#Book #Review: 3 out of 5 stars for Mercy Thompson: Moon Called, Volume 2 by Patricia Briggs, David Lawrence, Amelia Woo and Zachary Matheny @Mercys_Garage @DynamiteComics

TITLE: Mercy Thompson: Moon Called, Volume 2
SERIES: Mercedes Thompson Graphic Novels, Book #1.2
AUTHORS: Patricia Briggs, David Lawrence, Amelia Woo, and Zach Matheny

PUBLISHER: Dynamite Entertainment

PUBLICATION DATE: January 31, 2012 (first published 2010)

FORMAT: Paperback

LENGTH: 120 pages

GENRE: Fantasy/Urban Fantasy, Sequential Art/Graphic Novels

ISBN: 9781606902141

In the past week, coyote shapeshifter Mercy Thompson has seen her friends kidnapped, killed, and assaulted - and things are about to get worse A war between werewolves is erupting, and Mercy is caught smack in the middle Can she unravel the secrets of the dark conspiracy that threatens them all in time to save her friends... and herself? Scores are settled and secrets revealed in the thrilling climax of Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson: Moon Called. Collecting issues #5-8 of the series, along with an all-new, never-before-published 8-page bonus story, and a complete cover gallery.

MY REVIEW:

I read my first graphic novel last year, when I read Mercy Thompson: Moon Called, Volume 1 which contained the first four single-issues of this series. This second volume contains issues #5-8.

For me, this was a quick recap of Moon Called. For those who have only enjoyed the graphic novels of this series, you are gypping yourself by not reading the original story.  There is so much that you are missing out on! As I mentioned in my review of the first volume of this series, I consider the graphic novel adaptation like an abridgement. I think it has been done well, but not as good as the original story. Reading this graphic novel series has made me want to re-read Moon Called. I love Mercy Thompson and really need to get back to this series!

MY RATING:

3 stars!! It was good,and I enjoyed it.

This book qualifies as:

#60 for my Strictly Print Reading Challenge

#46 for my 2018 Library Love Challenge

#120 for my Beat the Backlist 2018 Challenge

#108 for my The Backlist Reader Challenge 2018

#19.1 for my 2018 Finishing the Series Reading Challenge
#15 for my Read Harder Challenge 2018
#9D for my 2018 Literary Escapes Challenge

#120A for my Good Rule Reading Challenge

#23 for my 2018 Platypire Diversity Challenge
#51 for my 2018 What An Animal Reading Challenge

#42 for my 2018 Paranormal Reading Challenge
#6 for my Chapter Break Bingo December 2018
#6 for my Bookish Bingo Winter 2018

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#Audiobook #Review: 3 out of 5 stars for Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews @ilona_andrews

TITLE: Clean Sweep

SERIES: Innkeeper Chronicles, Book #1
AUTHOR: Ilona Andrews 

NARRATOR: Renée Raudman 

PUBLISHER: Ilona Andrews, Inc.

PUBLICATION DATE: March 19, 2014 (first published 2012)

FORMAT: Unabridged audiobook

LENGTH: 7 hrs and 55 mins

GENRE: Urban Fantasy
ASIN: B00ISAC8XG

On the outside, Dina Demille is the epitome of normal. She runs a quaint Victorian Bed and Breakfast in a small Texas town, owns a Shih Tzu named Beast, and is a perfect neighbor, whose biggest problem should be what to serve her guests for breakfast. But Dina is...different: Her broom is a deadly weapon; her Inn is magic and thinks for itself. Meant to be a lodging for otherworldly visitors, the only permanent guest is a retired Galactic aristocrat who can’t leave the grounds because she’s responsible for the deaths of millions and someone might shoot her on sight. Under the circumstances, "normal" is a bit of a stretch for Dina.

And now, something with wicked claws and deepwater teeth has begun to hunt at night....Feeling responsible for her neighbors, Dina decides to get involved. Before long, she has to juggle dealing with the annoyingly attractive, ex-military, new neighbor, Sean Evans - an alpha-strain werewolf - and the equally arresting cosmic vampire soldier, Arland, while trying to keep her inn and its guests safe. But the enemy she’s facing is unlike anything she’s ever encountered before. It’s smart, vicious, and lethal, and putting herself between this creature and her neighbors might just cost her everything.

