Showing posts with label Hollie Jackson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hollie Jackson. Show all posts

Wednesday 29 May 2024

THREE HALF GOATS GRUFF


Three Half Goats Gruff by Kim McDougall
Book 0.5 in the Valkyrie Bestiary series
Narrated by Hollie Jackson
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: ebook & audiobookAudiobook


Is he a vampire? A shifter? Something worse? Thrown together to save a middle school from an infestation of satyrs, Kyra and the mysterious Captain of the Guardians share one heart-stopping night.

Critter wrangling rule #4: There isn’t much you can’t kill, confuse, or disgust with a can of bug fogger.
Source: Info in the "About Three Half Goats Gruff" was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54858697-three-half-goats-gruff on 07/01/2024.


Buy Link(s):
  Audible Books


My Thoughts:
Short and sweet.

Not much of a story. It tells of the meeting between Kyra and Mason. They fought a rock troll and saved the day. There were minor appearances of satyrs and a pink pygmy kraken, and that's it. For 52 pages long, that is a neat story. However, it is really, really short that I am not sure it warrants a review. The story is so short it does not give you much opportunity to judge the elements in the story like character development, etc. And because it is so short, there isn't much of a plot, either. It is so short that the story has ended before you knew it. You expect more pages because the ending does not really sound like an ending. Maybe because the entire story is just a little chunk of a bigger book. I am not really fond of tiny stories like this.

Hollie Jackson did a marvellous job of infusing life into an otherwise tiny chapter of a bigger book.


Quantitative Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 3.5
Character development = 3.5
Story itself = 3
Writing Style = 3
Ending = 2
World building = 3.5
Cover art = 4
Pace = 3.5
Plot = 1
Narration = 5


Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 cherries


Books In The Valkyrie Bestiary Series:
Book 0.4: THE GIRL WHO CRIED BANSHEE Book 0.5: THREE HALF GOATS GRUFF Book 0.6: THE LAST DOOR TO UNDERHILL Book 1: DRAGONS DON'T EAT MEAT Book 2: DERVISHES DON'T DANCE Book 3: HELL HOUNDS DON'T HEEL Book 4: GRIMALKINS DON'T PURR Book 5: KELPIES DON'T FLY Book 6: GHOULS DON'T SCAMPER Book 6.5: OH, COME ALL YE DRAGONS Book 7: DEVILS DON'T LIE Book 8: UNICORNS DON'T CRY Book 9: WORLDS DON'T COLLIDE


 
Meet The Author

About Kim McDougall:
If Kim McDougall could have one magical superpower, it would be to talk to animals. Or maybe to shift into animal form. Definitely, fantastical critters and magic often feature in her stories. So until she can change into a griffin and fly away, she writes dark paranormal action and romance tales from her home in Ontario, Canada.


The Narrator

About Hollie Jackson:
With over 600 audiobooks narrated and produced since 2013 (and no signs of slowing), multiple award-winning narrator Hollie Jackson has worked with both independent and USA Today bestselling authors across a wide range of genres. From fantasy, to sci-fi, paranormal romance, and beyond, Hollie's voice brings all manner of characters to vibrant, compelling life, allowing listeners to immerse themselves in the story.

Having grown up in a military family, always on the move, she found solace in the written word, both as a voracious reader, and a storyteller. Proficient in multiple accents and dialects, having studied with some of the top names in the entertainment industry, she firmly believes in delivering a quality performance each and every time she steps into her studio.



FTC Disclosure:
The ebook and audiobook were bought with private funds.
No money received for this review.

Friday 5 October 2018

BLOOD VICE


The Book

Blood Vice by Angela Roquet
Book 1 in the Blood Vice series
Read by Hollie Jackson
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: ebook & audiobookAudiobook


About Blood Vice:
Detective Jenna Skye bombs her first week on the St. Louis County Police Department's Vice Squad when she's bitten by a vampire in a supernatural brothel. Her day only gets worse from there. She wakes up in the morgue and discovers that her partner is dead. Before the sun rises, she realizes she is too. Jenna vows to continue their investigation until justice is served, but a werewolf squatter, an unexpected visit from her estranged sister, and a nosy FBI agent stand in her way. Not to mention her fresh aversion to sunlight and a thirst for something a little stiffer than revenge.
Source: Info in the About Blood Vice was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35022378-blood-vice on 02/01/2018.

