Amanda
This review refers to the audiobook read by Daphne Kouma.
I am so glad there was an ebook of The Raven Scholar included in the Hugo voter packet because I couldn't even make it through part one of the audiobook. Daphne Kouma was a poor match for this book: this is a book with some intense themes and violence, but she read it in a way that would be more appropriate for an upbeat children's book. Blech.
I had a much more enjoyable experience once I switched to the ebook, even though I found this a *very* slow starter; I feel that the first four chapters could have been dealt with in about half the number of pages with no loss to the story.
I didn't become really engaged by the book until about 20-25% in, but I was wholly invested after that and resented every interruption that took me away from reading. I was entranced by the combination of the trials, intrigue, and the supernatural. By the end of the book I had largely forgotten my frustration with its beginning and was looking up the release date for book two.
My recommendation: skip the audibook if possible, because it is a one star production of a four star book.
Audiobook received via NetGalley.
This review refers to the audiobook read by Daphne Kouma.
I am so glad there was an ebook of The Raven Scholar included in the Hugo voter packet because I couldn't even make it through part one of the audiobook. Daphne Kouma was a poor match for this book: this is a book with some intense themes and violence, but she read it in a way that would be more appropriate for an upbeat children's book. Blech.
I had a much more enjoyable experience once I switched to the ebook, even though I found this a *very* slow starter; I feel that the first four chapters could have been dealt with in about half the number of pages with no loss to the story.
I didn't become really engaged by the book until about 20-25% in, but I was wholly invested after that and resented every interruption that took me away from reading. I was entranced by the combination of the trials, intrigue, and the supernatural. By the end of the book I had largely forgotten my frustration with its beginning and was looking up the release date for book two.
My recommendation: skip the audibook if possible, because it is a one star production of a four star book.
Audiobook received via NetGalley.