Saturday 20 June 2015

Audiobook Reviews!


Hi guys. Since it's Audiobook month I decided to share some of my Audible reviews with you. I don't always put a review on here because of time constraints but I'm going to feature some over the next few days :) 

If you find any of them helpful (or not) please consider voting on Audible HERE, it helps me a lot!! Thanks. 


    The Girl at the End of the World | [Richard Levesque]
  • Written by: Richard Levesque
  • Narrated by: LC Kane
  • Length: 7 hrs and 59 mins 
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Release Date:03-02-15
  • Publisher: Richard Levesque
  • Her fight begins the day the world ends.
    Scarlett Fisher is an average California teenager. She likes hanging out with her friends and talking on the phone. She does all right at school, and she's made the best of her parents' divorce. But in one way, she's special: on her 15th birthday, a fast-moving plague wipes out everyone she's ever known, yet somehow it passes her by.
    Her family dead, alone in a corpse-strewn metropolis, she has no choice but to survive. She needs food, shelter, a safe place to sleep. She discovers that an ordinary girl is capable of extraordinary things, and that she's more resilient than she imagined. Even so, she wishes more than anything that she could just find another survivor.
    Unfortunately for Scarlett, not everyone who survived the plague is looking for companionship. And she's about to find out just how difficult survival really is.

  • "A good Post Apocalyptic read."
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Any additional comments?
    When Scarlett goes to a Baseball game for her birthday, she had no idea that it would change her life forever! She loses everything and everyone she loves. She is among a rare few who is immune to the deadly disease that swept the world and this is her tale.

    This is kind of told in 2 parts, the first being the story of Scarlett at the start of the plague and her loneliness and the second part is about Scarlett meeting other survivors and how even then her life changes in another big way.

    The beginning does a great job of showing what it's like to lose everything. Scarlett goes from being a normal 15 year old, to a girl alone and trying to survive. The plague is so fast and unexpected that it catches everyone by surprise. People who catch it usually die within a few days.

    Scarlett is such an awesome heroine. She is very resourceful and knows what she needs to do. She is only 15 and yet despite seeing dead bodies everywhere, she keeps her cool. She knows she needs food and safe shelter so sets out to find both. I really liked her strength and admired her tenacity.

    The second half focuses on when Scarlett meets some survivors. She is even more tenacious this time round because she has more to loose now. She grows up quickly and my heart breaks for her so much during this time.

    One thing I have to say is that when the plague was first described and the first man dies, Scarlett says that stalks shoot out of his head and spores blast out from it. I was then picturing people dying with mushrooms growing out of them!! Lol. I liked that the plague is a fungus which I thought was really unique and different!

    In all, a really good and different Post Apocalyptic read. It's not the most action packed book but that's because it's a story of surviving the aftermath. It's a story of struggle, of heartache and one of hope.

    I listened to the audio, and let me tell you that LC Kane did an amazing job with this book. She portrayed the heartache and loneliness perfectly. She made my heart break for Scarlett!! There are certain times during the book where it felt like the narrator had a tough time fighting back the tears, she really put her all into this book and it showed!! 

  • High Moor | [Graeme Reynolds]
  • Written by: Graeme Reynolds
  • Narrated by: Chris Barnes
  • Length: 7 hrs and 15 mins 
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Release Date:10-21-13
  • Publisher: Dynamic Ram Audio Production
  • When John Simpson hears of a bizarre animal attack in his old home town of High Moor, it stirs memories of a long forgotten horror.
    John knows the truth. A werewolf stalks the town once more, and on the night of the next full moon, the killing will begin again. He should know. He survived a werewolf attack in 1986, during the worst year of his life.
    It’s 1986 and the town is gripped in terror after the mutilated corpse of a young boy is found in the woods. When Sergeant Steven Wilkinson begins an investigation, with the help of a specialist hunter, he soon realises that this is no ordinary animal attack. Werewolves are real, and the trail of bodies is just beginning, with young John and his friends smack in the middle of it.
    Twenty years later, John returns to High Moor. The latest attack involved one of his childhood enemies, but there’s more going on than meets the eye. The consequences of his past actions, the reappearance of an old flame and a dying man who will either save or damn him are the least of his problems. The night of the full moon is approaching and time is running out. But how can he hope to stop a werewolf, when every full moon he transforms into a bloodthirsty monster himself?

  • "Amazing!!"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Any additional comments?
    This isn't a shifter book, this is the down and dirty werewolf type book! It's the blood and guts type of werewolf, the ones that will eat you whole and the ones where you find yourself shuddering about. I loved it!!

    Right from the start this story will grab you. We learn about John Sampson and basically, how he came to be a Moonstruck werewolf. It starts in the present with Sampson just preparing to lock himself up in his cage and then we are transported back to when he was young. He is a typical child and tries to spend his days hanging with his friends, until a faithful day on the Moor, when his world is changed forever.

