AudioBook Review: Loki's Wolves by K.L. Armstrong & M.A. Marr

Title: Loki's Wolves
Series: The Blackwell Pages
Author: K.L. Armstrong & M.A. Marr
Publisher: Atom
Date of Publication: May 7, 2013
Source: audiobook received from Hachette Audio, bought hardcover book


Goodreads Synopsis:

In Viking times, Norse myths predicted the end of the world, an event called Ragnarok, that only the gods can stop. When this apocalypse happens, the gods must battle the monsters--wolves the size of the sun, serpents that span the seabeds, all bent on destroying the world.
The gods died a long time ago.
Matt Thorsen knows every Norse myth, saga, and god as if it was family history--because it is family history. Most people in the modern-day town of Blackwell, South Dakota, in fact, are direct descendants of either Thor or Loki, including Matt's classmates Fen and Laurie Brekke.
However, knowing the legends and completely believing them are two different things. When the rune readers reveal that Ragnarok is coming and kids--led by Matt--will stand in for the gods in the final battle, he can hardly believe it. Matt, Laurie, and Fen's lives will never be the same as they race to put together an unstoppable team to prevent the end of the world.

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this story very much and I thought it was just the right amount of adventure and action for the kids to get into without scaring them or over stimulating them. The story line is an interesting mix of Norse mythology and magic that surrounds our main characters as they travel through the problems they face.
The characters, Matt, Fen and Laurie, are an neat trio as they come.  Laurie is devoted to Fen but she is like his consciousness as he makes decisions with Matt.  I love how our authors use Fen and Matt's dislike for each other and their differences to show the readers that everyone is different; and yet can still find ways to get along and care for each other.  That is a great lesson for any children in this day and age.  And also some adults as well.

The plot line really takes the responsibilities out of the adults' hands and puts it into the kids' hands.  This helps connect with the more adolescent readers when their own ages are making some intense decisions that will help save or end the world.  I know my children were more connected to the characters when they were able to see similarities in themselves and the protagonists.

The audiobook was pretty amazing!  I love how instead of just having one person change their tempo and sound of their voice; there is three different narrators to add to the depth of the storytelling.   All of the narrators worked well together and it was hard not to get drawn into the conversations between them.  I felt as if we were right there along with them as they battled evil wolves, fought trolls and found the other magical teenagers that are needed for their quest.
I would definitely recommend this story to any reluctant reader as well as avid one.  The audio book is great for those children that may shy away from reading the hardcover but still want to enjoy some great storytelling.
The action may be a little water downed for most adults but it is still interesting with all the mythological aspects and magic that is steeped in the prophecy.
But with all the popularity rising with Thor and Loki, I definitely see this book and series going many places.

Get Your Own Copy At:
Amazon | The Book Depository |

Connect with the Authors At:
Goodreads | Website| 

Audiobook Review: Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor {Book 2 in Daughter of Smoke and Bone Series}

Title: Days of Blood & Starlight
Author: Laini Taylor
Series: sequel to Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Audiobook Publisher: Hachette Audio
Date of Publication: Nov. 6, 2012
Source:  received from Hachette Audio for honest review
Format: audiobook 
Narrator: Kristine Hvam

Book Synopsis:

Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a world free of bloodshed and war.
This is not that world.
Art student and monster's apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is—and what she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it.
In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Karou must decide how far she'll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life.
While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope.
But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream?

My Thoughts:

You know how you come along through your life and you see things that seem very well matched together?

For example:

• peanut butter and jelly
• cookies and milk
• books/hot tea/coffee

I think you are starting to get the idea now.  

Well the author, Laini Taylor, and the narrator, Kristine Hvam, are like these matches I named above.  They are great by themselves but when teamed up together they make magic.  I know that sounds cliche but I am telling you Hvam can tell this story like no other person I have ever read.  And of course without Taylor creating this frightening and powerful world there would be no story to tell.  

When I finished Daughter of Smoke and Bone I sat mystified.  I knew I had found my new favorite book.  The book that I needed to have a hard copy of, an auditory copy of, an digital copy of; and basically it would be cherished on the book shelf that no other person could reach unless I get credit check.  {Maybe its a little extreme but you know where I am coming from}

Everyone I talked to I bragged about this story; that I was lucky enough to read it and get sucked into a world where Seraphim and Chimaera collided, with all kinds of outcomes, many good but many evil. 

But then....I got my hands (and ears) on book 2 and let's just say I am forever changed from the simple yet powerful spoken words that came from Laini Taylor's imagination and uttered from Kristine Hvam's mesmerizing voice.  

