Boone: A Deep Series Prequel ~ Audiobook Review

 

BOONE: A Deep Series Prequel

written and narrated

by NICK SULLIVAN

Publisher: Wild Yonder Press

Genre: Action-Adventure

Length: 6 hours 50 minutes

Release date: May 27, 2024

HALL WAYS BLOG: AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: I absolutely loved getting the backstory of Boone from when he was a boy on up to meeting Em.  This prequel provides readers familiar with the books of The Deep Series not only a wider lens to Boone's life, but it adds more layers to his character and allows for a few ah-ha moments. 

While the story is interesting and well-narrated (as always) by the author, so any adventure lover can enjoy it, I think the value of BOONE is in what it provides for faithful series readers. I'd say this prequel works especially well any time after the 3rd or 4th installment. 

I am still behind by a novel or two on the series, but listening to the prequel has me ready to return to the sparkling waters, sparking romance, and spectacular adventures of The Deep Series novels, which I highly recommend. 

HALL WAYS BLOG'S OTHER REVIEWS OF BOOKS IN THIS SERIES:

Book One, Deep Shadow

Book Two, Deep Cut

Book Three, Deep Roots

Book Four, Deep Devil

Book Five, Deep Focus

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Born in East Tennessee, Nick Sullivan has spent most of his adult life as an actor in New York City, working in theater, television, film, and audio books. After recording hundreds of books over the last twenty years he decided to write his own. Decades of scuba diving and travel inspired the Caribbean Dive Adventures. The first book in this series, the best-selling Deep Shadow, is set in the island of Bonaire. Deep Cut picks up on the little Dutch island of Saba. For more information on this series, visit www.deepnovels.com

And for something completely different, visit zombiebigfoot.com to learn about his first novel, Zombie Bigfoot, which was #1 in Horror Comedy on Amazon.

Nick has been recording audiobooks since 1994 (starting on reel-to-reel) and has been listening to them even longer. He has narrated over four hundred fifty titles in nearly every genre.

Website⎮Twitter⎮Facebook⎮Goodreads

Blood and Remembrance ~ Blog Tour, Review, & Giveaway!

BLOOD AND REMEMBRANCE

by

CHRIS MANNO

Genre: Contemporary Literary Fiction
Publisher: Dark Horse Books
Publication Date: March 3, 2018

Number of Pages: 321 pages

Scroll down for giveaway!

Blood and Remembrance is the prequel to the award-winning Texas novel, East Jesus. This new, stand-alone story rampages from the west Texas plains to Huntsville's Death Row and back. Cowboys, ranchers, driven oilmen, desperate convicts and headstrong women grapple with truths of the heart, of life, and the coming of age in a dramatic struggle you'll live yourself and never forget.

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HALL WAYS REVIEW

“’Well,’ Randy said, gauging the clouds stacking themselves to the west like a promise they couldn’t keep...”

You know how it feels when there’s an afternoon, late spring storm brewing -- the clouds are roiling, the pressure changes, there’s electricity in the air? There might be a little break in the heat or in the clouds, but the sky is darkening, darkening with a likely funnel or two in the works. The waiting makes you uneasy, anxious even.  THAT is how it feels reading Blood and Remembrance by Chris Manno.  Storms are swirling around the lives of a wide cast of characters, and it seems unlikely any of them will survive unscathed. 

Blood and Remembrance is the prequel to East Jesus, which I read about two years ago, and which I now need to re-read.  BAR reveals the juicy small-town tidbits that clarify how the characters ended-up in the lives they lead in EJ, some seventeen years later. Some characters were messed-up and dysfunctional from the start; others had some light and hope in their lives, and goals for bigger and better things. But the oppression and consequences of bad choices and lack of ambition dim or extinguish most everything good. 

Sound grim? It is. Just as East Jesus has a mind-blowing ending, Blood and Remembrance begins with a brutal, attention grabbing start that has the reader reeling. From Huntsville to Rattlesnake Gulch, Texas, the characters in the story are their own worst enemies and seem to be on a crash-course with their bleak destinies. Readers will find themselves wanting to shout, “DON’T DO IT,” over and over again. And since the story is told from multiple points of view, each chapter brings new opportunities and new train wrecks looming on the horizon.

“It ain’t a lie if you told ‘em both the same thing,” Shirl said with a hint of hope but a side of regret. “It’s just what they both believe to be true.” 

Grim? Yes. Bleak? Yes. Riveting? Absolutely. The characters are richly drawn and so real that you carry their troubles with you when you aren’t reading. Author Chris Manno fleshes-out the quirks and complications of each personality, and he layers those over descriptions of time and place that put readers right into the story. Manno makes liberal use of similes and metaphors, but sometimes the frequency takes the punch out of those that are superbly done. He writes some beautiful, truly lyrical descriptions and has some that are so familiar, I snorted at the recognition.

