Waistcoats & Weaponry by Gail Carriger {audiobook review}

Waistcoats & Weaponry
by Gail Carriger
♦publisher: Little Brown BYR
♦release date: November 4th, 2014
♦hardcover, 298 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦series: Finishing School, book 3
  review of book 1: Etiquette & Espionage
  review of book 2: Curtsies & Conspiracies
♦source: purchased book, audiobook from library

Sophronia continues her second year at finishing school in style—with a steel-bladed fan secreted in the folds of her ball gown, of course. Such a fashionable choice of weapon comes in handy when Sophronia, her best friend Dimity, sweet sootie Soap, and the charming Lord Felix Mersey stowaway on a train to return their classmate Sidheag to her werewolf pack in Scotland. 

No one suspected what—or who—they would find aboard that suspiciously empty train. Sophronia uncovers a plot that threatens to throw all of London into chaos and she must decide where her loyalties lie, once and for all.

Review: This series just continues to be fabulous and absolutely the most fun of any steampunk adventure I’ve ever read. For this third installment, I decided to try out the audiobook and I have no regrets! Narrator Moira Quirk really brought this story to life and did a fantastic job relating the fast pace of the plot as well as sliding impressively from one voice and accent to the other. 

Sophronia and friends are back in action. I have come to really adore all of these characters, each with so much individuality, even her little reticule mechanimal dog sometimes steals the show with his personality! Every character is layered and adds so much to the story. This time the plot is very much centered around Sidheag and her family of werewolves, and it was great to get a dose of backstory on her, and ultimately on Felix and his family as well! 

Despite my continued love of this series, I did have a few issues this time around. Firstly, as Sophronia gets older the love triangle with Soap and Felix gets more prevalent. Generally love triangles are not deal breakers for me, but she was just so swoony and undecisive over both of them, it got a little tiresome after a while. Secondly, while the plot was full of excitement and held my attention completely without fail, this installment felt the most like a segue between books than any of the others. Still, a fun and excitement-filled adventure with all the cool weapons, the clever rescue plans, the loyal friendships...so much to love about this series and I can’t wait to dive into book 4!

One final note: THE FAN. I need the fan, people. This year, Sophronia learns to fight with a bladed metal fan (as you can see on the cover) and it lends to some really beautifully written fight sequences. While listening to the audio was an great experience, what I wouldn’t give to see this wild steampunk adventure series made into movies! They would be so beautiful! 

Find Gail Carriger online: Website  •  Twitter  •  Facebook

Purchase Waistcoats  & Weaponry:  Indiebound  •  BookDepository  •  Amazon

SYNC Free Audiobook Downloads for Summer 2014!

It's that time again, audiobook fans!  Every summer, SYNC offers an awesome lineup of free audiobooks, two each week with a coordinating theme, usually a current title paired with a classic.  There are some truly awesome titles available this year and I definitely plan to grab some of these!

Check out the line-up and download dates:
May 15 – May 21
WARP: THE RELUCTANT ASSASSIN by Eoin Colfer, Narrated by Maxwell Caulfield (Listening Library)  
THE TIME MACHINE by H.G. Wells, Narrated by Derek Jacobi (Listening Library)

May 22 – May 28  
CRUEL BEAUTY by Rosamund Hodge, Narrated by Elizabeth Knowelden (Harper Audio)
OEDIPUS THE KING by Sophocles, Performed by Michael Sheen and a full cast (Naxos AudioBooks)

May 29 – June 4  
CONFESSIONS OF A MURDER SUSPECT by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, Narrated by Emma Galvin (Hachette Audio)
THE MURDER AT THE VICARAGE by Agatha Christie, Narrated by Richard E. Grant (Harper Audio)

June 5 – June 11  
ALL OUR YESTERDAYS by Cristin Terrill, Narrated by Meredith Mitchell (Tantor Audio)
JULIUS CAESAR by William Shakespeare, Performed by Richard Dreyfuss, JoBeth Williams, Stacy Keach, Kelsey Grammer, and a full cast (L.A. Theatre Works)

June 12 – June 18  
CODE NAME VERITY by Elizabeth Wein, Narrated by Morven Christie and Lucy Gaskell (Bolinda Audio)  
THE HIDING PLACE by Corrie Ten Boom, John Sherrill, Elizabeth Sherrill, Narrated by Bernadette Dunne (christianaudio)

June 19 – June 25  
I’D TELL YOU I LOVE YOU, BUT THEN I’D HAVE TO KILL YOU by Ally Carter, Narrated by Renée Raudman (Brilliance Audio)
ANNE OF GREEN GABLES by L.M. Montgomery, Narrated by Colleen Winton (Post Hypnotic Press)

June 26 – July 2
FORGIVE ME, LEONARD PEACOCK by Matthew Quick, Narrated by Noah Galvin (Hachette Audio)  
OCTOBER MOURNING: A Song for Matthew Shepard by Lesléa Newman, Narrated by Emily Beresford, Luke Daniels, Tom Parks, Nick Podehl, Kate Rudd, Christina Traister (Brilliance Audio)

July 3 – July 9  
TORN FROM TROY by Patrick Bowman, Narrated by Gerard Doyle (Post Hypnotic Press)
PETER AND THE STARCATCHERS by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, Narrated by Jim Dale (Brilliance Audio)