Books in the Blood Vice series:
Book 1: BLOOD VICE   Book 2: BLOOD AND THUNDER   Book 3: BLOOD IN THE WATER   Book 4: BLOOD DOLLS Book 5: THICKER THAN BLOOD Book 6: BLOOD, SWEAT, AND TEARS


Review

My Thoughts:
I bought this book because I became a fan of this author's Lana Harvey, Reapers Inc. series. I wanted to see if this author's awesomeness would carry over to her other books. And I'm glad I checked out her other books because Angela Roquet's wonderful story telling quality does carry over to her other books! Unfortunately, so did the TSTL (too stupid to live) element. It has reared up it's ugly head again. And that is why, even though this book is good, I do not think that I would be buying/reading another book in this series again. I just couldn't tolerate the TSTL!

The plot... like the Pocket Full Of Posies, of the Lana Harvey, Reapers Inc. series, was pretty simplistic. Or rather, it ranges from simple to non-existent. However with Lana Harvey I could excuse it by saying that it was never a crime fiction or thriller to begin with. That series was more of the "fantasy" bit rather than the urban, in the urban fantasy category. Blood Vice though is suppose to be a police/crime sort of thing. I kinda expected the plot to be a little thicker. Guess I was expecting too much.

This would be my second book series listening to Hollie Jackson and I'm happy to say that I still like her narration. I still agree with her interpretation. And would happily buy her books again!

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 4.5
Character development = 3
Story itself = 3
Writing Style = 4
Ending = 2
World building = 4.5
Cover art = 4.5
Pace = (5 hours and 40 minutes listening time)
Plot = 3
Narration = 5

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 cherries


The Author

About Angela Roquet:
USA Today bestselling Angela Roquet is a great big weirdo. She collects Danger Girl comic books, owls, skulls, random craft supplies, and all things Joss Whedon. She's a fan of renewable energy, marriage equality, and religious tolerance. As long as whatever you're doing isn't hurting anyone, she's a fan of you, too.

Angela lives in Missouri with her husband and son. She's a member of SFWA and HWA, as well as the Four Horsemen of the Bookocalypse, her epic book critique group, where she's known as Death. When she's not swearing at the keyboard, she enjoys painting, goofing off with her family and friends, and reading books that raise eyebrows.

GRAVEYARD SHIFT, the first novel in Angela's Lana Harvey, Reapers Inc. series, is now available for FREE on Kindle, Nook, Kobo, & iBooks. You can find Angela online at www.angelaroquet.com


The Narrator

About Hollie Jackson:
With over 200 audiobooks narrated and produced, Hollie Jackson has worked with both indie and USA Today bestselling authors across a wide range of genres. Hollie's voice brings characters of all types to vibrant, compelling life, allowing the listener to sit back and enjoy the story.

Growing up in a military family, Hollie found herself lost in the world of poetry and prose, and truly enjoys sharing that joy with others through spoken and written word. As an author, she understands the importance of drawing the reader into the world of the story. As a voracious reader, she enjoys an eclectic range of genre and carries that over into the studio: from contemporary romance to paranormal thrillers, historical fiction to epic fantasy, from erotica to tamer New Adult/Young Adult titles.

Everyone has a story to tell, and Hollie loves to bring those stories to life, one word at a time.
The information about Hollie Jackson was taken from https://tantor.com/narrator/hollie-jackson.html on 25/12/2017.



FTC Disclosure:
This book was purchased with private funds.
No money received for this review.

