Audible Book Review: Penny Preston and the Silver Scepter by Armen Pogharian

This is an entertaining series – good for children and adults.
Penny Preston and the Silver Scepter
Misaligned, Book II
By: Armen Pogharian
Narrated by: Michelle Babb

Length: 8 hrs and 30 mins
Release date: 06-02-21
Publisher: CamCat Publishing, LLC
Genre: Fantasy, Teens
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Content 4.25; Narration 4.25.

Publisher's Summary
When Penny solves the riddle of an unbreakable knot in time, she unwittingly releases two time travelers from the distant past into Piper Falls. The town is plagued by a series of baffling events related to the appearance of a strange elf-like creature. Penny's science teacher and mentor, Mr. Myrdin, recognizes him as the Coch Coblyn, an evil spirit from Celtic myth with a penchant for igniting city-destroying fires.
Compounding the mystery is the discovery of a prehistoric scepter, made of impossibly pure silver that's intertwined with Seneca creation myth and Master Poe's past. The silver scepter draws the sole survivor from the ancient civilization that created it to Piper Falls. After traveling forward thousands of years in time, he plans to take the scepter back to his own time and save his people from the cataclysm that destroyed them.
Stumped by the escalating pranks of the Coch Coblyn, the Deputy Sheriff contacts his good friend, Darin Kolchak, a paranormal investigator. Kolchak answers the call by bringing the latest in ghost-hunting technology to town in his refurbished U-Haul. Kolchak's methods may not be conventional, but they lead him dangerously close to the truth. Penny and her friends race to unravel the secrets of the artifact, dodge detection, and prevent either of the new arrivals from using it to return to power.
©2021 Armen Pogharian (P)2021 CamCat Publishing

Review:
Penny is continuing her efforts to keep time travelers from her local community. The banishing of the misaligned time lines is reasonably straight forward until she runs into a group that includes twisted, knotted lines that she has difficulty unraveling. She inadvertently releases two time travelers. Suddenly the town is hit by a series of mischievous pranks by an elf-like creature. But this is the biggest threat.

While trying to puzzle out the pranks and danger, Penny, Mr. Myrdin, and Master Poe learn that a powerful antique artifact, a silver scepter, has been fund nearby. This is a puzzle on its own as it doesn’t fit the era where it has been uncovered by the archaeologist. The second traveler is from an ancient civilization and seeks to control the scepter in order to change the past. Can Penny and her friends stop the two travelers from reeking time havoc?

Armen Pogharian has created a fascinating ancient history which is shared through the lives of survivors from a devastating natural disaster. The author shares in intermittent chapters the events that follow certain survivors. The lives of past and present characters are tied together as the book nears the end.

I find this series creative and entertaining. I enjoyed the dual time line as the historical characters added to the story. This is an easy listen and I like that this series is totally appropriate for children and adults. I recommend it as a good family read/listen for fans of mystery, time travel and a touch of magic.

Audio Notes: Michelle Babb does a very nice performance for the audio. She manages to portray the different time characters with distinct and fitting voices. She handles the children’s voices as well as the prankster elf and evil ancient. The narration enhanced my enjoyment of the book.

Source: Audible Code from the Narrator. This qualifies for 2021Audiobook and review goals.

Audible Book Review: Penny Preston and the Raven's Talisman by Armen Pogharian. 4.0.

Audible Book Review: The Spies That Bind: A Gallagher Girls Prequel by Ally Carter

This is a fun, quick listen.
The Spies That Bind
A Gallagher Girls Prequel
By: Ally Carter
Narrated by: Rebecca Soler

Series: Gallagher Girls, Book 0.5
Length: 2 hrs and 55 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 06-25-18
Language: English
Publisher: Audible Studios
Category (Genre): Teens, Ages 11-13
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.0 and Narration 4.0.

In this Audible Original prequel to Ally Carter's New York Times best-selling Gallagher Girls series, narrator Rebecca Soler brings her charm, enthusiasm, and impeccable accent work to the world of teen spies and boarding school drama, making for a perfect introduction to the series—or a new favorite for long-time listeners.
The first day at a new school is tough for any kid, but it's especially scary when you're going to a school for spies. Cammie Morgan has spent her whole life dreaming of becoming a Gallagher Girl, but she has no idea what she’ll face when she arrives at The Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women. Secret passages? Check. Lab experiments that might make you lose your eyebrows (and other body parts)? Check. Classmates who are the smartest, strongest, most intimidating girls in the world? Double check.
Cammie might be a Gallagher legacy, but she's about to learn that the most intimidating part about the Gallagher Academy are the Gallagher Girls themselves. Soon Cammie and her clumsy-but-genius roommate Liz, and the glamorous Bex have to learn the most important lesson of the seventh grade: getting into spy school is hard. Surviving spy school is harder.
©2018 Ally Carter (P)2018 Audible Originals, LLC.

