Leads and Lynxes by Rebecca Chastain
Book 1 in the Terra Haven Chronicles
Narrated by Cindy Kay
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: ebook & audiobook
About Leads and Lynxes:
Be careful what you ask for...Source: Info in the "About Leads and Lynxes" was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55830006-leads-lynxes on 22/05/2021.
Kylie got into journalism to write important stories. Ones about gargoyles and dryads, elemental warriors, and thwarted magical attacks on her city. The bigger the story, the better. So when she lands the opportunity to ask an enchanted everlasting tree for the answer to any question she desires, she doesn't have to think about it. She wants the story of a lifetime.
So does her nemesis, Nathan. If anyone is going to write a high-profile story, the senior journalist believes it should be him-and Nathan's not above playing dirty to get his way. Kylie must work fast or risk losing control of her story.
But with every new lead forcing Kylie and her gargoyle companion, Quinn, deeper into a deadly maze of murder, warped magic, and monstrous beasts, rushing could prove fatal. Kylie is determined to publish her dream story, but she is beginning to wonder...will she survive long enough to write it?
Buy Link(s):
Beltane Zipporah
The world building has been established a long time ago with Deadlines and Dryads and the Gargoyle Guardian Omnibus. The compelling story telling quality is brought over to this book as well! But best of all, there wasn't much of the "too stupid to live" (tstl) bullshit that was in the other books by this author! (Hooray!!)
This might be labeled as book one but I wouldn't recommend starting this series with this book though. Deadlines and Dryads is the actual start of this series. I would recommend starting there because there are events there that is mentioned in this book which a reader would not understand if he/she hasn't read that book first. Beltane Zipporah plays a significant role in this book and this is the best harpy image I could scrounge. So, there we are, the harpy!! And like the other books, this one also ended in a cliffhanger. I wouldn't really call it that much of a cliffhanger, really. The plot did end in this book which is more than I can say about the other books by Rebecca Chastain. Plot building is not her forté! However, she did well with this one. Kudos to the author!!
This is my first Cindy Kay listen and I like the way she reads. Her voice is also not aggravating to the ears. I especially like the way she makes Quinn sound young and cute.
Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 5
Character development = 5
Story itself = 4.5
Writing Style = 4.5
Ending = 4
World building = 5
Cover art = 5
Pace = 4.5
Plot = 4
Narration = 5
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 cherries
Meet The Author
About Rebecca Chastain:
Rebecca Chastain has found seven four-leaf clovers to date, won a purebred Arabian horse in a drawing, and once tamed a blackbird for a day. She has been employed as a VHS sales clerk, bookshelf straightener, government pseudo-employee, professional finder of lost sporting goods, and strategy guide wrangler in the video game industry. Dreaming up the absurd and writing stories designed to amuse and entertain has been her passion since she was eleven years old, and she’s incapable of stopping. She lives in northern California with her wonderful husband and two bossy cats. To find out about new releases, sales, and freebies, sign up for Rebecca's newsletter: http://www.rebeccachastain.com/newsletter
The Narrator
About Cindy Kay:
Cindy Kay is a Chinese-Thai-American narrator and educator who grew up in the California Bay Area and lives in the Rockies. Her work has been described as listening to a "cozy best friend." She narrates fiction and nonfiction, and has studied Spanish, Portuguese, Thai, and Japanese.
FTC Disclosure:
The ebook and audiobook copies of the book were purchased with private funds.
No money received for this review.
The ebook and audiobook copies of the book were purchased with private funds.
No money received for this review.