,

The Widowmaker

The WidowmakerTitle: The Widowmaker
Author: Hannah Morrissey
Series: Black Harbor #2
Genre: Thriller
Format: Audio
Pages: 293
Length: 10h 39m
Narrator: Xe Sands, Adam Verner
Reason Read: Just Because
Rating:

Also in this series: Hello, Transcriber, When I'm Dead
My Thoughts

THE WIDOWMAKER is a very dark thriller that kept me guessing until the end. It’s very thought-provoking and deals with hard subjects like child abandonment, abuse, and sexual assault. I thought the story was captivating and suspenseful. I love Morrissey’s beautifully descriptive prose. I also enjoyed that the story’s told in a dual POV. It took me a few chapters to understand what was happening. When I wasn’t listening to the audiobook, I was thinking about the characters and their lives.

I liked both of the main characters. I also liked the narrators for the audiobook. They both did a great job bringing Morgan and Investigator Hudson to life. I thought some of the secondary characters were a bit flat and could’ve been fleshed out more. I liked the little Easter eggs pointing to HELLO, TRANSCRIBER when Hudson was interacting with and talking about Sgt. Kole.

, ,

Where The Crawdads Sing

Where The Crawdads SingTitle: Where the Crawdads Sing
Author: Delia Owens
Genre: Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mystery
Format: Audio
Pages: 370
Length: 12h 12m
Narrator: Cassandra Campbell
Reason Read: Just Because
Rating:

My Thoughts

I truly loved WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING until the last few pages. I think she would’ve confided in Tate about her past and the ending made it seem like she hadn’t. I feel it undid what the author was trying to say and/or show about who Kya grew to be after the trial.

While I’m a little miffed at the ending, I’m still glad I read it. I really loved Kya and I was invested in her life. I loved that she not only survived, but thrived despite the hardships she faced. I thought her story was beautifully told and emotional. I thought the dual timeline was the perfect vehicle for the story, especially the mystery aspect of it. I liked getting snippets of Kya’s life in the past as I wondered what lead to the present circumstances.

,

Fourth Wing

Fourth WingTitle: Fourth Wing
Author: Rebecca Yarros
Series: Empyrean #1
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Spice: 3 / 5
Format: Hard Cover
Pages: 517
Reason Read: Just Because
Rating:

Also in this series: Iron Flame, Onyx Storm
My Thoughts

FOURTH WING was everything I wanted in a romantasy and more. I adored the characters, especially Violet and Xaden. I could feel the sexual tension between them from the very beginning and I loved it. I loved that there was no instalove, and instead a slow-burn romance that leaves you wanting for more. The secondary characters were amazing too. Rhiannon, Ridoc, and Liam were my favorite.

I loved the world Rebecca Yarros built. It’s a beautiful world based on folktales, lore, war, power, and political drama, which is my recipe for a fantastic story. I loved the Gaelic feel to the story thanks to the names of some of the characters, most of the dragons, and lot of the places. I also loved that riders are bonded to their dragon so we can hear their voices and get to know their personalities. I also adored the mythology. It was fascinating. The magical system with signets was fun to read about and experience.

,

Hello, Transcriber

Hello, TranscriberTitle: Hello, Transcriber
Author: Hannah Morrissey
Series: Black Harbor #1
Genre: Romance, Thriller
Spice: 2.5 / 5
Format: Audio
Pages: 296
Length: 9h 1m
Narrator: Angela Dawe
Reason Read: Just Because
Rating:

Also in this series: The Widowmaker, When I'm Dead
My Thoughts

HELLO, TRANSCRIBER was a captivating romantic thriller. Thanks to Morrissey’s beautifully descriptive prose, I zipped right through it as it hooked me right from the beginning and has left me thinking about the characters and their relationships. It’s more than a thriller with romantic fluff. It’s also a thought-provoking story that deals with hard subjects like spousal abuse, depression and suicidal ideation, homo- and transphobia, and drug use in minors.

I could see the big twist at the end. Knowing about the twist didn’t ruin the suspense or story for me, though, because I still wanted to know how everything would play out. I’m disappointed that Hazel and Nik didn’t stay together in the end. I feel like it could’ve worked out without damaging the overall feeling of the story.

,

Choose Your Own Autobiography

Choose Your Own AutobiographyTitle: Choose Your Own Autobiography
Author: Neil Patrick Harris
Genre: Memoir, Non-Fiction
Format: Audio
Pages: 291
Length: 7h 15m
Narrator: Neil Patrick Harris
Reason Read: Book Club
Rating:

My Thoughts

I have been a fan of Neil Patrick Harris for a while. I loved him as Barney Stinson in the sitcom How I Met Your Mother and as Dr. Horrible in Joss Whedon’s Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. And, I thought it woud be fun to read his memoir.

CHOOSE YOUR OWN AUTOBIOGRAPHY is written in the style of a choose-your-own-adventure novel. This style lends mostly to true stories about Harris with the occasional “if you want to listen to your own horrible death, keep listening” anecdotes. Like most celebrity memoirs, Harris narrates his own audiobook. I really enjoyed listening to him recount his own story. I also really loved when he broke out into song. I really loved a lot of the over-the-top parts. I especially loved listening to the sometimes true, sometimes comedic notes from his friends. However, my favorite parts were the stories of his life with his husband, David Burtka, and their twins, Gideon and Harper. When he talked about his family, I saw a regular person instead of a celebrity.

Harris’ memoir is the first one I’ve read that focuses on the author’s entire life instead of some challenge they had to deal with. His memoir is just about him as a whole. Because of this, I didn’t really feel inspired like I have with other memoirs so I was a little bit letdown by the end.