audiobook

Book Review: Luck and Judgement

/ Kristi / Leave a comment

Luck and Judgement
DC Smith #3
by Peter Grainger
read by Gildart Jackson

My rating: 4.5 / 5
Genre: Detective procedural, mystery

When a man disappears from an offshore gas platform, it’s unclear whether foul play was involved or not. DC Smith and his team’s investigation leads them to some seedy parts of their town and involves some powerful people.

I think this was my favorite of the series so far, even if it did involve some very questionable elements, from a “married singles” club to DC’s own decision to bend the rules (quite a bit, really) for a matter unrelated to the case. Plus, the case was left a bit dangling at the end, but it’s really just a lack of a satisfying resolution. For all intents and purposes, we have an ending, just maybe not one we’d like. I don’t know if this will be continued in future books, but I could see it as a possibility, since cases from previous books are brought up here and there in this book as well.

DC is such a nuanced character, it’s difficult to get a handle on him. But I mean that in a good way. He feels a lot more realistic that way. I enjoy his ribbing with Waters yet also being stern when needed. And him being understanding with a new member of his team that has had a bit of a colorful and rough background. And the further crumbs we get about his history before the start of the series—both about his late wife and the difficult, high-profile case that apparently had some issues—continue to intrigue. Gildart Jackson unsurprisingly does a great job as narrator, bringing DC and all of the other characters to life. I recommend the book for fans of procedural crime dramas, especially with a seasoned detective and set in a small-town area of England, and I don’t think you’d really need to start at the beginning of the series.

Find out more about Luck and Judgement

See what I’m reading next.

If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!

Book Review: How to Break a Dragon’s Heart

/ Kristi / Leave a comment

How to Break a Dragon’s Heart
How to Train Your Dragon #8
by Cressida Cowell
read by David Tennant

My rating: 2 / 5
Genre: Middle grade fantasy

Camicazi is missing, and Hiccup goes with his tribe to try to find her. This leads to Hiccup becoming engaged to the daughter of a rival tribe’s leader and sent off on a quest to earn her hand and coming face to face with an old nemesis.

Hiccup and Fishlegs are, what, 13? But here we have a plot involving an older woman (I don’t remember it ever saying her age, but my guess is at least 18, if not older) that Fishlegs swoons over and Hiccup ends up pledging himself to. It’s just ridiculous. I can appreciate an over-the-top story now and then, but I just couldn’t get into the premise or the story here. I was touched by how Hiccup cared about Toothless when he was sick, but Toothless remains more of a menace than anything else.

Sadly, I realized part way through listening to this book that I was just bored. I can see from the synopses of the rest of the books in the series that a greater story is about to pick up here, but I find myself not caring enough to keep going. I’ve enjoyed a few of the books up to this point, but mostly it’s the ones that break the formula that I tend to like more, and that happens too little. David Tennant’s narration may have been what kept me going for this long, and it is still great, but I’m calling it here for my own journey through this series.

Find out more about How to Break a Dragon’s Heart

See what I’m reading next.

If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!

Book Review: Cinder

/ Kristi / Leave a comment

Cinder
The Lunar Chronicles #1
by Marissa Meyer
read by Rebecca Soler

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: YA sci-fi

As a cyborg, Cinder and her kind are considered second-class citizens, so much so that cyborgs are chosen at random to be test subjects for possible cures to the plague that has been threatening New Beijing and the surrounding country. But when the nation’s prince brings Cinder, a gifted mechanic, an android to fix and then Cinder’s step-sister falls sick with the plague, events lead to a more dangerous adventure than Cinder ever could have anticipated. And her mysterious past will prove to be more of a liability than she ever knew.

There’s so much going on in this book, and while sometimes that can be bad in a book, it all worked together here. It’s no secret that this is a Cinderella retelling, but really, that’s just a small part of it (though it still made me think of Ever After a lot while I was reading). It’s a starting point and a vehicle for part of the plot, but the bulk of the story revolves around secrets that Cinder begins to learn throughout the story. I enjoyed the unfolding of all of these secrets and the connections that were made between seemingly separate subplots. There were several side characters that I also really enjoyed, including an android sidekick with a particularly perky personality chip.

