Still Good, Even with the Narrator Change

I've noticed that even the best narrators receive less than complimentary reviews when they take over narration in the middle of a series, and trying to follow up Cynthia Holloway is even more of a challenge. (Check out the negative reviews of the replacement narrators for the Chicagoland Vampire series or the Morganville Vampire series if you're curious) For loyal fans of this audiobook series it will probably be hard to adjust, especially since the stories are written in first-person. Allyson Ryan does a better than average job, although I found the way she kept pronouncing "stalactite" like 'stale-LICK-tite' bizarre and distracting.

Karen Chance's writing is superb and I really enjoyed this story. It seems that every book has explored a new aspect and/or faction of the supernatural world she has created. She's focused vampires, mages, ghosts, seers, mythological deities, and now demons. This, along with an awesome cast of secondary characters makes for an always entertaining read (or listen).

It's definitely not my favorite book of the series, but I don't know how much of that is due to the narrator switch. I don't think I can be impartial, since Holloway has always been one of my favorite narrators. Tempt the Stars is definitely worth a credit and I already eagerly anticipating Chance's next release.

10 people found this helpful

Got thrown a loop

I love the series so having all the books helped me keep this one. I did not like the narrator. She did not, not, not, sound right. Also, where was Mircea??? Love Pritkin but we have to solve the thing with Mircea first...

5 people found this helpful

New narrator sounds too old

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Either get the previous narrator back, or find someone younger. I mean no disrespect, but Cassie is a quirky 24 year old, while Ms. Ryan sounds like she could be twice her age, and it just doesn't work with this character at all. I also hated the overly comical way she read some of the other characters, like the feminine voices some of the less macho vampires were given.

I don't know what happened to the previous narrator, but if she wanted a pay raise, she should have gottten it, and if she just did not feel like continuing, they should have found a narrator who at least sounds somilar to the first one, or found someone awesome like Tevia Gilbert or Lorelei King.

I ended up reading the book instead, so this was a waste of my money.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Not effaminate male characters. She also just sounded too old to be Cassie.

Do you think Tempt the Stars needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Yes, it had a cliffhanger ending.

Any additional comments?

Please get a different narrator, or I will not buy the next one.

5 people found this helpful

Narration kills this series for me

Would you try another book from Karen Chance and/or Allyson Ryan?

I would not try another book read by Allyson Ryan. I might try a book (but book only, not an audiobook) written by Karen Chance.

Has Tempt the Stars turned you off from other books in this genre?

No, I consider this book to be a one-off within its own series and the broader genre.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

I blame my revulsion to continue beyond chapter 10 on the narration rather than the story. The characters' voices are lame. The intonation is just wrong. I cannot continue listening, even though I really want to find out what happens between Cassie and the war mage.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Tempt the Stars?

I think all the mindless action scenes are unnecessary and unbelievable.

7 people found this helpful

Thank Goodness!!!!!

First let me state that YES there is a change in narrators......I hate that in a series, but since I dont run or own the company I just have to live with it, with that being said if you have to find someone to follow in C. Hollway path, they picked a perfect narrator, Allyson Ryan did a excellent job, she was snarky,funny and very good.

The storyline picks up right where we left off in book 5 with John being gone and Cassie in
a peril to go after him, along the way she meets up with her mother who is a Goddess and her dad whos a little off his rocker. She pairs up with Casanova again, who could carry his own story I think and off they go.

The story is interesting, funny in parts,and once again leaves you on the edge for the next book.
All in all this is a very good series..

4 people found this helpful

change in multiple directions

The reviewers so disliked the new narrator that I went back and reviewed the first books. It is hard to accept change in so many directions this book takes as a need to go forward. Karen Chance writes good books. They are funny, surprising and with characters so well developed that one wants to read about them as well as the story. Holloway was so perfect for the first books it is hard to accept a new narrator. In the review I tried to find a reason for a change. The book indicates both a move toward a mature development of purpose and responsibility. The new narrator does sound older and less frantic. The choice of voice for Pritkin is unfortunate. She is just not good at it. She is not wrong to choose it from the text but she can not manage it well. Otherwise she really does a good job. I like the book but I really am a fan of Karen Chance. It is soooo much better than no Karen Chance at all.