MY REVIEW:

I saw this series recommended on another blog, and I have had this audiobook sitting in my Audible library for quite some time.

The main character is Dina, and she owns a Bed and Breakfast. When a third dog in the neighbourhood is found dead and disemboweled, she thinks it is a display of a territorial kill. She approaches Sean Evans, who is new to the neighbourhood, and tells him he should take care of it and defend his territory to put a stop to the dog killings. He claims ignorance, so Dina is forced to deal with the problem herself. Dina is an innkeeper, not just the owner of a bed and breakfast but in paranormal terms that means that her inn and its grounds are magical and that she is bound to offer protection to anyone that comes to her regardless of who they are. She gets her power from the inn, and Sean has no idea what he's in for! He is a werewolf, but even he has been misled about who he really is and the history of his kind.

I liked the array of paranormal creatures, and I love the whole aspect of a magical house. I enjoyed getting to know Dina and really like her, and I thought this was a good start to the series. This is my first read by this author, and I'm looking forward to continuing on with the next book, Sweep in Peace.

While I enjoyed the narration by Renée Raudman, she can be too soft-spoken at times. I liked her Southern accent, but I just wish she would have infused more oomph! into the characters.

MY RATING:

3 stars!! It was good, and I enjoyed it!

This book qualifies as:

#73 for my Audiobook Challenge 2018
#78 for my Mount TBR Reading Challenge 2018
#116 for my 2018 Beat the Backlist Challenge
#105 for my The Backlist Reader Challenge 2018
#76 for my New Authors 2018 Reading Challenge
#78 for my 2018 Try Something New Challenge
#38 for my 2018 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge
#19B for my 2018 Literary Escapes Challenge
#116A for my Good Rule Reading Challenge
#49 for my 2018 What An Animal Reading Challenge
#39 for my 2018 Paranormal Reading Challenge
#5 for my 2018 Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge
#10 for my Let's Read Indie 2018 Reading Challenge
#2 for my Chapter Break Bingo December 2018
#2 for my Bookish Bingo Winter 2018

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#Book #Review: 3 out of 5 stars for The Midnight Kittens by Dodie Smith #DodieSmith #RedFox

TITLE: The Midnight Kittens
SERIES: The Hundred and One Dalmatians, Book #3
AUTHOR: Dodie Smith

PUBLISHER: Red Fox

PUBLICATION DATE: August 17, 1994 (first published 1978)

FORMAT: Paperback

LENGTH: 122 pages

GENRE: Childrens

ISBN: 0099240602

One night, Pam and Tom put out a saucer of milk for the hedgehogs that live in the orchard, and sit watching at the window. Suddenly, on the stroke of midnight, four kittens appear, drink the milk, and then vanish again. Wherever have they come from? The twins are mystified - and decide to find out the secret behind their magical midnight visitors...

MY REVIEW:

I really enjoy reading "old school" middle-grade fiction to my younger daughter. I picked this one up at a used book sale. It wasn't until the time that I wrote my review that I see from Goodreads that this is Book #3 in The Hundred and One Dalmatians series although the cover simply states that it is by the same author and makes no mention that it is a sequel. We haven't read the others in this series.

Ten-year-old orphaned twins, Pam and Tom, are heading by train to the grandmother's house to spend their half-term vacation with her. Grandmother tells the children about the hedgehogs that she has been feeding, and she places a saucer of milk with bread in it outside each evening. The children decide to stay up late to wait for them and catch a glimpse of the night-time visitors. They are surprised to see four kittens at the dish, with the hedgehogs waiting nearby for their turn.

The children don't want to tell their grandmother about the kittens because they feel that it will be "too much" for her because her cat Mogg recently died and she's not yet ready for another cat, much less four!

Grandmother tells the children about Freke Hall, a derelict mansion that has been vacant for some time but has now been recently sold. It will soon be opened up to the public for tours, and Grandmother wants to take the children to see it. They are told that there is a secret room in one of the halls.

