The Steamborn Trilogy by Eric R. Asher ~ #audiobook #bookreview

January 19, 2018

Title: The Steamborn Trilogy

Series: Steamborn, Books 1-3  

Author: Eric R. Asher

Release Date: October 4, 2017

Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld 

Length: 27 hrs and 27 mins

Source: Audiobook copy for review  

Purchase: Audible | Amazon | B&N 

My Rating: 

Steamborn (Book 1)

Jacob, a tinker's apprentice, has never backed down from an adventure, but when a swarm of Deadlands creatures shatters the peace of Ancora, he'll face trials the likes of which he has never imagined. Forced out of the Lowlands, Jacob and his friends seek shelter behind the towering walls of the Highlands, only to uncover a terrible darkness at the heart of their city.

Steamforged (Book 2)

There are old wounds in the forgotten places of the world, and some are soaked in blood.

Jacob and his allies flee into the Deadlands after the fall of Ancora. Charles, the enigmatic smith, hopes to find answers in the desert city of Bollwerk that could prevent a war.

Their enemies are many, and here Jacob will learn the cost of life in the Deadlands.

Steamsworn (Book 3)

The world dies in war only to be reborn. It is the way of things, and always will be.

Forged in the Deadlands crucible, and armed with the knowledge of their true enemy, Jacob, Alice, and their allies bring the fight back to Ancora. The wounds cut deep in their darkest hour, but in the end, vengeance will light their path.

NOTE: For my review, I'll first discuss the narration of the entire trilogy, then go into more detail with each novel. 

Narration for the Steamborn Trilogy

The narrator, Saskia Maarleveld, did an amazing job voicing all of the different characters. She has a lovely and pleasant voice to listen to, and her accent is fab! I was impressed with her ability to differentiate the characters so cleanly to where I never had to wonder who was speaking. I'm interested in hearing her also narrate other novels.    

Steamborn (Book 1)

In Steamborn, we're introduced to Jacob, a teenage boy and resident of the city of Ancora who often finds himself in trouble. He's brilliant with gadgets and inventions as an apprentice to his mentor, Charles. While Jacob does have both of his parents, Charles is still like a father figure to him, and I loved their interactions. He is impressed by Jacob's devotion to their inventions and encourages his thoughts and ideas. 

Jacob's friend, Alice, is straight-laced and a rule follower but extremely caring and loyal. I loved their close friendship and the way it blossomed over the course of the story. 

While Steamborn does start a bit slowly, it soon picks up its pace and has a lot going for it. There's giant bugs, steampunk gadgets that are easy to imagine and understand, the struggle between the rich and the poor, and a mystery Jacob discovers about the city he's lived in for his entire life. An excellent start to an excellent trilogy!

Steamforged (Book 2)

Steamforged gives us a look into the world outside of the city of Ancora and into the Deadlands and the city of Bollwerk. Jacob, Alice, Charles and Samuel (a spider knight) travel across the Deadlands to Bollwerk, and new characters are introduced. My favorite new character was Mary, who's not only a strong and independent woman but also an airship captain (go Mary!). I loved her!   

While Steamborn was more introductory, Steamforged brings much needed action and suspense to the trilogy. I looked forward to experiencing the places and people which were talked about in the first book.   

There's tension and I love delving into the differences between the poor and the rich because a lot of those parts of the story seem to parallel what's going on in the real world. I think there's a message in this story about the lengths the rich will go to in order to protect themselves no matter the heavy cost the poor ends up paying. Steamforged gave me a lot to think about with terrific characters and stellar writing. I loved it!  

Steamsworn (Book 3)

Man, Steamsworn hit me hard right in the feels! Asher upped the ante with for his characters with this last installment in the Steamborn trilogy. The book was action packed from beginning to end, and there were moments where I think my heart stopped from being kept in suspense. My emotions were all over the place, and I couldn't believe how much was happening. It wasn't overwhelming at all, so don't worry about that. 

Steamsworn means so much to me because I love the characters fiercely. I feel their feelings and know their thoughts. They've become like real people to me with their hopes and fears. 

This last installment in the trilogy was satisfying, and while I'll miss the characters and their passion to fight for what's right, I'm happy with the way it ended.   

