I Think *LIBBA BRAY* is Trying to Break *ME*: My 5 🌟 Review of BEFORE THE DEVIL BREAKS YOU

Title: Before the Devil Breaks You
Author: Libba Bray
Narrator: January LaVoy
Series: The Diviners, book #3
Length: 21 hrs 26 mins
Publisher: Listening Library
Publication Date: October 3, 2017
Source: audiobook received from publisher
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

New York City.
1927.
Lights are bright.
Jazz is king.
Parties are wild.
And the dead are coming...

After battling a supernatural sleeping sickness that early claimed two of their own, the Diviners have had enough of lies. They're more determined than ever to uncover the mystery behind their extraordinary powers, even as they face off against an all-new terror. Out on Ward's Island, far from the city's bustle, sits a mental hospital haunted by the lost souls of people long forgotten--ghosts who have unusual and dangerous ties to the man in the stovepipe hat, also known as the King of Crows.

With terrible accounts of murder and possession flooding in from all over, and New York City on the verge of panic, the Diviners must band together and brave the sinister ghosts invading the asylum, a fight that will bring them fact-to-face with the King of Crows. But as the explosive secrets of the past come to light, loyalties and friendships will be tested, love will hang in the balance, and the Diviners will question all that they've ever known. All the while, malevolent forces gather from every corner in a battle for the very soul of a nation--a fight that could claim the Diviners themselves.

I don't even know where to begin with my love for this series. The writing, the narration, the utter creepiness of it...it all coalesces into one of my very favorite series. Which is quite a boast for this author, considering her Gemma Doyle trilogy is also on that list of favorite series. Despite how much she loves breaking my heart.

And I can totally see Libba Bray doing that here with this series, as well. She's made me come to love all of these characters, even ones I thought I'd always loathe. And, yes, she's left my heart reeling after this installment, too, but I know it's not over yet. She's not finished with my heart yet and even when this series is complete, she still won't be done with me because this is one of those stories that I can't help but come back to.

I love each and every characters' story arc, even if I didn't foresee it going in a certain direction, well, for any of them. No, especially because of that. I love how relevant this story is because of how history is doomed to repeat itself. That the more things change, the more they stay the same. And how sad is that? And I loved that in this book most of all, we see the Diviners actually coming together to work as a team. They all have their issues and their hang-ups but they're such a diverse lot of characters that it makes me hopeful for them, despite what they're up against.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Libba Bray has done her homework. When I'm reading these books, everything else falls away. I am transported to the Roaring Twenties. To the time of speakeasies and flappers and prohibition. When white man ruled the land and anyone of color or another sexual orientation was shunned. (Oh...wait.) But it's in the little details, as well, from specific items of clothing to songs sang at rallies or advertisements on radio shows. The background for this series has been so well-researched and it shows.

The publisher could not have selected a better narrator for this series, either. This story comes to life because of January LaVoy. There are so many story lines, so many perspectives, that normally I'd have a hard time keeping them all straight, but this narrator literally has a separate voice for each character. Each one is unique; each one is special. I cannot praise the narration of this series enough. It's among my favorites, as well.

This third installment in The Diviners series is actually on my favorites of 2017 list. It is just SO good. I mean, I waited long enough for it...it should be, right? ;0) Two to three years between books is hard but worth it. So worth it. And if I'm being honest, this might actually be my favorite in the series so far, so that makes the wait between installments all the sweeter.

I wholeheartedly recommend this series -- especially on audio -- and this time of year is perfect for it. It's just so divinely creepy.

Previous books in the series:

The Diviners
Lair of Dreams

About the author:

Libba Bray is the New York Times bestselling author of The Gemma Doyle trilogy (A Great and Terrible Beauty, Rebel Angels, The Sweet Far Thing); the Michael L. Printz Award-winning Going Bovine; Beauty Queens, an L.A. Times Book Prize finalist; and The Diviners series. She is originally from Texas but makes her home in Brooklyn, NY, with her husband, son, and two sociopathic cats.

(You should absolutely check out her full bio on her website, though. You'll learn things.)

Find Libba:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Tumblr | Goodreads

About the narrator:

January LaVoy is a New York City based actress, best known for her role as Noelle Ortiz-Stubbs on the long-running ABC daytime drama One Life to Live. January was named Publishers Weekly's "Audiobook Narrator of the Year" for 2013 and has an extensive body of work in both narration and commercial voiceover, including Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions, John Grisham’s Camino Island and several Star Wars novels. She has won multiple Audie Awards, most recently in 2016 for her work on Libba Bray's Lair of Dreams.

