Discount Armageddon

InCryptid, Book 1

By: Seanan McGuire

Narrated by: Emily Bauer

Ghoulies. Ghosties. Long-legged beasties. Things that go bump in the night....

The Price family has spent generations studying the monsters of the world, working to protect them from humanity - and humanity from them. Enter Verity Price. Despite being trained from birth as a cryptozoologist, she'd rather dance a tango than tangle with a demon, and is spending a year in Manhattan while she pursues her career in professional ballroom dance. Sounds pretty simple, right? It would be, if it weren't for the talking mice, the telepathic mathematicians, the asbestos supermodels, and the trained monster-hunter sent by the Price family's old enemies, the Covenant of St. George.

When a Price girl meets a Covenant boy, high stakes, high heels, and a lot of collateral damage are almost guaranteed. To complicate matters further, local cryptids are disappearing, strange lizard-men are appearing in the sewers, and someone's spreading rumors about a dragon sleeping underneath the city....

©2012 Seanan McGuire (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

For those who like to listen to the truly odd

I would say this book is for those listeners who like the truly odd. It wasn't what I expected, nor what I would have been able to guess the book would be about. It was refreshing. It was unexpected. It was hilarious (one of the things I like most about a book). And, it even had a little romance thrown in. The main character kicks butt and rocks! Yay!

A lot of fun!

What made the experience of listening to Discount Armageddon the most enjoyable?

It was a lighter experience than McGuire's other works and I really found myself getting into the adventure of it all.

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

I might've gotten a little misty-eyed when Candy met William. Maybe. Don't judge.

Any additional comments?

I quite like Emily Bauer's voice, but can someone please teach her how to pronounce Antimony and gorgon before the next one comes out? Please?

Great narration, fun story

You know an audiobook is good when you return to it again and again. I've listened to this audiobook on at least three occasions and Emily Bauer's narration never fails to entertain me.

The story that Seanan McGuire has written is great too. The heroine, Verity, is sassy, capable, and determined making it easy for her to root for her here.

So fun!

it was fun, fast, and hilarious. It feels like Sophie kinsella's version of adult fantasy.

Seanan McGuire has someone really fun to introduce

Would you listen to Discount Armageddon again? Why?

Yes, I loved the snark, humor and creativity of the story

What other book might you compare Discount Armageddon to and why?

Iron Druid perhaps.

Have you listened to any of Emily Bauer’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Not that I can recall

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed several times!

Any additional comments?

Fun story and different.

Awesome

Far exceeded my expectations. The story kept me riveted the entire time.

It was quite difficult not to continue listening during my brakes at work.

Lots of lilt and not so lilt amusing things in the story

The narrator didn't amazing job.

I bought the second book before i was half finished with the first. Very happy that there are many to go

good story

good book, it was a lot of fun. yup! . . . . . .

A lot to like here, but It just didn't work for me

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

No, it was not. There was a lot about this book that worked. When Verity is talking about her work, her interest in dance, her goofy family, or cryptid stuff, that works. Even Verity as over-the-top fighter didn't throw me out of the lightweight fantasy. What didn't work was 1) the plot and 2) the romantic subplot. A shame, because there were a lot of fun background details, but the story and the romantic subplot bored me.

What about Emily Bauer’s performance did you like?

I thought she was the ideal narrator for this book and was able to exactly capture the goofy, over-the-top heroine.

Do you think Discount Armageddon needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No, but since it was described as "book 1", you knew darn well it was going to get one, and it already has gotten one.

Cute entertaining story but not great

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The author works hard to come up with reasons why the heroine doesn't just shoot deadly monsters and her ability to fight increases and decreases based on the plot and is not logical.

Would you be willing to try another book from Seanan McGuire? Why or why not?

yes

Have you listened to any of Emily Bauer’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Narrator was good. She has the right voice and inflection to make the story interesting.

Any additional comments?

It is a fun listen if you don't have a really good book to listen to or read.

Modern Romance Fantasy

There are a lot of romance fantasies out there, many of which take place in modern times. Most of them revolve around angels, vampires, or werewolves, and the main character who is a strong, independent woman who's mind inexplicably clouds at the sight of them. Fighting her better judgement, she just can't help but love the guy, and he's too stiff to admit that he loves her back. Then they kill some monsters, get intimate, and profess their undying, destined love, and manage to fundamentally change the rules of society in the name of true love.

I would rank this book as an above average sample of this sub-par genre.

Don't get me wrong, there were a lot interesting and unique elements to this book. But, they were set against a generic romance plot that has been done a thousand times over. I found it enjoyable, as I needed a light distraction, but my tolerance for finding this sort of book while browsing the Fantasy section is getting real low.

If you think you might enjoy this sort of pulp fiction, or are a fan of the genre already, I would definitely recommend this book. Otherwise, don't bother buying it. I'm sure your local library has at least five audiobooks just like this one, and once you've read one, you've read them all.