Canopy

Vivian Chastain, Book 1

By: Liz Faraim

Narrated by: Nastasia Marquez

Vivian Chastain is an adrenaline-addicted veteran transitioning to civilian life in Sacramento, California. She settles into a new routine while she finishes up college and works as a bartender, covering up her intense anxiety with fake bravado and swagger. All Vivian wants is peace and quiet, but her whole trajectory changes when she stumbles upon a heinous crime in progress and has to fight for her life to get away.

While recovering from the fight, she falls in love with someone who is tall in stature but short on emotional intelligence, and this toxic union provides Vivian the relationship that she thinks she needs. Given Vivian’s insecurities and traumatic past, she clings to the relationship even while it destroys her.

Vivian’s relationships are strained to their breaking points as she continues to seek balance. She turns to her best friend for support, only to be left empty-handed and alone until she finds comradery and care from the last person she would have thought.

©2020 Elizabeth Loud (P)2022 Elizabeth Loud

Gritty adventures await

Faraim’s Canopy tells the story of Vivian Chastain as she tries to find her way. Vivian is a student, bartender at a lesbian night club, and veteran. As a heads up, this story has violence, profanity, mental health struggles, and a host of other issues that put Vivian on full display. I enjoyed seeing how she navigated each of the issues put before her.
Narrator Nastasia Marquez does a dynamite job of bringing this story to life and I liked the extra little sound effects and transitional sounds they included. It was a great listen and I look forward to the sequel coming out on audiobook.

there is so much to like about this book, and then

I really liked a lot about this book. I'm not usually one for a lot of violence, especially when the protagonist enjoys it. But I can get behind a book like that, and I did. There were a lot of deep connections among characters, and the main character's enjoyment wasn't just from the violence. You could definitely see growth in her throughout the book. I also like that she was a badass.

As much as I might want to know what happened with the person involved with the sex trafficking ring, which clearly would be in another book, I feel like the ending (which was about another person) was an unnecessary cliffhanger. If an author is going to do a cliffhanger, it needs to be clear up front that it's going to happen. If it was clear upfront and I missed it, my apologies.

Unique

An incredibly unique performance and wonderful story. By the end I was completely invested and can not wait for more. The narrator was great and the unique way of bringing the story to life with sound more than just words was amazing. Well worth a listen!

Keeps you guessing

Vivian is quite a character. She it strong and confident and also vulnerable. I want to wrap her up in my arms and show her she is worth loving. The story is so interesting and engaging. I was all over the place with my emotions. Now I need to get the other 2 books in the series.

there's a lot here...and it's worth the listen

Full disclosure: I received this book for free with the promise of a review.

When I read the description of "Canopy" I was less than enthused; it sounded like a very depressing story. But it isn't. There are heavy themes involved (PTSD, alcoholism, sex trafficking...) and add to the mix navigating polyamory...but Vivian (the main character) draws you in and it's hard not to be engaged, despite where she takes you.

The author is skilled at creating pictures for us to experience. I can still see the canopy, the cabin, the apartment, the bar all in my mind's eye. Personal interactions are real...you can see how someone with Vivian's background would react the way she does. I love how she moves beyond instinct and reaction to find that centered place in herself that helps her respond rather than react. This all sounds very psychological but the way it plays out in the story doesn't make it feel that way. You find yourself wanting to congratulate her on a job well done, when she moves beyond her triggers.

There is intrigue in the story, and it's clear that there will be a second book (though that wasn't advertised when I grabbed the first one! With 20 minutes left in the audiobook I realized there was no way it was going to wrap up.) For a first book (first book published by the author,) this is a great beginning to what I hope will be a long career in writing. I look forward to the next installment.

great book

I loved this book. It had me interested the whole time. can't wait for the next one

Interesting story

I thought the story was excellent, and the plot was spot-on. The characters, particularly Vivian, were likable. The narrator did an outstanding job using a variety of voices. I eagerly anticipate the next part of the story.

Well that was…something (SPOILERS!)

The book was more graphic in violence and less detailed in most other areas to the point I almost want the hours I spent listening to it back.

The description of the landlord almost seemed as though it was a copy and paste because I think it was verbatim every time he is described.

There is is attention drawn to details that I would have thought would be expanded, for example, referencing the main characters many tattoos. Nope. It is just said many times that she has many tattoos. No description of any specific tattoos.

There was a scene with violence that just seemed so beyond to description of the book and way more graphic than seemed necessary, just another example of unbalanced descriptions.

Viv has had unhealthy relationships her whole life. That was clear from the very beginning… but how the heck did she fail to mention to her best friend Jared that she’s a lesbian?!? She lived with Jared!

She required Ange’s clean test report but when she found out about Kate, she didn’t ask for new tests? For regular tests?

The mention of the counselor is fascinating as in the beginning it gets more attention and then not, but when Ange is arrested, I feel like any counselor helping work thru the issues from Viv’s youth would have had some concerns about Ange’s manipulative behavior and the allegations against her. Ange had Viv second guessing herself which seems questionable to her character as described.

The worst part is that the book ends with not one but like 3 cliff hangers:
-Was Ange involved in the sex trafficking?
-Was Kate involved with the sex trafficking?
-What happened to Jared?
And I don’t really care about the answers to any of these questions and many more unanswered questions like: does she ever call her brother in rehab? Does he get out of rehab? Does she ever confront her mom or brother about the abuse she endured/continues to endure at their hands?

The reading of this book was amazing.

I received a copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

DNF - No plot, no hook

I don't like to leave reviews when I don't enjoy something, but I received a free copy of this in exchange for a review, so here goes. I listened to the first hour of the book, hoping to give it a chance to go somewhere, but it was a detailed blow-by-blow of a character just... doing things. Waking up, brushing her teeth, peeing, going for a run.... Nothing actually happened. There was no question that I wanted answered. I found myself unwilling to continue investing time in this one.

I'm particular about narrators, and while Marquez had a pleasant voice, I felt like a sultry perfume commercial was telling me a story most of the time. The children's voices sounded like they were from a cartoon, and it was a jarring transition. Marquez is obviously very vocally skilled, but audiobooks are a unique medium that require their own kind of performance, and I felt it missed the mark here. Sound effects are also disruptive to the listening experience outside of full audio dramas, and I could have done without them.

I wanted to like this, and I wanted to give it more of a chance, but if something doesn't hook me in the first hour, I've got a huge TBL pile to get to!