    This book isn't just a Werewolf book. It's a story of friendship, of mistakes, of finding out about yourself and who you can trust. This is quite a long book but I listened to it in one day because I couldn't put it down. It was fantastic!

    There are quite a few characters but they were all extremely well written and developed. I loved reading about John, Michael and Maries' friendship when they were kids. It was so realistic that it brought me right back to my own childhood. Their banter and comradeship was awesome.

    There are plenty of other characters like Steven, the Sargent, Carl,the american hunter, the old woman and the gypsies who are all an integral part of the story and all who add something extra. Each person has their own story and the author weaves each tale together seamlessly. There is no wasted information in this book, everything the author does has a point, and I loved that about the book.

    The werewolf lore was another thing I loved. I loved how there were 2 different types of them. One is the ones who can turn at will and keep their sensibilities and the other are the "Moonstruck". They are the 7 foot tall ones of nightmares. They are the ones who will rip you to bits because at their core, they are animals and we are prey. The first type hunt and kill the second type because they can expose their secrets!

    I loved the setting! It's a tight knit, small town in England with the back drop of the Moors. Even without the blood chilling werewolves, you can picture the creepy setting. Imagine that with the howls of the feral wolves and you get a sense of the frightening setting. It was perfect!!

    Anyway. This book was such a tense and chilling read, though there actually was some laugh out loud moments!! The banter flowed with a lot of the characters and it added a much needed levity to the book. The action is basically non stop the whole way through and you will be sitting on the edge of your seat. This book is the old school gory, bloody werewolves and not for the squeamish. With each killing that happens, your heart will quicken and believe me when I say that no character is safe!! It's bloody brilliant ;)

    I listened to the audio and I'm so glad I did. Chris Barnes did an amazing job with it. He easily portrayed each character and I had no worry about getting each character mixed up. He really knew when to ramp up the tension and when the voice needed to chill a bit! Loved it.

    So ya. This book pretty much blew me away with how much I loved it and I can't recommend it enough! If you want old school werewolf horror, with a thrilling story, then this is for you. 

  • High Moor 2: Moonstruck | [Graeme Reynolds]
  • Written by: Graeme Reynolds
  • Narrated by: Chris Barnes
  • Length: 7 hrs and 45 mins 
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Release Date:02-27-14
  • Publisher: Horrific Tales Publishing
  • The people of High Moor are united in horror at the latest tragedy to befall their small town. As dawn breaks, the town is left to count the cost and mourn its dead, while breathing a collective sigh of relief.
    John Simpson, the apparent perpetrator of the horrific murders, is in police custody. The nightmare is over.
    Isn't it?
    Detective Inspector Phil Fletcher and his partner, Constable Olivia Garner, have started to uncover some unsettling evidence during their investigations of John Simpson's past - evidence that supports his impossible claims: that he is a werewolf, and will transform on the next full moon to kill again.
    However a new threat is now lurking in the shadows. A mysterious group have arrived in High Moor, determined to keep the existence of werewolves hidden. And they will do anything to protect their secret. Anything at all...

  • "Amazing Second Book."
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Any additional comments?
    This was even better than the first, and that's saying something!! I loved book 1 but this surpassed it. Don't read the next paragraph if you haven't read book 1 because there are unavoidable spoilers in it!!

    When we left book 1, John was captured and accused of multiple murders, Maria was in the morgue, presumably dead and Steven is turning into the thing he despises the most. Michael and his pack of Werewolves are coming though and no one is safe. They have to protect the secret no matter what, even if it means killing his own sister. First things first, they have to kill Sampson before he turns in the prison!!

    Once again, Graeme Reynolds brings his A game to play. I usually find that book 2 is mainly a filler book, if you get my meaning. In most cases, not much happens in a second book, but that's not the case here. Reynolds upped his game and this book is so much better than the first. He ramped up everything, more action, more Werewolves, more character development, more violence and a lot more twists. He even introduces more characters and manages to wrench out our hearts with what happens to them!

    Everything about this book, and indeed the previous book, is amazing. The action starts straight away and never lets up, the characters have so much depth that it's hard not to like each one, and the author put so much into the book, that it shows. The different Werewolves was, again, fascinating and I loved finding out more about them. Everything about the book was captivating and engrossing.

    Again, the author doesn't shy away from violence and gore, nor does he shy away from killing off characters, which I loved. The story is dark but deliciously so! I so want to see these books made into a movie because I think they would rock.

    Anyway, I could keep gushing about the book but I may spoil things so I'll stop! All I'll say is Go Buy This NOW. You will not be disappointed.

    I listened to the audio and once again Chris Barnes delivered. Like the first, he really knows when to add tension and when to pull back. He draws you into the story and makes you a part of it. If you are looking for some new audio books then check out his work! 


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