Novel by Coco Ma
All of my audiobook reviews are always completely spoiler free. Enjoy!
6.8.2024
You Have My Attention
Chapter 1 thru 2
I am familiar with the audio work of Saskia Maarleveld. She is a narrator that I search out on audible when I am looking for a new series or book to try. As I have mentioned before, I tend to search for books based on who is reading them. The plot or author is rarely known to me and I don’t really care about that at all. This can result in me finding a new author that I love or can result in me listening to a terrible book that just happens to have a great narrator.
In the case of Shadow Frost … the story is interesting to me and Saskia is doing the kind of work that I love to hear from her. She sounds SO MUCH like Lucy Lawless … especially in the opening prologue. I was just mesmerized and loving every second of the narration. It absolutely sucked me in. It was so powerful and had a creeping dread that made me excited to move forward into the rest of the story.
I was exhausted when I went to bed so I didn’t hear much but I was intrigued with the main character Asterin and her affinities.
I am looking forward to diving into this story!
Story this session: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
6.9.2024
Not Exactly My Taste
Chapter 3 thru 8
I’m a bit spoiled from some of the earlier books I have enjoyed … I am always interested in female leads and I’ve been lucky enough to happen upon some really great ones both in the sapphic genre and otherwise. I am majorly spoiled from reading Rin Chupeco’s Bone Witch series. I didn’t finish it because I didn’t want it to end … but I have yet to experience anything as amazing as that story and that character. I recently really enjoyed Allegra Pescatore’s The Last Gift series and as far as “a princess with skills” and the flawless Dorsa series from Eliza Andrews which really has set a kind of bar for me on leading women rulers …
That said … I am aware that every book is it’s own thing and I need to see them in their own way and not compare them. Every author is different and some books are for younger readers and some books are LGBTQ+ focused I know … What I mean to say is that in experiencing different stories, especially those read by different performers, I have come to find what I enjoy about these particular kinds of characters. For someone like me who does not read books, only listens to them, the narrator makes a huge difference in how the character comes across to me.
Asterin and her relationship with one of the newly introduced characters is just kind of annoying and childish. The whole boys treating women badly as some way of showing affection … just feels like something out of middle school. It turns me off. I think this person is supposed to be some kind of romantic consideration and it just gives me so much eyeroll. I was very interested in Asterin as a female lead with a lot of power and responsibility, on top of which she is a fighter who can knock any male on his ass with her skills. For her to fall for some asshole who treats her disrespectfully … just makes me instantly dislike her and lose respect for her. The book kind of reads like a reverse harem anime … and it just really makes me not interested.
Women who get turned on by men who mistreat them is a weird fetish that I just don’t get. It’s not for me.
I really liked how the book started and the build up to Asterin’s struggles with her powers … but now it’s just … boring AF and I don’t like her anymore.
I may try something different for a few days. I may or may not come back to this series.
Story this session: 2.0 out of 5.0 stars2.0