Sandi Burrill and the Beach of Flames

The Danny Canterbury Tales, Book 4

By: Dominic Jericho

Narrated by: Suzanne Martin

"She was beside me all the time, holding my hand as we both sank inside the mellow sweetness of nicotine oblivion."

With one year remaining of sixth-form a tragedy strikes the heart of a close-knit group of teenagers. As political forces threaten to claim and overrun their town, two girls fall hopelessly in love. But neither is aware how fraught with danger and peril their love will become.

In this searing portrait of a community on the brink, Sandi Burrill and the Beach of Flames eloquently explores the desperation of teenage love trapped by a forbidding and uncontrollable environment.

©2018 Dominic Jericho (P)2019 Dominic Jericho

Struggling to listen

I was given a copy of this book by my request for free. I’m having a really hard time getting through even the first couple chapters due to the accent of the narrator. I get that this book takes place in the UK so obviously you would have a British narrator but the accent is so distinct that people in the United States would probably have a hard time picking up the dialect. I am also having a really hard time trying to understand the connection between the characters. That might be because I haven’t read the previous books but I’m having a hard time understanding where they’ll fit and who the stories even about for this book.

left feeling confused

I struggled to get through this story. I felt as if there were no transitions, the story bounced around. I wanted to like it. i like the idea behind it. teen angst, forbidden love, tragedy. There was too much happening.

Something else

I didn't overly enjoyed this book as much as I thought I would. The swearing is quite vulgar at times and the erotica don't interest me in the slightest.
It was also quite daring to keep track of everyone mentioned in this book.

Good story

This is another good story in this series. I did have a little bit of trouble in the beginning but also the story continue I got more into. Now the narration was good but I did have some trouble understanding the narrator. But still a good listen.

Confusing story

Mispronounced words and numerous repeated lines only add to the frustration involved in listening to this story. I listened to the entire thing and I'm still not sure what it's about other than teenage debauchery. There was a murder mystery thrown in at the end but the true killer was never revealed.

Good

Good new to me author. The story was good with the teenage side to it.

Great Narration, Story is Okay

This story was so promising, but I felt the story really did not begin until the second half. Once it got going it moved though.

I initially though it was about a lesbian romance and not much else. It is a huge part of the story. However, it is also about a group of close teenagers who go through some tragic loss. They think it is an accident until it is revealed it could be murder. There is a trial and some other family accusations that come out.

I think the beginning was hard for me because it is important for the second half of the book, but it is really hard to see that initially.

I like the idea and the premise and that it is a mix of YA/adult. I found the language and some of the sexual stuff to be a little intense for me.

I really liked Suzanne Martin's narration. She has a beautiful voice and was well selected for this book.

I received this book at my request and left a voluntary review.

there is a lot going on in this one

Did the story keep me engaged: • reasonably - second half more-so than the first
Was there anything I found annoying: • mispronounced words are always a pet hate • Audio needs some proofing/editing to remove duplicate phrases.
Would I listen to it again: • probably not

Story comment: • Oh! the teenage drama - The writing of this series continues to improve and become tighter compared to earlier books in the series. Wasn't a fan of the swearing nor the erotica.

Narrator comment: Suzanne Martin has a lovely voice that suited the teenage characters of the story, but at times I struggled to understand what she was saying with both the accent and speed at which she reads.

Hot !!!!!

I did struggle a bit with the start of this book and I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more had I read previous books in saying that I really glad I persevered because I think the second half was a great listen.
Both the author and the narrator are new to me and I will check out other works by both of them. I’m originally from the UK so I had no issues with dialect. It was an extremely hot story about forbidden love mixed with teenage angst. Well narrated

I’m hooked on this series now

Audible. (also available on KU) This has to be my favorite by far. Not only was the narrator a delight, but I really enjoyed the solid transition to New Adult in this one. And yes folks, while the gang is wrapping up their last year of school ~ we are solidly in ADULT territory here. Everyone is 18 turning 19, the language and descriptions of sex are decidedly more graphic and time spent inside a classroom has diminished quite a bit. I will say that folks who are trying to jump into the series at this point will likely be quite confused as there are frequent and vague references to previous events/characters. Somewhat Spoiler-ish, but it is a trigger warning: a secondary character is raped. She describes what happens to her and there is a trial. While the topic takes up some significant time in the book, the graphic descriptions are not belabored.

This was my first experience with Suzanne Martin as a narrator and I loved her. Her accent is kind of thick and I did have to sort of replay things in my head a few times to be sure I understood what she said, but I'm happy we're back to a native UK accent for the series. Martin did a wonderful job with giving each character their own unique voice as well as thoroughly immersing the listener into the world.

My only complaint, and I'm not sure if this is the responsibility of the narrator or someone during production ~ but there were still a LOT of instances of repetition. Like the same line recorded and then repeated. Unfortunately some happened at very dramatic times and it really knocks the listener from the story. Hopefully this is something that can be corrected and the recording can be resubmitted.

We're back for the final year at St. Oliver Plunket's and while Danny, Amanita, Timothy, and all the students are studying Romeo & Juliet ~ Sandi Burrill & Cherry Trove are living it in real life. While Danny does still have a central role in the story, much is devoted to Sandi & Cherry's relationship, the town's reaction to it, and another mystery. Jericho again dives into real behavior and internal musings of young adults providing an emotional ride that is enjoyable even if sometimes frustrating. (FFS Danny, buy condoms!)

I'm looking forward to Amanita's book next and hoping that maybe, just maybe we'll learn more about Robin. Please?

I received a free copy of this audiobook and am voluntarily leaving a review.