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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Once again, I'm not going to comment too much on the book that I wrote, but I definitely want to talk about the audiobook narration on this one.
Jenn Johnson is once again the narrator of this novel—she did the first one, BAD BLOOD as well, and will be doing the rest of the four—and, as good a job as she did on the first book, she absolutely rocked this one.
Let me explain:
First off, and I don't think I've made any secret of this, but of all the six books in this series, while I still love this one, it's likely my least favourite of the six. Maybe because it does the most work at setting the stage for what happens at the end in the sixth and final novel in the series. So, it does a lot of work that way.
And second, I was worried because this one has, quite frankly, some really challenging pronunciations in it.
This is where the magic of a great narrator—and make no mistake, Jenn Johnson is a great narrator—can make or break a novel in audio form. I've listened to a couple of authors, who I will not name, though one is known for a career of legal thrillers, who should not be allowed anywhere near a microphone, because their delivery is awful. Then again, there's some authors, such as Stephen King who are great at it. And of course, there's some phenomenal narrators who just come in an smoke it. Jenn's one.
Throughout the experience of listening to this book, I was supposed to be listening for any errors and, instead, I found myself sucked into the story by the sound of Jenn's voice. I found myself laughing at stuff that I'd actually written precisely to be laughed at, I found myself tensing up at critical parts...and I found myself actually tearing up as one character said goodbye to another for the last time. I truly didn't expect that. Hell, I wrote that. But she got me.
So, for the narration, I'm giving this novel five full stars. Not because of my writing, because of Jenn's narration.
Jenn Johnson is once again the narrator of this novel—she did the first one, BAD BLOOD as well, and will be doing the rest of the four—and, as good a job as she did on the first book, she absolutely rocked this one.
Let me explain:
First off, and I don't think I've made any secret of this, but of all the six books in this series, while I still love this one, it's likely my least favourite of the six. Maybe because it does the most work at setting the stage for what happens at the end in the sixth and final novel in the series. So, it does a lot of work that way.
And second, I was worried because this one has, quite frankly, some really challenging pronunciations in it.
This is where the magic of a great narrator—and make no mistake, Jenn Johnson is a great narrator—can make or break a novel in audio form. I've listened to a couple of authors, who I will not name, though one is known for a career of legal thrillers, who should not be allowed anywhere near a microphone, because their delivery is awful. Then again, there's some authors, such as Stephen King who are great at it. And of course, there's some phenomenal narrators who just come in an smoke it. Jenn's one.
Throughout the experience of listening to this book, I was supposed to be listening for any errors and, instead, I found myself sucked into the story by the sound of Jenn's voice. I found myself laughing at stuff that I'd actually written precisely to be laughed at, I found myself tensing up at critical parts...and I found myself actually tearing up as one character said goodbye to another for the last time. I truly didn't expect that. Hell, I wrote that. But she got me.
So, for the narration, I'm giving this novel five full stars. Not because of my writing, because of Jenn's narration.
The series has gotten even darker. Pete is now in possession of the book. Pete’s abused at home and bullied at school. Talia might not have the book, but she’s still keeping teeth. Fellow students Theo, Crouch, Toad and Stash have a weekly poker game that Theo invites Pete to. The book pursuades Pete to decline the invitation and to summon a demon in the bathroom of the high school. Enter a sperm demon. Theo and friends end up having to fight their way through the school. What follows is intense, gory, graphic, horrific, all the adjectives. Did I have to stop and read something else at 58%? Yes. Did I finish it? Also, yes. Did I eat spaghettios w/ meatballs while watching Terrifier 2? Maybe. I was a little lost in the beginning, the ending ties everything together.