Review: Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers @audioGO_UK

Title: Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin)

Author: Robin LaFevers

Narrator: Caroline Ramsay

Publisher: AudioGo.com/uk

Duration: 11hrs  51mins

http://www.audiogo.com/uk/grave-mercy-his-fair-assassin-robin-lafevers-gid-61758

Rating: 3/5

 

This review is based on the AudioGo MP3 version.  

The audio begins with 17 year old Ismae being married off by her father to a beast of a man.  Her father is cruel and this comes across loud and clear through the audio book at the start – he’s chosen the roughest tyrant of a man for his daughter to marry.  Ismae has always been treated badly and is an outcast by default as she is said to be born of blood after her mother tried to poison her whilst she was in the womb. 

Ismae’s fate then turns – she is taken under the wing of a convent who train her to become Death’s Assassin.  This does challenge pre-conceptions of how I viewed convents!!  Ismaes second assignment sees her having on the job training as she goes into Court and tries to keep the Duchess safe from harm.  What she doesn’t bargain for is falling in love, which is forbidden.

The storyline in places was a bit too dragged out – but I think that was more to do with the story rather than the audio version of it.  I did get a bit fed up with the Duchy and the politics surrounding everything she could or couldn’t do.  It wasn’t really a surprise who Ismae fell in love with, but there are still plot twists which I didn’t forsee.

It took me about half a chapter to get used to Caroline Ramsay’s narrative on the audio.  The first chapter we see Ismae as a meek yet quietly strong character; unable to control her own fate or have a say in it.  As the story progresses, so does Caroline Ramsay’s personification of Ismae, and all the other characters she comes into contact with.  I had to remind myself throughout the audio that it was only one narrator, as each character was given a very distinctive voice just for themselves, so it really felt like I was listening to a play with different actors rather than a sole narrator, which was very effective.

What made listening to this so addictive was the narrators telling of the story.  It felt so animated that I couldn’t help but be sucked into the characters and the storyline.  In retrospect though I think it could have been slightly shorter without compromising too much of the storyline as it did feel long in places.  I love the cover on this as well - the title jumps out at you and begs you to listen to it!

Audio synopsis:

Escaping from the brutality of an arranged marriage, 17-year-old Ismae finds sanctuary at the convent of St. Mortain. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts - and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must be willing to take the lives of others. Ismae's most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany where she finds herself woefully underprepared - for how can she deliver Death's vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart? A dangerous romance for young adults, full of intrigue, poison and passion.

Source – Many thanks to Audiogo.com/uk, an audio was received in return for an honest review.

Review: AudioGo: Blackwood by Gwenda Bond

Title: Blackwood

Author: Gwenda Bond

Publisher: AudioGo.com

Published: September 2012

Reader: Stephanie Cannon

Rating: 4.5/5

This review is based on the AudioGo MP3 – I haven’t had the chance to listen to many mp3s, so when a review of this was requested I tentatively agreed.  I wasn’t sure what to expect, the book blurb indicated that two teens join forces to work out what is happening on Roanoke Island, their home.  I found the narrator’s voice (Stephanie Cannon) very easy to listen to.  I found her voice lyrical and well spaced, as well as multi faceted and light when speaking as different characters.  I looked forward to listening to this whenever I got the chance, more often than not it was in between chores, and right up until I finished it I was listening to this before sleeping, trying to stay awake long enough to hear just a bit more!

Miranda is the freak of the Island.  Her surname brands her as a misfit from the start, her father is the town drunk and her mother is deceased.  Philips has a bad boy image and is misunderstood.  He hears voices of the dead and did everything he could to escape from Roanoke Island; he didn’t expect or wish to come back, but when his Dad, the Chief of Police calls, to say he needs him home, he knows something unprecedented has happened.

This book has a whole lot of issues it covers – loss, letting go, trust, relationships, paranormal and alchemy.  I thought the two main characters complemented each other really well.  Miranda with her acceptance of her family name and all that comes with it, and Philips who at times was walking on eggshells trying to not listen to the voices and working with Miranda to track down exactly what is happening.

Roswell comes across as an obsessive scholar type the first time we meet him, and my opinion of him didn’t get any better the more I heard of him!

I loved Sidekick, Miranda's faithful dog, although he has a small part to play in the book, he really is a sweetie, and a really nice touch to the storyline. 

I liked Blackwood, it was very entertaining and had a variety of characters with their own sets of motives for their actions.  I liked Philips and Miranda’s tentative relationship; I think they bonded really well during the course of the story.   I also like the way Philips Dad seemed to be more accepting of his gifts and gave him a chance to help.

Book synopsis:

On Roanoke Island, the legend of the 114 people who mysteriously vanished from the Lost Colony hundreds of years ago is just an outdoor drama for the tourists, a story people tell. But when the island faces the sudden disappearance of 114 people now, an unlikely pair of 17-year-olds may be the only hope of bringing them back. Miranda, a misfit girl from the island's most infamous family, and Phillips, an exiled teen criminal who hears the voices of the dead, must dodge everyone from federal agents to long-dead alchemists as they work to uncover the secrets of the new Lost Colony. The one thing they can't dodge is each other…

Source – Many thanks to AudioGo, an MP3 of the book was received in return for an honest review.