Hall Ways Blog: Bride ~ Audio Book Blog Tour, Review, Audio Clip, & Giveaway!

BRIDE

BY KYLE ALEXANDER ROMINES

Narrated by Becca Ballenger

Length: 9 hours 52 minutes

Released: Apr. 14, 2018

Genre: Horror / Romance

The year is 1795. Frankenstein’s monster has given his creator an ultimatum: Victor must build the creature a mate, or watch as the monster destroys everything and everyone he has ever loved.

You know their story.

You don’t know hers.

She is born into darkness, her destiny entwined with an unspeakable evil. Her sole companion is her creator, the inscrutable Victor Frankenstein, gatekeeper to a life she has never experienced. As her understanding of humanity takes shape, she must contend with the horrific nature of her intended mate and conflicting feelings for her creator.

She wants more from life than to be the bride of Frankenstein’s monster, but will she seek freedom, vengeance, or something else entirely?

HALL WAYS REVIEW: What first drew me to Bride by Kyle Alexander Romines was *SHOCK* the creepy cover. With the eerie coloring, stormy sky, graveyard, and of course, the shadowy veiled woman, how could I pass-up the chance to have a read (with my ears)? Happily, the story held within is just as intriguing in this interesting companion story to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Both books share the core elements of being horror with a bit of suspense and much tragedy, but Bride has the added element of romance. Strangely, it is really love that ultimately drives the action and consequences of nearly every event in the story – and it works.

Romines sets the stage with an excellent prologue that shows just how beautiful and vibrant main character Justine is before her death, and it shows just how quickly mob mentality can change the world in a blink of an eye. The consequences of that fateful day are far-reaching. As Justine is re-born, she’s also re-named Persephone. Even while Persephone doesn’t understand the significance of her name, readers know that it’s apropos enough. Just like the Greek goddess was abducted to become the wife of Hades, Justine was taken to become the wife of the Creature created by Victor Frankenstein.

As Persephone evolves and becomes smarter -- brilliant really -- she discovers love and tenderness. She reads stories that raise her awareness of feelings of affection, and naturally, she has those feelings for Victor. Again, author Kyle Romines does a terrific job of allowing readers to feel what Persephone feels and aptly describes her evolution as random pieces of Persephone’s memory return to her and she blossoms. But always lurking in the background is the Creature – fierce, dangerous, mysterious, but not wholly evil.

When Persephone grows smart enough to put the pieces together, she gets pissed… uh-oh. There is ruthlessly executed revenge, but there is also regret, heartbreak, love, and compassion – and Persephone the monster is more than anything else, human. Persephone struggles with her feelings, and her revelations make her (and readers) question who are the real monsters in the world.

Love is as much a driving force as hate and vengeance, which was a surprise to me. Had I known this beforehand, I likely would have passed on reading Bride, so I am glad I didn’t know. The book is longer than it needs to be, and there are two major plot holes that I feel need to be addressed regarding Victor and the Creature. However, Bride keeps the reader engaged and enthralled with its twists and turns, and the story finishes perfectly. Predictably, yes, but even this ending has an unexpected twist and there is definitely unfinished business that could merit another book. (I would read it.)

ABOUT THE NARRATION: Technically, there isn’t a single glitch in the recording. It’s professionally done, through and through. Narrator Becca Ballenger gives readers a wonderful performance with perfect pacing (I listened at regular speed). She speaks in a British accent, and in true Brit form, keeps the delivery fairly even with the emotions coming across in the enunciation and slight inflections of the words. Her voicing of Justine/Persephone is outstanding and authentic, making listeners forget they are hearing a work of fiction. She skillfully tackles male and female characters, giving each of them unique voices, and her delivery of the Creature’s lines perfectly conveys the rage within him. Well done.

Thank you to AudioBookWorm Promotions and the author for providing me an audio download in exchange for my honest opinion – the only kind I give.

I received this audio book as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Kyle Alexander Romines. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

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Kyle Alexander Romines is a teller of tales from the hills of Kentucky. He enjoys good reads, thunderstorms, and anything edible. His writing interests include fantasy, science fiction, horror, and western.

Kyle's debut horror novel, The Keeper of the Crows, appeared on the Preliminary Ballot of the 2015 Bram Stoker Awards in the category of Superior Achievement in a First Novel. He obtained his M.D. from the University of Louisville School of Medicine.

You can EMAIL Kyle and can also subscribe to his author newsletter to receive email updates and FREE electronic copies of his Warden of Fál prequel short, The Path of Vengeance, AND his horror/science fiction novella, The Chrononaut.

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A trained actor and a book lover, Becca has experience on stage, camera, and in front of the microphone, with over 19 audio books (and counting!) to her name. She graduated summa cum laude from Fordham University and has been performing as an actor in New York ever since. She is particularly adept with heightened language and dialects.