This was a very odd story. My daughter and I laughed at how different things were then from today. The children, the same age as my daughter, were allowed to travel by train alone, and Gram didn't even pick them up at the station! Pam is an atheist and Tom is an agnostic and I'm still not quite clear on the relevance of their personal beliefs to the story! There are squatters that live in Freke Hall, and Pam and Tom go to Freke Hall on their own to search for the secret room. Gram leaves the children alone for long periods of time to tend to a sick friend and lets them stay up until midnight to watch for their furry visitors because that is the only time that they will come to visit which leads Pam to believe that the kittens are somehow magical. As I said, it is a peculiar story but Smith pulls most of the pieces together by the end of the book. I have no idea if any of this relates to the previous books in the series, but there was no mention of the dalmatians :)

MY RATING:

3 stars!! It was good, and we enjoyed it!

This book qualifies as:

#56 for my Strictly Print Reading Challenge

#76 for my Mount TBR Reading Challenge 2018

#114 for my Beat the Backlist 2018 Challenge

#103 for my The Backlist Reader Challenge 2018

#74 for my New Authors 2018 Reading Challenge
#76 for my 2018 Try Something New Challenge
Bonus #1V for my 2018 Literary Escapes Challenge

#22 for my Middle Grade Reading Challenge

#114A for my Good Rule Reading Challenge

#28 for my Charity Reading Challenge
#48 for my 2018 What An Animal Reading Challenge

#5 for my 2018 Old School Kid Lit Reading Challenge
#18 for my 2018 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

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#Book #Review: 3 out of 5 stars for The BFG by Roald Dahl @roald_dahl @PuffinBooks

TITLE: The BFG
AUTHOR: Roald Dahl

PUBLISHER: Puffin

PUBLICATION DATE: 2008 (first published 1982)

FORMAT: Paperback

LENGTH: 199 pages

GENRE: Childrens, Fantasy

ISBN: 9780141326238

Kidsnatched from her orphanage by a BFG (Big Friendly Giant), who spends his life blowing happy dreams to children, Sophie concocts with him a plan to save the world from nine other man-gobbling cannybull giants.

MY REVIEW:

My daughter and I recently read Matilda and absolutely loved it! We decided to try this one next.

Sophie awakens during the night and peeks out her window to see a large figure down the street. She watches as the giant peers into the windows, stops, and inserts a large object like a trumpet. He is also carrying a suitcase. Sophie tries to be quiet, but it's too late. He hears her and snatches her from her room and dashes off. Sophie learns that the giant is a friendly one (Big Friendly Giant) and that he does not wish to harm her. However, there are other giants who feast on humans and those are the ones that need to be stopped.

We started off with my daughter reading this one aloud to me for her home reading. However, she became frustrated with all the nonsensical words and how to pronounce them, so I took over and read this one aloud to her. It was more enjoyable for her to listen than to struggle with the gibberish. I have to admit that it slowed down my reading as well! We did enjoy the book, but we didn't love it like we did Matilda. However, we are still Dahl fans and will read more of his work.

My daughter and I did watch the 2016 film adaptation a couple of years ago, but I honestly don't remember much of it. We will have to watch it again. Here's the movie trailer:

MY RATING:

3 stars!! It was good, and we enjoyed it!

This book qualifies as:

#55 for my Strictly Print Reading Challenge

#74 for my Mount TBR Reading Challenge 2018

#111 for my Beat the Backlist 2018 Challenge

#100 for my The Backlist Reader Challenge 2018

Bonus #1U for my 2018 Literary Escapes Challenge

#21 for my Middle Grade Reading Challenge

#111A for my Good Rule Reading Challenge

#47 for my 2018 What An Animal Reading Challenge

#38 for my 2018 Paranormal Reading Challenge
#22 for my 2018 Book to Movie Reading Challenge

#8 for my Chapter Break Bingo November 2018

#19 for my Bookish Bingo Fall 2018

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#Audiobook #Review: 3 out of 5 stars for Alaskan Holiday by Debbie Macomber @debbiemacomber @PRHAudio

TITLE: Alaskan Holiday

AUTHOR: Debbie Macomber 

NARRATORS: Laurel Rankin and Luke Daniels

PUBLISHER: Random House Audio

PUBLICATION DATE: October 2, 2018

FORMAT: Unabridged audiobook

LENGTH: 4 hrs and 50 mins

GENRE: Holiday, Contemporary Romance
ISBN: 9780525491712

New York Times Bestseller - "[Debbie] Macomber brings her signature charm to this appealing tale of an aspiring chef. . . . This charmer will please Macomber fans and newcomers alike."--Publishers Weekly

Debbie Macomber brings us to the Alaskan wilderness for a magical Christmas tale about finding love where it's least expected.

