It is a good book yet it is NOT in many ways

This is a difficult book to review. It is a good book yet it is not in many ways.

I’d like to start by saying I absolutely love long audio books. With that being said, this book is way too long. The reason is that it is filled with chapters of absolutely NOTHING! Meaning the book does not move forward. Nothing is accomplished or revealed during these long winded chapters. It is so long winded that you forget what questions you are waiting to be answered causing you to drift off, and lose interest. This makes listening frustrating as the story itself is very, very intriguing and just a plain good story.

The author has great talent in telling a good story, but the way she tells it is indeed frustrating. I understand dragging a story out a little to build suspense but it is possible to drag it out way too long and risking the reader completely not caring anymore about what happens in the end. Throughout the book there are lots of contradictions. For example, the heroin is special in that she cannot be controlled by the Hero’s kind, yet the hero can control her in all of the sexual scenes due to her being emotional. I would be better for the story if he and his kind simply could not control her period/at no time.

With all that being said, I will read the next book in the series as it is better than a lot of the crap out in this genre and the story is just that good. Let’s just say, I will be fast forwarding through the unnecessary stuff. Although this series is about a young girl who has major self-esteem issues, it is not necessary to make her completely stupid! She is portrayed as so utterly stupid so much so that lots of readers will not be able to relate and it will take away from the believability. Cutting this story down several hours, and adding multiple points of views along with a narrator who can expertly read with DIFFERENT voices, will do wonders for this series. The narrator’s male voices are horrific.

Pros:
Excellent story
Excellent characters
Good action
Intriguing
Lots of supernatural shenanigans

Cons:
Heroin is utterly stupid unnecessarily
Lots of unnecessary fluff not needed
Heroin falls down 95% of the book
Heroin cries 95% of book
Heroin’s hair is described 95% of book (unnecessary)
Heroin being a complete doormat, falling down constantly, and being utterly stupid all at once will be too much for some readers.
Major issues are described without addressing them at multiple times throughout this book
On the small occasion that a major issue is addressed, it either is contradictory or not really addressed
Although the book is about supernatural/magic, there are Lots of things just simply don’t make sense

35 people found this helpful

Loved IT!!

I have been in love with this series since I found it a few years ago. The Afterlife Saga is a series that can be read and reread over and over. I'm glad I tried out the audible version. Afterlife fans will be glad to hear that there are extra scenes and extra lines throughout this version, adding some details and even some extra steamy scenes. This book brings you into a world of demons and angels where not all demons are bad and not all angels are good, but some of both are here on earth to protect humans and maintain a balance. this series keeps you on your toes while you follow the love of Kiera, a human, and Draven, an angel/demon halfbreed. Another person wrote in her review that this a book for teens, I dont know what she would allow her kids to read, but I certainly wouldnt want my daughter to read this....yet.... ill recommend it when she is older, as there are detailed sex scenes. Like I said, I liked hearing the audible version and will definitely be getting the other books as they come out in hopes that they too will have extra scenes.

23 people found this helpful

Same poor narrator -- for 191 hours!

I don't know if this book is good or bad, because I couldn't get past the narration. The reader sounds too juvenile for the subject matter, and it doesn't help that all of the characters are badly rendered, especially the female MC who sounds WAY too young to be serving cocktails in a bar, much less sleeping with an adult male.

Rebecca Rainsford, the 13 year old (sounding) narrator, can't do American accents, or commanding male voices, or differentiate between multiple characters. (I never got to a *steamy* scene, but I'm pretty sure her baby voice would have made it cringe-worthy.)

What really strikes me though, is this is Hudson's magnum opus -- 8 books long and counting! And the books are BIG books, up to 30 hours each! So why would an author so inspired and motivated by her story that she writes that much -- not take the time to choose an adult sounding narrator (who can also do American accents), to perform it?

To make it more confounding, Hudson or her publisher, clearly chose the wrong narrator for book 1, and then compounded the error by keeping that narrator for all 191 hours of narration. (That has to be some kind of record.)

Recommended? Nope, unless you plan read it for yourself.

21 people found this helpful

European Narrator

Storyline was great, for the length of the book it went by fairly quickly. the Narrator was really good, however her impression of how Americans talk is slightly insulting. she pretty much made us sound like slow rednecks high on paint fumes. She does get better in the second book and I still recommend listening to this one.

14 people found this helpful

Wow this is fantastic

What did you love best about Afterlife?

It kept you interested! Constant story. People are complaining about length all I have to say is wow to keep me interested, never boring. I love length I feel I'm getting my money's worth! Keep it coming! Ordering the 2nd book now.

What did you like best about this story?

The story was not repetitive it was a story that kept you not wanting to stop.

What does Rebecca Rainsford bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Emotion and real life into the story.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

YES

Any additional comments?

I hope she continues her story and many more!

7 people found this helpful

Love the story

Narrator was good story was better. Finished in two days. Yep, couldn't stop listening. Can't wait for the next book.

6 people found this helpful

great job Rebecca

I love this series and own all the books. I decided to purchase the audio books to give me something to listen to while cleaning or in the car. I have to say the first book is at this time the only book given a discount to customers who have already purchased the books. Book two is not discounted. I find this disheartening. I had hoped to purchase all the audio books. At almost $30.00 each I don't foresee that happening. With that said, the audio books are well done. I wondered how the characters would be performed. I will say I think Rebecca did a good job. I have already listened to the book twice.

5 people found this helpful

26 hrs of a teenage love drama

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

I think teens can like it

What could Stephanie Hudson have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

cut out the half of it, change dialogues and make less boring story

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

it was easy to listening

5 people found this helpful

I returned the book after chap. 5, its THAT bad.

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

People who don't mind terrible narration?

Would you ever listen to anything by Stephanie Hudson again?

Its not fair that I have to rate her story in stars. I didn't get a chance to listen to it. I really liked the concept of her story and still might get it in print, unfortunately the narrator is so bad its left a bad taste in my mouth for any of her other books. I am willing to try another story so long as it's not narrated by Rebecca Rainsford.

Would you be willing to try another one of Rebecca Rainsford’s performances?

absolutely NOT. Her voice is so monotone its embarrassing that they picked her for this story.
I had high hopes because of this strong statement......"Warning: This audiobook not only has sexual content but is amazingly addictive, with its dark mystery, haunting horror, seductive twists and one sexy dark lord that has the listener drooling every time the name Draven is heard".... and was crushed to find it was bullshit.
I stopped listening when the main male character started speaking... he sounds like an ethnic goat who sucked helium and tried to speak. Doesn't sound like an alpha, more like a sissy la la.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Not in my opinion. I couldn't even finish it because the narration was SO BAD!

4 people found this helpful

Story is great, narrator is HORRIBLE!!!!

The series is fantastic, 5 stars for the author. However, the narrator is absolutely terrible!!! I listen to a lot of audio books, a variety of narrators, but this poor gal is so bad, I quit listening after 3 chapters & just read it!!! All of her "American" voices are identical!! Frank, the brother in law, RJ the female friend & worst of all, Draven sound the exact same (let alone all of the other American voices)!!!!!! I'm so incredibly disappointed, if Ms Hudson would have found a decent narrator, it would've been ok!! Save your money!!!! 😠 Oh & the immersion reading does NOT work!!!!!

4 people found this helpful