Book Review Audible; Print Giveaway: The Becoming by Jeanne C. Stein

A fair story although I found the narration difficult.  Try it in print rather than audio.
The Becoming (The Anna Strong Chronicles, Book 1) by Jeanne C. Stein

• Audible Audio Edition
• Listening Length: 7 hour(s) and 40 min.
• Program Type: Audiobook
• Version: Unabridged
• Publisher: Audible Frontiers (February 9, 2010)
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0037TSE7W

     Genre:  Paranormal - Vampire
     My Rating:  3.5 (4.0 for story; 3.0 for narration.)

Product Description
Anna Strong is trained for anything-until she's attacked one night, only to awaken in a dark world that exists between the living and the dead. Here, Anna struggles with her love for the two men who inhabit the realms of each: Max, a human DEA agent, and Avery, a Night Watcher who joins Anna in pursuit of the vampire who changed her life.

Now, as her two worlds collide, fate plunges Anna into the ultimate battle between good and evil where survival is not just for the living.

Review: An interesting vampire tale with a strong heroine.
Anna Strong is a bounty hunter with her equally strong partner, David. They can handle most anything but one night their target turns on them and she suffers an attack that changes her to a vampire. She doesn’t even know what happened until her handsome doctor, Avery, reveals her condition. He explains that she will need someone to show her the rules of the vampire society and he will be that person.  Anna resists the explanation and the training at first until she is attacked by a group of corrupt vampire hunters.  When she heals overnight she acknowledges that she is different and she doesn’t want to tell her partner or her lover, Max, what has happened.  She agrees to accept Avery’s help and mentoring.

Avery is an old vampire, wealthy doctor and respected suave man in the community.  He slowly seduces Anna, trying to convince her that he has waited years to find someone like her and that she is meant for him. Meanwhile, Anna’s home is burned down and David disappears.   Anna insists on trying to find David and protect him from the attacker who may have come back for him or her.  Avery calls in the Chief of Police to help answer questions but Avery's real attitude is that Anna needs to leave her past and the lowly humans behind her. Anna is torn between her growing attraction to Avery, her disquiet at Avery’s prejudice and her unsettled feelings that there is a conspiracy working that she needs to figure out.

I enjoyed the story which had a good plot and a good bit of action.  Anna’s character is strong and resilient. I liked her friend/partner David and would like to know more about Max. The story is told from the first person view point of Anna as she describes the circumstances that result in her “becoming” a vampire.  Unfortunately, I found the narration on the Audible to be very monotone and emotionless so it really put a damper on the characters and story. I may choose to read the second in the series to see if it overcomes the lack of emotion in the first book which may have been emphasized by the expressionless narration.  If you want to try this book I recommend reading the print version, not listening to the audio.

xxx

I won the print copy a year or so ago.

TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY FOR THE PAPERBACK COPY:

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* This contest will close 10:00 PM (Central) on April 22, 2011.
The winner will be randomly selected from all entries.