Posted on by hrchow12

Audiobook Review – Where the Crawdads Sing

I have a coworker that shares my love of library audiobooks that recommended this one to me. And although this isn’t my usual pick, I decided to give it a go.

Where the Crawdads Sing follows Kya Clark, “the Marsh Girl,” as she grows up mostly on her own in the backwoods marshes of North Carolina. The story follows her from age 6 to her 20s while alternating with the investigation into the death of popular townie during Kya’s adulthood.

Strangely, I don’t have a whole lot to say about this book. It was beautifully written, but slow, and I didn’t really fall in love with Kya in any way (although this might partially be because I found the narrator’s voice/accent for her to be a bit grating.) While I was rooting for her, I found it difficult to connect with her, and although I found the mystery of the death investigation interesting, I found the ending (though heavily foreshadowed) to be rather unsatisfying, and I guess I thought the themes to be kind of predictable.

If there’s ever a movie adaptation, I’ll pass, but I’d recommend this book to those that are interesting in imagery-rich prose that takes its time.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Nearly guaranteed to make you want to go get lost in nature somewhere.

Thanks for reading!

Posted on by hrchow12

Audiobook Review – Fable

Fable was another solid read that I didn’t love. Fable is the story of a girl abandoned by her ship-captain father on a rough island where she desperately tries to scrape together enough coin to escape and confront her father.

I really loved the concept of this book along with the found-family themes on the rough and tumble high-seas and the subtle magic in an intriguing, unforgiving world. But I found myself really wishing for more connection between Fable and the other characters, particularly the love interest. Told from the first person, Fable seems to stay in her own head a lot, and although everyone in this world is supposed to be reserved and guarded, I really found myself wanting more inter-character interaction and connection.

I think part of the problem might be that this book does not stand alone in any way. I’d say it ends on a cliffhanger, but honestly it doesn’t really feel like an end. It feels like we got cut off in the middle of the book – so maybe the second book would bring that depth and satisfaction I was missing. The audiobook narrator wasn’t my favorite voice, but overall I enjoyed the listen, and would recommend to fans of seafaring YA.

If I see the sequel ever pop up in the library, I’d probably pick it up, but I don’t think I’ll be pining for it.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I think Tula has begun to dread the possibility of a reading slump! Ever hopeful, we continue to search the horizon for new, amazing reads.

Thanks for reading!

Posted on by hrchow12

Audiobook Review – The Institute

I picked up this audiobook from the library after a coworker recommended it, citing big “Stranger Things” vibes. I have to admit, I was a bit reluctant, because I’m not a huge fan of Stephen King’s recent books (they’re a bit long and slower-paced for my personal taste), and when I saw this sucker was 15 hours long, I almost aborted.

But with a lack of any other audiobook ideas, I persevered, and honestly I can say it was a solid listen. The plot follows a *gifted* boy who’s stolen away to a cruel institute full of other gifted children, and basically has to figure out where he is, what they’re doing, and how to escape.

The writing was flawless of course, but everything else felt pretty average to me. The characters are likeable, although I didn’t fall in love with any of them. It had some tense moments, but the pacing, as usual was on the slower side, and I think it could’ve easily been about two hours shorter.

Overall, while it is HEAVY on the Stranger Things vibes, I guess I felt like the concept was a little tired, and I didn’t find my surprised by… well… anything. The narrator did a fabulous job bringing the book to life though, and there were times when he had me rapt. By the end, while I can say I enjoyed it, I don’t think it’ll really be sticking with me in any way.

Recommended to Stephen King and Stranger Things fans looking for a solid listen.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I asked my K-niece houseguest, Locke, for her thoughts… and I got this. Interpret as you will.

Thanks for reading!

Posted on by hrchow12

Audiobook Review – The Pursuit (Fox and O’Hare #5)

The Pursuit once again follows smooth ex-con Nick and intense FBI agent Kate on another one of their not-con (but very con-like) capers. Honestly, I think this one was a bit of a let down. Although of course there were more fun capers and banter, nothing really stood out with this one that was any different than the last four, and I was hoping for a little bit more of a satisfying conclusion for Lee Goldberg’s last entry in the series. While this has a been a short, light audiobook series, the formula does wear out after a while, and I don’t feel any need to continue the series. But now, I’ll have to spend some time exploring the library’s audiobook archives to find something new!

⭐⭐⭐⭐

So long Nick & Kate, it’s been fun!

Thanks for reading!

Posted on by hrchow12

Audiobook Review – The Scam (Fox and O’Hare #4)

The Scam once again follows smooth ex-con Nick and intense FBI agent Kate on another one of their not-con (but very con-like) capers. All of our favorite side characters are back and we have a few more colorful bad guys to take down in a satisfying, smart action-packed adventure. Nick and Kate’s relationship continues to develop, and this time we even got a bit of a cliffhanger to take us into a Book 5 (which I already have downloaded, is the last book by both original authors, and the last I plan to read.) If you liked the first three books, and are looking for another light, fun bit of audiobook adventure, you’ll definitely like Book 4.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

On to the last book!

Thanks for reading!