There were a couple of revelations in this book that I predicted, at least one pretty early on, but I don’t think much of it was meant to be a huge twist or anything. I would have been pretty surprised and even a little disappointed if I’d turned out to be wrong. At the end of the book, I was surprised when the story ended on a cliffhanger. I’m not usually a fan, but I think I’m starting to realize that how much it bothers me depends a lot on how much I enjoyed the book up to that point (which makes a lot of sense, really). So though it felt abrupt, I’m pretty invested and am definitely happy to continue the series.

I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator did a great job with the different characters, including a couple of accents. My 15-year-old daughter has read most of this series and loves it so much that she kept wanting me to listen to the book when she could be around and listen with me. That’s an endorsement in itself, but I also recommend this to fans of futuristic sci-fi and/or fairy tale retellings around age 14 and up—it’s quite clean in all respects, which isn’t too common for YA these days.

Find out more about Cinder

See what I’m reading next.

If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!

Book Review: Citizen K-9

/ Kristi / Leave a comment

Citizen K-9
The K-Team #3
by David Rosenfelt
read by Fred Berman

My rating: 3 / 5
Genre: Mystery

The K Team is asked to choose a cold case to investigate for the Paterson police department, and both Corey Douglas and Laurie Collins immediately choose the disappearance of two people from their high school class after a high school reunion a few years back.

The idea of investigating a cold case was a nice different take on the mysteries in this overall series. The team here doesn’t know for sure whether they are investigating a double murder or a disappearance of some type, but the reader has more knowledge. I often don’t feel like the segments showing the reader scenes that the MC isn’t aware of (this happens in the main series as well) are particularly necessary—sometimes they can add suspense or help the reader keep the twisty conspiracy straight, but plenty of times I feel like they’re just extemporaneous. Here, though, they gave me insight that did affect my view of the mystery and led me to some theories of my own. On the other hand, they made me shake my head at the way the investigation went for a while. The team goes after a crime boss for a large chunk of the book, Laurie even saying that they’re sure he’s behind the disappearance; meanwhile, Corey says multiple times (in the narration) that it makes no sense for the crime boss to be behind it. It just made it feel like a large portion of the book was spinning wheels. Corey also tended to be repetitive in his sorting though the case in the narration, and early in the book, he made a list of this “6 stages of relationships” (or something like that), and frankly, they just made no sense.

I really hate that I’m basically just listening to these books to make sure I don’t miss any major developments that might affect the main series (see my review of The K-Team) and have a feeling of “hanging in there” until this 4-book arc is done and I can focus solely on the main series. I’m sure David Rosenfelt had a reason to write these books, and I’m sure he put a lot into them, just like every author does. But they just don’t really work for me. I’m not trying to compare Corey to Andy, but Corey is just similar enough that it’s difficult not to. And in that comparison, Corey falls short. If you’re a fan of the Andy Carpenter series and wonder if you should read this, I’d say this particular book could be passed on (Andy is in it a tiny bit but mostly just to complain and deliver a few one-liners—if I only had this view of him, I’d think he was a sarcastic jerk too). If you haven’t read any of the main series, don’t start here. But definitely do start on the Andy Carpenter series if you’re interested.

Find out more about Citizen K-9

See what I’m reading next.

If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!

Book Review: Sad Cypress

/ Kristi / Leave a comment

Sad Cypress
Hercule Poirot #21
by Agatha Christie
read by David Suchet

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Classic mystery

This story has a different structure than the previous ones I’ve read, starting out in the courtroom with a woman on trial for murder. Then we see flashbacks to the events leading up to the death and Poirot’s investigation after. The courtroom scenes are shown from the perspective of the accused woman, and she gives nothing away in the narration. I made some assumptions right off the bat, but as the story unfolded, things became more muddled for me. I definitely didn’t guess the ending, but that never bothers me. Overall, I found the story engaging and the psychology involved well-written. Generally speaking, this was one of the better in the series for me. I still prefer Hugh Fraser’s narration to David Suchet’s, which I know might be weird, since David Suchet is well-known for portraying Poirot. His voice for Poirot in this audiobook left much to be desired, in my opinion, but it wasn’t bad overall.

