whatsheread's reviews
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This latest version of George Orwell’s 1984 from Audible Studios is a difficult listen. While some of the sound effects are cheesy, it doesn’t detract from the fact that you are hearing people cheer after a prisoner is hanged or hearing someone undergoing torture. No matter how stark Mr. Orwell’s words are, hearing them acted out is a very different experience. 

The adaptation itself is decent. You miss some of the explanations a reader gets only because we only hear the story through Winston’s mind. Joe White tries to capture some of the omniscient narrator effect through Winston’s rambling thoughts, but it just isn’t the same. I would say Andrew Garfield is a bit too emotional and irrational if only because I never got the impression that Winston Smith was emotional and irrational. Apathetic and depressed? Most definitely. Visibly nervous and jittery? Not so much.

That being said, Tom Hardy is the perfect choice to voice Big Brother. His voice is already so hearty and rich, it emphasizes the larger-than-life character that Big Brother is. The same goes for Andrew Scott as O’Brien. He has the best voice when it comes to playing characters who exist in the gray areas of society. Depending on what you know, his voice could be gentle, beguiling, and safe, or it could be angry, accusatory, and dangerous. Mr. Scott plays the role so well that even listeners who know the story and how it ends will be fooled. 

Up until I listened to this adaptation, I felt that 1984 was a book that was firmly ensconced in the past. That it was no longer relevant today because Big Brother and thought crime as such generally known things. After listening to it, I can’t help but feel shock at just how uncomfortably close we are to a 1984-like society. With all of the anti-vaxxers and flat-earthers, we have reached the point where 2 plus 2 equals 5. Big Brother is the Trump, and his followers are the party members who believe he spouts the truth every time he opens his mouth. We have been at war with one country or another practically since the end of World War II, and our politicians actively encourage involvement in foreign affairs to fill their war chests. It is both depressing and disturbing to see that for all the warnings and the fact that the book is supposed to be satire, we are much closer to George Orwell’s 1984 than you ever imagined.

MEMORY IN DEATH is the first book in the In Death series where I solved the murder mystery well before Eve reveals the killer. In fact, I had the killer pegged from the first introduction. I’m proud of myself and yet slightly disappointed that it wasn’t more of a challenge. Still, I enjoyed Eve’s frustrations at her lack of leads and answers. 

MEMORY IN DEATH also includes Eve and Roarke’s second Christmas together, a scene that is a highlight of the book. They are such a great couple, and I love how Eve is finally getting the hang of gift-giving and the holidays. 

I also appreciate how Ms. Robb references previous cases/books in the series. While I do think each book could stand on its own, these little nods to past events are like little presents for fans. How can you not enjoy that?

ORIGIN IN DEATH is hands-down my favorite novel in the series. It is utterly mesmerizing with its take on genetic modification. I didn’t expect a novel so utterly chilling as Ms. Robb imagines the legal, political, and moral quandaries that would exist should our society ever get to that same point. Eve handles the entire situation with a lot more patience, compassion, and clarity than a majority of people would, and it speaks volumes to just how far she has come. Some of the scenes in ORIGIN IN DEATH are going to stick with me for a long time.

I suspect I would have enjoyed DESTROY THE DAY by Brigid Kemmerer a lot more had I not finished EMPIRE OF THE DAMNED before it. Unfortunately, Jay Kristoff left me so numb to shocking twists that when it came time for Ms. Kemmerer’s big shock, I felt nothing. It didn’t even phase me. I actually liked and appreciated it as an act of bravery on the author’s part. 

As for the rest, I believe Ms. Kemmerer’s solution to the poisoning situation and Rian’s threats as very clever. Sometimes, the only way to resolve a problem is to go nuclear, something that works very well in DESTROY THE DAY. 

I do love the series and appreciate everything Ms. Kemmerer does in DESTROY THE DAY. It’s just that everything pales in comparison to that other book, and it is going to take some time for that influence to fade. 

THE ATLAS COMPLEX is all about power and destruction. While it is still very much a character study of the six initiates, we finally get to see them out in the world. This is important because it is the first opportunity we get to see how they use their powers after two years of intensive study. Not only that but they also have to face the constant threat of assassination simply because of their powers. 

