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Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
Reader: Alan Cumming
Short Review: Fun and captivating steampunk adventure set in an alternate World War I Europe. Strong male and female leads should keep both genders interested and a very talented reader makes the story zoom along.
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Catching Fire (Hunger Games, Book 2) by Suzanne Collins
Reader: Carolyn McCormick
WARNING: Have you read The Hunger Games yet? No? Then stop and go listen to that before reading this review. There is NO way to even describe this book without huge spoilers of book one.
Short Review: Strong sequel, with a slightly different pace than the original. Our protagonists are barely out of the arena on their way back to District 12 as they begin to realize the strangle hold the capitol still has on their lives. More characters, more suspense – a fun, if dark ride.
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The Monsters of Otherness (Erec Rex Book 2) by Kaza Kingsley
Reader: Simon Jones
Extra: Introduction by author Kaza Kinglsley in which she shares her inspiration for Erec and his quests.Short Review: Strong second installment in Kaza Kingsley’s Erec Rex series combines imaginative adventures with some solid life lessons. Simon Jones is still a fabulous reader.
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The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Reader: Carolyn McCormick
Short Review: Creative, captivating and intense young-adult drama with a strong 16-year-old female protagonist and set in a brutal far-future. Decent reader, but I kept wishing for a bit more emotion in her reading. That said, the story was so captivating that I couldn’t stop listening!
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The Dragon’s Eye (Erec Rex Book 1) by Kaza Kingsley
Reader: Simon Jones
Extra: Introduction by author Kaza Kinglsley in which she explains how she got the idea of Erec Rex and some of her process of creating the first book.Short Review: Entertaining fantasy in which a 12 year old boy discovers a parallel but hidden world of magic. Fun characters plus a great reader makes for a captivating audio book.
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Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (Twilight Saga, Book 4)
Breaking Dawn (The Twilight Saga, Book 4)Author: Stephenie Meyer
Reader: Ilyana Kadushin and Matt Walters
Short Review: Your patience is rewarded and the camera pulls back…
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Storm Front (Dresden Files, Book 1) by Jim Butcher
Storm Front Audiobook by Jim ButcherBook 1
Author: Jim Butcher
Reader: James MarstersShort Review: Down on his luck detective Harry Dresden also happens to be a real, live wizard. This introduction to Harry’s world includes magic, potions, a talking skull named Bob, werewolves – and of course a murder mystery. James Marsters is brilliant.
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Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (Twilight Saga, Book 3)
Eclipse (Twilight Saga, Book 3)
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Reader: Ilyana Kadushin and Matt WaltersShort Review: Meyer gets better with each book. With this book, she has found a good rhythm. The quieter bits of this story have a stronger voice than those in the first 2 books of the saga. Book 3 digs deeply into Bella’s relationships and finally starts to ask the question of “Why?”. We still get good action scenes (because there is always action in a world that has vampires and werewolves) – but we also see Bella make conscious choices with an eye to the consequences in her future.
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New Moon by Stephenie Meyer (Twilight Saga, Book 2)
New Moon (Twilight Saga, Book 2)
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Reader: Ilyana Kadushin
Short Review: The good: a fresh and creative version of vampire and werewolf legends with characters you care about and great action scenes. The less good: lots and lots of Bella’s internal angst-ridden dialogue (not that there is anything wrong with that, if you have a taste for that sort of thing).
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A Hat Full of Sky: The Continuing Adventures of Tiffany Aching and The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
A Hat Full of Sky: The Continuing Adventures of Tiffany Aching and The Wee Free Men
Author: Terry Pratchett
Reader: Stephen BriggsShort Review: If you loved Wee Free Men, you will love Hat Full of Sky. Same great reader – same fun mix of humor, youth, adventure and self-discovery. Tiffany Aching is now 11 and training with a mountain witch. She finds herself faced with a new opponent called a Hiver. It takes all her strength of will (plus the help of the Nac Mac Feegle and a number of other witches) to make it to the end of this entertaining story.
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The Wee Free Men: A Story of Discworld by Terry Pratchett
The Wee Free Men: A Story of Discworld
Author: Terry Pratchett
Reader: Stephen BriggsShort Review: Fabulous and laugh-out-loud funny. Tiffany Aching, 9 year old witch-in-training, takes us on a wild ride to fairyland to rescue her baby brother and save the world from the evil queen. She has the help of the Nac Mac Feegle who happen to be 6 inch tall, fearless, phenomenally strong, kilt-wearing, blue-skinned, red-haired little men who speak with a strong Scottish brogue and are prone to thieving, drinking and fighting. Stephen Briggs reads this brilliantly. It is Terry Pratchett and Discworld at their best.
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Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1)
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Reader: Ilyana Kadushin
Short Review: One 17 year old girl who always felt different (and is a klutz to the extreme) crosses paths with a family of exquisite vampires. Romance and intrigue ensues. It grew on me, but it took a while.