Review:
Cammie is excited to follow her parent’s footsteps into the world of covert operations. Cammie is struggling with the absence of her father and won’t accept even her mother’s statement that he must be dead since he hasn’t made contact. At least Cammie has her energies directed toward training as a spy. Her mother is a Gallagher Girl and now Cammie is starting at the prestigious spy academy at the same time her mother takes over as the new headmaster.

Cammie realizes there are other girls who are smarter and more skilled than she. But the professors try to assure the girls that each one has unique talents to bring to the academy. Still, the insecurities and rivalries among the girls are causing concerns for Cammie and her new roommates. Their concerns lead them into trouble and danger.

This is a fun, light listen. The story opens with an event in 1860 that reveals the first Gallagher Girl. Many young girls would love to follow the adventures and bravery of this legacy. I enjoyed the message in the story which is told with the inner thoughts of a 12-year-old girl. The story has enough to keep a senior citizen like me interested and would be suitable for young ladies. It made me smile and does a good job of introducing the series. I recommend this for a taste and easy intro into the series.

Audio Notes: Rebecca Soler does a very effective job with the narration. She captures the youthful characters and the quirky professors too.

Source: January 2019 Free Audible Original. This qualifies for 2019Audiobook goal.

Audio Book Review: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

This is a YA story with strong, sometimes dark, magic elements.

The Raven Boys
by Maggie Stiefvater
Read by Will Patton

Young Adult Ages 12+ • 11 hrs. • Unabridged • © 2012
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Teens, YA
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0

"Do you believe in magic?" Answer that after you've listened to the first title in Stiefvater's new Raven Boys series. Narrator Will Patton takes you into a world of psychic powers, legends of the Welsh King Glendower, and the ley lines (mystical energy fields) that transect a sleepy Virginia town. Patton inhabits young Blue Sargent, who is raised in a family of psychics but whose own power amplifies what others see or sense. Blue is justly wary of the boys from the elite private academy, known as the Raven Boys. Listeners, like Blue, are fascinated and snared by the quest for Glendower led by Raven Boy Gansey. Patton is masterful with the suspense and the mysticism and seductively plays the emotional line of real and imagined events. Don't miss this compelling listen, and pray that Will Patton has already signed on for the other titles of the series. R.F.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2012]

Review:
Blue is a teen who has been raised by a psychic mother and two other eccentric female relatives. Blue isn’t psychic but her presence amplifies the skills of the others. Blue’s mother has drilled into her how she can’t trust boys… not only because they are male but also because of a unique reading for Blue herself and what will happen to the first boy she loves.

The Raven Boys are mostly wealthy young students of the local elite academy. The strongest of these boys, Gansey, gathers others around who need his help even as they resist his handouts and leadership. Gansey is stubbornly set on finding the ley lines that will lead to Welsh King Glendower and a legendary favor.

But Gansey isn’t the only one seeking the powers of the lines and the favor of the legend. And at least one of these seekers is willing to try any ritual and go to any lengths to be the first to find the lines.

I really liked the Wolves of Mercy Falls series by Ms. Stiefvater so I have been meaning to try this. I liked Blue and her strange family. I also liked the varied Raven Boys and was surprised by the revelation of one of the characters. The rival seeker is an evil man and poses great danger. The story is a bit disjointed, as it jumps among the characters and scenes. Still, it is very entertaining. I may not get the rest of the series as I enjoy werewolves more than relying on magical elements. I would recommend this to readers who enjoy stories about ley lines and magic – some good, some bad.

Audio Notes: I thoroughly enjoyed the narration by Will Patton. His voice is whispery to fit the magical tone and he delivers the characters with good personality, emotion and energy. I am glad I listened to this.

Source: 2013 SYNC.This qualifies for 2018TBR, Audio Book and Alphabet ("R" title) Challenges.

Book Review: ReWired by S. R. Johannes

This is an engaging YA suspense focused on computer addiction/hackers.

ReWired
by S.R. Johannes

File Size: 382 KB
Print Length: 316 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Publisher: Coleman & Stott (August 27, 2017)
ASIN: B0752Z6V3W
Genre: Teens, Suspense, YA
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0