Before beginning her dream job as sous chef in one of Seattle's hottest new restaurants, Josie Avery takes a summer position cooking at a lakeside lodge in the remote Alaskan town of Ponder. Josie falls for the rustic charms of the local community--including Jack Corcoran, the crotchety keeper of Ponder's famed sourdough starter, and, in particular, the quiet and intense Palmer Saxon, a famed master swordsmith.

Josie and Palmer become close during the long Alaskan summer days, but Josie knows that, come fall, she'll be returning to reality and the career she's worked so hard for. Palmer, on the other hand, would like nothing better than to make Josie his wife and to keep her in Ponder. But Josie can't imagine abandoning her mother back in the Emerald City and sacrificing her career to stay in this isolated town--not even for a man she's quickly coming to love.

Fate has other plans. Josie misses the last boat out of town before winter sets in, stranding her in Ponder and putting her dream job at risk. As the holidays approach, Josie and Palmer must grapple with the complications that arise when dreams confront reality, and the Christmas magic that can happen when they put their faith in love.

Debbie Macomber is at her best in this beautiful holiday story about the far journeys we travel to find a place to call home.

MY REVIEW:

I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook for voluntary review consideration.

I always look forward to Macomber's Christmas stories each year. This is another sweet romance that is perfect for the season!

Josie was hired on as a chef for a very remote hunting and fishing lodge in Ponder, Alaska with a population of about 300 people. She has enjoyed her stint there, which has allowed her to experiment and create new dishes. The locals all love her, especially Palmer who felt an instant attraction to her. Palmer, a master swordsmith, and Josie have developed a sweet relationship during her stay there and his sister pushes him to tell Josie how he feels before she's gone forever. Once the season is over, Josie will return to Seattle to a job that is already waiting for her. She is looking forward to working with the chef who owns this restaurant and feels that it will be a great start to her career.

The night before Josie's departure, Palmer proposes to her and Josie doesn't know what to say. She's torn because she has feelings for Palmer but can't fathom the thought of being happy living in Ponder! She feels as though she'd be giving up her dream job for him if she stayed. When she returns to the lodge, the owners tell her to leave her bags in the lobby as the ferry will be coming very early in the morning. Josie, mind reeling from Palmer's proposal, takes something to help her sleep. She forgets to leave her bags in the lobby, and she misses the ferry! 

Palmer calls up an old friend and arranges a flight out of Ponder to Fairbanks, where Josie can get a connecting flight home. Josie's boss agrees to hold the job open for her, and she is anxious to get home. Once Josie is back in Seattle, she wonders whether she made the right decision as her "dream job" isn't all it's cracked up to be.

I enjoyed the chaste romance between Josie and Palmer. As someone rooting for the romance from the sidelines, it was frustrating to see their communication falter across the distance due to wrong signals. I liked the whole sense of community that Ponder offers, and the small town is appealing to me. I also really enjoyed the remote setting, having absolutely loved another one of Macomber's Alaskan romances, Starry Night. The people in Ponder seem to genuinely care about each other and are willing to lend a hand which was really nice to see.

I enjoyed the dual narration by Laurel Rankin and Luke Daniels, who both were a good fit to the characters. Daniels could be a little dramatic at times, particularly with his vocalization for Jack. Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable listen! Here is a sample of the narration:



MY RATING:

3 stars!! It was good, and I enjoyed it! Thanks again to Random House Audio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook!

