance have been better?

The narrator wasn't bad. this just should have never been an audio book.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Yes, because the screenwriter would have cut all the page filler and gotten down to the pertinent action.

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4 people found this helpful

Heavy, repetitive history but light on personality

Reviewed: 08-22-14

Would you try another book from Susanna Kearsley and/or Rosalyn Landor?

Author- doubtful; Narrator- hell, I'm doing a search on her name alone- she was excellent!

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

yes, because the screenwriter would cut all the awful out of this book and turn it into something that people would pay money for.

Any additional comments?

This is more about the well researched history than the dull romance. The history is interesting but often repetitive- we get historical accounts in Sophie's perspective only to have it repeated almost word for word in Carrie's modern day perspective which directly follows. I found myself saying, "I don't need to hear this again, I got it the first time!" Book is a HUGE collection of amateurishly attempted literary devices and supremely annoying. Characterization is extremely low when it comes to the main characters unless you like really boring people. There is no drama on screen- most everything that would have been interesting and created suspense happened off camera and was told second hand after the fact. You get prepared for something big to happen then all of a sudden, scene ends and 2 days have passed and a secondary character gives us a summary of what happened. Very disappointing in that regard.
The genetic memory plot device is extremely boring and we get a long winded description of what DNA is (It has to do with genetics? Ya don't say? Double helix structures? Get outta here!) and it would have been a better book without. Mystery is interesting; overly explained boring concepts are not.
Author seems to be writing for readers who are really dumb. She repeats everything as if we didn't understand her English the first time. We get predictable metaphors like how chess is like real- life battles (Who'da thunk it?). And we get passionless romance- no cuddling, little kissing and sometimes no talk of feelings so what romance there is, was not believable but contrived.
What happens with Sophie in the end is interesting and induced tears but that was only 3 chapters and ultimately unsatisfying. The plot was also completely predictable. I had it figured out 20% in and was extremely dissatisfied that I got it right- kept expecting a twist. I will say the narration is EXCELLENT! Great doric-gaelic accents, great male voices and nice distinction in voice between time periods. If you don't have a decent ear when it comes to accents then please note that well done Scottish accents are not going to be enjoyable for you. If you need your British TV to have subtitles, then skip this one.
Secondary characters were top notch and the only thing that kept me listening. I just wish the author had spent more time on developing the main characters than the time spent crafting literary devices. Pacing is super slow, kinda like a turtle who ocassionally gets poked but instead of running a few feet, it pulls back into it's shell.
I might read/listen to the next one as I was interested in the character that drives that novel (to say who would be spoilers) but I'm going to have to find a positive review from someone who hated the first book but liked the second one and I'm not holding my breath. I can't recommend unless you are studying Scottish accents.

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5 people found this helpful

Captivating novel- want sequel but ok without

Reviewed: 05-22-14

What made the experience of listening to These Broken Stars the most enjoyable?

The different narrator voices made the difference here. The interview portions of the book where completely unexpected and made me feel like I was watching a movie in my head. It was done well and didn't create any confusion. Made it clear in the beginning that parts of the book where jumping time periods.

What other book might you compare These Broken Stars to and why?

Won't bother doing homework on this question but did want to say that this novel was a survival/mystery novel with bits of romance. And I love a survival novel with romance. And I love sci-fi as well so perfect fit for me.

Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favorite?

The male lead. Sounded like young Kevin Bacon. His narration of the female character's voice wasn't superb but not bad enough to make me cringe. Both main characters' narrations were very well done. Attitudes were clearly expressed. Characterizations quite clear from narrators' voice.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The ending. Cried like a baby. Not the very end but the culmination of the plot- bawled like a baby and went through many tissues even though I knew the ending would satisfy

Any additional comments?

The female main character was a little annoying here and there. Also, I believed I found a review stating that the characters actually communicated unlike some novels- this was not the case till the end. But, they were young and stupid- just like the rest of us but it was a smidge annoying here and there when a simple explanation would have solved a lot of nonsense and there would have been no negative consequence for the character to give it- such as pride issues. There could have been more great conversations between these two characters added to the novel if some of the communication nonsense had been toned down a bit. Just my opinion.