Find out more about Sad Cypress

See what’s coming up.

If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!

Book Review: Dog Eat Dog

/ Kristi / Leave a comment

Dog Eat Dog
Andy Carpenter #23
by David Rosenfelt
read by Grover Gardner

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Mystery

When a stranger steps in to stop a dog from being abused and is then accused of a murdering two people in Maine, semi-retired defense attorney Andy Carpenter steps in to defend him. Anyone who will stand up for a dog can’t be all bad, can he?

A chance of scenery can be nice, and this time we go from New Jersey to Maine. Fortunately, most of the regular characters are still part of the story, so we’re not missing out on any of what makes these books great. But it breathes a little life into the series after so many books, with a chance for new scenery, courtroom characters, and locals. The lawyer that Andy partners with to be able to practice in Maine and Andy’s sudden obsession with lobster rolls were two of my favorite things about this books. The mystery was a good one, though not necessarily a stand-out for me. I felt like the ending was a little sudden and had a difficult time remembering it very well by a few days later. But the overall story is still good, and the narration is as enjoyable as ever. Even if I never listen to another Andy Carpenter book (not that I ever plan to stop), Grover Gardner would still forever be the voice of Andy in my head. If it’s not clear, I recommend this book (especially the audio) for fans of mystery, crime fiction, and courtroom dramas, as well as the books that precede it in the series (and probably all that follow it, but I’m still working my way through).

Find out more about Dog Eat Dog

See what I’m reading next.

If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!

Book Review: The Fugitive

/ Kristi / Leave a comment

The Fugitive
Theodore Boone #5
by John Grisham
read by Richard Thomas

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Middle grade fiction

When Theo spots Strattenburg’s most wanted while on a field trip in Washington, D.C., it kicks off a whirlwind that leads to Pete Duffy standing trial once again for murdering his wife. And Theo is right in the middle of things, which is sometimes a good thing and sometimes a bad thing.

Leaving aside the incredible coincidence of Theo happening to be in the same place as someone from his hometown in a city as large as Washington, D.C., this was an enjoyable entry to the story and nicely wrapped up a storyline that’s been left hanging since the first book. What struck me most about this story is that nothing is really all that simple for Theo. No decision is obvious, and even when he thinks he’s doing a good thing, there are unpleasant consequences.

I know that several well-known adult authors have taken to writing for teens or young adults in recent years and that not everyone thinks this is a good idea. Like most things, though, blanket statements don’t work here. I haven’t actually read any of Grisham’s adult books (though maybe I should soon), but I appreciate John Grisham’s style in these books, because he doesn’t talk down to kids. He isn’t afraid to talk about serious matters and explains “dry” legal things in a way that even I can understand (which tells me most kids could probably understand it too). Theo is by turns responsible—sometimes wise beyond his years—and immature, which, considering his age and his upbringing, all makes complete sense. His parents are kind and responsible but also rather neglectful. And his Uncle Ike continues to be my favorite side character, even if he does get a raw deal in the narration.

Though previous books in this series could have probably been read in any order, it’s definitely best to have read at least the first book before reading this one. Though I’d recommend reading it all in order anyway. Overall, I’d say whether or not a teenager or pre-teen will be interested in this book will depend on what kind of fiction they like—if fast-paced action is important, this probably won’t suit them. If they’re interested in realistic fiction about crime and law and trials, this could be fascinating for them. And the audiobook is well-narrated, if that’s your/their speed.

Find out more about The Fugitive

See what I’m reading next.

If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!

Book Review: But for the Grace

/ Kristi / Leave a comment

But for the Grace
DC Smith #2
by Peter Grainger
read by Gildart Jackson

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Detective procedural, mystery

When the resident of a care home dies from a heroine overdose, DC Smith sets out to figure out whether it was murder, suicide…or something in between.

I liked this story overall, with the slower pace, lack of unnecessary flash and fluff, and Smith matching wits with an adversary. Part of what has made this series intriguing to me is the hints dropped here and there that there was a major case in DC’s past that didn’t go well. The shadow hangs over him, along with the shadow of his (somewhat?) recently deceased wife, and I appreciate the little crumbs of both of these situations. Though I’m not sure I quite have a handle on DC yet, that might just be because I made assumptions about him from the beginning based on tropes, and he’s turning out to be more unique than that. I don’t know if the author, then, isn’t putting him across clearly or if it’s my own issue.

