30 Books in 30 Days, Vol. 2
Book 26/30
I’m sad that I’m rating this three stars, but it’s representative of my experience listening to the audiobook. If/when I re-read, I think I will like it better. Also, when I see where the story is going in book three. Sad face.
My biggest takeaway from this book is that I found it extremely difficult to make everything that was happening cohere into a story in my mind. Everything felt so disconnected, and so I was almost constantly confused, like wait who’s that? And that? Are they important? Have we met them before? But it wasn’t just forgetting stuff, with the characters I previously loved, like Serapio and Okoa and Xiala, I also felt extremely disconnected and often struggled to understand their motivations for what they were doing. Like, whyyyy did Xiala leave the capital when she wanted to go see Serapio? I still have no idea. Also also, what are even all the sides? And who is on what side? And what is going on???
Probably the weirdest thing for me is the one-eighty I did on Naranpa, who was by far my least favorite character to read from in the first book. Here, her chapters were the best, the most clear, the most affecting. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Cara Gee, who was by far the best narrator, was the one narrating her chapters. I didn’t actively dislike any of the other four narrators, but I didn’t think they did a good job bringing the story to life, either.
Even through my confusion and apathy, the end of the story was pretty cool, so I can imagine that had I been gelling with the rest of the book, it would have been completely awesome. I know this was me and my experience, though, and that this wasn’t a bad book. It’s getting way too good of reviews by people I trust and usually have similar opinions to. I really do think the audiobook and I just didn’t mix, and I mad the wrong choice. I read the hardcover for the first two, and I have to go back for the last book. Hopefully the cover for book three isn’t so ugly, which is why I didn’t read the hardcover for this book. I didn’t want that ugly cover in my house, but hidden away in my Audible app is fine.
