Mini Reviews 10: A Handful of Audiobooks

It's time for another set of "mini" reviews (I use the term mini loosely, as I tend to still go on and on).  A handful of audibooks = hours of sanity time for me during my endless commute!

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Hidden Gallery by Maryrose Wood
Publisher: Harper Audio
Publication date: February 2011
Length: 5 hrs 58 min
Source: Audiobook from Library
For: Fun!
Series: Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place, Book 2

When Penelope Lumley and her charges, along with the Ashtons, make their way to London for a visit, she is eager to visit with her former headmistress.  But she gets so much more, meeting strange gypsies, a very nice young man, pirates, and a strange hidden art gallery.  Further secrets are revealed about the children and even Lord Ashton himself!

My Thoughts:
I really like this series, but think I'd like it less if I wasn't listening to the audio versions.  I was drawn into and involved in everything that went on during the book, but afterward wondered what exactly the point was.  They come to London, fiddle around, and then go back home with pretty much no plot moving forward, except perhaps some things that Penelope "learns"  Mostly, this one entertains me with its quirky characters and bizarre happenings.  And Katherine Kellgren's delightful narrations and voices which she does, as always, quite perfectly.
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The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Unseen Guest by Maryrose Wood
Publisher: Harper Audio
Publication date: February 2012
Length: 6 hrs 50 min
Source: Audiobook from Library
For: Fun!
Series: Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place, Book 3

When Lord Ashton's mother shows up for a visit with the brassy Admiral Faucet in tow, they bring uproar to the Ashton house.  The admiral is determined to marry Lord Ashton's mother, in order to further is dream of bringing ostrich racing to England.  When his prize ostrich runs away, though, the children and their plucky governess are enlisted to head into the forest and track the bird down.  Much more seems to be at stake, though, than one lost bird.

My thoughts: 
And this book continues to reinforce my love for Katherine Kellgren's narrations and her ability to portray any kind of voice and inflection and do accents perfectly.  I really enjoy the stories in this series, though they seem to meander a bit before getting to their point, but again I'm hooked on these books because of the narration.  I did enjoy getting more revelations and surprises about the children and the Ashtons at the end of the book, though I'm still a bit in the dark.  I will continue to listen eagerly to each addition to this series, however.
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Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt
Publisher: Recorded Books
Publication date: November 2006 (HC)
Length: 6 hrs 31 min
Source: Audiobook from Library
For: YA Audiobook Challenge

 

When Keturah is lost in the forest and on the brink of dying, she sees Lord Death and pleads with him to spare her life.  He agrees, if she can find her one true love in the next day.  Keturah returns to her home, desperate to discover who among all the village boys is her love.  But she also has bigger worries about her family and the people she may leave behind if she can't find him in time. 

My thoughts: 
I remember reading and loving this story ages ago.  I listened to the audio for fun and loved it just as much.  Alyssa Bresnahan does a really good voice for Keturah; I was impressed at her tone and how it seemed just right for the story.  I love Keturah and how she is both grounded and completely crazy about how she tries to find her true love.  She's very determined and I enjoyed listening to her figure out just who it was she loved.  It remains a beautifully written, compelling, and interesting love story.  
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Magisterium by Jeff Hirsch
Publisher: Scholastic Audio
Publication date: October 2012
Pages: 9 hrs 14 min
Source: Audiobook from Library
For: YA Audiobook Challenge

 Glenn grew up right next to the Rift, with no idea what was on the other side.  But, when Glenn's father is arrested for his scientific work, he sends her and her friend Kevin to the Magesterium with no idea of what to expect.  In this strange new place, they meet creatures and monsters they never dreamed existed and face terrible choices about the people and places they love.

