Garden Womble

Outstanding!

Reviewed: 10-20-20

I was really excited to start this book and it was an excellent instalment in this series that has become a firm favourite of mine. I listened to the audiobook version, and am so glad that the same narrator continues to be used for the series. He's perfect for the role and has become the voice of Strike and Robin in my mind, even if I wasn't listening to him. His change of pronunciation for one of the character's names was a bit off-putting, but I got used to it.

I really love the length of this novel - it's not a short read, and is jam-packed with detail. I'm sure I'll listen to it a second time because there are bound to be details I missed along the way. I also really enjoyed the multiple storylines - Strike's struggle with Joan's illness, the madness with Charlotte, Robin's roommate situation, and the various other cases the agency is handling apart from the cold case.

I also really enjoyed the way that Strike and Robin's ongoing will-they-won't-they friendship evolves. I love it, and at the same time, it drives me crazy!

I really didn't see the ending coming at all. Wow! I am just aching for book 6!

Note: At the end after the credits, it says there is a PDF that goes along with the audiobook that should be available for download from your audiobook provider, but I can't seem to find this or figure out where it is. Might be helpful to have it prior to listening.

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Good start to a series

Reviewed: 10-14-20

I enjoyed listening to Sara Rosett's "Murder on Location" series so I thought I'd give this series a try. I was not disappointed. The narrator was very well chosen. Overall, a good start to a new historical cozy mystery series. Clean writing, no profanity, no sex, just a good mystery and interesting characters. I'll look forward to listening to the rest of the series.

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A fabulous second book by Strange

Reviewed: 10-14-20

This is the second book by Lucy Strange that I have listened to and I absolutely loved it. I've heard so many wartime stories growing up, as told by both my parents and grandparents, about their time during WWII in the UK, that I could really immerse myself in this book. I really enjoy Strange's prose and her approach to writing from a child's point a view without it being a childish read. Children at the time of the war were typically far more precocious and independent than today's coddled children. I very much relate to Pet.

I do have to agree with a couple of other reviewers that the villain revealing all at the end in rather long monologues was less effective than having the story come out as told by different members of the investigative team might have been. Why everything would be explained as it was in the setting when it was explained seems unrealistic. Other than that, a fantastic listen!

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Another Ellis treat!

Reviewed: 10-02-20

I wasn't sure how much I really liked Ballard after the first book in this series, but I'm warming up to him now! I think I was just too spoiled by DI Galena and had trouble easing into a new character set. I love the way that Ellis uses Rory in both series, although it's a bit jarring when the narrators are different and Rory speaks with a different voice! None the less, I like the cross-overs between the series. I also liked the way that this mystery was, albeit tangentially, connected to the last. Interesting twists!
I look forward to the next in series!

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1 person found this helpful

great start to a series

Reviewed: 09-26-20

Maisie is one of my favourite character types - the intellectual female lead in historical fiction. I also really enjoy book series that cover the growth of such a character over time, and I can't wait to dive into the next book.

I really enjoy Winspear's writing, and I particularly enjoy her added descriptions of historical scenes, like room decor, fashion, and other features. Some readers find this annoying, but I like the way it builds the scene.

The section on Maisie's history was, admittedly, a bit long. The way it punctuated the story was a bit annoying, but on the other hand, it was essential to building out Maisie's character. I also didn't really buy the singing scene....just a bit too far for me.

Overall, a delightful, warm character who will no doubt become a favourite of mine.

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Great fantasy listen

Reviewed: 09-17-20

This book was a hoot...there were some really funny moments that were very well written. I find that humour in fantasy books tends to be heavy on the pre-teen to teen male style, and while this book didn't lack for that either, a good portion of the humour appealed to me also. The action scenes were really well written, but the book also had some emotional tugs and themes that kept my interest. It was a really good mix of action, drama, brutality, excitement, and a touch of tenderness. Definitely a worthwhile read in the fantasy genre. Moog was my favourite main character.

Things I didn't like so much were the extensive use of profanity - yes, I know, it kind of suited the characters....I just don't like it. I also did find some of the humour to be rather juvenile, and the book overall was very male-centric, although I didn't really expect otherwise with the summary. As an aside, I kind of misinterpreted the summary and thought that the "band" actually was a genuine band, with instruments and all. I thought it was a mix of music and fantasy. My mistake!

The narrator did an excellent job. I might well listen to the sequel...I have a lot of other books to get through first.

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Interesting start to a series

Reviewed: 09-13-20

Still a bit on the fence about this one. I really liked the idea of a school for psychics, and the descriptions of what the different skill sets were. I found Teddy's recurrent dreams interesting. I also enjoyed some of the interactions between the students, and I thought the final exam course was pretty cool. I was certainly motivated enough to finish the book.

On the other hand, I agree with other reviewers that the book is a bit heavy on clichés, and I also had a pretty clear idea on the main suspect early on after the blood samples go missing. Things seemed to go downhill for me from there. Also, as other reviewers have noted, decisions got made that didn't seem in keeping with the characters, or that were really stupid decisions even without the benefit of hindsight. I haven't decided if I'll read the sequel yet. I've got a lot of other books to listen to before testing the waters of this world again.

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Great Fairy Tale Listen

Reviewed: 09-07-20

I enjoyed this very much, even though at 51, I'm probably not the target audience. I like books that take me away, to new worlds where I can really exercise my imagination. This book certainly achieved that. I listened to the audiobook version, and I absolutely loved the full cast treatment, with different readers for all the characters. That technique works extremely well for this novel. I particularly loved the geese, which is funny I suppose, but since I keep chickens, they really appealed to me and I enjoyed listening to the parts that included them.

The only thing I didn't really like was [spoiler alert!!] ....
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the rapid proposal at the end. I mean, really, they have spent so little time together at that point that the thought of marriage is a bit preposterous. A few chats in the goose pasture don't make for a true "getting to know you" experience. But, it's a fairy tale, so there is that.

I might dig in to one of the sequels one of these days, when I am in the mood for another fairy tale novel.

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Not quite my thing

Reviewed: 08-21-20

Well. This was odd. I like Lynne's writing (loved ES&L). I don't like horror. At all. I like humour, but not mixed with horror. I think this is a crossover between horror and humour. But weird horror. I'm not really much of a cat fan, although we have 2 cats, but I'm a huge rabbit fan, so that didn't work out well for this book in particular.

In general, I liked Alec and Wiggy, although I found Alec's mood to be oddly buoyant for someone who had so recently lost his wife in odd circumstances. I loved Watson. I also liked Winterton. Anyway, it was a vaguely amusing listen, with some cheeky Brit-style humour, which I usually love, but it was also a bit gory and grim and dark.

Excellent narration though.

I bought the next book, Lunar Cats, in paperback, having assumed I would love this one. I guess I will still read it. We'll see. So, just not my cup of tea, or saucer of milk, but obviously some people loved it, so you never know, maybe it will be just your thing.

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Excellent!

Reviewed: 07-01-20

Another excellent story in the DI Galena series. Seems to be the last available one for now, so that's a shame! I have enjoyed all the books in this series and hope there will be another. This one was really dark and twisted....such sad circumstances. I'm definitely not cut out to do DI Galena's job!

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