So now, Days of Blood and Starlight is my new new favorite book.  

I found myself having a longer time finishing book 2.  Not because I found it distasteful but actually because I wanted to take my sweet time with it.  I wanted to slowly enjoy it and not rush through it like I did the first one.  I found myself really contemplating each chapter; and even now I find myself wanting to revisit the world of Chimaera when I become enthralled with waiting for book 3 impatiently. 

The characters in this story are rich and complex as they come.  It is hard not to wince at their pain, share in their happiness, and weep at their heartbreak.  Akiva has many warring natures inside him and yet he still finds himself trying to do what is right, even though he feels like he has lost everything.  

Karou is my heart and soul, character-wise.  She is broken in this book and slowly trying to make amends for what she feels is her fault.  And yet even through her guilt ridden thoughts, she still finds small comforts.  She is trying to become one person again even with the two personalities inside her.  Although she remembers her other life now, I still see her struggling to accept her life without Akiva, even though she blames him for so much.

While our protagonists are amazing characters and probably some of my most favorite ones in the literary world today; our antagonists are breathtaking as well.  They are dark, evil, and strangely seductive in their badness.  I detest Thiago but he does have a sexiness to him that I believe Taylor deliberately gives his character so we can see the dark allure he has over some of the Chimaera.  Then there is the Emperor of the Seraphim and his brother.  In all honesty, I really hate these guys more so than I do Thiago, even though I believe these evil Seraphim leaders have plenty in common with the white wolf.  

And of course I can't forget about the wonderful supporting characters of Zuzana and Mik.  I believe Zuzana has to be the comic relief in this dark and foreboding story.  She keeps Karou grounded to her human self even when it is so much easier to give in to her former Chimaeran self.  I love Zuzana to pieces and all of her quirky snarky comments really do add to this already emotionally written story.  

Besides strong characters to die for, the plot in this story is a strong thread that runs throughout the novel, keeping you focused on it no matter what.  Days of Blood and Starlight is a heavy, dark, and intense sequel that keeps you worrying that nothing is as it seems.  There is a lot of sadness in this story among all the battles, death, and war happening all around both sides.  But even during this time, you see small victories, small smiles and a small and fragile feeling: hope.  

I love how Taylor introduces us to many new characters but instead of bombarding us with so many that have very little to do with the main thread; each of these new identities we meet have an important part to play in this world.  

Of course, in Laini Taylor fashion it seems she loves leaving the reader gasping for breath, shocked at the sudden cliffhanger we are forced to deal with until the next installment rescues us from the horror of it all.  

I highly recommend you pick up this series.  It is the most beautifully well written prose I have every come across.  The world building as well as the character building is flawless and I just cannot find any fault with it at all.  

I am, however, spoiled to the audiobook.  The narrator, Kristine Hvam, is an amazing and talented vocal actress.  I am not really sure if that is what you would call it but in truth, I really think that is what she does.  She can do so many voices that they truly sound like something otherworldly definitely from another time and place.  Her voice of Brimstone is dark and gritty, though carrying a hint of warmness; while her voice of Zuzana is mischevious and mildly mocking.  I am so awestruck at this lady's vocals talents and I am so glad she is the narrator for this wonderfully enticing series.  

Like I said before:  these two together have gifted the literary world with a true magical present that we will never forget and will always cherish.

I give Days of Blood and Starlight five hearts and many many more!!!

Links to Buy:

Amazon  | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository | Audible |

Connect with Laini Taylor:
Goodreads | Website |

Book Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor {Book # 1}

Title: Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Author: Laini Taylor
Series: Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
Audio: Hachette Audio
Date of Publication: Sept. 27, 2011
Format: audiobook, hardcover, paperback
Source:  free download from Sync
Get Your Own Copy: Amazon | The Book Depository |         

Goodreads Blurb: 
Around the world, black hand prints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.
In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grows dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages—not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.


When one of the strangers—beautiful, haunted Akiva—fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?                              

My Thoughts:
As I sit here, deciding how to start this review, I find myself having a hard time getting my feelings out.
Why? (I am sure you are asking..)
Most people would think it is because I couldn't relate to the book or the characters, right?  But I am here to tell you that is completely the opposite here.

I FREAKING FELL IN LOVE WITH THIS STORY!! I MEAN HEAD OVER HEELS IN LOVE!