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Labels: 2017, audiobooks, cover redesigns, extras, favorite authors, favorite narrators, favorites, hachette, historical fiction, libba bray, paranormal, reviews, the diviners

It's Kill or Be Killed in THE DIABOLIC by S.J. Kincaid

Title: The Diabolic
Author: S.J. Kincaid
Narrator: Candace Thaxton
Series: stand-alone
Length: 12 hrs 30 mins
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: November 1, 2016
Source: ARC & audiobook received from publisher
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

A Diabolic is ruthless. A Diabolic is powerful. A Diabolic has a single task: Kill in order to protect the person you’ve been created for. Nothing else.

For Nemesis, that person is Sidonia, heir to the galactic Senate. The two grew up side by side, and there’s no one Nemesis wouldn’t kill to keep her safe. But when the power-mad Emperor summons Sidonia to the Imperial Court as a hostage, there is only one way for Nemesis to protect Sidonia.

She must become her.

Now one of the galaxy’s most dangerous weapons is masquerading in a world of corrupt politicians and two-faced Senators’ children, and Nemesis must find within herself the one thing she’s been told she doesn’t have—humanity. With the Empire beginning to fracture and rebellion looming, that could be the one thing that saves her and the Empire itself.

Before I even started The Diabolic, I knew I was going to love this book...I just wasn't aware how much I'd enjoy it. I had an ARC, but once I realized Candace Thaxton was narrating the audiobook, I decided I'd go that route. Candace also narrated one of my favorite books ever -- The Sea of Tranquility -- and does a great job of portraying Nastya, another girl who doesn't allow herself to feel. So I knew she'd do a fabulous job performing as Nemesis, a ruthless killing machine who only cares about one person: her master and charge. And, honestly, it was better than I could have imagined.

This was a book that I started listening to at work and continued listening to on my way home. Then I took my daughter to the park and cracked open my ARC while continuing to listen and followed along that way. And I continued listening while I was cooking and washing dishes. Then I went back to reading and listening after dinner. I just could not put this book down. I finished The Diabolic in one day and I regret nothing.

The Diabolic was damn near perfect. It had everything I was looking for: political intrigue, characters with violent tendencies, forbidden romance...plus, it's set in SPACE. I don't think I picked up on that in the summary the first time I read it, but yes, political intrigue of galactic proportions. SO MUCH YES!

But probably my favorite aspect of this novel was that of a cold, calculating being having to come to terms with her humanity and actually allow herself to feel things. And it was glorious! She freaks out when she laughs by accident. She bonds with a mutant dog-thing and it's ridiculously adorable. And she allows herself to love, which is no small feat. I just adore characters who basically start out as robots and are a big ole pile of mush by the end of the story.

Even when they're being exceedingly violent. Especially then. Like, you read all the time about badass characters who do violent things but you never actually experience any of that once the story gets going. Not so for Nemesis, whose philosophy in life lies somewhere just shy of Kill or be killed. There is all manner of brutality between the pages of this book, and it was gory but also awesome.

Also, I SHIP IT. So hard. It's pretty much forbidden. Except she's pretending to be someone she's not, so it's kinda okay and accepted? But it starts out as a partnership in a revenge plot. Then they become sparring partners. And then friends. And, well, it just snowballs from there. It's only a little angsty, and mostly because Nemesis is SO freaked out by all these new feelings she's experiencing. And she's afraid. But they are such a good pair because they've both done unconscionable things, in the name of the greater good and those they love. And it just works.

So...yay for evil tendencies? At any rate, this book was amazing, plain and simple. And it's a stand-alone! Which makes it an even more perfect fit for me because I hate waiting for the next book. :P I highly recommend the audiobook version, but whichever route you go, I guarantee you won't be disappointed with The Diabolic.

GIF it to me straight:

About the author:

S.J. Kincaid was born in Alabama, grew up in California, and attended high school in New Hampshire, but it was while living beside a haunted graveyard in Scotland that she realized that she wanted to be a writer. Her debut, Insignia, came out in July of 2012. The second book in the series, Vortex was released in July of 2013. The final book in the trilogy, Catalyst, came out October 28, 2014. Her standalone novel The Diabolic will be released in fall 2016.

Find S.J.:

Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram | Tumblr | Facebook

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Labels: audiobooks, beautiful covers, favorite narrators, favorites, reviews, s.j. kincaid, sci-fi, simon schuster, the diabolic

{Blog Tour} They Did It Again: GEMINA by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff - Review & Giveaway

Title: Gemina
Author: Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
Narrator(s): Carla Corvo, Steve West, MacLeod Andrews, P.J. Ochlan & a full cast
Series: The Illuminae Files, book #2
Length: 12 hrs 34 mins
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: October 18, 2016
Source: ARC and audio provided for review by publisher
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

The highly anticipated sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller that critics are calling “out-of-this-world awesome.”

Moving to a space station at the edge of the galaxy was always going to be the death of Hanna’s social life. Nobody said it might actually get her killed.