This book qualifies as:

#70 for my Audiobook Challenge 2018
#19 for my 2018 New Release Challenge
#5C for my 2018 Literary Escapes Challenge
#19B for my Good Rule Reading Challenge
#9 for my 2018 Contemporary Romance Reading Challenge

#20 for my Literary Pickers Scavenger Hunt 2018
#9 for my Let's Read Indie 2018 Reading Challenge
Task #1 for my Goodreads An Apple a Day Fall 2018 Seasonal Scavenger Challenge
#20 for my Bookish Bingo Fall 2018

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#Book #Review: 3 out of 5 stars for The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender @AimeeBender @doubledaybooks

TITLE: The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake

AUTHOR: Aimee Bender

PUBLISHER: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

PUBLICATION DATE: June 1, 2010 

FORMAT: Hardcover
LENGTH: 292 pages

GENRE: Magical Realism, Fantasy

ISBN: 9780385501125

The wondrous Aimee Bender conjures the lush and moving story of a girl whose magical gift is really a devastating curse.

On the eve of her ninth birthday, unassuming Rose Edelstein, a girl at the periphery of schoolyard games and her distracted parents’ attention, bites into her mother’s homemade lemon-chocolate cake and discovers she has a magical gift: she can taste her mother’s emotions in the cake. She discovers this gift to her horror, for her mother—her cheerful, good-with-crafts, can-do mother—tastes of despair and desperation. Suddenly, and for the rest of her life, food becomes a peril and a threat to Rose.

The curse her gift has bestowed is the secret knowledge all families keep hidden—her mother’s life outside the home, her father’s detachment, her brother’s clash with the world. Yet as Rose grows up she learns to harness her gift and becomes aware that there are secrets even her taste buds cannot discern.

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake is a luminous tale about the enormous difficulty of loving someone fully when you know too much about them. It is heartbreaking and funny, wise and sad, and confirms Aimee Bender’s place as “a writer who makes you grateful for the very existence of language” (San Francisco Chronicle).

MY REVIEW:

This one is definitely a little out there!

Just before her ninth birthday, something unusual happens to Rose. As she samples her mother's homemade lemon cake with chocolate frosting, she tastes an emptiness in her mouth that makes her ask whether her mom is okay. Her mom just brushes it off, but then later her mom admits that she wants to quit her job because she wants to do something creative with her hands.

Unfortunately for Rose, this was not just a weird fluke. When takes a bite of food, she can sense the emotions of the person who made it. She can even break down the ingredients and discern where the eggs came from and if the chickens were happy when they laid them and where the beef came from. She finds this unusual gift too overwhelming and, instead, tries to eat as much processed food as possible that has been made in factories and untouched by human hands for the most part.

When Rose can taste her mother's deception and affair, that made me feel really sad for Rose. That would just be plain torture for a child to be saddled with such a big secret. I really hated Rose's mom for that. While Rose's dad is a little self-absorbed and totally hands-off in terms of raising his own children, his role as a provider for the family is one that he is good at. He isn't so good at the nurturing part.

Where the book got REALLY weird was with what was going on with Rose's brother, Joseph. At times, he would disappear for days or longer and come back malnourished. No one knew where he went or what happened to him during these periods of absence, but that is revealed at the end of the book.

What bothered me about the format of the book is that there are no quotation marks. It drove me batty!! Instead of: "Or a toaster oven?" Carl said, making sparky sale motions with his hands; we get: Or a toaster oven? Carl said, making sparky sale motions with his hands. For me, I found that it slowed down the pace of my reading because I had to sometimes read sentences over twice to figure out whether or not someone was actually speaking.

I really enjoyed Rose's storyline, but I have to admit that I could have done without the even stranger one concerning Joseph. I just didn't get that!

MY RATING:

3 stars!! It was good, and I enjoyed it.

This book qualifies as:

#53 for my Strictly Print Reading Challenge

#42 for my 2018 Library Love Challenge

#109 for my Beat the Backlist 2018 Challenge

#98 for my The Backlist Reader Challenge 2018

#71 for my New Authors 2018 Reading Challenge

#73 for my 2018 Try Something New Challenge

Advanced #6 for my 2018 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge
#10B for my 2018 Monthly Motif Reading Challenge
#11A for my Monthly Key Word Challenge 2018
#6 for my What's In A Name 2018
#3N for my 2018 Literary Escapes Challenge

#109A for my Good Rule Reading Challenge

#2 for my 2018 Foodies Read Challenge
#37 for my 2018 Paranormal Reading Challenge

