The Laughing Listener
June 2018
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Piper Goodeve
Length: 9 hours & 25 minutes

DNF at 35%

I actually feel kind of bad about this DNF because I think the potential is there. It's obvious every detail of this universe was thought out and I applaud Kat Ross for her attention to detail. But DAMN is it all thrown at you fast!! So much information within the first few chapters!! I was so dang confused—for a WHILE—and even had to go back and re-listen to giant chunks of audio to try and understand what was going on. Hell I'm STILL confused. Apparently the printed version has a glossary of terms, but I don't even think that would have helped if I had it.

Plus, everything is so rushed in the beginning. Not only are we being thrown all this information, but everything happens so fast! When it was revealed that Nazafareen was 17, I was genuinely shocked to learn that so much time had gone by without my even knowing. Things got a little more interesting when Darius showed up, but I suddenly realized that I didn't care enough about these characters to be putting in this much effort to keep up.

Sorry guys, just not for me.

The Laughing Listener
June 2019

DNF @ 36%

Ahhhhh I tried so hard to get into this one and I actually feel really bad for not being able to finish because from what I can tell, the author seems like a lovely person, but this just wasn’t my cup of tea. It’s not really the book’s fault at all, but more about personal preference. When I saw this on Netgalley, I decided to download it at the recommendations of friends despite sounding a little outside of my tastes. Plus, I was so intrigued by all the underworld stuff! In the end though, this story was very fantasy dystopia which isn’t really a genre I’m into.

The story was actually really interesting and I love the way Kerin handled the plot because it’s so unlike anything I’ve read. So hats off for that! The characters, however, seemed to lean a little on the 2-dimensional side and I couldn’t help wanting more from them. I was dying to know more about their life before General Simeon like how they grew up and what their parents were like. And I think I just wanted a little more emotion to connect with as a reader. I didn’t really perk up until we heard from General Simeon’s point of view because he’s so vile, but yet interesting at the same time—complex and layered. I also wanted to know more about the world Seycia and Miko live in. To be fair, I stopped reading, so this might come into play later on in the book. But we don’t get to see much of the world before the story shifts more towards the Underworld and I was dying to know more about the universe.

Overall, this was such an interesting story but it fell a little flat for me and was outside of my tastes as a reader.

The Laughing Listener
July 2018
Format: Kindle Ebook

DNF @ 18%

I should probably start this by warning everyone of my only child status, which causes me to have a disconnect with sibling relationships in books sometimes. I don’t really know what’s it’s like to be or have a sibling and I think I can judge characters too harshly because of this. That being said, I thought Sophia in this book was WACK.

Right off the bat I could tell this world was well thought out. I was intrigued by it, but dang, we’re thrown right in the action and it was kind of jarring. The opening scene is of sisters Sophia and Kate fleeing their terrible orphanage in a high action chase. But having just met these characters, I found myself weirdly disinterested in the outcome. I wish there had been a bit more build up to it. It would have been great to have a small glimpse of their life in the orphanage and their familial bond before seeing them run away. I would have cared a lot more.

After they ditch their pursuers, Sophia and Kate must decide what to do next and they have very different opinions. With Sophia being more feminine and soft and Kate more rugged and strong, they are “two sides of the same coin” (as the book says). I really admired Kate’s strength and her longing for freedom. She wanted to flee to the countryside where they could learn to fight and take care of themselves away from prying eyes. Ummm, which makes perfect sense??? But Sophia comes up with some wacko plan to become a royal. She wants to go to the castle and just blend into high society. Because yeah, THAT’S TOTALLY HOW IT WORKS.



When I left the book they decided to part ways. Kate is going to run off and learn how to fight while Sophia goes to the castle to carry out her insane plan to blend into royalty and land herself a sugar daddy. I have no doubt that Sophia will probably succeed somehow, but I REALLY don’t feel like sitting around and watching her carry out a plan that’s riddled with holes and problems. If this book was just about Kate, I’d probably keep reading, but Sophia killed this for me.

Plus, it’s pretty apparent that Sophia knows what happened to their parents and Kate doesn’t. They’ve spent years in a crappy orphanage and poor Kate has no idea why. Sophia refuses to share it with her for whatever reason and I thought that was so sucky!! Maybe Sophia’s reasons were good, but Kate still has a right to know what happened to her own parents! Ugh.

Sorry guys, this one just wasn’t for me.