From the get go, I didn't like it. I wanted to; it had the potential to be so good. The short story tells the tale of the last Vhalgenn, loyal companion to the King; a sister, a lover, a friend. Returning after the jealous Queen's banishment of her, Raik came back only to find herself partaking in the dying Queen's last request; take the newly born heir away from the Kingdom, to save his life.
Sounds pretty good right? Not so. Not so at all.
Sounds pretty good right? Not so. Not so at all.
Now I've got to give Kayelle Allen credit; the concept is not half-bad. I'm a sucker for these kind of stories, usually. Bittersweet, anguish... all that jazz. And I suppose this story had all that. I may have liked it a bit if not for the awful, awful, AWFUL voice narration of the audio-book. In retrospect, Lesley Livingston, was spectacular with her Wondrous Strange. I shouldn't have given her such a hard time. I'm just not an audio-book person. But seriously, I may have slightly liked this book if I have read it. The woman who narrated this book was horrible; the same intonation in everything. Most of the time, I couldn't tell which character were speaking. Oh Lesley Livingston, pardon my harsh critiscism of you! I take it back, I take it all back.
Rachel,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the review of my book. I'm sorry the narrator wasn't to your liking, but am glad you enjoyed the story itself. It's available as an ebook at Shadowfire Press, and was an EPPIE Finalist in Fantasy (in the anthology A Time To...) in 2008. Audio books are an advantage to those who like to listen to something while they drive, or work on other things at the same time. Narrators can be like actors. There are some movies I might have enjoyed if Actor A or B had not been in it, so I understand where you're coming from. In contrast, some listeners have lauded the narrator. To each his own, as they say. But I am very glad to hear you liked the story.
Kayelle,
ReplyDeleteI'm flattered that you visited my blog and commented on my review. I hear that you're writing a sequel to this? I may give that a go, and I'll be sure to pick up the book and not the audio-book. Again, thanks for visiting and taking the time to read my review. :)
Rachel,
ReplyDeleteYes, I am planning a sequel. I'd like to do a full length book and feature the baby who was taken away. In this one, Dahryc will be in his 20s or so. Imagine what would happen if King Orix put out a call for all warriors to come to the aid of the kingdom. Having been trained by the best, he would certainly heed the call. That leaves room for all sorts of heady conflict!
I have a Release List for those who only want an email when one of my books is released. I send it out the night before, and use the edress only for that purpose. If you'd like to sign up for it, email me at kayelle@kayelleallen.com and put Release List in the subject. My privacy policy ensures your email is never used for anything else.
Thank you for reviewing Vhalgenn. I'm always pleased when people read and comment about my books. I hope I wow you with the sequel!