I was mesmerized by his story and absolutely loved listening to him mimicking the voices of all the ...
934922
I just returned from a two-day car trip and listened to Trevor Noah's "Born a Crime" on an MP3 in my car.  I was mesmerized by his story and absolutely loved listening to him mimicking the voices of all the important people in his story.  I had ordered a paperback version of his book, which I still haven't received, but I felt I got so much more pleasure from listening to his story with his accents and the various voices he portrayed.  The story itself is riveting and rather heartbreaking, because a beautiful, very bright little boy had to pay for his parents' choices throughout his entire childhood, so I think it's wonderful that he can now live the life of a brilliant TV star in America, where his color is not a major problem for him.  I'm so glad Nelson Mandela was able to defeat Apartheid in South Africa and give people of color better opportunities.  Trevor's story is an eye-opener for white folks who grew up in America.  I'm very glad I listened to the audiobook version instead of just reading the paperback.
3487149
Vastly intrigued by the author's very candid biography, I skimmed the synopsis for this book and thought it was worth a read. I did not think it would be my type of book in the first few pages, but somewhere around Chapter Two and 5%, I got totally sucked in and found myself flipping pages eagerly to learn what happens next.

I liked Jacob more than I expected to, and I cared a great deal about his fate. There were moments where I was staring at the pages in utter shock at his cruelty, and then, somehow, I liked him again. This author has a magical touch and I feel very lucky to have stumbled upon this unique, stylish, and masterfully executed story.

The way he writes about interpersonal relationships between family members, and between males and females is so imaginative and precise. I can visualize every scene so clearly, and it certainly keeps me guessing. Reading this story was a real treat, and I felt completely gripped. I felt like I was stuck inside a disturbing movie and terrified of what was going to happen next, but unable to stop watching.

I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a surprising and gut-wrenching read. There are some formatting issues in the kindle edition I read, but the story is so great that you should be able to overlook it easily.
2929465
I had the opportunity to review the audio version of Within the Veil by Brandy Vallance. One thing I like about audio is it brings the story and the characters to life. The narrator did a good job reading the story and using various voices. Her voice was fairly pleasant to listen to.  Brandy Vallance did an amazing job describing the conflict between the English and the Gypsies. I liked how she showed both perspectives. Her portrayal of the Gypsies reminded me of stories my sister told me when she was living in Romania. The characters were well developed. I especially liked Feya and Alasdair. I had never heard of synesthesia before reading this book. It was fascinating! Brandy described synesthesia in an engaging and informative way without taking away from the story.  There are so many wonderful truths of the Lord woven throughout the book. The reader can learn these along with the characters

I recommend this book to my family and friends.

I received this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.
3811960
This was my first foray into audiobooks, and while I find I prefer reading because I can proceed at my own speed, Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade was a thrilling experience.  As always, Gabaldon writes wonderfully - her characters so rich and complex I can imagine them in my living room, and her pacing and suspense preventing the audience from pausing for a moment.  The narrator makes it easy to tell whom is speaking when, and which words are thoughts or plain text rather than outright dialogue, so well does he pitch and accent his voice - consistently for each character - in a seemingly endless variety.  Definitely recommend both the story and the audiobook!
3384231
I'm such a fan of this style of fractured fairy tales that I couldn't wait to dive into this audiobook, even knowing nothing about the series itself, or even the author really.  Once I got started, I couldn't stop, and I found myself making trips and sitting in parking lots, not ready to turn it off, because I was so deeply engrossed in the whole adventure and the authors unique, though twisted, world.

I have to say, this audiobook not only succeeds, but excels, in all ways.  Captivating, imaginative story with a fantastic narration by Wil Wheaton (I wasn't really a fan back in his ST:NG days, but as an adult he's really come into his own...  This cemented me as a fan).  So often a great story is ruined by an awful reader and that makes me so leery of the audiobook genre but, in all honesty, I was such a fan of his style of reading and delivery that I'm seeking out more audio books of his, even if I've read them already because his presentation is just so thoroughly enjoyable...  And I'm not typically an audio book person.  Even with this story's very specific pacing and delivery needs, he still manages to talk in a way that doesn't feel like he's a person reading a book, but a fellow reader who's just as captivated by the adventure as you are, who's invested in the story and his need to share it.

The story itself is simultaneously familiar with the fairy tale core, but altered to present a world we're all familiar with in a new dark, disturbing, surprisingly understandable/realistic way.  The author has this unique, dry, sometimes morbid turn-of-the-phrase that is just so compelling and, at times, completely hysterical while being so pessimistic and matter-of-fact about this world he's created and the people within it.  While, as a newcomer to the series, I had no issues following along and didn't feel like an outsider looking in, I got the distinct impression that there were various connections or revelations made that would have had more of an impact had I been familiar with the series, but these events didn't make the story hard to follow.  There were, however, times where the story seemed somewhat disjointed or fractured during the author's attempts to slide between the various time periods in the books, but nothing that took away from the book or story in any sort of significant way.

I know that this book was something of an experiment for the author, and I'd have to say it was a successful one.  He reminded me of a modern day Edward Gorey, or a Neil Gaimen without the pretense that he tends to slide into his works.  I genuinely do look forward to reading more work by this author and further exploring the "Fables" world.
4361976
Wow!  This story had a grip on me and wouldn't let go.  I had to listen to it constantly.  When I wasn't listening, it was on my mind. I read at least one book per week and no book has affected me like this in quite some time.

