Library of Clean Reads: YA audio books

Showing posts with label YA audio books. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Because It Is My Blood by Gabrielle Zevin (Book 2 of Birthright series) Audiobook review

Because It Is My Blood by Gabrielle Zevin (Book 2 of Birthright series)
Macmillan Audio
Narrated by Ilyana Kadushin
Length: 11 hours (9 CDs)
Released Sept 2012
Unabridged

This month is audiobook month and I have done very little listening. And I must tell you: I MISS it. Audiobooks can bring a story to life with a good narrator, and last year I discovered some awesome narrators. But since I now only commute to work one day a week and work mainly from home, I need to find another way to listen to audiobooks.

After listening to All These Things I've Done, (read my review) I knew I had to listen to the sequel, and I'm glad I did. The story of seventeen-year-old Anya Balanchine continues from where the first book left off. She is released from Liberty Children's Facility with the determination to not get involved in the criminal world from which she wants to escape. She lives in a futuristic world where chocolate is outlawed. But her family business in the manufacture of chocolate.

Once again, Anya has hard choices to make and this time she ends up in Mexico where she learns about how chocolate is grown and manufactured. This only makes her more proud of her family business and fuels a determination to bring chocolate back from its banned and maligned reputation. Once again Anya's responsibility as the firstborn left to care for her siblings make her face hard obstacles.

I loved the first book, and I really enjoyed this one too. Anya continues to be a strong character with moments of vulnerability that make her real. I could relate to her as a firstborn and her attachment to her family. In the first book there is a touch of forbidden romance with Win, who later becomes her boyfriend. The tension between them is not as strong in this book until the end, when she makes a decision that could cost their relationship.

Once again the themes explored in the first book continue here: family ties, to which I could easily relate; following your heart and accepting the sacrifices that go with it; loyalty--to who you are, to your beliefs and to your friends and family. This is one of my favorite dystopian trilogies and I'm happy to say it does not include sex scenes, profanity or extreme violence.

This summer I'm adding the third book In the Age of Love and Chocolate on my reading list. I'm anxious to see how Zevin will bring this trilogy to an end.

Note: This book is rated V = mild. There is a brief scene where a man gets his hand chopped off.

Reviewed by Laura

Disclosure: I bought this audiobook. I was not told how to rate or review this product.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Tandem (A Many-Worlds Trilogy Book #1) by Anna Jarzab

Tandem (A Many-Worlds Trilogy Book #1) by Anna Jarzab
AudioGo
Released October 8, 2013
Narrator: Amanda Dolan
Unabridged
Length: 11 hours

Sasha Larson lives with her physicist grandfather since her parents passed away when she was a young child. She’s a smart sixteen year-old who’s has a crush on Grant Davis for the longest time and when he asks her to the prom she’s thrilled. But Grant turns out to be Thomas Mayhew who’s come from a parallel universe. Grant is actually Thomas’ analog (an alternate version of himself) and Thomas has kidnapped Sasha to bring her to his universe because she is the analog of Princess Juliana. He is an agent who works for his government.

This all sounds very confusing but the author manages to make it plausible and it’s not a confusing concept in the story. When Sasha arrives to The United Commonwealth of Columbia which is actually an alternate version of Earth, she discovers that she must impersonate Princess Juliana to prevent a revolutionary war. If she succeeds she gets to go home, but if she fails she is stuck in Juliana’s life forever. The problem is that she begins to have feelings for Thomas and he for her.

Overall, this is the first time, I think, that I read a book set in parallel universes, and so I found the premise different and refreshing. I began by liking the strong character of Sasha but as the book progressed I found her a little too whiny and she no longer came across as strong but more like a victim of her situation. Despite this, I still liked Sasha. Juliana, on the other hand, was unlikable and I wonder how her story will continue in Book Two. I liked Thomas and I felt more for him because he has a lot at stake. There is a love triangle in the story which is supposed to build romantic tension and make the reader get into the characters’ psyches but I didn’t quite feel that with this book.

