Girl Vs

t's great to read/ listen to a bad ass female. On of the best book that I have listened to with this theme.
I received a review copy from the author

7 people found this helpful

Strong and Worthwhile Beginning

At my request, this audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an -->unbiased<-- review

I really enjoyed this. I was worried it would rely too much on well-worn tropes, which is common, but Xela Culletto does a great job of crafting her own story. It is dark, as you'd expect in a post-apocalyptic and war-ravaged world. Rhyan is an intriguing protagonist with a lot to her, and I found it worth exploring her persona and still want more. I found myself feeling things on her behalf... anger, maaaaaaybe murderous desires, vindication, and more. It was really a lot of great writing crammed into, for me, a shorter book. The secondary characters all added to the story without becoming a burden to it. Rhyan encounters some predictable elements, and some less so, and some elements that are predictable but still surprising! I never felt too much like I knew exactly what would happen. There are still a lot of questions (in a good way) left after this book ends, and I would definitely look into book 2 when it comes out.

Tonia Blake does a great job. Different voices, some emotion to add color, and clarity. It wasn't a 5 star only because it still felt like she was telling the story, but not *living* the story. Still, very solid and only added to my experience!

Everything was really well done, but I don't think we quite hit that 5 star level. I have high hopes for book 2!

3 people found this helpful

Badass lead female character

I love Rhyan in this book, she's mentally strong, competent and steps up to do whatever needs to be done. In a situation where most people don't survive she has, partially by luck in the beginning but then by being smart and doing what needs to be done.

This book is quite dark, even for a dystopian story, there's lots of violence and fighting but everything has a purpose, it all works with the plot, and there is plenty of plot and I get the impression that there's still lots to learn in future books in the series, I'm looking forward to that happening.

The writing is well done, very descriptive and the characters are realistic and I can't help but like Rhyan. I really enjoyed reading this book and I cant wait for more.

The narration was well done, good character voices and the delivery was emotive and well paced.

I received a free copy of this book from the author and/or narrator and/or publisher and I voluntarily wrote this honest review.

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2 people found this helpful

Apocalyptic America after the Aliens

Really good story in an interesting setting. Well written and well read.
This story is complete as is while settling you up for the next book.

I received this free review copy and have voluntarily left this review.

1 person found this helpful

Excellent Story!

I received this audio book for free in exchange for my honest review. This very well written story is accompanied by expert narration. It will keep you mesmerized till the end.

1 person found this helpful

I completely loved it the whole while through

I think Ryan was an amazingly good fighter. I love that both of your books are science fiction. Ryan, kaliesha, and Caleb are my favorite. I think it was amazing that you made Vanessa see her former companions death more twisted than what actually happened. You are an amazing writer.

a Dystopia story, with a sci-fi/horror edge

Girl Vs is a Dystopia story, with a sci-fi/horror edge. From the start, we meet Rhyan, who survived the first wave of an alien invasion, but sadly many weren’t so fortunate(or unfortunate?) including the rest of her family. While I loved the thrill of this book, it does come with a large dose of gore, and death, and is definitely on the darker side. Listening to this one was interesting, because it does cross genre, and it’s one of the darker books I’ve listened too. I loved listening to Tonia Blake as she brought this story to life! She does a wonderful job with the world Xela Culletto created with Girl Vs.

it was ok

The story had potential and it was well written but one theme kept prevaing to the point that it was predictable and unenjoyable. There wasn't really any satisfying outcomes or "ups" to make you feel like you wanted to keep reading. It also left you hanging without the satisfaction of a decent cliff hanger. The reader did a fine job.

Alien slaying

This book depicts the life of a teen girl who survives and alien invasion and has to make a life after this happens. It shows some of the best of humanity and some of the worst. It involves her going through the days with small successes and even some large setbacks. She makes many mistakes and manages to stay alive and move forward.

This book is written at a level that might be classed as juvenile but is still a good listen. Well written and contains a lot of action.

The narration is very good and easy to listen to.

This book was provided free of charge with the expectation of an honest review.

Don't let the title fool you - this is scifi!

The story drops us right down into the middle of things and that’s the way I like it. Rhyan is a likable character and it’s easy to grasp what’s going on. Aliens have wrecked Earth, tearing down nearly all human civilization. Now Rhyan and a handful of other survivors live day by day, scavenging for food, killing a few Vela aliens, and sleeping in a cavern at night. Things soon go wrong and Rhyan is on her own again, searching for safety and the basics. Luckily, she comes upon an abandoned horse, Lucky, who is more than happy to get out of his pasture and join her.

It’s not an easy road, but eventually Rhyan comes across a real human town that has electricity (solar & hydro power), apartment buildings, and even a hospital. Yet even then, danger is just around the corner. Rhyan never finds true safety because the aliens aren’t leaving and the remaining humans have conflicting agendas. I loved this aspect of the story. There was never a dull moment.

I did have trouble picturing the aliens. They’re bigger than humans, have claws, and bleed blue blood. But beyond that I’m not really sure. How many eyes? Number of arms? Armor? Hair? Perhaps there was one big long on description near the beginning and I missed all the details since I was gathering up the details of the story. I would have liked details about the aliens spaced throughout the story.

The humans were an interesting mixed bag. John stands out because he was so sure about the possibility of communicating with the aliens. Kalisha was my favorite side character. I can see her and Rhyan being a kickass team throughout the series. Valerie (I think that’s her name) was a panicked, wishy washy lady who just couldn’t fully trust Rhyan. I also liked Rhyan’s legless neighbor (Clarissa?) who watches TV too loudly in the early morning hours.

I did find it a bit odd that the aliens, with all their technology and military strength, have left this city of skyscrapers alone for the moment. Some people inside the city walls have wondered this too, so I hope the sequel gives us a good reason for it.

Even though this is silly, I’m going to say it anyway – the title keeps throwing me off. Until I heard the audiobook, I didn’t know if Girl Vs meant the V was her last name, a designation, etc. It turns out it’s Girl Versus – and I’m guessing that means Rhyan versus the aliens…. Still, I don’t like the title because it doesn’t tell me anything about the book. Despite that small criticism, I still enjoyed the tale. 4/5 stars.

The Narration: Tonia Blake did a pretty good job with this narration. She had distinct voices for all the characters and her male voices were believable. I did notice that sometimes two or more character voices would blur into each other when more than 1 character was in a scene. Pacing was perfect and she did well with the emotions of all the characters. There were no technical issues with the recording. 4.5/5 stars.

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