My thoughts: 
I really struggled with this book.  I thought it was very imaginative and really liked how interesting the idea was - that there was this place just on the other side of a border that held magic and power and you were different when you got there.  It reminded me of Narnia and those fun worlds within worlds stories.  However, the whole story seemed very disjointed, episodic, and completely pointless.  It honestly seemed like Kevin and Glenn were simply wandering aimlessly through the Magesterium with no real purpose and no idea what they were doing there.  The writing was fell flat for me - I did not like the style at all.  I think the audiobook kind of added to my dislike. Julia Whalen, the narrator, seemed to have a voice only suited to a teen girl, which works most of the time with Glenn.  But, when she would do voices for the boys or men, it sounded like a person doing a bad imitation of their dad or brother.  I just stopped caring most of the way through and I'm still not sure why I stuck with it to the end.  I have no clue what the magic is about and why the two worlds are magically separated by a "border."  Just a meh book for me.   
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A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley
Publisher: Random House Audio
Publication date: February 2011 (HC)
Pages: 10 hrs 47 min
Source: Audiobook from Library
For: Fun!
Series: Flavia de Luce mysteries, Book 3

When an old gypsy woman, who told Flavia's fortune, ends up being savagely beaten, Flavia is on the case.  But there is much more to this mystery than she first thought, when another body turns up.  Flavia must follow the clues to their logical conclusion, even if it means getting in dangerous situations.

My thoughts: 
Pretty much, I read these books for Flavia.  She's fun and unique and not what you expect from an 11 year old.  I love her obsession with chemistry and her desire to figure things out.  She's fascinating and funny and clever and strange.  Plus, the other quirky characters in the books are quite interesting as well.  I just generally have fun listening to or reading the stories.  I loved the narrator, Jayne Entwistle, as she was able to capture a fairly young voice for Flavia and then kind of imitated the way Flavia would think of the adults voices in her head.  It was fun.  I did finally figure out the mystery in advance, which is kind of a miracle for me as I usually don't.  That probably means it's not that complicated, but I still managed to enjoy it.  Mystery-lovers will not get a thrill from the mystery, but as I noted, I'm in it for Flavia.

Any thoughts on these books?  Suggestions for more great audiobooks?

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Mini Reviews 9

It's time for another set of "mini" reviews (I use the term mini loosely, as I tend to still go on and on).

Magic Under Stone by Jaclyn Dolamore
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Publication date: February 2012
Pages: 304
Source: e-book from NetGalley
For: Review
Series: Magic Under Glass, Book 2

Even though Erris has become a living person, he is still stuck in the clockwork body. He and Nimira travel to a distant place, hoping to find the one person who might know how to free him. But when Ordorio is missing, Nimira can't wait around forever and begins to seek her own answers to saving Erris.

My thoughts:
The plot and setting are fairly unique, what with a sort-of alive clockwork fairy prince and a former dancing girl learning illegal magic; I'm quite sure there aren't too many of those around.  I thought the idea of Nim finding her own magic and learning it by herself was a nice touch, since many magic systems are only taught by old magical tutors or something like it.  The story has a lot of potentially interesting side characters too, Annalie shrouded by spirits, Violet the hidden fairy princess, Ifra the reluctant jinn, Belin the conflicted fairy king.  Alas, I did not think these characters or the story lived up to their potential.  I couldn't ever muster enthusiasm for the characters or interest in the plot.  It took me months to finish and I just never cared about what happened.  It felt slow moving and very much not interesting enough to capture my attention.  I felt so lackluster about it I nearly gave up, but for some reason kept trudging through.  The ending has more action, but it's pretty condensed into the last pages.  A fun idea, but executed in such a way that I find it unfortunately forgettable.
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The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood
Publisher: Harper Audio
Publication date: February 2010
Length: 5 hrs, 28 min
Source: Audiobook from Library
For: Fun
Series: The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place, Book 1

Miss Penelope Lumley did certainly not expect to have such unusual children when she took the job as governess at Ashton Park.  Raised by wolves and taken in by the Ashtons, the peculiar children are a handful as Penelope tries to reform them in time for Lady Ashton's Christmas party.  But it seems someone is determined to bring out the worst in them.