The world-building is good and for the most part I could accept the parallel universe theory, although one scene where Sasha is made to experience fear to bring up images of Juliana is so far-fetched that I had to really suspend disbelief to accept it. The story finally ends with a cliff-hanger, leaving me with questions I want answered.

I listened to the audio book version of this book and enjoyed Amanda Dolan's narration very much. She has a good strong voice and I could distinguish the different nuances for the different main characters who are all young. If I get to Book Two it will be through audio again. I find that long books are easier to “read” through audio. This was an enjoyable book but it didn’t blow me away.

Note: This book is rated C = clean read. I don't remember any questionable content. There were two fighting scenes with a bit of blood but nothing over the top.

Reviewed by Laura

Disclosure: Thanks to AudioGo and Audiobook Jukebox for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Shadows of Glass by Kassy Tayler (Book #2) Audiobook Review

Shadows of Glass by Kassy Tayler
AudioGo
Released July 23, 2013
Narrated by Nicola Barber
Length: 9 hrs 41 mins
Unabridged
Ages 12 +

This is Book Two in the Ashes trilogy and I have to say, one again, I loved not only the sequel but also the excellent narration by Nicola Barber. (Read my gushing review of Ashes of Twilight.)

Wren and Pace have made it outside the dome with a few other survivors, but it came at a great cost. Many of their friends have died and James blames Wren. Life outside the dome offers new discoveries but it's also a dangerous place, with wild rovers who hunt them down. The small band of survivors get help unexpectedly from a group of explorers that come in on an airship from across the sea. Among them is Levi who is as intrigued with them and Wren, as she is of him and his family. Wren begins to question her feelings for Pace when she is put in the position of fighting off the rovers with Levi at her side. Levi seems to understand a part of her that is troubled. When they get word from inside the dome, Wren knows she must go back to help her friends, but she is terrified she won't be able to escape again.

I thought this was a great sequel to the first book. Once again, Tayler is a great storyteller and I loved this book just as much as the first book for all the same reasons. The author introduces a love triangle, which I don't always like in books but somehow it seemed to fit in this book because being outside the dome is a world of discovery for Wren. Levi was like no one she had ever met before. He has seen the world and recounts his adventures to Wren who is simply fascinated. I understood how she began questioning everything she knew as she adapted not only physically but also mentally to this new world and new found freedom.

The whole book takes place within a week or so, and a lot of things happen in that short time. The ending was a cliffhanger, leaving me to wonder how it will all come to an end. Once again, I absolutely loved Nicola Barber's narration. She brings the characters to life. In the first book, all the characters had different English accents (I love how she can switch from one to the other with such facility!) but in this book she also had to use an American accent, which I thought she did quite well. I think I will listen to anything narrated by her.

This is one of the best dystopian steampunk trilogies I've read, and I can't wait to read the third book.

Note: This book had some bloody scenes of violence but nothing over the top. No bad language and no sexual content except kissing.

Reviewed by Laura

Disclosure: Thanks to AudioGo and Audiobook Jukebox for sending me this audiobook for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

Friday, June 7, 2013

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey (Audiobook Review)

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
Penguin Audio
Unabridged
Released May 7, 2013
Narrators: Brandon Espinoza and Phoebe Strole
Length: 12 hours, 41 minutes

Because I like dystopian novels, I was excited to try this sci-fi apocalyptic thriller that is getting so much hype. Only after finishing it did I realize it's the first book of a trilogy, although it's not indicated anywhere on the book. And although I enjoyed it, I have mixed feelings about it.

The Earth has undergone a series of attack waves that has left 7 billion dead and a few survivors. Because the Others (the aliens) look like humans it is difficult to differentiate them from humans causing people to trust no one. Cassie Sullivan has lost both her parents and is now on a mission to save her little brother. She meets Evan Walker, a mysterious teen, who lives alone after having lost his family too. He saves her life, shelters her, and offers to help her find her brother. Cassie is mistrustful, but she is alone and times are desperate. And then she understands what the 5^th wave is all about and that changes everything.