July 10 – July 16  
CLAUDETTE COLVIN: Twice Toward Justice by Philip Hoose, Narrated by Channie Waites (Brilliance Audio)
WHILE THE WORLD WATCHED by Carolyn Maull McKinstry with Denise George, Narrated by Felicia Bullock (Oasis Audio)

July 17 – July 23  
THE CASE OF THE CRYPTIC CRINOLINE by Nancy Springer, Narrated by Katherine Kellgren (Recorded Books)  
THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES II by Arthur Conan Doyle, Narrated by David Timson (Naxos AudioBooks)

July 24 – July 30  
HEADSTRONG by Patrick Link, Performed by Deidrie Henry, Ernie Hudson, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine and Scott Wolf (L.A. Theatre Works)  
THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE by Robert Louis Stevenson, Narrated by Scott Brick (Tantor Audio)

July 31 – August 6  
DIVIDED WE FALL by Trent Reedy, Narrated by Andrew Eiden (Scholastic Audio)
THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE by Stephen Crane, Narrated by Frank Muller (Recorded Books)

August 7 – August 13  
LIVING A LIFE THAT MATTERS by Ben Lesser, Narrated by Jonathan Silverman and Ben Lesser (Remembrance Publishing)
THE SHAWL by Cynthia Ozick, Narrated by Yelena Shmulenson (HighBridge Audio)

Check out their website HERE to find the download links! 
See any that you're excited to snag?? I'll definitely have it on my calender reminders to download Cruel Beauty, Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Peter and the Starcatchers, All Our Yesterdays, Code Name Verity, I'd tell you, but then I'd Have to Kill You, and Murder at the Vicarage!! So much good stuff! 

Recommend{2}Me: Audiobooks

Calling all audiobook junkies!! I need your recommendations! I have a few Audible credits built up and I want to hear what you think I should use them on. What I'm looking for is something in the YA or MG genre. So...tell me! What is the best audiobook you've listened to lately?? Or one that you very highly recommend?

Review: The Hunger Games Audiobook

The Hunger Games Audiobook Edition
by Suzanne Collins

Read by Carolyn McCormick

publisher: Scholastic

release date: October 1st, 2008

intended audience: Young adult


source: purchased from Audible

description:
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister Primrose, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before — and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

Review: Okay. Let me have it. I can hear the collective gasp of my blog readers saying, "What?? You're just reading this now??" Believe me, I'm asking myself why it took me so long to get to this book. After hearing amazing review after amazing review for this entire series, and telling myself again and again to fit it in, the day finally came. And though there may have been some underlying worry that it wouldn't live up to the hype, I can happily say that that worry was squashed within the first few chapters. Really, what can I even say that hasn't been said before? This story is amazing. I was gasping, crying, cheering, cringing, and shaking my head in utter awe. It's completely horrifying and shocking and heart-wrenching and exciting and gruesome and heroic and in all these mind-blowing things is still manages to be just a little bit romantic...all these things are just wrapped up into one extremely compelling tale.

I am actually really happy with my decision to listen to this one on audiobook. The reader, Carolyn McCormick, did a fantastic job. The intonation and intensity of her voice was perfect for the feel of the story and each character really came through. Another great thing about listening to this on audiobook: I know if I had read it, I wouldn't have been able to help speeding through it. I can only imagine that the Hunger Games in print is absolutely unputdownable (made up word? Maybe. But you know what I mean.) . With the audiobook, it self-paces the story. I was able to savor it and get caught up in the really intense scenes without tearing through them.

Even if you've already read the books, I highly recommend giving the audiobooks a listen.

As for the movie...VERY excited now. And just a little nervous, because this stunning book is a lot to live up to. Also, a lot of story is told in Katniss's internal voice, so we'll see how well that transfers to the big screen. I do think it was very well cast, though! I actually love the casting of Cinna, who was one of my favorite characters. I don't think I'll be able to help going to see it on opening weekend! I'm bringing plenty of tissue, because I know as soon as I see "certain" characters, I'm going to be a freaking sniveling mess.

Thanks to everyone who has ever recommended this! Its quite a reading/listening experience!

In My Mailbox {90}

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, where we all share what we got during the week!

For Review:
Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
YAY!!! That is all.

Exile by Jakob Ejersbo
This one came unsolicited, and I'm not sure it's going to be my cup of tea. From the description, I'd guess it's going to be a little too gritty and depressing for me. Though it did come all the way from the UK, so I'd like to make sure it gets a review---anyone in the US that's interested can contact me!

Bought:
The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa
These books are so gorgeous! I think this was my favorite cover of the series. Now that I have them all, I'm going to read the series all the way through!

New on my Nook:

For review:
Become by Ali Cross
Ali contacted me after seeing this one on my WoW picks last week! Yay! Can't wait to read this! :D

Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman
This one sounds amazing, so excited. Yup, I used the UK cover instead of the US---because it is way more gorgeous! lol If I end up loving this one, I'll be ordering from Book Depository just to get the cover I love!

And on audiobook:

Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

I was thrilled this week to find out that Audible.com finally put out an Android app!! I think it's actually been out for awhile, but I'm just hearing about it now. So I immediately signed up and grabbed this one. It's read by the amazing Jim Dale. Listening to it just makes me miss one of my favorite cancelled-way-too-early shows, Pushing Daisies!

Many thanks to Little Brown Books, Random House, Quercus, and Ali Cross for the books to review!