Task #11 for my Goodreads An Apple a Day Fall 2018 Seasonal Scavenger Challenge
#6 for my Chapter Break Bingo November 2018
#17 for my Bookish Bingo Fall 2018

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#Audiobook #Review: 3 out of 5 stars for Tartan Candy by K.C. Burn @authorkcburn @dreamspinners

TITLE: Tartan Candy

SERIES: Fabric Hearts, Book #1
AUTHOR: K.C. Burn 

NARRATOR: David Ross

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press. LLC

PUBLICATION DATE: October 10, 2016

FORMAT: Unabridged audiobook

LENGTH: 7 hrs and 21 mins

GENRE: Contemporary, Romance

ASIN: B01LY3TQ03

Finlay McIntyre (aka Raven) is a successful adult film star with a penchant for kilts, until an accident cuts short his stardom and leaves him with zero sexual desire, lowered self-esteem, and no job. He knew his porn career wouldn’t last forever, but he wasn’t prepared for retirement at twenty-eight. While trying to figure out the rest of his life, Raven agrees to attend a high school reunion. That’s when a malfunctioning AC unit in his hotel room changes everything.

Caleb Sanderson, an entrepreneur with his own HVAC business, has no idea what to expect when he steps into Raven’s hotel room to fix his AC unit. They’re attracted to each other, but Caleb, closeted, can’t afford a gay relationship, not with his mom pressuring him to produce grandchildren. If he wants to keep Raven—who no closet could hold—he’ll need to tell his family the truth. But Raven has a few secrets of his own. He refuses to reveal his porn past to Caleb, a past that might be the final obstacle to Caleb and Raven having any kind of relationship.

MY REVIEW:

A prompt in one of my reading challenges is to read a LGBT romance. I don't ordinarily read contemporary romances, and I also have never read one that features LGBT characters. So, this is a first for me!

Finlay (aka Raven) is a young, good-looking guy. After having been involved in a serious accident, he could no longer work as a gay porn star so he works as an escort minus the sexual services. His "date," Jeremy, hired Raven to accompany him to his high school reunion. The air conditioner in Raven's hotel room is not working, and Raven goes gaga over the repairman that shows up. Actually, the feeling is mutual. Caleb is also attracted to Raven but neither makes a move. Later, Raven busts the air conditioner on purpose so that Caleb has to return and he can make the moves on him.

Meanwhile, during the reunion, Jeremy is all hands and Raven regrets having agreed to this arrangement.

While Raven is out and flaunts his sexuality, Caleb is not. Caleb worries how his ailing mother will react, especially since all she talks about is wanting to become a grandmother and Caleb's family members are constantly setting him up on blind dates hoping that he'll meet the woman of his dreams. They have no idea that he wants to settle down with the man of his dreams! The only one that Caleb can be honest with is his gay cousin, Jaime.

I really felt for Caleb in this story, who clearly was torn between wanting to please his parents but also wanting to be able to be honest with them. That's a hard line, and I get how difficult it would be for him to come out of the closet. I really enjoyed the relationship between Caleb and Jaime, and how nice it must have been for Caleb to have at least one family member that he didn't have to pretend with. I also really enjoyed Caleb's friendship with Francesca, one of his blind dates who saw right through him.

Raven is used to his body being on display, so he obviously had loads of self-confidence and didn't have a problem with that. However, the accident did a number on him and he is very self-conscious of his scars. 

The romance between Raven and Caleb was both hot and sweet, but there was a big showdown when Caleb found out from Jeremy about Raven's porn past. This was my main issue with the story. In this day and age of STDs and HIV, Raven never should have been sexually involved with someone without revealing his sexual past! Caleb had every right to know who he was climbing into bed with, so that part about Raven bugged me.

So, this was my first M-M romance. While I did enjoy the story and it pushed me out of my comfort zone, I probably wouldn't reach for another book in this genre unless I was again trying to fulfill a reading challenge. If that was the case, then I would likely read the next one in this series, Plaid versus Paisley.

David Ross' narration was good, and he was pleasant to listen to. He's very soft-spoken, and he seemed a good fit for the characters.

MY RATING:

3 stars!! It was good, and I enjoyed it!