The reason I am having such a hard time is because I feel like there isn't really words to describe this wonderful piece of literature.  I wish I could pluck millions of shiny stars from the sky to bestow upon this book, instead of just a few five.  So forgive me if I sound like a fangirl swooning over some hot number, but I have to say this is has made my list of one of my favorite books of all times.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone takes this doomed love situation and puts a heart wrenching unexpected twist upon it, creating an amazing fairy tale for young and old to enjoy.  It really has the most basic and simple plot line: a "Romeo and Juliet" type scenario of forbidden love, but then Ms. Taylor tells it from such a unique perspective that you find yourself immersed in a rich and complex story that is anything but simple.

The characters are strong proud beings, some having to work through their faults and broken past, while others are so evil you can just feel the darkness lurking inside of them.  No matter what you will have some very strong emotions towards all the characters in this book.
Karou is such an interesting female heroine.  I adore her so much!  Not once does she irritate me and I feel like we learn so much with her (and from her) as she learns more about her history.  She is a strong persona, even though she feels like there is something missing from inside her life, and accepts the strangeness of her family with a wholeness that is something to admire.  I love that one of her passions is sketching; I feel like this adds even more to her already artistic surroundings.  She seems like she would be  a wonderful friend, loyal and true, fun yet serious, and did I mention she has blue hair?  Yeah she is that great!
Akiva is our male counterpart to Karou and has many of the same strong traits as she does.  He is brave, loyal, and yet has this terrible grief that keeps him a broken mess of a man. Or angel.  Just as the reader is drawn to Karou's mesmerizing personality, Akiva finds he cannot stop thinking about the strange girl with blue hair.  It is an obvious tear jerker to see how Akiva tries to cope with these emotions he has toward Karou and seeing the turmoil in him because he doesn't want to feel anything anymore.
Besides watching the dynamics between these two powerful lead characters, Taylor gives us some very unusual and personable supporting characters, like Brimstone and Zuzana, that add even more heart to this already heartfelt story.

Then we move on to the world building in Daughter of Smoke and Bone that helps create this magically exceptional place where humans coincide with supernatural beings without even realizing it.  Prague, in itself, sounds mysterious just by the name, but then we get to explore some of the maze like streets there with Karou and we find ourselves being swept away to a dreamland place.  A place where people feel comfortable searching for ghosts, where the architectural designs are based off ancient civilizations beautifully restored, and where people are content to appreciate the beauty that surrounds such a magical place.
The descriptions of the real and unreal areas are so well maintained, even now I can close my eyes and bring each and every detail to mind, like I am being transported there right now.  It is like a world within a world within a world...so forth and so on.
Taylor uses such descriptive and powerful imagery it feels like the Chimera and the Seraphim could just jump right off the page (or in my case through the headphones) into my living room.  When she describes Brimstone's dusty old shop, it isn't hard to picture him at his desk, counting teeth, the silence hanging in the air like an old friend, as Karou sits with him enthralled at his detailed work.
I also love how every little detail and plot thread comes back to the bigger idea or main plot. Basically everything ties in and you don't have any nonsense threads leading to nowhere.  There are no fillers but everything is there that should be there.
There is a lot of flashbacks in this story, which normally gets on my nerves, but for Daughter of Smoke and Bone , it seems like the flashbacks help us learn just what we need to instead of overloading us with too much information too soon.  We also get the story told from Akiva and Karou's perspectives so that helps us see it from two different sides: angel and Chimera / human.
It is a metaphorical fairy tale that forces us to take a long hard look at what we consider good and evil and then realize that there is always exceptions to this rule.  Especially when true love is involved.  Speaking of the love aspect, I found it not to be the "insta-love" sensation but instead we get to see the relationship build along with the nerves, and the butterflies that new lovebirds experience.

Audiobook Review:
The narrator, Kristine Hvam, is the most amazing storyteller I have ever heard! The feeling she puts behind the different character voices makes an already thrilling story that more creative.  The way Hvam disguises her voice, from an angel solider to a young woman, to a Czech art student to a hulking beast of a Chimera, she has this quality to make you get lost in her voice and disappear into the prose.    I honestly felt like an old friend, listening in to Karou's conversations, laughing with her, grieving with her, and more importantly, falling in love too.

All in all.....this was the most amazingly crafted work of art I have ever read.  It was magical, entertaining, and had me spellbound from the minute I heard Hvam's interpretation of Karou's voice.  I highly recommend listening the audiobook version of it.  Even if you are not a fan of audiobooks (I wasn't at first either) Daughter of Smoke and Bone is the one audio book that will make you a fan of them.  It literally took my breath away!