16-year-old Ada Lovelace is never more alive and sure of herself than when she’s hacking into a “secure” network as her alter ego, the Dark Angel. In the real world, Ada is broken, reeling from her best friend Simone’s recent suicide. But online, the reclusive daughter of Senator Lovelace (champion of the new Technology Privacy Bill) is a daring white hat hacker and the only female member of the Orwellians, an elite group responsible for a string of high-profile hacks against major corporations, with a mission to protect the little guy.
Ada is swiftly proving she’s a force to be reckoned with, when a fellow Orwellian betrays her to the FBI. To protect her father’s career, Ada is sent to ReBoot, a technology rehab facility for teens…the same rehab Simone attended right before killing herself.
It’s bad enough that the ReBoot facility is creepy in an Overlook-Hotel-meets-Winchester-Mansion way, but when Ada realizes Simone’s suicide is just one in an increasingly suspicious string of “accidental” deaths and “suicides” occurring just after kids leave ReBoot, Ada knows she can’t leave without figuring out what really happened to her best friend. The massive cyber conspiracy she uncovers will threaten everything she cares about–her dad’s career, her new relationship with a wry, handsome, reformed hacker, Fisher, who gets under her skin, and most of all–the Dark Angel.
With a deliciously twisty plot, the topical bite of Cory Doctorow's LITTLE BROTHER, ReWIRED delves into technology addiction, internet privacy, and corporate/government collection of data.
ReWIRED is about the daily choices we all make about who we want to be, how much of ourselves we choose to share with others, and the terrifying risks and exhilarating rewards of being ourselves, online and off.

Review:
Ada Lovelace is the daughter of a busy senator father and society busy mother who tend to be preoccupied with their own lives and affairs. Ada is immersed in the worlds of computer gaming and online community with few friends in real life. Ada is still trying to recover from the apparent suicide of her best friend, Simone who was caught hacking and sent to ReBoot, a rehab facility for hacker teens. Shortly after being released, and without sharing with Ada, Simone was found dead.

Ada, known online as the Dark Angel, is involved with a secret group that challenges its members to hack important systems. Ada is one of the best in the competitions and sometimes tries to protect the victims of the hacks from the others whose goals might be more malicious. The group is betrayed and Ada ends up being forced into rehab at the ReBoot facility.

The place is beyond creepy, not to mention it is off the electronic grid. All of the kids have different ‘antisocial’ tendencies and histories of computer addiction. Ada isn’t sure if she wants to become friends with any of them as she resigns herself to her thirty (30) days of imprisonment. As Ada begins to make contact with the others, she learns that too many former attendees have died shortly after being released from the facility. Now Ada is intent on discovering what Simone did while she was at ReBoot that might have led to her death. Ada finds secret rooms in the old building and knows that she is on to some strange behavior especially after repeated near death accidents during the academy ‘games’. Can Ada uncover a dark plot before she becomes a victim too?

I enjoyed the different characters that the author created to share this story, even referring to them as “The Breakfast Club of the Cybersphere”. Some are darker and more insular while others are more like regular kids who have gotten sucked into the world of technology. There are several twists that made the story interesting and helped me skim over the teen angsty elements (that were appropriate to the characters but not my thing). The pacing and suspense is good so that the story moved along well. There is a touch of romance too that develops through conflict and is handled nicely. I do hope the version I read was an ARC version as it was absolutely full of grammar and typo errors.

I appreciated the message this story may have especially for young people (and their parents) as the teens become more involved with and reliant upon cell phones and computer life. I know myself how easy it is to lose hours of time while visiting social media or playing online games. The author provides a message that it is important to stay in live contact with family and friends. I recommend this to readers who enjoy YA issues in a story that includes technology and suspense elements.

I was invited to read this by the author who provided an ebook copy. My review is based solely on my own opinion.

Audible Book Review: Jackaby by William Ritter

I enjoyed this and would be glad to listen to more adventures in the series.

Jackaby
Written by: William Ritter
Narrated by: Nicola Barber

Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins
Series: Jackaby, Book 1
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:09-16-14
Publisher: HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books
Genre: Teen, Mystery, Paranormal
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Publisher's Summary
Newly arrived in New Fiddleham, New England, 1890, and in need of a job, Abigail Rook meets R. F. Jackaby, an investigator of the unexplained with a keen eye for the extraordinary - including the ability to see supernatural beings. Abigail has a gift for noticing ordinary but important details, which makes her perfect for the position of Jackaby’s assistant.
On her first day, Abigail finds herself in the midst of a thrilling case: A serial killer is on the loose. The police are convinced it’s an ordinary villain, but Jackaby is certain the foul deeds are the work of the kind of creature whose very existence the local police seem adamant to deny.
While Abigail finds herself drawn to Jackaby’s keen intelligence and his sensitivity to phenomena others barely perceive, her feelings are confused by the presence of Charlie, a handsome young policeman willing to help Jackaby and Abigail on the case. But is Charlie’s offer a sincere desire to be of service, or is some darker motive at work.
©2014 Original material © 2014 R. William Ritter. Published by arrangement with Algonquin Young Readers, an imprint of Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, a division of Workman Publishing, Inc. (P)2014 (p) 2014 HighBridge Company

Review:
Abigail has traveled alone to New Fiddleham and is looking for a job. She makes inquiries around town and finally responds to an ad she sees posted. The position is for an assistant to private investigator, Jackaby. Jackaby is an engaging detective, whose observation skills reminded me of the workaholic, intense, Sherlock Holmes, with a major difference. Jackaby sees in the magical world of the fae. He has a wealth of knowledge (and resource library) regarding fae creatures who often cause mischief and sometimes commit murder.

