New Author and New Narrator

Chapters 1 thru 6

If I could give this more stars I would.

A Curious Beginning is an absolutely wonderful beginning and it’s giving one of my favorite series Susan Dennard‘s Something Strange and Deadly. Curious Beginning is not gas lamp, but it is Victorian England adventures. It’s giving Strange and Deadly because of it’s heroine, Veronica Speedwell who I believe would get along swimmingly with Eleanor Fitt.

I love strong Victorian women who are not just some man’s Girl Friday or playing second fiddle to some overblown, obnoxiously broken male lead. This book was first published in 2015, long before the men of the world took a downward turn into disgusting beasts who hate women and who have brought the entire country to ruin. In 2025 I have no patience for men and just reading about them and their smug, disgusting misogynistic attitudes is very triggering and ruins a lot of books for me now.

Stoker waves so many red flags and does drag the story into a place where it’s hard to listen to, but I know that’s the genre and I get that he’s supposed to be kind of a washed up Alan Quartermain/Indiana Jones asshole who needs a strong woman to get him functional and worth something again. I understand that. I’m just exhausted by that trope right now. The whole “he’s not a bad man he’s just broken and needs a good woman” bullshit. No, they are broken and women should stay far away from them but anyway …

I would enjoy Veronica in her own series WITHOUT the male counterpart that treats her like a third class citizen when she is more intelligent, more capable, and more interesting than he is. But again, I know this is the genre and I am trying to put my disgust of men aside and enjoy it. It’s just hard in 2025 to do that but Deanna couldn’t have known where we’d be when she wrote this series, so I need to listen like it’s 2015 and we aren’t literally living in Republic of Gilead.

I ADORE Veronica Speedwell in the same way I adored Eleanor Fitt. She is no nonsense, she is confident, she is BRILLIANT, and she is one of the best heroines I’ve come across since Strange and Deadly in this adventure genre. She gives Lucy Honeychurch plus Lucy Westenra plus Eleanor Lavish plus Rin Chupeco’s Tea in Bone Witch. She’s got all the elements of all those amazing women that I love in different ways.

If this book was supernatural gas lamp it would tick every single box for me but I’m pretty sure it’s just a mystery novel like Lady Sherlock style. That’s ok because I LOVE it so far, even despite the male lead. Veronica is the bright light for me and I love that it’s written from her unique perspective.

Her character, played by Angele Masters is phenomenal. Angele is a new narrator for me and she’s totally amazing and she even does men and boys well. Some women don’t. Sometimes it sounds really awful and they only have one “male” voice they can do and everything is a variation of it based on pitch. Angele does a wonderful job with both and her reading style is perfect. I wish she would do more line reads sometimes (i.e. laughing on a line when the character laughs) but I’m not going to complain about that. She has a wonderful tone and cadence and her characters are epic.

I loved the first 6 chapters and I am intrigued with how the story will go. I have already purchased the next two audiobooks for myself and the Kindle versions for my tribemate. I know she’s going to love Veronica as well.

Story this session: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Narration: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0

Didn’t Go Where I Expected

Chapters 17 thru 29

Well that didn’t go where I expected! Interesting twist and I really didn’t expect that.

In a followup to what I previously wrote, I will just say that the ending was something that I could absolutely live with especially if things move forward in the way that it left off.

I PREFER equal partners in things especially when the woman is so obviously superior to all the men in the story and she’s the one who comes in an elevates them to not only a better understanding of a woman’s power in the world, but also making them better because they’re painfully lacking in the basics of functioning as human beings.

I want to go on and read more of the books if there is going to be an equal adventure for these two, not if they’re going to end up as some kind of gross pairing.

I loved the ending of this book in the same way that I loved the ending of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow especially when it came to how the main pairing ended up and I know it was partly in the time in which it was set that they’re not gonna get all hot and heavy or something … but I also think it was a great choice for them to remain as partners in adventure in the truest sense.

I know that not everyone believes this … but, for me, and a lot of people I know … romantic couplings are not the ONLY way for a story to go and certainly not always the best choice. Sometimes being partners is even more positive and even more empowering especially when the woman is the focus.

I look forward to the next book and I hope that I won’t be disappointed. I’m prepared to be though.

Story this session: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Narration: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0