My thoughts:
Count this one in the quirky-fun middle grade category and then get your hands (or ears) on it.  I thoroughly enjoyed Penelope and her mixture of propriety and whimsical (hello, Rainbow Ponies).  Despite not being big on plot, I liked getting to know our characters, those incorrigible children and their hilarious wolf-ish antics.  It was a blast listening to it (mostly because of Katherine Kellgren) and she does fabulous spot-on accents for everyone, including some great howling.  As I said, it was a little lacking in plot, but I'm interested to see what happens in the next books, since I've got some pretty good ideas of what's coming. 
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Renegade Magic by Stephanie Burgis
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (Atheneum Books for Young Readers)
Publication date: April 2012
Pages: 336
Source: Library
For: Fun
Series: Kat, Incorrigible, Book 2

After her oldest sister gets married, Kat's family is thrown into chaos by accusations made against her next older sister, Angeline. When stepmama takes them all to Bath to wait out the storm of gossip, Kat manages to find trouble there, too. Being expelled from the order of Guardians didn't even quite dampen her curiosity and she becomes embroiled in a dangerous magical conspiracy.

My thoughts:
I do truly enjoy the delightful romp that is Regency era England mixed with a spunky 12-year old and a crazy magical system all set in Bath.  Kat is so entertaining in her assumptions and her decisions.  I loved watching her do the unexpected in nearly all situations.  She reminds me a bit of Flavia de Luce, but less mean to her sisters.  I was, however, a bit disappointed in the magical details.  It felt unclear and a bit random in places, particularly in the wild magic aspect.  Perhaps that is more of something that is lightly passed over in MG books, but I kind of wanted more details.  It was still fun and refreshingly light.  I'll definitely be wanting more.
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The Woman Who Rides Like a Man by Tamora Pierce
Publisher: Listening Library
Publication date: 1986
Pages: 5 hrs, 24 min
Source: Audiobook from Library
For: Fun
Series: Song of the Lioness, Book 3

Alanna is newly knighted and newly revealed to king and court as a woman. She heads away from the uncomfortable feelings of her home and off on adventures. Ending up among the Bajir, she finds herself as head magician to their tribe and fighting off an old evil.

Lioness Rampant by Tamora Pierce
Publisher: Listening Library
Publication date: 1988
Pages: 6 hrs, 58 min
Source: Audiobook from Library
For: Fun
Series: Song of the Lioness, Book 4

 Alanna still isn't sure where she fits in.  Being the first (and only) female knight of Tortall, she certainly stands out.  But when she hears about a mysterious jewell that will bring power and prosperity to any land, she's determined to bring it home to Tortall, to help save her kingdom.  A dark familiar presence has fallen over the court and Alanna returns only to face a foe she's seen before.

My thoughts:
I thought I'd talk about the last two books in this series together, since my thoughts are pretty similar.  I love a good fantasy that has complex cultures and fabulous characters; Alanna is so prickly and ornery that you can't help but love her.  She waffles back and forth on who she loves.  She hates to be in one place.  I like how she is not your typical woman for her culture, but how she also wants to find a way to fulfill all her parts - knight, woman, wife, wanderer.  Also, you really wouldn't want her as an enemy.  Trini Alvarado does a pretty good job as narrator, but not outstanding.  I'm not really fond of the way she talks as Alanna, since it sounds kind of breathy and bored.  Still, that works sometimes.  I did get a bit bored with the episodic feel of the stories, sometimes feeling a bit meandering.  I guess I'm more of a fan of clear one-story plots.  I kept thinking the book should have been over, since the main story line had finished, but I was surprised to find more.  I was also a bit surprised by Alanna's fairly casual sexual relationships.  But, what makes this series so great is the wonderfully real fantasy world.  There are so many things going on and so many characters who come and go.  Just how a great fantasy should be.  I'm excited there are more books set in Tortall to enjoy.

Any thoughts on these books?

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