Initially Jackaby isn’t sure he wants to take Abigail on as an assistant, especially considering that things with his last assistant didn’t turn out quite right. Abigail ends up tagging along as Jackaby goes to investigate the scene of a local murder. Abigail suspects Jackaby is ‘off’ a bit considering his claims of fae, magical creatures which are unseen by most members of human society.

The local Chief Inspector isn’t thrilled with having Jackaby on the case since he doesn’t believe in all this mystical stuff. But one of the junior Detectives, who captures Abigail’s interest, helps Jackaby and Abigail by giving them access to the scene and witnesses in the building. As they investigate, Jackaby discovers that Abigail has a strong ability to see normal items and details important to the investigation and Abigail learns that Jackaby really does see things beyond the human realm.

The first murder leads to a second and the Chief Inspector arrests the wrong suspects, leaving the real culprit on the loose. Jackaby is certain they are dealing with multiple killings that had not yet been connected. They begin to close in on the murderer but the police officials cause confusion that almost results in Abigail’s brutal murder.

Abigail meets a ghostly host in Jackaby’s apartments as well as other friends of Jackaby in the apartment and in the village. Abigail makes a good companion to Jackaby's eccentricity and the other characters add to the story. The mystery, conflict with the police and danger keep the story moving at a good pace. This is designated for young adults but I found it fun and enjoyable as an adult too.

Audio Notes: Nicola Barber does a wonderful job narrating this story. I felt she captured the atmosphere of the edge of magic as well as the personalities of the various characters. The voice for Jackaby is unusual and I thought it worked for his unique character, preoccupied as he is with otherworldly elements. The narration made for a very fun listen.

This is another TBR from my Audible shelf. It qualifies for Mount TBR, Audio Book Challenge and as "J" for Alphabet Challenge.

Audible Book Review: The Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

This is a dark, yet charmingly creative, tale of loss suitable to help young people who have a loved one facing serious illness.
A Monster Calls: Inspired by an Idea from Siobhan Dowd
Written by: Patrick Ness
Narrated by: Jason Isaacs

Length: 3 hrs and 59 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:09-23-11
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Genre: Teens, Fantasy, Family
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0

Publisher's Summary
The monster showed up after midnight. As they do. But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting. He’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming.... This monster, though, is something different. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor. It wants the truth. Patrick Ness spins a tale from the final story idea of Siobhan Dowd, whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself.

Darkly mischievous and painfully funny, A Monster Calls is an extraordinarily moving novel about coming to terms with loss from two of our finest writers for young adults.

©2011 Patrick Ness (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Review:
Conor is a troubled youth. He has suffered nightmares since his mother started her treatments. Nightmares with darkness, wind, cliffs and screaming. Conor struggles to be left alone in school although he is caught between the taunting bullies and the pitying teachers who cut him too much slack because of what he is dealing with at home.

One night, at 12:07am exactly, the Monster arrives at his window. Not the monster from his nightmares, but one rather closer to home. Conor sort of recognizes the Monster as the ancient yew tree that grows behind their house, up the hill, beside the old church. The Monster insists that he has been called to help Conor get through the nightmares… to the truth. The Monster tells three stories with the instructions that Conor is to tell the final, fourth story. Conor might think it is just a dream except for the leaves in his room one night and the poison yew berries all over his floor another night.

Even when Conor’s grandmother takes charge of him and moves him temporarily to her home, the Monster still shows up. The stories the Monster tells don’t really make sense to Conor, although the Monster will try to explain before their time is over. It all has to do with the unreliability of appearances, the vagaries of men, self deception, responsibility and the frailties of life.

This made me realize the impact that illness can have on others around a patient -- the children and the parents.  Especially children old enough to struggle with the idea of losing their beloved parent. The story is wonderfully imaginative even if a little on the dark side. I could see it being a helpful story to be shared when an older tween or younger teen who is facing illness, and mortality, in a family member.

Audio Notes: Jason Isaacs does a lovely job with the narration. He provides just the right accents to match the characters and convey the darkness of the Monster that is tempered with his caring nature. The narration evokes the appropriate emotions of fear, pain, despair, frustration and love. The audio is a great experience.

This was a story from my Audible TBR shelf. It qualifies for 2017 Audio Book Challenge, Mount TBR and "M" in Alphabet Challenge.