It seems like I read somewhere that this is going to be a series- not sure about that. But I found the ending to be complete and I was absolutely okay with it- no cliffhanger for me. I'll still check for a sequel and if I find one, I'll let others review it first before reading because I have found sometimes that the first in a series and where it stands at the end, is where it should have stopped. But should a sequel be well received, I'll definitely pick it up and probably through audiobooks as it was quite engaging in how it was produced and directed. I will definitely be reading more from this author in the future.

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again, REAL LAUGHS and fast paced action

Reviewed: 05-22-14

What did you love best about Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues?

This one was more suspenseful than the first which I still found to be a 5 star read. And it didn't lose any of the great qualities from the first book- still real, laugh out loud moments (from a reader who never laughs out loud no matter how funny).

What did you like best about this story?

I had a love/hate issue with the boyfriend. I wanted more romance but found that what was actually given made me love the main character and the story more. It made it more real. Very impressed with how that was handled.

Which scene was your favorite?

The main action scene at the end and the famous battle cry. Heard the battle cry in the first book and surprisingly did not expect it in the second one too but still made me cry-laugh and almost an actual fist pump- certainly never felt that reaction from reading the thousands of books I've read.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The moment when the relationship between main character and boyfriend changed in middle of the book. It was real and even though I'm a romance lover, I was so proud of this main character. Showed true growth and a certain selflessness.

Any additional comments?

I was on the edge of my seat on this one and the ending was even more intriguing than the first book. I've listened to all three in a row and stayed up quite late while listening. Even listened while doing the dishes and brushing my teeth- that's how captivating this series is.

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Great Story with ACTUAL laughs- best narration

Reviewed: 05-22-14

Where does My Life as a White Trash Zombie rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This was the only time I actually LAUGHED OUT LOUD when listening to an audiobook. I read reviews constantly on GoodReads and Audible about how people laughed out loud but I rarely do- and never from the 30 or so audiobooks that I've listened to. The characterization was fantastic and refreshingly honest. This whole series has certainly been the funniest audiobooks so far and the zombie storyline was different and actually quite human. Fantastic dialogue and most characters were distinguishable from each other except for the 2 doctors at the coroners office- I might have caught the differences in written format at the beginning. This lead to some confusion in this book and the second one.

What was one of the most memorable moments of My Life as a White Trash Zombie?

Angels honest reactions to the unreal bull (insert expletive). She's a former druggie white trash tough chick and those people are real and they cuss. It was refreshing to hear a truthful response full of cusswords from a character that would never had said, "oh golly!". Absolute most memorable was her battle cry towards the end- I can't spoil it for you here cause I really cry-laughed so hard- that's how awesome it was. And I could count on one hand how many times a book has made me laugh out loud- usually just a humph or a light chuckle- never hysterics from me.

What does Allison McLemore bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

This is the BEST narration from the 30 or so audiobooks I've heard. Southern accent was great. Don't be expecting Cajun accent (set in Loiusiana)- not all areas of the state speak cajun. But as a Southerner, I was completely blown away by a genuine thick southern accent. A good bit of the secondary characters spoke a little slow in general which is a bit of a misconception of the accent but not enough to prickle my ire. This narrator WAS Angel. And even though I could have read the books more quickly and cheaply as I was dying to do because I fell in love with the series, I actually HAD to spend the additional $30 to HEAR it read by Ms. McLemore. That's how good it is. And I'm a big Indie reader mainly for budget reasons.

If you could take any character from My Life as a White Trash Zombie out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Main character, Angel of course. She's real and kick@ss and would probably keep my in stitches. I can't say I particularly befriend "white trash" but I'd snap this girl up as a bestie in a heartbeat.

Any additional comments?

Some comments from Goodreads mentioned this novel being a little slow in the middle. I am usually pretty perceptive to that but I didn't feel it. That part of the novel was about her adjustment to these major changes in her life and her struggle to make herself a better person who had hit absolute rock bottom. It was real and honest. No one comes out of a situation like that in a single chapter- if they did, I'd be filing it on the "eye roll" shelf. That struggle made her victories and achievements that much better so I'd pay attention to it even if it feels like you are tired of it. It really wasn't a disruption for me but I can see how action junkies would get impatient- especially when reading a zombie urban fantasy.

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1 person found this helpful