"Mrs. Hogg kicked the organ into gear with a wheezy note that chugged into the hymn like an engine flooded, tentative, ungraceful, but eventually firing and catching hold."

I had some trouble reconciling the timeline in BAR. With mentions of Texas Governor Connally, Old Sparky, Fort Worth’s Ol’ South Pancake House, T.V. shows, and songs playing on the radio, it seems the story is set in the early sixties. But EJ is set in 1968 or 1969, I think (really need to re-read), which doesn’t work with the ages of the characters. There are some places that I needed more information to sketch out some of the vague existing relationships and to explain why characters behave as they do. (Truly, I think character Verlene could have a prequel story to this prequel story!)

The Grammar Policewoman in me struggled a bit. (Curse or a blessing, the badge is always on.) I reviewed a "near final" ARC of Blood and Remembrance, and it was a long way from being ready for prime time due to numerous typos and usage errors. My hope (and expectation) is that the final version will be cleanly edited, but the SPAG issues detract and distract nonetheless. (I imagine I will buy a final print copy (*Must always have same format and complete sets on the shelf. MUST.*) and will update this review accordingly.

Whether reading Blood and Remembrance before East Jesus, or vice-versa, I highly recommend reading them back-to-back for a reading experience unlike any other. WOW. Even two years and literally hundreds of books later, East Jesus has stuck with me – and I fully expect Blood and Remembrance to do the same. 

Thank you to the author and Lone Star Book Blog Tours for providing me an eBook ARC in exchange for my honest opinion – the only kind I give. 

Chris Manno of Fort Worth, Texas, earned a doctorate in English from Texas Christian University and teaches writing at Texas Wesleyan University. 

East Jesus, his first novel, was named “finalist” (second place) for Best Fiction of 2017 by the North Texas Book Festival. The novel takes a close-up, visceral look at West Texas life in 1969 and the good folks who lived it, grappling with notions of family, patriotism and violence, both domestic and in a far-off, unpopular war. 

Blood and Remembrance is the prequel to East Jesus, tracing the roots of the main characters in both books, examining the harsh but classically All-American story of life in the Texas panhandle. 

Manno is also the author of a third novel, Voodoo Rush, winner for Best Fiction of 2018 by the North Texas Book Festival, and a collection of short stories titled Short Fiction for the Impatient Reader. Both books are available from White Bird Publications of Austin Texas. 

Website  ║  Facebook ║ Twitter ║ Amazon Author Page

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VISIT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:

4/20/18	Promo	Books in the Garden
4/21/18	Review	The Clueless Gent
4/22/18	Author Interview	Texas Book Lover
4/23/18	Promo	The Librarian Talks
4/24/18	Review	Missus Gonzo
4/25/18	Promo	The Page Unbound
4/26/18	Promo	StoreyBook Reviews
4/27/18	Review	Reading by Moonlight
4/28/18	Promo	Max Knight
4/29/18	Review	Hall Ways Blog

   blog tour services provided by

  

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The Queen and the Dagger: A Book of Theo Novella ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Book Launch & Review

Synopsis:  In the land of Mankahar, humans have discovered Pacification: a poison whereby speaking animals are rendered mute and docile.

Indigo, a rabbit princess of Alvareth, is on the cusp of inheriting the throne from her aunt, the Regent, who has ruled the northern steppes since Indigo’s mother and sister were killed years ago. When the Order, a society dedicated to fighting Pacification, asks Indigo to join their amassing army, her future seems clear: lead her queendom against the humans, and find the one who killed her mother and sister.

But the day of Indigo’s initiation goes horribly wrong: Pacification has already arrived in Alvareth, and the Regent seizes the opportunity to take the crown.

Threatened with the loss of her throne, Indigo must defeat her one time mentor and aunt if she is to save her queendom--and her future.

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HALL WAYS REVIEW

Ansley, M. (2016). The Queen and the Dagger." Self-published.

YA / Mature Middle Grade / Fantasy   

I gave this book 5 of 5 Stars

 

"Burnt grass cannot be made sweet again."

OUTSTANDING story. In this prequel to Theo and the Forbidden Language, readers learn the background of Indigo, a rabbit princess who is destined to become part of the Order. It would work fine for anyone starting the series to read first, but for those readers who have already read Theo, this novella really adds another dimension to the story. Indigo is a strong, independent, and smart young female and knowing her background makes for a better understanding of her attitude and manner in Theo.  