I found myself getting lost here or there, either not remembering who some characters were and wishing for a reminder or sometimes due to the Britishness of the story. But overall, this was another good read/listen, and Gildart Jackson unsurprisingly does a great job as narrator. I recommend it for fans of procedural crime dramas, especially with a seasoned detective and set in a small-town area of England.

Find out more about But for the Grace

See what I’m reading next.

If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!

Book Review: How to Ride a Dragon’s Storm

/ Kristi / Leave a comment

How to Ride a Dragon’s Storm
How to Train Your Dragon #7
by Cressida Cowell
read by David Tennant

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Middle grade fantasy

Because these Vikings can never do anything normally, an inter-tribe swimming race means that the winner is actually the one who makes it back last, because that means that person could stay in the water longest. Actually, the contest of endurance isn’t that strange, but calling it a race is. Anyway, Hiccup, Fishlegs, and Camicazi end up abducted by someone Hiccup ticked off in a previous book and that leads to them battling Polarserpents and attempting to discover America (which no one believes exists).

I definitely liked this book more than the previous. (Though Big-Boobied Bertha and her unusually large chest makes an appearance again, it’s not nearly as involved as last time.) Hiccup and Fishlegs still take a lot of flak from their tribe, but then they are able to get away from them for a while. And Fishlegs had some nice development in this story. Though that has made me realize how little development Hiccup gets in these books. He’s been good and smart and level-headed from the start, and I’m not sure he has anywhere to go from there.

Some aspects from previous books are brought back here and there are a few elements that are possibly left open for future stories, all of which made the story more intriguing. The narration continues to be great, though it feels a little like David Tennant was running out of new voices for some of the different side characters or creatures by this point, since some of the voices are seeming a bit more ridiculous. Overall, though, this book was another fun addition to the series.

Find out more about How to Ride a Dragon’s Storm

See what I’m reading next.

If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!

Book Review: Animal Instinct

/ Kristi / Leave a comment

Animal Instinct
The K-Team #2
by David Rosenfelt
read by Fred Berman

My rating: 3.5 / 5
Genre: Mystery

When a woman dies that Corey Douglas feels like he failed to help when he was a cop, he gets his investigative team involved in trying to track down her killer. Corey had been called in on a domestic dispute in the past, but the woman refused to press charges against her boyfriend. Now Corey wants to prove that the boyfriend killed her, but his bias might get in the way of the truth.

I’m still not really excited about this spin-off series. This one was a little better than the previous, but I think that’s mostly because I’ve gotten used to the narration from Corey’s POV. I still feel like he doesn’t have much personality, other than his short fuse. He’s quick to threaten the safety or even the life of anyone who remotely threatens his K-9 partner, and in this book, that extends to threatening the boyfriend mentioned in the synopsis, which gets him into some trouble in this story. Similarly, I guess it’s supposed to be a big deal that this character I barely knows has a steady girlfriend, but she doesn’t really have much of a personality to me either. She’s kind of a shadow of Laurie, Andy’s wife, and is even similarly presented to the reader as a little too perfect through Corey’s eyes, just like Laurie through Andy’s eyes.

I think Rosenfelt needed to spend a little more time developing a personality and overall life further removed from Andy’s for this spin-off to work very well. Especially since, on top of all of that, I thought the purpose of the spin-off was to focus more on the investigative side, where the main series includes the courtroom scenes along with the investigation, but this book ended up having both as well. So…I’m not understanding in general why Rosenfelt decided to make this spin-off series. It’s just not different enough or different in any way that I personally care about, though I’ll read the last two, because I don’t want to possibly miss any developments that might affect the main series (see my review of The K-Team). But if you’re a fan of the Andy Carpenter series and wonder if you should read this, I’d say this particular book could be passed on (though Andy is in it more than the previous, so there’s that). If you haven’t read any of the main series, don’t start here. But definitely do start on the Andy Carpenter series if you’re interested.

Find out more about Animal Instinct

See what I’m reading next.

If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!