Working Hard, Working Hard at Escape Reading

Posted by Pooks on January 17, 2017 in What Pooks is Reading | Comments Off on Working Hard, Working Hard at Escape Reading

Did I ever mention this anthology I’m editing? I did? Well, yeah, it’s a big, big job and right now a BIG, BIG job and all worth it. It’s awesome and amazing and I’m so proud. But I’m also exhausted and need some escape reading.

Artist: Sophie Gengembre Anderson, Created between 1850-1900

I mentioned that this month, January, I’ll be reading The Wrath and the Dawn, and I am. Only I finally realized that despite having the ebook, I don’t have time to sit and actually read. When I’m sitting my head is buried in a computer screen editing, or consulting, or approving, or questioning, or… being an editor. Hey, how did this happen? I am so not an editor!

So I decided to go ahead and use one of my Audible downloads and get the audiobook.

It was hard. It was really hard for me to get used to the narrator’s voice.

The Wrath and the Dawn is the first book in a trilogy that is a retelling of Scheherazade, the narrator of One Thousand and One Nights. It seems to be a pretty faithful retelling, although the murdering King is 18 and his valiant young  bride–next to be executed after a single night of wedlock–Scheherazade is 16. The ages introduce a fascinating dynamic. And of course the mystery… why does the king marry and have his bride executed immediately, again and again and again?

Exotic location [Persia, today’s Iran] and strong characterizations and world-building. What’s not to love?

Well, for me, plenty. I do not understand audiobooks that are about foreign characters that are narrated by American voices. In this case, she sounds like a contemporary American teenager. I am not criticizing the performance, necessarily. But I listened to three chapters while falling asleep, and never really got over the whole ‘this is so wrong, this accent is so wrong.’

I started over the next day when I wasn’t drifting in an out of sleep, and the story is strong. I really love it. But still, that American voice.

Okay, I am finally vested enough in the story and the characters that the voice is not distracting me anymore.

But what a horrible choice for narrator. What were they thinking?

By the way, another fantastic series I’m totally vested in as An Ember in the Ashes. Another wonderful YA series with danger and romance. And guess what. Accents! No American accents to distract me from the fact that this story is set in an ancient fantasy desert land.

This is just a pet peeve of mine. I know a lot of listeners might prefer an American accent. To each their own.

But if you happen to be looking for really good books and series to get involved in, these are top of my list right now.

Audio or reading. If you like YA fantasy you should check these out. And if you don’t think you like YA fantasy but haven’t tried it? Maybe you ought to give it a shot. Heck, you can download samples for free.

The Wrath and the Dawn or An Ember in the Ashes. Both series already have two books. Or go for broke. Download them both.

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