Melanie Ansley is truly a gifted writer, and these pages flowed by with rich details and in Ansley's smooth and eloquent style. The idea that humans and animals were at one time truly equal and equally civilized - all were clothed, could speak, think, and read; all lived in communities with laws, trade and schooling, religion and marriage -- is truly unique and thought provoking. And the idea that the humans figured out how to "pacify" the animals (which makes them lose all the human-like qualities) is completely believable. 

Though this book isn't as violent as Theo, there is some violence and blood and disturbing situations that may be hard for younger audiences to absorb. I still think the series is best suited for mature middle graders and young adults -- and ADULTS because of the themes and the violence to come in Theo.  I HIGHLY recommend this book and will keep recommending it.  It's that good.

Thank you to the author for providing me an eBook in exchange for my honest opinion -- the only kind I give. 

FREE ON AMAZON!
FREE ON SMASHWORDS!
FREE ON MELANIE'S WEBSITE! 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Melanie Ansley was born in Windsor, Ontario, then bundled off to China at the age of 5. Her fascination with mythical talking animals started in Shanghai, where she'd buy Chinese comics like "Journey to the West". In the 1980s she spent most of her lunch breaks in her Hong Kong primary school's library, where she developed an insatiable appetite for fantasy and historical fiction. She now splits her time between Beijing and Los Angeles, and has written several produced screenplays. "Theo and the Forbidden Language" is her first novel.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT MELANIE AND HER BOOKS on her Website , Facebook page or follow her on Twitter.

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"Shouldn't You Be in School?"

Snicket, L. (2014). "Shouldn't You Be in School?" All the Wrong Questions, #3. NY: Hachette Audio. 

Middle Grade / Mystery / Audio book

I gave the story 5/5 Stars, the CD format 3/5 Stars

Young Lemony Snicket has been asked to help track an arsonist in the town of Stain'd-by-the-Sea. But as is often the case, where there is one mystery to solve, there are usually others, and those in Stain'd-by-the-Sea are plentiful. In his role as an apprentice detective (or is he?), Lemony quickly suspects that the evil villain Hangfire is behind more than the fires in town and that the schoolchildren are in danger from more than flames.  Secrets and deception abound in this third installment of All the Wrong Questions, by Lemony Snicket.

Oddly enough, I have not read the prior installments in this series, nor have I read any of the Series of Unfortunate Events, for which the All the Wrong Questions series are prequels.  Nonetheless, I have heard enough about Lemony Snicket that I dove in, and I wasn't disappointed.  Despite not having read the two books before "Shouldn't You Be in School?" I had no problem figuring out the story.  Characters are fleshed-out and well-defined, and the plot stands alone, with ties to the prior stories explained enough so that there was no confusion.  Foreshadowing is heavy, which entices readers to look for the next installment, and the language and imagery are fantastic.  Lines like "I felt my mouth grinning around the spoon," and "Seeing a librarian in handcuffs is like seeing a fish gasping on a roll top desk. I couldn't look at it long," conjure very specific reactions from the listener/reader.  Also enjoyable was the repeated, amusing mechanism of the narrator defining words for listeners/readers, always qualifying his definitions with saying the word, followed by "a word, which here means . . ."

Though I give the story my highest rating, truly, I have to give this book two different ratings.  As far as the medium, as an audio book on CD, it's painfully slow going, and I got impatient. The narrator's voice and style is really perfect, and had I had the ability to speed-up the delivery (like on a digital audio book), I would have no qualms. I cannot recommend the CD version (go digital if you must listen), but the story is fantastic and I am glad I took the time to get through it. 

This book was reviewed for Readers' Favorite, who provided an eBook in exchange for my honest review -- the only kind I give.

Glitches

Meyer, M. (2012). Glitches: a Tor.com original. Tor Books / MacMillan

For fans of Cinder, (that would include me!), this is a nice little prequel that gives some insight about how she came into her adopted family.  It also gives more information about her adoptive father and their short-lived relationship, which I enjoyed.  I wanted to learn enough to feel some sympathy for the adoptive mother, but it appears she was never an overly benevolent woman.  Guess it wouldn't be as much a Cinderella story without her being a witch.

The prequel is very short (20 pages?), very quick, but good background and probably should have just been a prologue in Cinder. On the other hand, nothing is given to us that is overly important.  No game changers, just interesting details.

Click here for Review of Cinder.

Formic Wars: Burning Earth - Prequel to Ender's Game

  

Haven't read this yet and can't decide if I will.  I loved Ender's Game, but I am disappointed that the prequel is a series and is in graphic novel format.  I suppose I should have a little faith since Orson Scott Card is still the author. Here's the trailer, which makes me even less interested.  It's so busy!