This book qualifies as:

#69 for my Audiobook Challenge 2018
#10 for my 12th Annual Canadian Book Challenge
#108 for my Beat the Backlist 2018 Reading Challenge
#97 for my The Backlist Reader Challenge 2018
#70 for my New Authors 2018 Reading Challenge
#72 for my 2018 Try Something New Challenge
#11A for my 2018 Monthly Motif Reading Challenge
#9 for my Color Coded Reading Challenge
#2C for my 2018 Literary Escapes Challenge
#108A for my Good Rule Reading Challenge
#20 for my 2018 Platypire Diversity Challenge
#8 for my 2018 Contemporary Romance Reading Challenge

#11 for my 2018 Romance Roundabout Challenge
#19 for my Literary Pickers Scavenger Hunt 2018
#9 for my Let's Read Indie 2018 Reading Challenge
#5 for my Chapter Break Bingo November 2018
#17 for my Bookish Bingo Fall 2018

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#Audiobook #Review: 3 out of 5 stars for The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White @kierstenwhite @LLAudiobooks

TITLE: The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein

AUTHOR: Kiersten White 

NARRATOR: Katharine McEwan

PUBLISHER: Listening Library

PUBLICATION DATE: September 25, 2018

FORMAT: Unabridged audiobook

LENGTH: 10 hrs and 15 mins

GENRE: Young Adult, Historical, Horror, Retelling
ISBN: 9780525636120

"Exquisitely disturbing," raves internationally bestselling author Stephanie Garber of this stunning and dark reimagining of Frankenstein.

Elizabeth Lavenza hasn't had a proper meal in weeks. Her thin arms are covered with bruises from her "caregiver," and she is on the verge of being thrown into the streets . . . until she is brought to the home of Victor Frankenstein, an unsmiling, solitary boy who has everything--except a friend.

Victor is her escape from misery. Elizabeth does everything she can to make herself indispensable--and it works. She is taken in by the Frankenstein family and rewarded with a warm bed, delicious food, and dresses of the finest silk. Soon she and Victor are inseparable.

But her new life comes at a price. As the years pass, Elizabeth's survival depends on managing Victor's dangerous temper and entertaining his every whim, no matter how depraved. Behind her blue eyes and sweet smile lies the calculating heart of a girl determined to stay alive no matter the cost . . . as the world she knows is consumed by darkness.

MY REVIEW:

I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook for voluntary review consideration.

My main beef with Shelley's Frankenstein is that I didn't really like Victor! I thought the creature had more compassion than he did, so I was interested to read this interesting take to find out whether my impression of Victor would change. In short, the answer is no. I still don't like him!!

The focus of this retelling is on Victor's relationship with Elizabeth Lavenza, the young girl who joined the household to be a companion for Victor. Elizabeth is a smart girl and quite cunning. Having come from a life of abuse and poverty, she will do whatever it takes to ensure that she never goes back there. She knows her tie to the Frankenstein family and all it provides her is through Victor, so she ingratiates herself to him. She encourages his fascination with life and death and how each part of the body works together, even "playing dead" for him. 

I have to be totally honest and admit that I struggled with this one. It was a very slow start, and it wasn't until Elizabeth went after Victor about midway through that the pace of the story picked up and I started to enjoy it. As much as I dislike Victor, I do have a bit of a morbid fascination with his darkness.

Memorable quote:

"I sought to puncture Heaven and instead discovered Hell."

Katharine McEwan's narration was what kept me listening, especially during the first half of the book which I found quite slow. The cadence and rhythm of her voice carried me along. Here is a sample of the narration:

MY RATING:

3 stars!! In spite of the slow start, I did end up enjoying it. Thanks again to Listening Library for the chance to listen to this audiobook!

This book qualifies as:

#66 for my Audiobook Challenge 2018
#18 for my 2018 New Release Challenge
#66 for my New Authors 2018 Reading Challenge
#68 for my 2018 Try Something New Challenge
#18B for my Good Rule Reading Challenge

#38 for my 2018 YA Reading Challenge
#16 for my 2018 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
Task #20 for my Goodreads An Apple a Day Fall 2018 Seasonal Scavenger Challenge
#1 for my Chapter Break Bingo November 2018

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