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Wednesday, July 18, 2012

BB(Audio)Review: "The Soul Seekers 1: Fated" By Alyson Noel

Genre: Young Adult -Paranormal/Fantasy
Publishing Date: May 22nd, 2012
Length: 9 CD's/10.5 hours
Source: Sent to me by Macmillan Audio
Format: Audio book - unabridged
Narrator: Brittany Pressley
Published By: Macmillan Audio


Description from Goodreads.com:
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Immortals, Alyson Noel, comes Fated - a breathtaking new saga brimming with magic, mystery, and an intoxicating love story that will steal your heart away. Meet The Soul Seekers.

Strange things are happening to Daire Santos. Crows mock her, glowing people stalk her, time stops without warning, and a beautiful boy with unearthly blue eyes haunts all her dreams. Fearing for her daughter's sanity, Daire's mother sends her to live with the grandmother she's never met. A woman who recognizes the visions for what they truly are - the call to her destiny as a Soul Seeker - one who can navigate the worlds between the living and dead.

There on the dusty plains of Enchantment, New Mexico, Daire sets out to harness her mystical powers. But it's when she meets Dace, the boy from her dreams, that her whole world is shaken to its core. Now Daire is forced to discover if Dace is the one guys she's meant to be with... or if he's allied with the enemy she's destined to destroy.

Review:
I really enjoyed this story!! Fated is very different, it was like Noel's The Immortals series in the way that I haven't read a story like it. Yes there are some themes that may favor other novels, but I have never read a book that tells the same or even close to the same story. It was very, very interesting! I really loved Daire's character and how she has had to raise herself and her mom since her mom had her when she was so young. She is independent because of that and she doesn't need someone to hold her hand. Yes, she had insecurities like a normal teenager, but the only insecurities or fears are with things she has never done before and especially with paranormal things she has never done before. Who wouldn't need someone by their side for that?

The world building was also very nice. Alyson Noel always does a great job describing in her novels, and this one did not disappoint. Some novels don't really need world building since they usually happen on this world, but Fated had two other world that definitely needed some describing. I really felt like I was there and could see the places and people and creatures! There was only one part I didn't like which was the ending. WARNING SPOILER!! It didn't end on a cliffhanger or a bad note. Everything ended up working itself out and ended happy so I really don't have any clue what will happen in the next book, which I guess could also be a good thing since its a surprise now. END OF SPOILER. Overall, though, excellent, excellent story! I really enjoyed it a lot and I cannot wait to continue with the rest of the series.

Audio Review: 
I have been really getting into audiobooks so I was very happy when I got the opportunity to review Fated on audio. I feel Brittany Pressley did an excellent job. Her voice is very nice to listen to, it was very calming and soothing. For that same reason, though, I found my mind wandering off sometimes since i was so relaxed, but I do that sometimes with every audiobook I have come across so far. One thing I have found in the past to bother me is word pronunciations. I read one audiobook where the narrator would pronounce the word music like muse-ock. That fact alone bothered me so bad through that novel, because it was mainly about music so the word was said a lot. I found that Brittany pronounced everything correctly, so I really loved her for that. Also there is some spanish in this novel and Brittany pronounces it flawlessly. Brittany also did a very good job with different character voices. When she was Daire she really did sound like a teenager, but when she was Daire mom or grandmother she sounded much older, but there were definite differences of the ages in her voice between those two as well. Every character she did I feel had a different distinct voice and it helped a lot with knowing who was talking. I think she did a really fantastic job reading and you could tell she enjoyed it, because she didn't sound like she was holding back the emotion that was needed in her voice. I would definitely listen to her again =D

Overall:
Fated was really, really good! The story that is told is very different and I have never read a book like it. The world building is fantastic and you can definitely see everything and everyone in your mind. Daire's character is wondering and very easy to connect with even though she has done many thing and met many people that I haven't. I wasn't thrilled with the ending, but i also wasn't disappointed. I just wish there maybe would have been a cliffhanger so that I would be going crazy till I read the next one, because I really love that with a book. The audiobook was fantastic. Brittany Pressley did an awesome job reading it. She had a lot of inflection in her voice and she did voices for different characters really well. She also has a really awesome tone of voice, it was very calming and relaxing. Overall, FANTASTIC novel! I will definitely be continuing on with this series!

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 5/5