The sci-fi saga that began with the breakout bestseller Illuminae continues on board the Jump Station Heimdall, where two new characters will confront the next wave of the BeiTech assault.

Hanna is the station captain’s pampered daughter; Nik the reluctant member of a notorious crime family. But while the pair are struggling with the realities of life aboard the galaxy’s most boring space station, little do they know that Kady Grant and the Hypatia are headed right toward Heimdall, carrying news of the Kerenza invasion.

When an elite BeiTech strike team invades the station, Hanna and Nik are thrown together to defend their home. But alien predators are picking off the station residents one by one, and a malfunction in the station’s wormhole means the space-time continuum might be ripped in two before dinner. Soon Hanna and Nik aren’t just fighting for their own survival; the fate of everyone on the Hypatia—and possibly the known universe—is in their hands.

But relax. They’ve totally got this. They hope.

Once again told through a compelling dossier of emails, IMs, classified files, transcripts, and schematics, Gemina raises the stakes of the Illuminae Files, hurling readers into an enthralling new story that will leave them breathless.

Sorry, I just really like the formatting of these books. I'd write my whole review like that, but I think I'd have a massive headache by the end. Or you'd have one, and then where would we be?

The gist of that over there being: this sequel is as awesome as Illuminae, if not more so. I'm always wary of companion series because I fall hard for the characters in the first book every time. Way. Hard. So, for a duo of authors -- as amazing pants as these two are -- to make me love the characters in their second novel just as much is kind of unheard of.

I received both an ARC and an audiobook*** of Gemina for review, and being the visual person that I am, I followed along the text while I listened. Because with a book like this, you can't just hear an E X P L O S I O N on the audio without seeing it, not the way this series is presented. This sequel is just like Illuminae, told through a dossier of emails, text-like chats, and even files from AIDAN. You didn't think you'd seen the last of him IT, did you?

If you thought Kady and Ezra had a struggle on their hands in the previous book, what with a BeiTech ship on the warpath and a deranged AI taking charge, you ain't see nothin' yet. In this installment of the Illuminae Files, the characters are subjected not only to more BeiTech goons out for blood but also an alien life form that none of them are prepared for. All I can say is, Poor cow cows.

Our heroine this time around may be a pampered princess whose daddy runs Heimdall station, but Hanna's more dangerous than she looks. And she reminded me a lot of Lilac from These Broken Stars. Except harder to kill. Nik is a good guy with a bad boy rep, but he set his sights on Hanna long ago. He's good in a tough spot and also hard to kill. Which makes their pairing in this novel all the more fun. Add in Ella, his wise-hacking cousin and Hanna's smokin' hot boyfriend -- narrated by the incomparable Steve West on the audiobook, YUM! -- plus some seriously ruthless BeiTech mercenary-types who want to take them all out, and you've got a legit cast of characters.

Lots of action, too...and laughs and sobs and all the feels, really. Just like the first book. But more so. And with a psychedelic angle. Ha, you'll see what I mean. There is nothing I don't like about this book or series, but my favorite part might just be the action as reported by that analyst. That guy is hysterical. And he's got a British accent on the audio, which makes it even funnier.

Seriously. I don't care if you're not a fan of sci-fi or haven't read anything by these authors before. YOU NEED THIS SERIES IN YOUR LIFE. It's equal parts clever and funny and action-packed and soul-crushing and you are seriously missing out if you don't give it a chance. It's rare that I can say a sequel lived up to my expectations, but that's exactly what Gemina does. So go forth and grab this book and then live long and prosper.

GIF it to me straight:

***Slight spoiler if you're listening to the audio version*** OH! There is one thing I should mention about the audio: because I'm so familiar with narrators, I was able to figure out one thing much sooner than I probably should have. No biggie; it just left me incensed on behalf of some of the characters a lot earlier in the book. If you don't listen to much audio, you probably won't even notice. ;) And I think it would be much harder to guess if you're reading the text version.

About the Authors:

Amie Kaufman is the New York Times bestselling co-author of the Starbound series. Jay Kristoff is the award-winning author of the Lotus War series. Collectively, they are 12’5” tall and live in Melbourne, Australia, with two long-suffering spouses, two rescue dogs, and a plentiful supply of caffeine. They met, thanks to international taxation law, and stuck together due to a shared love of blowing things up and breaking hearts.

Find Amie:

Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Tumblr

Find Jay:

Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Facebook | Instagram

One winner will receive a finished copy of Gemina. US only. Prizes provided by Penguin/Random House.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Labels: amie kaufman, audiobooks, blog tours, favorite authors, favorite narrators, favorite series, favorites, giveaways, jay kristoff, penguin, reviews, sci-fi, the illuminae files

{TTT} Finished Series I ❤ to Binge (Re)Read on Audio

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the awesome ladies at The Broke and the Bookish. Apparently, they are overly fond of list-making and love to share their bookish lists with the rest of us book nerds.  =) We're game.

