ovaishanafi

My experience with this books brings up an interesting question. If you're listening to an audiobook, how much does the narrator's voice have to do with your appreciation of the book. For example, I've read many reviews of Jim Butcher's audiobooks where the listeners have stated that the only person who should ever do the audio for Harry Dresden is Jim Marsters. Obviously, the narrator had a lot to do with the listeners enjoyment of the book. Which is why I'm unsure of whether or not my intense dislike of the narrators voice for Night Myst caused me to hate this book or if I would have hated it regardless. So I listened longer than I really wanted to. I listened until this book actually made me angry and I realized I was not angry that the voice in my ear annoyed the crap out of me. I realized I was angry that this book was ridiculously cliche and contrived. I've read some contrived Urban Fantasy. I've read some contrived mystery, historical, western and romance. I've read a lot of crap. But this one just went over the top for me. When our fearful protagonist needs information, she doesn't get it in an interesting way. She doesn't get it by talking to people and getting out into the world to investigate. She gets it from books. Books that just happen to be there when she needs them on the bookshelf in the house she inherited from someone else's mother. And that person is now great friends with Cicely because not inheriting everything your mother owned always goes that way, right? Besties with the person who has everything that should logically have been yours. It doesn't help that a first person narrative started out with the main character staring at herself naked in a mirror so she could fully describe herself and every tattoo she has. Yup. Then, while doing this, she claims she doesn't know why she has some of her tattoos. This seems to indicate that she was either born with them or tattooed at such a young age that she can't remember. Because that's totally what people do. Yeah, I know, this is done to make her into a "special" character *coughmarysuecough* because she has these tats that are probably some kind of tip that they make her something more than every other character in the book. I should probably be relieved this wasn't done with a ridiculous name or impossibly colored eyes or hair. But once, just once, could the mary sue character have lizard skin she covers up with makeup to hide that she's different? Or something that doesn't involve a baby/toddler being painfully tattooed? Don't even get me started on the wolf tattoo that apparently tells her if Grieve is around. (Ugh. The name.) So, yeah. Didn't finish this one. Won't read another in the series, but I may try her other series in the future. Just not the audiobook because someone needs to be fired for that voice actor.

2022-09-17 20:29