A Note:

6/2/13

I once told myself: IF I am accepted into grad school, this blog would no longer be updated. As it turns out, in April, I received news of my acceptance for the Fall 2013 semester, where I will attain a Master's degree of Science in Nutrition.

Running a blog, as many of you may already know, is a demanding side job once the excitement wears off. And once I fell out of the blogging community's loop (have you SEEN how many blogs there are now? Wow!), it was like the kiss of death. Despite my best efforts, I couldn't get into a blogging routine once this happened due to the disconnect I felt from the community.

So I took a break. I struggled with the loss and with missing my blog. And then I realized I didn't have to run Book Faery to still be a book reviewer; I could read my books and post reviews online. I'm still a book review blogger, just not in the traditional sense.

I'll still be online. You can chat with me on Twitter, where I'll be posting links to my reviews and talking books. I'll also be posting links to nutrition articles. And if you'd like to connect with me where I guarantee I will post reviews, just add me as a friend on Goodreads.

So that's all, folks! It's been a fun and amazing journey, and I thank you all for listening to my thoughts about books. I hope we all can keep in touch elsewhere :)

Tori

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Tori's Review: Greywalker by Kat Richardson




Audiobook: 10 discs; 12.25 hours
Price: $34.95 
ASIN: B001G4Y8UW
Released: September 12, 2008 
Publisher: Penguin
Author's Website: Kat Richardson
Buy it: Amazon 
Obtained: Library 
Genre: Urban Fantasy 
Series: Greywalker Series
Book Order: 
1. Greywalker
2. Poltergeist
3. Underground
4. Vanished
5. Labyrinth  
6. Downpour (book review)




Harper Blaine was slogging along as a small-time P.I. when a two-bit perp's savage assault left her dead. For two minutes, to be precise. 
  
When Harper comes to in the hospital, she begins to feel a bit ...strange. She sees things that can only be described as weird-shapes emerging from a foggy grey mist, snarling teeth, creatures roaring.  

But Harper's not crazy. Her "death" has made her a Greywalker-able to move between our world and the mysterious, cross-over zone where things that go bump in the night exist. And her new gift (or curse) is about to drag her into that world of vampires and ghosts, magic and witches, necromancers and sinister artifacts. Whether she likes it or not. 



Audiobook Rating: 1/5 Stars
GREYWALKER Rating: 3/5 Stars
Overall Rating: 2/5 Stars

My Opinion:
So I listened to my first audiobook, and I must say I am not entirely impressed with my experience. I won't write them off entirely because I think it was primarily the reader who bugged me, but regardless, I will not be going out of my way to attain more books like this. Unfortunately, I have the library audio copies of the next three books in this series. My hope is that it will only get better, not worse, in time.

My primary problem was the inability to focus 100% on what happened within the pages. This could be due to the fact that I was browsing the web and chatting on twitter while the CDs played in the background. The plus side, however, was actually being able to multitask while the audio played. I think that I would be able to focus a lot more successfully if I listened to this on my commute to class. Ah well, I can experiment with that on my commute this week.

Harper certainly is the reluctant heroine. I think she would have frustrated me a bit had I actually read the book, but because I was listening, I heard the story in a different tone. This, I think, made the hugest difference for me. I know that had I read GREYWALKER, I might not have had as much patience for her as I did while listening. But, since the reader was the one annoying me, I overlooked a lot of the "I won't accept what is happening, because it can't be happening!" denial on Harper's behalf.

My disconnect with the characters and the heroine is what ultimately made me rate this story lower, and I blame the audiobook for that reason. Since I both zoned out, and because I was not reading the story and absorbing it more fully, I really felt no connection. I hope that changes in later audiobooks, and if it does not, then at least the fifth and sixth books will be read via print.

Interviews with random people... giving her card out. Dialogue lasting for at least ten minutes at times. These were major turn offs for me, and something I might have been tempted to skim had I been reading. Plus all the angsting/denial.

As it was, GREYWALKER felt like it meandered a lot, and I was confused about where this book was headed. I am unsure if this was because of the actual plot line, or because of my tendency to zone out while listening. Either way, I would suggest readers check out the actual book and avoid this particular audiobook at all costs. The reader's voice bugged me so much I wish I could have bashed my head against the wall while listening to all 10 discs.

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