This week's topic is an All About Audio Freebie:

Jen's Picks:

I chose my favorite series to re-read via audio for this week's freebie. In no particular order...

Scarlet · The Lunar Chronicles · Shatter Me · Starbound

Daughter of Smoke & Bone · Penryn & the End of Days · Seven Realms · Raven Cycle

The Remnant Chronicles · Splintered · The Elemental Trilogy · Mara Dyer
Dust Lands · His Fair Assassin · Fire and Thorns

I love re-reading favorites, but I especially love re-reading favorites via audio when the series is complete. And when the narrator is truly great, bringing the story to life in a way my own reading can't. What are some of your favorite series on audio?

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Labels: audiobooks, favorite authors, favorite narrators, favorite series, favorites, top ten tuesday

From an Ember into a Torch: The Book That Inspired My Inner Pyro 🔥🔥🔥

Title: A Torch Against the Night
Author: Sabaa Tahir
Narrator(s): Fiona Hardingham, Steve West & Katharine McEwan
Series: An Ember in the Ashes, book #2
Length: 15 hrs 9 mins
Publisher: Razorbill/Listening Library
Publication Date: August 30, 2016
Source: ARC and audio from publisher
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

A Torch Against the Night takes readers into the heart of the Empire as Laia and Elias fight their way north to liberate Laia’s brother from the horrors of Kauf Prison. Hunted by Empire soldiers, manipulated by the Commandant, and haunted by their pasts, Laia and Elias must outfox their enemies and confront the treacherousness of their own hearts.

In the city of Serra, Helene Aquilla finds herself bound to the will of the Empire’s twisted new leader, Marcus. When her loyalty is questioned, Helene finds herself taking on a mission to prove herself—a mission that might destroy her, instead.

What is up with the publishing deal for this series? First, it was going to be a stand-alone. Then a second book was announced, and unless I was misinformed, it was to be a duology. Right before I started reading Torch, it was announced that a third book is in the works. Which makes sense, now that I've finished this sequel, but damn, son. I like to know going into a book whether I'm risking a series or not. I mean, I guess I should count myself lucky that neither of the books in the series so far have ended on completely awful cliffhangers, but still.

That said, I did enjoy this sequel a bit more than Ember. There were some predictable developments but there were also jaw-dropping revelations that really ramped up my anticipation and enjoyment overall. The first half plods along, and if I hadn't been listening to the audiobook as well as reading the ARC, I might have set it aside for a bit. But once the journey aspect is more or less over, things really pick up, and I found myself turning the pages faster than the narrators could read for me.

Torch is no less savage than its predecessor, but I felt like it had more tender moments...more instances where you could see people weighing right and wrong and coming out on the side of good more often than not. Creepy villains are still creepy, but you also get a little more insight into them, and I was able to actually see them as human for a change, not just monsters with human faces.

I also felt like I got to know the three main characters a lot better in this installment, even if it was no easier to connect with them than in the first novel. But I think they got to know themselves better in this book, too. They know what they could die for and who they can't live without and they've come to terms with all of the mistakes they've made. And knowing all of that, maybe it's best that I can't connect with them all that well.

The narrators did help with that somewhat, though. Steve West and Fiona Hardingham are the perfect complement to each other, as far as audibook narrators go. And they're kind of my favorites, especially since they narrate one of my favorite (audio)books ever. But then Katharine McEwan was added in as the voice of Helene in this sequel and that just makes the audiobook version of this novel nearly perfect.

I wanted to give this book five stars, especially as it's so rare for a sequel to surpass the first installment. But I subtracted half a star for the slow start. Then added half a star back for the amazing narrators. And the took another half star away because I just wasn't able to connect to the characters the way I'd like, which is a problem I remember having with the first book, too. But the writing is lovely and evocative and brutal, and it's impossible not to visualize the world Sabaa Tahir has created. I know I was hoping for a stand-alone when I set out to read this series, but I am so glad that Laia, Elias, and Helen's stories didn't end with Ember. If you're on the fence about starting these books, know that it is worth all of the pain, brutality and violence to see the beauty in what these characters are trying to do for their people and Empire.

GIF it to me straight:

Okay, maybe not THE most brutal, but it's pretty brutal.

About the author:

Sabaa Tahir grew up in California’s Mojave Desert at her family’s 18-room motel. There, she spent her time devouring fantasy novels, raiding her brother’s comic book stash and playing guitar badly. She began writing An Ember in the Ashes while working nights as a newspaper editor. She likes thunderous indie rock, garish socks and all things nerd. Sabaa currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family.

Find Sabaa:

Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest | Tumblr | Instagram

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Labels: an ember in the ashes, audiobooks, beautiful covers, dystopian, fantasy, favorite narrators, favorites, penguin, reviews, sabaa tahir