The Laughing Listener
March 2019
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Lauren Fortgang
Length: 9 hours & 21 minutes

Story Rating: 3 Stars
Performance Rating: 3 Stars
Overall Rating: 3 Stars

Ummmmmm… Okay. Did I read a different book than everyone else?? I’ve been putting off this review for a little while because I just DO NOT understand the hype around this thing. I am thoroughly befuddled.


My face at the end of this audiobook.

Everyone was terrible?? Like seriously, EVERYONE. The only character I liked consistently was Mal and I didn’t even like him that much. I hated Alina the entire time up until the very end when she finally got her shit together and fought back kinda. Also, why does everyone love the darkling so much????? I mean, I’ll try to hold judgement because I have two more books to get through. But seriously though, I’m so confused??? Call me crazy and old fashioned, but I like my love interests without all the emotional abuse and evil villainy, THANKS.



Plus, the plot wasn’t even that interesting to me. This gave me some major [b:Red Queen|22328546|Red Queen (Red Queen, #1)|Victoria Aveyard|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1449778912s/22328546.jpg|25037051] vibes and I had more fun reading that book than I did this one. Normal girl finds out she’s “special”— gets thrust into the magic world — needs to learn her new power — everything depends on her — shit hits the fan — blah blah blah blah blah. This was SO PREDICTABLE. I swear, if I didn’t want to meet this Nikolai person so badly I wouldn’t even keep reading the series. The Grishaverse also feels like a necessary prerequisite for [b:Six of Crows|23437156|Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1)|Leigh Bardugo|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1459349344s/23437156.jpg|42077459] (even though I’ve been told they’re separate) so BY GOD I’M FINISHING THESE BOOKS. But I’m going to keep being salty about it.

Here’s hoping there’s a major turn around for book two. *Crosses fingers*

I will say that the world building in this was super cool. I loved all the Russian inspiration Bardugo used and Alina’s time in the fancy palace was fun to listen to. And all those monsters in The Unsea were awesome! For some reason I pictured them like the hollows from Bleach and I loved it!!



FINAL WORD

I mean… I can’t tell you if Nikolai and Six of Crows is worth suffering through this yet. But right now I’m gonna say you can give this book a hard pass. #SorryNotSorry

#1 ↦ Shadow and Bone ↦ ✦✦✦✧✧
#2 ↦ [b:Siege and Storm|14061955|Siege and Storm (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #2)|Leigh Bardugo|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1362166252s/14061955.jpg|19699752] ↦ ?????
#3 ↦ [b:Ruin and Rising|14061957|Ruin and Rising (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #3)|Leigh Bardugo|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1392398530s/14061957.jpg|19699754] ↦ ?????