1 person found this helpful

Love the story, vast improvement on the narrator!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Definitely. I immensely enjoy Karen Chance's Cassie Palmer series. I think anyone who enjoys urban fantasy, especially peppered with action, time-travel, and a healthy dose of humor would enjoy this series. Like the first five books in the series, "Tempt the Stars" does not disappoint.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I think it's tough not to love Cassie's tenacity and sense of humor, so I would call her my favorite character. However, both of her paramours have their strengths and weaknesses, which make them lovable...but when it comes to choosing a love interest for Cassie, I'm Team Pritkin!

Have you listened to any of Allyson Ryan’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but I will seek out other books Ryan has narrated now that I've heard this one! I think she did a fantastic job.Also, I seem to be in the minority, but Cynthia Holloway's narration of the first five books in the series grated on me to the point that (after reading them in print) I only listened to one of the other Cassie Palmer books on audiobook ("Curse the Dawn," if that makes any difference). I've heard other series narrated by Holloway, and felt the same way about her narration if those. Not enough differentiation between characters, obnoxious female voices, and not enough variation in tone of voice between male and female characters. An irritation of mine specific to Holloway's reading of the Cassie books is that she didn't read Pritkin with a British accent. I might have forgiven that in the first book, but Holloway should have corrected it after that, because Pritkin and his accent are repeatedly described as English! It drove me nuts. Especially because, having read the series in print, I always imagined Pritkin with a sexy British accent in my head, and I felt kind of cheated by the error. Thank god Allyson Ryan has entered the picture and finally corrected that! I think Ryan took over for a subpar narrator, and improved the overall quality of the reading without substantially changing other characters voices, other than to make them a bit more unique from one another, thereby making it easier to tell who is speaking. She took familiar voices and improved upon them without totally changing them. I normally hate it when narrators get changed mid-series, but this is a welcome exception. (Another excellent narrator swap was changing from Joyce Bean, whom I actually like generally, to Natalie Ross and Phil Gigante in the last two books of Karen Marie Moning's Fever series--it's not always bad to make a change mid-series!)I do concede that Allyson Ryan mispronounced "stalactite." Fortunately, the word only comes up two or three times, and I'll take that over Holloway's mispronunciation of Pritkin's accent in the other five books in this series any day. Well done, Allyson Ryan! Here's hoping she sticks around for the remainder of the Cassie Palmer series.

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

I had already read "Tempt the Stars" in print a few weeks ago when it was released, and I still listened to this audiobook in one sitting! It was that enjoyable.

Any additional comments?

If you love Karen Chance, give this book a try. Even if you're devoted to Cynthia Holloway like many reviewers seem to be, I would still encourage you to listen to "Tempt the Stars." You might be surprised at how much you enjoy Allyson Ryan's narration, regardless of which reader you ultimately decide you prefer!

3 people found this helpful

Really???

I absolutely love this series...but this book left me hanging and disappointed. Filler maybe? I don't know. I waited and waited for this installment and then was left pretty unfulfilled. Let's hope the next one is more comprehensive and much meatier...not to mention doesn't take as long to come available.

1 person found this helpful

Miss the old narrator. Another cliffhanger. Ugh

I don't think I would be so miffed if it didn't take this author forever to release books. Last time is was a 2 year gap. I am kind of losing interest in this series. I feel like after 6 books, the story should be further along.

I also think the other narrator does a better job. It irks me when publishers change narrators during a series. You get use to someone doing the voices and it's like starting a new series when they switch.

I don't know if I will purchase the next one if it takes 2 years for it to release.

6 people found this helpful

It's a better read than a listen

Not because of the narrator; she does all right; I just need to read this series instead of listening so I can skip over the more ridiculous parts in favor of the 'meat of the story' parts.

2 people found this helpful