Thanks for visiting Donnie Darko Girl!  

Wolves and Roses by Christina Bauer ~ Blog Tour: #bookreview #giveaway @CB_Bauer

November 17, 2017

Hey there and welcome to my stop on the Wolves and Roses Blog Tour hosted by YA Bound Book Tours. I have a review and giveaway for you, so read on! 

Title: Wolves and Roses

Author: Christina Bauer

Genre: YA Paranormal 

Release Date: October 31st 2017

Publisher: Monster House Books

Format: Audiobook 

Purchase: Amazon | Audible | B&N | Kobo | iBooks

My Rating:     

Synopsis

Seventeen-year-old Bryar Rose has a problem. She’s descended from one of the three magical races—shifters, fairies, or witches. That makes her one of the Magicorum, and Magicorum always follow a fairy tale life template. In Bryar’s case, that template should be Sleeping Beauty.

“Should” being the key word.

Trouble is, Bryar is nowhere near the sleeping beauty life template. Not even close. She doesn’t like birds or woodland creatures. She can’t sing. And she certainly can’t stand Prince Philpot, the so-called “His Highness of Hedge Funds” that her aunties want her to marry. Even worse, Bryar’s having recurring dreams of a bad boy hottie and is obsessed with finding papyri from ancient Egypt. What’s up with that? 

All Bryar wants is to attend a regular high school with normal humans and forget all about shifters, fairies, witches, and the curse that Colonel Mallory the Magnificent placed on her. And she might be able to do just that--if only she can just keep her head down until her eighteenth birthday when the spell that’s ruined her life goes buh-bye.

But that plan gets turned upside down when Bryar Rose meets Knox, the bad boy who’s literally from her dreams. Knox is a powerful werewolf, and his presence in her life changes everything, and not just because he makes her knees turn into Jell-O. If Bryar can’t figure out who—or what—she really is, it might cost both her and Knox their lives… as well as jeopardize the very nature of magic itself.

Wolves and Roses is a well plotted read, and one I enjoyed for the most part. I really liked the set up with Bryar Rose being unhappy with her fairy tale template as Sleeping Beauty and the close friendship she has with Ella, whose template is Cinderella. The rebel in Bryar is fitting since who would want to be told how to live her life? I understood where she was coming from. 

I thought this take on fairy tales was brilliant and enjoyed Bryar's snark. It was interesting to see how Bryar Rose could have a different perspective than she does in the traditional Sleeping Beauty stories. It was also interesting that these three particular magical races - fairies, shifters and witches - were included. I haven't read too many books with just these three supernatural races; many books include other races like vampires and zombies.   

The situations and narrow escapes Bryar and Ella get themselves into were entertaining. It's also great to see a strong friendship between two teenage girls. They had a great back and forth between their characters that often had me laughing.   

I wasn't a huge fan of Knox. The biggest reason I didn't like him was his constant and repeated references to "his inner wolf." It was distracting and unnecessary.   

The narrator is also the author of this book, and unfortunately it didn't work for me in this case. I think I would have been able to give the story at least another star if I had read the eBook version. There were difficulties with knowing which character was speaking at times because the voices weren't different enough. There were also moments that the reading felt bland. 

That being said, the story is good, and I'd read the next installment although in the eBook format rather than the audiobook format. 

About the Author 

Christina Bauer knows how to tell stories about kick-ass women. In her best selling Angelbound series, the heroine is a part-demon girl who loves to fight in Purgatory’s Arena and falls in love with a part-angel prince. This young adult best seller has driven more than 500,000 ebook downloads and 9,000 reviews on Goodreads and retailers. It is now available as an audiobook on Audible and iTunes.

Bauer has also told the story of the Women’s March on Washington by leading PR efforts for the Massachusetts Chapter. Her pre-event press release—the only one sent out on a major wire service—resulted in more than 19,000 global impressions and redistribution by over 350 different media entities including the Associated Press. 

Christina graduated from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School with BA’s in English along with Television, Radio, and Film Production. She lives in Newton, MA with her husband, son, and semi-insane golden retriever, Ruby.