If someone is reading The Atlas trilogy in hopes of reading a dark academia thriller/action story, they are going to finish the series disappointed. No matter what the publishers would like you to believe, that is not what this series is about. In the Author’s Notes, Ms. Blake started writing the series as a method of taming her rage at some of the asinine situations happening in the world. She uses her series not just to channel her feelings but also to raise some very real questions about power and the destruction that seems to follow anyone who has a modicum of it. Her anger about this issue seeps through the pages and makes her story difficult to follow in some regard. I believe her anger also attracts like-minded readers by allowing them to feel seen and heard. 

But Ms. Blake doesn’t stop there. Part of her also explores the urgent need for changes that will positively impact the world and halt climate change. In fact, she ends THE ATLAS COMPLEX with firm conclusions about the state of the world and its future if things continue to deteriorate. Here is where I struggled, only because I don’t come to the same conclusions as Ms. Blake and her characters. I appreciate the path she takes to reach her hypothesis, but I don’t agree with it. 

That doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy the novel. THE ATLAS COMPLEX is every bit as complex and mind-bending as the first book. Seeing the maturity of the six initiates, watching them enact their plans, and change the world is satisfying, and I’m glad I persevered reading the series. I hesitate to recommend it to readers though because it is much more a thinking-person’s novel. Much more cerebral and theoretical and entirely less thrilling than I expected, and that’s okay too. It just means that there is a niche audience for the series, and when the right reader comes across the trilogy, they will be able to appreciate everything Ms. Blake accomplishes with it.

There is no doubt that EMPIRE OF THE DAMNED, Jay Kristoff's sequel to EMPIRE OF THE VAMPIRE, was my number one most-anticipated novel for 2024. Now that I’ve finished it in its entirety, I know without a doubt that it will be the best novel for the entire year. It surpasses the first book with the torture Mr. Kristoff puts his characters through and with the emotional torment he forces his readers to experience. It is a reading experience unlike anything I have ever had, and I will not stop gushing about this book for years to come.

EMPIRE OF THE DAMNED has everything we loved about the first book - action, adventure, deathly situations, snark, anger, mistrust, revenge. Yet, this time around, we see a softer side of Gabe. This time around, the killer interacts with children, and every time is as heart-wrenching as the first, knowing what he lost. 

For someone who has never had children, Mr. Kristoff captures the immense love, fear, and frustrations that mean being a parent, and he imbues Gabe with all of it. The scenes where Gabe is doing his best by Dior are bittersweet and yet so touching. He has the best of intentions, no matter how gruff he is. In fact, his harshest moments come from a place of love and fear. He might profess to be anything but a hero, but his interactions with Dior prove that there lies a hero's heart underneath that bitter exterior. 

Because we now know that no one is safe, Mr. Kristoff uses this knowledge to make the battle scenes petrifying. It seems like every battle is just a little more dangerous, and Gabe and his band need to defy ever-increasing odds. Even though we know he survives - because he is still telling his story to his captors - it doesn't stop those scenes from being gut-clenching in intensity.

EMPIRE OF THE DAMNED isn't more of the same either. Sure, Gabe is still a captive of the Chastain kith. Yes, he is telling the story of the Grail. Yet, we are so much more in the know now, and that sense that Gabe is biding his time (Patience) is even greater. 

Plus, Mr. Kristoff shows us a different side of Jean-François. Not only do we get to see how he whiles away his time, we also get a glimpse into his mind. Through him, we see his Mistress and learn some of his motivations. This added insight also changes the dynamics of the story. For the first time, we get to see things from the enemy's perspective, and that knowledge makes them just a little more sympathetic. 

To call EMPIRE OF THE DAMNED a masterpiece is underselling it. I have never had such violent emotional reactions to a novel as I did while reading it. At several points in the story, I had to stop reading for a day or two because the situation was so bleak. The ending alone had me screaming, crying, yelling, and cursing. With EMPIRE OF THE DAMNED, Mr. Kristoff has given his readers a novel for all time, and I both love and hate him for what he put me through.

