Review: GRAVE SECRET

Grave Secret by Charlaine Harris
Book 4 of the Harper Connelly series
Read by Alyssa Bresnahan
Format: audiobook

Genre: adult urban fantasy

 

About Grave Secret:

New in the series from New York Times bestselling author of the Sookie Stackhouse novels.

Lightning-struck sleuth Harper Connelly and her stepbrother Tolliver take a break from looking for the dead to visit the two little girls they both think of as sisters. But, as always happens when they travel to Texas, memories of their horrible childhood resurface.

To make matters worse, Tolliver learns from his older brother that their father is out of jail and trying to reestablish contact with other family members. Tolliver wants no part of the man- but he may not have a choice in the matter.

Soon, family secrets ensnare them both, as Harper finally discovers what happened to her missing sister, Cameron, so many years before.

And what she finds out will change her world forever.

Source: Info in the About Grave Secret was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6344832-grave-secret on 01/02/2012.
 

Narrative Evaluation:

Harper is no longer too stupid to live (TSTL) in this book!! I think that Charlaine Harris as a writer is getting better as more books comes out. This is the best book I’ve read of her thus far! Or listened to, in this case. And the best book in the Harper Connelly series! This book actually has a coherent plot structure, although the plot was just a tad “holey” with a bit of loose ends that was never tied up properly, but Harper is not obviously TSTL!! The narrative suggested that an act was a mistake on hindsight but there was never a follow up on the negative consequences of that act. In fact there was no further mentions about it… Loose ends in the plot, which ought to have brought the rating of this book a tad down but didn’t because I just had too much fun with this book. I think that is mostly because the author’s voice is also getting more compelling. I can’t stop listening to Harper Connelly audiobooks! Although I have to complain that this library copy is not very complete. I could clearly make out that bits of the audiobook is missing and the narration has jumped paragraphs. So I have to re-read this book in paperback format or something. Even with all that moaning, it does not negate the fact that this book delivers a wonderful reading/listening experience!

 

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 5
Character development = 5
Story itself = 4.5
Ending = 4.5
World building = 5
Cover art = 4
Pace = N/A (8-hour playing time)
Plot = 4.5
Narrator = 4.5
 

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries

 

Thank you to Audiobook Collection (EBSCOhost) and RCT Library for letting me borrow this digital audiobook!!

FTC Disclosure:
This audiobook was borrowed from the library. No money received for this review.

Review: AN ICE COLD GRAVE

An Ice Cold Grave by Charlaine Harris
Book 3 of the Harper Connelly series
Read by Alyssa Bresnahan
Format: audiobook

Genre: urban fantasy

About An Ice Cold Grave:

Hired to find a boy gone missing in Doraville, North Carolina, Harper Connelly and her brother Tolliver head there – only to discover that the boy was only one of several who had disappeared over the previous five years. All of them teenagers. All unlikely runaways. All calling for Harper. Harper soon finds them – eight victims, buried in the half-frozen ground, all come to an unspeakable end. Afterwards, what she most wants to do is collect her fee and get out of town ahead of the media storm that’s soon to descend. But when she’s attacked and prevented from leaving, she reluctantly becomes a part of the investigation as she learns more than she cares to about the dark mysteries and long-hidden secrets of Doraville – knowledge that makes her the next person likely to rest in an ice-cold grave.

Source: Info in the About An Ice Cold Grave was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/140097.An_Ice_Cold_Grave on 03/02/2012.

Review:

The most prominent feature I can say about An Ice Cold Grave is the change of this series’ classification. With this book, this series can no longer be classified as Young Adult as I would have said of Books 1 & 2. This series has now taken on an adult theme similar to the Sookie Stackhouse series and True Blood. Thus the PA sticker above.

I was slightly disappointed with this book with the return of Harper’s too stupid to live (TSTL) trait. I find it really annoying! Having said that, I also have to acknowledge that Harper’s TSTL is not as bad as it was in Book 1. So there is an improvement in Ms. Harris‘s writing style in the TSTL department. The plot. I find it rather weak and depended on Harper acting stupid to round up the story. Which also brought the suspension of disbelief down a notch. However, it is also undeniable that this book, like the other books in this series and in the Sookie Stackhouse series, has masterful story telling quality with vivid world building. You gotta give kudos for that!! But because I already have Book 4 in this series, I would still continue listening to Grave Secret even though this one was a slight disappointment.

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 4.5
Character development =3.5
Story itself = 3.5
Ending = 3
World building = 5
Cover art = 1
Pace = N/A (8-hour playing time)
Plot = 3
Narrator = 4.5

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 cherries

Thank you to Audiobook Collection (EBSCOhost) and RCT Library for letting me borrow this digital audiobook!!

FTC Disclosure:
This audiobook was borrowed from the library. No money received for this review.

Review: GRAVE SURPRISE

Grave Surprise by Charlaine Harris
Book 2 of the Harper Connelly series
Read by Alyssa Bresnahan
Format: audiobook CD
Genre: urban fantasy

About Grave Surprise:

Charlaine Harris is already a star and a New York Times bestseller with her vampire mysteries starring Sookie Stackhouse and her Lily Bard mysteries. This second installment to her new supernatural mystery series might just be her biggest hit yet. Grave Sight’s Harper Connelly is back, and her ability to find the dead and see their last moments is in higher demand than ever…

A college class gets more than it bargained for when Harper gives a demonstration of her uncanny talent. Instead of just finding one body in an old grave, she finds two: the original occupant and a recently deceased girl whom Harper had tried, and failed, to find two years previously. To dispel suspicions about her own innocence, Harper and her stepbrother Tolliver undertake their own hunt to find the killer-only to find yet another body in the same grave.

Source: Info in the About Grave Surprise was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/140078.Grave_Surprise on 03/02/2012.

Review:

This book is better than Grave Sight! It seems like Charlaine Harris is improving in her writing style as she writes more books! If this trend continues, this series could be more addictive than the Sookie Stackhouse ever was! And I almost did not listen to this audiobook because Harper Connelly, the main protagonist, was too stupid to live (TSTL) in Book 1. However, she was not TSTL in this book. There were hints but nothing out and out stupidity like Sookie does usually! I can readily forgive “hints of stupidity”, given that this book has such wonderful story telling quality and world building!! Now, I am sooo glad that I have Books 3 and 4 borrowed from the library as well! So be warned: this series is even more addictive than the Sookie Stackhouse series!!

I don’t know whether I am just getting so used to Alyssa Bresnahan or that her narrating skills is actually good, but I find her voice not only easy to the ears but her reading is quite good. Diction is appropriate. Words distinct. And I was wondering how she and other narrators managed to change the timbre of their voice to make it sound male and female yet be the same reader. That must have been a real talent… unless they use a voice filter or something. Still, I like it. It makes listening easier. It makes distinguishing between characters easier. I would listen to other audiobooks by this narrator again.

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 5
Character development = 4
Story itself = 4
Ending = 4
World building = 5
Cover art = 2
Pace = N/A (8-hour playing time)
Plot = 4
Narrator = 5

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 cherries

Thank you to RCT Library for letting me borrow this audiobook!!

FTC Disclosure:
This audiobook was borrowed from the library. No money received for this review.