Be the first to know about new releases from Christina by signing up for her newsletter: http://tinyurl.com/CBupdates

Author Links

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You (You #1) & Hidden Bodies (You #2) by Caroline Kepnes ~ #bookreview

Book One

Title: You

Series: You #1
Author: Caroline Kepnes
Published: 9/30/14
Publisher: Atria/Emily Bestler Books                          
Source: Borrowed from library

My Rating:

Synopsis 

When a beautiful, aspiring writer strides into the East Village bookstore where Joe Goldberg works, he does what anyone would do: he Googles the name on her credit card.

There is only one Guinevere Beck in New York City. She has a public Facebook account and Tweets incessantly, telling Joe everything he needs to know: she is simply Beck to her friends, she went to Brown University, she lives on Bank Street, and she’ll be at a bar in Brooklyn tonight—the perfect place for a “chance” meeting.

As Joe invisibly and obsessively takes control of Beck’s life, he orchestrates a series of events to ensure Beck finds herself in his waiting arms. Moving from stalker to boyfriend, Joe transforms himself into Beck’s perfect man, all while quietly removing the obstacles that stand in their way—even if it means murder.

I'm going through a thriller phase right now. Over the last couple of months, I've read four or five of them and have enjoyed them all. After reading a review for Behind Closed Doors, I happened to see a comment on the review recommending this series, and that's all it took. I was sold.

You was edgy, scary and fun. I love unreliable narrators, and it was pretty clear from the beginning I couldn't trust Joe's version of events. He's a stalker, for one, and two, he has a distorted view of what a relationship should be like.

I'm still trying to figure out how he finagled his way into transforming himself from Beck's stalker to her boyfriend. Obviously she didn't realize she was being stalked, but still. He's just so smooth that one would never suspect there's a dark and dangerous side to him. He's well read and intelligent, and on the outside appeared to be "normal."  

For a few weeks everything's peachy, but I knew Joe and Beck were heading off the rails at any moment. He was too freaky about her, and really, I didn't think there was anything special about her. She was quite annoying as a matter of fact - someone I'd never want to hang out with.

As unhealthy and unattainable his views on relationships are, Beck was never going to give him what he wanted. I saw that from the get-go. She had issues herself, like a complete lack of self respect and the attention span of a gnat. 

You had plenty of surprises and held my attention throughout, and as weird as this sounds, I actually wanted more of Joe. He weaves an interesting tale and seeing the inner workings of his mind is disturbing but also like a train wreck - you can't look away.     

Book Two

Title: Hidden Bodies

Series: You #2
Author: Caroline Kepnes
Published: 2/23/16
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio  
Narrated by: Santino Fontana
Length: 13 hours, 3 minutes                                          
Source: Borrowed from library

My Rating:

 

Synopsis

Joe Goldberg is no stranger to hiding bodies. In the past ten years, this thirty-something has buried four of them, collateral damage in his quest for love. Now he’s heading west to Los Angeles, the city of second chances, determined to put his past behind him.

In Hollywood, Joe blends in effortlessly with the other young upstarts. He eats guac, works in a bookstore, and flirts with a journalist neighbor. But while others seem fixated on their own reflections, Joe can’t stop looking over his shoulder. The problem with hidden bodies is that they don’t always stay that way. They re-emerge, like dark thoughts, multiplying and threatening to destroy what Joe wants most: true love. And when he finds it in a darkened room in Soho House, he’s more desperate than ever to keep his secrets buried. He doesn’t want to hurt his new girlfriend—he wants to be with her forever. But if she ever finds out what he’s done, he may not have a choice...  

 

*Audiobook edition review*

Hmmm...Hidden Bodies didn't live up to its predecessor, You. I think part of the problem was the emphasis on secondary characters who weren't interesting. Joe seemed tamer this time around, and there were parts I had to listen to repeatedly because I kept zoning out leaving me to wonder if I missed something important. But nope, I never did. Those moments were mostly in the beginning when Joe meets his new girlfriend Love's family. There just wasn't enough of what made the first novel so likable for  me.

I listened to a huge chunk of Hidden Bodies in one day once I was in the middle of the story - I had to know what was going to happen! Another strange thing I encountered was some of the story depressed me, and I almost had to take a break from listening but didn't really want to stop. I became so wrapped up in it I had to remind myself I wasn't in the story, and that's likely because I spent 4 or 5 hours in a row listening to it.