Wednesday 5 September 2018

FOR THE BIRDS


The Book

For The Birds by Angela Roquet
Book 3 of the Lana Harvey, Reapers Inc. series
Read by Hollie Jackson
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: ebook & audiobookAudiobook


About For The Birds:
Lana Harvey isn't just any reaper. She's the new captain of the Posy Unit, a specialty group dedicated to harvesting mass quantities of souls from natural disaster sites, battlefields, and the like. The new title didn't come without a price though. Lana made some promises along the way, and now it's time to follow through... even if that means putting herself in the path of the three Fates, a fickle and mighty force to be reckoned with. The Fates run a soul recycling plant in Limbo City, and if Lana isn't careful, they just might recycle her.
Source: Info in the About For The Birds was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17830430-for-the-birds on 30/12/2017.

Books in the Lana Harvey, Reapers Inc. series:
Book 1: GRAVEYARD SHIFT   Book 2: POCKET FULL OF POSIES   Book 3: FOR THE BIRDS   Book 4: PSYCHOPOMP   OFF THE BEATEN PATH 1: EIGHT TALES OF THE PARANORMAL   Book 5: DEATH WISH   Book 5.5: SEASON'S REAPINGS   Book 6: GHOST MARKET   Book 7: HELLFIRE AND BRIMSTONE


Review

My Thoughts:
With this book, the series has really taken off. The first two books were good, but they mainly involved establishing the "basics", as in, laying the ground work for the rest of the series. Like a "coming of age" kind of theme. With this book, our main protagonist kicked ass! So this book is no longer a 4.5, but a full 5, even though it still ended in a cliffhanger. This book therefore is the best in the series yet. Hopefully, it will be up and up from here on and not a jump off the ledge at some point... Like the previous book, the title still do not make sense... And this book might be the best story but it is the worst cover art yet in the series... However, despite all that moaning, I would still give this book a five. Yes, it was a good read! And no, the individual rating of the parts does not come up to 5, but, the whole is more than its parts. By now, this series and author has gained a firm fan in me. So much so that I bought the first book in another series by this author. We'll see how the goodness of this author translate in her other books...

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 4.5
Character development = 4.5
Story itself = 5
Writing Style = 5
Ending = 3
World building = 5
Cover art = 3
Pace = (6 hours and 45 minutes listening time)
Plot = 4.5
Narration = 5

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 cherries


The Author

About Angela Roquet:
USA Today bestselling Angela Roquet is a great big weirdo. She collects Danger Girl comic books, owls, skulls, random craft supplies, and all things Joss Whedon. She's a fan of renewable energy, marriage equality, and religious tolerance. As long as whatever you're doing isn't hurting anyone, she's a fan of you, too.

Angela lives in Missouri with her husband and son. She's a member of SFWA and HWA, as well as the Four Horsemen of the Bookocalypse, her epic book critique group, where she's known as Death. When she's not swearing at the keyboard, she enjoys painting, goofing off with her family and friends, and reading books that raise eyebrows.

GRAVEYARD SHIFT, the first novel in Angela's Lana Harvey, Reapers Inc. series, is now available for FREE on Kindle, Nook, Kobo, & iBooks. You can find Angela online at www.angelaroquet.com


The Narrator

About Hollie Jackson:
With over 200 audiobooks narrated and produced, Hollie Jackson has worked with both indie and USA Today bestselling authors across a wide range of genres. Hollie's voice brings characters of all types to vibrant, compelling life, allowing the listener to sit back and enjoy the story.

Growing up in a military family, Hollie found herself lost in the world of poetry and prose, and truly enjoys sharing that joy with others through spoken and written word. As an author, she understands the importance of drawing the reader into the world of the story. As a voracious reader, she enjoys an eclectic range of genre and carries that over into the studio: from contemporary romance to paranormal thrillers, historical fiction to epic fantasy, from erotica to tamer New Adult/Young Adult titles.

Everyone has a story to tell, and Hollie loves to bring those stories to life, one word at a time.
The information about Hollie Jackson was taken from https://tantor.com/narrator/hollie-jackson.html on 25/12/2017.



FTC Disclosure:
This book was purchased with private funds.
No money received for this review.