This second book in Tana French’s Cal Hooper series, THE HUNTER, is as good as, if not better than, the first book. Ms. French doubles down on the creepiness factor of Cal’s pub friends. I say that even though one of my favorite scenes in the entire book happened with those same friends in the pub. I was literally laughing out loud as those same creepy friends kept giving him shit for his relationship status. It was a much-needed bit of levity before the suspense ratcheted up another notch. 

We get to see into Trey in this book, and it simply confirms what Cal suspected. She is a traumatized girl who doesn’t know how to handle her feelings. She reaches a key milestone in her maturity in THE HUNTER that is vital for her future. 

If the first book made me want to move to Ireland like Cal did, THE HUNTER tempered those feelings a bit. Ms. French still describes the little town with delightful clarity and charm, but the town feels just a wee bit more ominous now that we know a little more about its inhabitants. 

Tana French is such an amazing author, and her stories never disappoint. With this second book, I’ve fallen for Cal Hooper and Trey and the entire cast and can’t wait to see if there are any more of their antics in the future.

What a story! Definitely one of the most intense and chilling in the series, especially with the paramilitary angle. I loved seeing Eve and Roarke dealing with a child. Those scenes managed to be funny, sweet, and yet very sad as well. One of my favorite elements of each story in the series is watching Eve and Roarke grow as a couple and find a little bit more peace with their past. SURVIVOR IN DEATH definitely did not disappoint in that regard.

THE DANGEROUS ONES by Lauren Blackwood reimagines the American Civil War by adding vampires and vampire hunters to the mix. Her story revolves around Jerusalem, a former enslaved person who escaped her vampire enslaver and found her calling fighting with the Yankees against the South and their vampire allies. Jerusalem fights alongside one of the few vampires who don’t side with the South. The rest of the story follows pretty much as you can guess. In fact, there are no major surprises here. The story is formulaic and filled with tropes. Jerusalem and Alexei are great together. Their chemistry is perfection, and Ms. Blackwood takes care to highlight their friendship before moving on to other aspects of their relationship. Individually, both are engaging characters, flawed and better for those flaws. Together, they make sparks fly. 

That being said, THE DANGEROUS ONES is cute but ultimately forgettable. It is the type of book you enjoy reading but put aside once finished and never think of it again. In fact, I had to read the synopsis before I could recall what the book was about before writing this review. It is a fun book in that vampires in the Civil War is a premise I always love. Ms. Blackwood keeps the gravitas and pain that is necessary and deserved when Jerusalem thinks about her time as an enslaved person; you can tell she aches for all of the enslaved and takes the pain of generations upon her shoulders. But, there is nothing that makes the story stick in my mind, and that is okay. Not every book can be profound or life-altering in some way. Everyone will come across a read-and-forget book at least once in their life. THE DANGEROUS ONES is the latter for me.

BEASTLY BEAUTY is Jennifer Donnelly’s gender-switched retelling of Beauty and the Beast, and it is everything you would expect in a novel written by Ms. Donnelly. While the castle’s occupants aren’t furniture or other household items, they are as much a part of the curse as Arabella is. Unlike the Disney version, the castle occupants do not see Beau as the answer to the curse but rather another failure waiting to happen. There are other stark differences as well. Beau and Arabella both have some major trauma in their past, and both must work to overcome that trauma before either can obtain peace and happiness. Also, unlike most fairy tales, true love’s kiss is not the key here. There is another form of love Ms. Donnelly deems more important than true love, and it is the one thing I most appreciate about BEASTLY BEAUTY. While it is still a fairy tale and it follows the fairy tale formula, the “rescue” comes in a completely different form - one better suited for the modern reader. My only complaint with BEASTLY BEAUTY is that it happens too fast. Ms. Donnelly’s world is so lush, and all of her characters are larger than life. I wanted more time with them all, especially because Ms. Donnelly does not publish novels as frequently as some of her contemporaries, and I know it will be another few years before we get our next novel from her. Still, all of her novels are worth the wait, and BEASTLY BEAUTY Is no different in that regard!