Santino Fontana as the narrator was fantastic. His voice was exactly how I thought Joe would sound. I quite enjoyed his Californian accent for the local characters. There are parts of Hidden Bodies I'd listen to over again just because of his talented reading of this novel. So while the story didn't live up to the first novel, I would still recommend it because you need more Joe in your life like I did, haha! I really hope there's a third book and that it can capture the essence of the first novel!

Blades of Magic (Crown Service #1) by Terah Edun ~ #AudiobookReview & #Giveaway @tedunwrites

Hi there, Donnie Darlings! Welcome to my stop on the Blades of Magic Audiobook Blog Tour hosted by YA Bound Blog Tours. Click here to follow along with the full tour schedule.

Title: Blades of Magic

Series: Crown Service #1

Author: Terah Edun

Publication date: March 31, 2014

Length: 8 hours, 14 minutes

Narrator: Sylvia Roldn Dohi

Source: Copy for review 

Purchase: Audible | Amazon | B&N | Kobo |    iBooks

Synopsis 

It is not a peaceful time in the Algardis Empire. War is raging between the mages and seventeen-year-old Sara Fairchild will be right in the middle of it. 

She just doesn't know it yet.

Sara is the daughter of a disgraced imperial commander, executed for desertion. Sara is also the best duelist and hand-to-hand combatant in Sandrin. She lives quietly with her family's shame but when challenged about her family's honor, her opponent inevitably loses. 

On the night she finds out her father's true last actions, she takes the Mercenary Guilds' vows to serve in the emperor's army. Using her quick wits and fierce fighting skills, she earns a spot in the first division.

There she discovers secrets the mages on both sides would prefer stay hidden. Dark enemies hunt her and soon it's not just Sara questioning the motivation behind this war.

While fighting mages, blackmailing merchants and discovering new friends, Sara comes across something she's never had before - passion. The question is - can she fight for her empress against a mage who might unwittingly claim her heart?

This is year one of the Initiate Wars. Sara is hoping it doesn't become the year she dies.

   

Man, I love audiobooks. I'm really into them now, and they make me so happy. If my eyes are tired, I can still immerse myself in a book! Take an exciting story, add a talented narrator, and you have Blades of Magic. Listening to this book made me even more excited about audiobooks as well as the fantasy genre. 

Sara pulled me into her story right away. I was mystified by her father's death and wanted to find out what happened to him. Sara's faith in her father was touching, and I trusted her belief that if he was a deserter, he must have had a good reason for it. I loved how kick ass Sara is - it's always thrilling to find out the heroine is strong and self-reliant. She doesn't need to lean on a significant other - she stands tall all on her own. 

It took me a while to warm up to Ezekiel, but I ended up liking him quite a lot. The back and forth between Sara and him was a lot of fun to listen to. He reminded me of the kind of character who's really book smart but doesn't have much common sense. I pictured him as Wesley from the TV show, Angel. That's who Ezekiel's character reminded me of right away, and the image stuck in my mind, glasses, hair cut and all. 

Ezekiel's disdain for fighters like Sara is evident in the beginning, but once he got to know her, he found out there was much more to her like her honor, faith, and intelligence.     

There's plenty of action with a touch of romance in Blades of Magic. I loved the magic, especially the possibility that Sara could become what's known as a beserker - a mage who becomes so immersed in using his/her powers that it overpowers them. That was a scary possibility but also a cool twist to the story. 

It took me a little bit of time to get into the story in the beginning. I listened to the first chapter twice, and the second time was pulled in quickly. 

Sylvia Roldn Dohi, the narrator for Blades of Magic, had a pleasant voice to listen to and varied her tone accordingly with what was going on in the story. She was in tune with what she was narrating, and it was easy to tell which character was speaking because she also varied her voice for each person. 

This was my first Terah Edun book as well as audiobook and certainly won't be my last. I'm looking forward to reading more of this series as well as her other series. 

  

 

Audiobook Sample 

About the Author

Terah Edun is a young adult fantasy writer that writes the stories that she always loved to read as a young girl. She prefers reading and writing high fantasy tales of adventure, magic, fellowship and courtship. Her latest book is Sworn to Conflict, the third in the Courtlight series.

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