Okay, there are a few things that worked for me and others that didn't. First, I listened to the audiobook and it was awesome. It was narrated by Brandon Espinoza and Phoebe Strole, both of whom did an excellent job. They captured the intensity and the emotional beat of this book, and their portrayals of the characters were very good. I enjoyed their voices and narration immensely.

Second, the characters are well-developed. This was almost a 500 page book, and although there was plenty of action, there was also plenty of introspection. Sometimes, it became a little too philosophical for my taste, though. I caught some of the biblical references made. Cassie is a strong character but there are times when I just wanted to shake her. She had a huge chip on her shoulder and was very angry, which I guess is understandable after what she lived through. Ben and Evan were both likable, albeit also flawed characters that I could relate to more than Cassie. However, the little romance in this book is awkward.

Thirdly, I liked the way there were twists and turns that kept me wondering as to who really was the enemy, even though deep inside I knew. The author goes into great detail to describe the devastation the waves left behind, but it didn't clarify the reason all this was happening.

And that brings us to the storyline. There are plot holes. It was unclear why the aliens, with their huge mothership hovering over the Earth, didn't just kill the humans all at once. Why do it in waves? They certainly had the technology and the capacity to do it. And it's unclear as to why they had been tracking humans for thousands of years and now want to take over the Earth. The story is told from the point-of-view of several characters which stretches it out more than necessary and delays the suspense. I think Cassie and Ben's point-of-views would have sufficed.

Overall, I'm glad I listened to the audiobook. I think the book would have dragged at certain points for me. The ending leaves a lot of unanswered questions, so if you want to read this book know that it's the first book in a trilogy and not a stand alone.

Note: This book contains profanity--religious expletives, f-bombs and crude language, mainly when the characters are in combat training. There is also violence, with several bloody scenes, and children trained for combat.

Reviewed by Laura

Disclosure: Thanks to Penguin Audio and Audiobook Jukebox for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

Sound Bytes is hosted by Devourer of Books, a weekly Friday meme where you can link up your audio book reviews.

Friday, April 12, 2013

Face-Off by Stacy Juba

Face-Off (Book 1) by Stacy Juba
Audible.com
Released: January 14, 2013
Narrator: Maxwell Glick
Length: 2 hrs 49 mins, Unabridged

Brad and TJ are fraternal twin brothers who love playing hockey. Their father has aspiring goals for TJ attending an Ivy League university and therefore places him in a private high school, whereas Brad goes to the local public high school, until the family's financial situation changes, and TJ must now transfer to public school. All of this causes resentment on both sides, with TJ feeling pressure from his father to perform and Brad feeling he isn't as good as his brother. Things heat up when TJ becomes the new kid in Brad's school and is vying for captain of the hockey team. With their parents on the verge of a break-up and pressure mounting in the hockey rink, Brad and TJ will have to face-off and pull together to win.

I enjoyed listening to the audiobook version of this re-issue of a book initially written in 1992 by the author when she was sixteen and published when she was eighteen. The storyline and plot flow smoothly as the author builds the characters of two teens in the midst of problems both in the family and at school. The dialogue is realistic and the teens sound like teens, no surprise since the author wrote this when she was a teen. I'm not a hockey fan but I could easily see how much the author knows about hockey and the game, making it even interesting for a mom like me who doesn't have any kids playing the sport.

Maxwell Glick, the narrator, does a good job of changing tones when voicing all the different boy characters in this novel. I could distinguish the subtle pitch in TJs voice that was slightly different from Brad who was more of a hot-head.

This is a YA novel about hockey, family and brotherhood. This book is a quick read and ideal for anyone who likes hockey within a school setting or who just likes a good clean YA read.

Note: This book is rated C = clean read.

Reviewed by Laura

Disclosure: Thanks to the author for sending me this audiobook for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

Sound Bytes is hosted by Devourer of Books, a weekly Friday meme where you can link up your audio book reviews.

