Audible Book Review: Black Crow, White Snow by Michael Livingston

This is a short, female-powered survival story.

Black Crow, White Snow
by Michael Livingston
Narrated by: Janina Edwards

Length: 2 hrs and 37 mins
Original Recording Audiobook
Release date: 05-02-19
Language: English
Publisher: Audible Original
Categories: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Epic
My Rating: 3.75 of 5.0 Overall; Story 3.5; Narration 4.25.

About This Audible Original
In a world where women hold all the power and men have barely been an afterthought, an intrepid shipmistress must put aside everything she knows if she is to save her people.
Bela is at the helm of the Sandcrow, a ship sent from calm seas to the far frozen north in search of a legendary power that could turn the tide of war. Locked into ice, the Sandcrow is lost. Now, for the shipmistress and her crew, a desperate voyage becomes a chilling struggle for survival against nature, fear, and prejudice.
If Bela can lead them to their ultimate destination, will the magic they find be their redemption—or their destruction?
©2019 Michael D. Livingston (P)2019 Audible Originals, LLC.

Review:
Bela is the Mistress of the Sandcrow, a ship with a primarily female crew who have been sent to the frozen icefields of the north. The society of the crew is matriarchal with a class system that respects earned skills. It is also a world with an ugly disdain for men.

The crew is determined to find a legendary power that could bring hope to their people in a fight against enemies with skyships. Included in the crew are a magician and one male, a young man trained as a Reader. Reading and storytelling are necessary but held in low regard compared to warriors and sailors.

The crew fights through one tragedy after another after the ship is trapped in the ice. Those who survive the vicious attack of a huge white bear must abandon the ship and decide whether to go back or forward. Mistress Bela, now an injured warrior leader, is intent on completing the mission but not everyone agrees. Along with her female partner, Bela finds a surprising ally in the young Reader. As their trek takes them to more danger, but closer to their goal, Bela struggles just to keep everyone alive.

I found the characters interesting although I felt the demeaning treatment of the male (and attitude towards men) was abhorrent. The settings and fight for survival are vividly described. I did find myself rooting for the success of the battered survivors. I was glad Bela’s character wasn’t as prejudiced as some of the others and I appreciated her willingness to allow other perspectives.

The story is short and perhaps sets up as an introduction of warring peoples. I liked the first-person voice and I felt this short work was sufficient to get a feel for the creativity and valid storytelling skills of the author. I rarely read stories with gay or lesbian characters. This story does have some (not graphic) lesbian love scenes but focuses more on the matriarchal society issues. I recommend this to readers who like survival adventures.

Audio Notes: Janina Edwards delivers this story with a wonderfully exotic (West Indian) accent. It took a few minutes to get accustomed to the voice and the writing style, but they soon fit for me. I enjoyed the audio entertainment.

Source: 5/17/19 Free Audible Original. This qualifies for 2020TBR, 2020Audiobook and 2020 Alphabet goals.