It amazes me that a woman can get into the head of a male psychopath and be so convincing.  In addition, she can make you feel for him and almost root for him.  Crazy, right?  This story was extremely satisfying and I'm certain that I will be pondering it for weeks to come.
3960708
Captivating story that I could not stop reading
2649211
From page 1, I was captivated! The further I got in the book, the more I needed to keep reading. Since I can't read during work, I bought the audio book so I didn't have to wait 10 hours before getting back into the story.

The author did an amazing job at relaying this story. I need a Zen in my life. I enjoyed the intrigue, the creepy twists and the moments of hope the author teased me with at every turn of a page. I feel this book has everything. I'm so glad I read it.
3224924
*I was gifted a copy of this audio in exchange for a honest review.*

I was so excited to learn there would be a book all about Ren! I loved him in Sarah Noffke's other books and loved that he got his own. I hear there will be more as well. Who can resist the snarky ass that he is?
This book filled in Ren's story from childhood through adulthood. We got to see who Ren really is and learn his background welding both The Lucidites and The Reverians series. (I do recommend reading the two series first as there are a bit of spoilers of those story lines in Ren's tale.)

Ren was born a dream traveler with the ability to control others. He learned early on just how powerful he was and used it to become rich and upperclass. He is a brilliant man but get mixed up with the wrong crowd and ends up abusing his power. He eventually realizes the "monster" that he's been and tries to fix his mess.

I listened to the audio version and thought the narrator, Tim Campbell, was an excellent choice for Ren. I could completly imagine I was listening to Ren tell me his life story.

I can't wait to read more from Ren and Sarah Noffke.
1010637
A wonderfully narrated story making the history come alive.
2382697
This book is so luxuriously written -- sustaining the characters throughout. The detail of the characters, the settings, all rich and vibrant. I listened to the audiobook, but now I will go back and read the book -- as I feel like I don't want to miss any nuance of the story. Heartbreaking at times. One would think that the story of insane Hitler has been told and told enough, but this book focuses a light on an aspect of his madness that involved young boys, trained and used for his war machine.

I was so compelled by the story that I had to listen in the wee hours and didn't want to do anything else than listen to the audiobook.

Just fantastic.
4055431
I thought the printed version of  the book was very instightful, but then I listened to the audiobook.  I was absolutely blown away. It's one thing to see all of his accomplishments on paper but to hear them out loud was just amazing.  Definitely one audiobook that you will want to loop over and over.
416757
This is such a great audio production. Trevor Noah narrating his own stories is mesmerizing. I admit to not knowing much about Trevor Noah before I read this (like everyone else, I just knew he is not John Stewart), and I am blown away by the life he's lived and what he has had to overcome to get to where he is today. Also, this book really made want to read more books that take place in South Africa and learn more about apartheid. A great mixture of lighthearted, funny stories and stories that get at important issues of race, poverty, and abuse. Overall, I recommend!
3794722
Jesus, Mary and Joseph this was amazing.  One of the top three books Ive ever read, or in this case, listened to as I purchased the audio version.  The author paints a picture so vividly that I felt like I was part of the book, walking next to the characters as they went about their lives.  I could almost see the colors of the painted sky and smell the smoke from the air raids, And to think I almost didn't even read this when I first learned it was categorized as YA; what a serious mistake that would have been.

As amazing as Im sure the paper or Kindle versions are, the audio book absolutely blew me away with the intensity and realism the narrator, Allan Corduner, put into every word.  He is a true genius.  A beautiful story with characters you will fall in love with, this book is a must-read.  And although I bawled like a baby at the end, it was worth every minute of the journey.
1194757
I listened  this  as an audio book while driving to work. Amazed from the start with the story Abdulla's father told him and Pari as a bed time story, I could not wait till getting back to the book. Khaled  Hosseini is an amazing writer. The way he describes the stories, what his characters think, are really something you do not want to miss. The feelings of his characters are coming from deep down and you so much can relate to them. I will really miss Nabi, Marcos, will keep feeling sad about Abdullah and his life without his little sister, the very complex character of Nila Wahdati, the ups and downs of the life in Afghanistan etc. I highly recommend reading it. It is the second book of Khaled Hosseini I listened to. Beautiful!!
2049733
I ordered this unabridged version of the book after listening to the shortened version produced by Big Finish, which was also narrated by Lara Parker.  The author is an exceptional narrator, writer, and actor who has represented the voice and spirit of the Angelique character since its creation. It is such a delight to hear these stories come to life through the words and voice of Ms. Parker. This is one of those rare cases where I cannot imagine simply reading the printed word. I thoroughly enjoyed this unabridged audio book and have since ordered the other two recordings in the series. I can only hope Ms. Parker will also narrate the upcoming fourth title.
4799576
This second book in the series was a nail biter.  I had to grip the steering wheel very firmly as I listened to Jack read the words in very distinctive voices.  He did such a wonderful job narrating the characters I was able to follow the story effortlessly.  I do know that there would not have been much to follow had the author not written an incredible story.  It is a bit difficult for me to start a book knowing that the time has moved ahead by 100 years or more.  The development of characters was a very detailed, and complex story I loved how James was tied in from the first book, and he was a trusted comrade of Vydor.  Patti is a little feisty spit fire of a red headed spirit, and you can just see and feel her deep inside.  I loved this book and cannot wait to read the next.  I have listened to both through Audible, and as the third is not available I will be spending more time on my kindle!