Friday, December 21, 2012

Ashes of Twilight by Kassy Tayler (Audiobook Review)

Ashes of Twilight by Kassy Tayler
AudioGo
Released Nov 13, 2012
Narrator: Nicola Barber
Length: Unabridged 9 hrs 25 min

This is one of the best YA audiobooks I have listened to this year! I didn't really know what to expect when I requested to review it. I was hooked from the first 10 minutes of listening.

Wren MacAvoy is a 16 year-old girl who lives in the bowels of a domed city that was constructed in the mid-nineteenth century to protect the royal blood line of England when astronomers spotted a comet on a collision course with Earth. She works as a coal miner, living with only her grandfather, since her mother died giving birth to her and her father is unknown to anyone. Nearly 200 years have passed since the dome was built and now the coal is running out. When one of Wren's friends manages to escape the dome and is burned alive, his last words to her is that the sky is blue. This sets things in motion as Wren longs for light and ends up unexpectedly helping a young cadet city enforcer, Pace Bratton, who knows too much about the outside world. Together they fight for the right to leave the dome.

First off, I have to mention the fantastic narration by Nicola Barber because I think, for me, it made all the difference and is one of the reasons I loved this book so much. She is English and captured all the different accents of the characters so well from working class to educated, it really transported me to Wren's world. I felt the emotions of the characters in that voice, I pictured the characters through it, and I never tired of hearing it. I definitely hope she continues to narrate the two other books in this trilogy.

Wren is a strong intelligent character who questions her world and learns to appreciate her people as the story progresses. The growing romance and attraction to Pace is well done, exciting and hopeful. The story is filled with action and adventure, interspersed with reflections, twists and turns, and suspense. Surprisingly, her grandfather's Bible is mentioned a few times as the only book that Wren read several times and she quotes from it as she starts her story, “The Bibles teaches us that the heavens and earth were made by the one true God”. I was instantly intrigued. This novel is classified as dystopian steampunk, and I wondered where the story led. I wasn't disappointed. Don't misunderstand me. This is not Christian fiction at all, but the morals are good and the characters strive to be honourable.

Tayler's world building is awesome. We can simultaneously feel the darkness and claustrophobia in the tunnels, and yet also feel the safety of being cocooned within its caves, hidden from the upper world that hunted the young couple. The characters are distinct and they each stand out in their own way, thanks in part to the great narration. I loved both Wren and Pace. I rooted for them. I liked the way the author built tension, wrote her dialogue, and totally encompassed me into that domed world.

I loved the way this story ended. It actually brought tears to my eyes. I know that this is the first book in a trilogy, but I would have been happy nonetheless if there had not been a continuation. I also love the book cover and title. They suit the novel beautifully. The yellow canary is as much a character in this novel as the others and symbolizes freedom. I recommend this audiobook to all lovers of YA books.

Note: This book had some scenes of violence but nothing too descriptive or over the top. No bad language and no sexual content except kissing.

will count this book toward the following challenges: Read Dystopia Challenge

Reviewed by Laura

Disclosure: Thanks to AudioGo and Audiobook Jukebox for sending me this audio book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

Sound Bytes is hosted by Devourer of Books, a weekly Friday meme where you can link up your audio book reviews.

Friday, October 26, 2012

All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin (Audio book Review)

All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin
Produced by Macmillan Audio 2011
Narrated by Ilyana Kadushin
Length: 10 hours (8 CDs)
Unabridged

I was hooked the moment I began to listen to this audio. Zevin creates a story that pulls you right into Anya's world and doesn't let go until the final words.

Sixteen year-old Anya Balanchine lives in New York City, not the city of our day, but a futuristic NY where chocolate and coffee are illegal, paper books are no longer printed and water is rationed. It's a city ripe with crime, where curfew is enforced and where Anya lives with her bed-bound and dying grandmother, Galina, and her two siblings who she takes care of--her sweet twelve year-old sister and her nineteen year-old brother whose head injury as a child has left him more of a child than a man.

Anya's family are producers of chocolate and when it becomes illegal her father becomes a crime boss and he is eventually murdered. Throughout the telling of her story, Anya refers to her father with admiration telling of the things he taught her as a child growing up. She is a strong and smart character and gains strength from what she remembers of her deceased parents. Her grandmother too is a strong woman dispensing advice even as she is becoming more frail. I enjoyed their interactions.

Anya meets Win at school. He is the new assistant DA's son and someone she would rather avoid, but gradually finds herself falling for him. The story heats up as someone close to Anya gets poisoned by the same chocolate her family's company produces and she gets blamed for it. The suspense builds and I wondered how Anya would deal with having to face this terrible accusation, as well as the realization of who she is that would lead her to either accept her birthright or reject it, and the prospect of having to possibly give up the boy she loved. The book explores various themes; family ties, which was very strong and to which I could easily relate, following your heart and accepting the sacrifices that go with it; loyalty--to who you are, to your beliefs and to your friends and family.

The narrator captured Anya and the feel of this story well. Initially I thought her voice too old for a sixteen year-old, but as I got to know Anya better, I realized Anya was older than her years (because of her caregiving responsibilities) and was telling the story like it had all happened in the past. The narrator was able to capture the raspy and accented old voice of the grandmother so well, and change the inflection to suit the joyous one of the young sister or the naive one of Anya's brother.

This was an absorbing story and I am now going to look into Zevin's other novels. It was also refreshingly different from other YA dystopian novels in that adults are very prevalent throughout, and it did not contain violence, sex or any profanity.

Note: This book is rated C = clean read.
I will count this audio book toward the following challenge: Dystopian Reading Challenge

Reviewed by Laura

Disclosure: This audio is a personal copy that I won from Devourer of Books. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

Sound Bytes is hosted by Devourer of Books, a weekly Friday meme where you can link up your audio book reviews.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Delirium by Lauren Oliver (Audio Book Review)

Delirium by Lauren Oliver
Harper Audio 2011
Listening Library
Narrated by Sarah Drew
Duration: 11 hours 42 minutes

I have been wanting to read this book forever and so finally decided to listen to the audio book for three reasons. The first is that it was listed as one of Goodreads top best YA audio books, second because listening to it fitted my schedule better than reading it, and thirdly because I just discovered the allure and excitement of audio books. This book was everything I hoped it would be. Exciting, passionate and a fantastic listen!

Magdalena (Lena) lives at a time when love is considered a disease—amor deliria nervosa. They discovered a cure for it, a procedure that every person goes through when they turn eighteen. The cure kind of numbs the people so that they do not feel the passion and pain that is associated with love and euphoria. Lena is an orphan living with her aunt. Her own mother, who had been submitted to the cure procedure three times without the desired effect, committed suicide when Lena was six years old. Lena is looking forward to the cure because she doesn't want to end up like her mother, but then she meets Alex and everything changes.

Essentially, for me, the story delves deeply into the themes of love, eros and filia, shown through her relationship with Alex, her best friend Hannah, and her mother, as seen through flashbacks. I liked all these characters and was certainly able to relate to Lena's feelings as she experienced the beauty of first love. It brought me back to my own teenage years. Of course being Italian, I totally got and absolutely loved the whole two-young-people-in-love-against-the-world concept (think Romeo and Juliette) as well as Lena's frustrations with the deluded world in which she lives.

The narrator does an excellent job of capturing Lena's voice and my heart raced as the narrator's voice intensified as the plot climaxed. She captured the moments of teenage angst, the coldness of the aunt, and Alex's tender love for Lena. I relished this listening experience, savoring every minute. This is the first YA audio book I listen to and it's made me eager to listen to others in this genre.

The ending left me soaring and eager to read the next book in this trilogy, Pandemonium. There are a few important threads left hanging, as is expected of an ending to the first book in a trilogy. If you want to read this book, but don't have time, consider the audio book. It's really worth listening to.

Note: This book is rated P = Profanity for 2 f-words and a few mild religious expletives, and S = Sexual for one scene with some nudity, no sex.
I will count this book toward the following challenges: Dystopian Reading Challenge

Reviewed by Laura

Disclosure: I borrowed this audio book from the library. I was not told how to rate or review this product.