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A review by savage_book_review
Priest by Sierra Simone
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Listened to this to join in with twisted_sisters_bookclub on IG and to see if it lived up to the hype. While I was ecstatic to find out as the audiobook started that this features the same narrators as 'Lights Out', this did lead me into a false sense of security. And while I did enjoy it, I wouldn't say it's a book that I would pick up again.
As you would expect, the book is pretty much solely about the priest and the object of his forbidden desire, and the development in their relationship. Simple, but very effective. It really helps that the vast majority of the story is told from Father Bell's POV, so you really get inside his head and get to know his character intimately, which gives everything that bit of depth. It's a great illustration of his struggle between the call to temptation and his desire to do his God's work and it's very easy to sympathise with him throughout.
On the other hand, while I could understand why he liked Poppy, I didn't much warm to her as a character. There were just a few too many things that didn't quite add up about her to me, and it felt like she may as well have just walked around with a big sign reading 'temptation personified'. I just didn't connect with her, and I guess it's as simple as not buying into their initial interaction from her side - I understand attending confession, but when it's your first one who kn earth would choose to go into THAT MUCH DETAIL with a complete stranger?
I think this is also the first time I've had the reaction "oh no, there's some plot with my 🌽!" The last hour and a half of the audiobook, suddenly there's a little bit of jeopardy getting in the way of a HEA. Now, I like plot. Plot is good. But when the last 6 hours have been pretty much exclusively character and relationship driven, it was very much a bucket of cold water over proceedings. It just felt out of place, and not inkeeping with the personalities you've come to know.
Unfortunately, I was also a bit underwhelmed by the narration. Don't get me wrong, I'd happily listen to Jacob Morgan read the phone book, but his range and expression sounded a bit flat in this one. He did the job where it counted, but there were large swathes where the energy felt lacking. And again with the dual narration that isn't! Elena Wolfe is credited, but makes an appearance for a total of 3 or 4 excerpts. The rest of the time, Jacob just lifts his voice. This, he does well - his change in tone is feminine enough to give life to Poppy, without being painful to listen to. It feels like a huge waste of an excellent talent on Elena's part!
I was also a bit surprised by the spice level. I had been expecting some smutty smut, but actually I wouldn't say it's any more 'out there' than a lot of other books. It's clearly not vanilla, but I think the shock value is supposed to come from the situation rather than the spice itself. But as I'm not a church goer, I'm essentially just seeing this as a 'normal' relationship (well, as close to normal as you can get in fiction) as I can't identify with why Father Bell wanting a relationship is a problem.
I won't necessarily be picking up the rest of this series any time soon, but if I find myself running out of other audiobooks, I may come back at some point.
As you would expect, the book is pretty much solely about the priest and the object of his forbidden desire, and the development in their relationship. Simple, but very effective. It really helps that the vast majority of the story is told from Father Bell's POV, so you really get inside his head and get to know his character intimately, which gives everything that bit of depth. It's a great illustration of his struggle between the call to temptation and his desire to do his God's work and it's very easy to sympathise with him throughout.
On the other hand, while I could understand why he liked Poppy, I didn't much warm to her as a character. There were just a few too many things that didn't quite add up about her to me, and it felt like she may as well have just walked around with a big sign reading 'temptation personified'. I just didn't connect with her, and I guess it's as simple as not buying into their initial interaction from her side - I understand attending confession, but when it's your first one who kn earth would choose to go into THAT MUCH DETAIL with a complete stranger?
I think this is also the first time I've had the reaction "oh no, there's some plot with my 🌽!" The last hour and a half of the audiobook, suddenly there's a little bit of jeopardy getting in the way of a HEA. Now, I like plot. Plot is good. But when the last 6 hours have been pretty much exclusively character and relationship driven, it was very much a bucket of cold water over proceedings. It just felt out of place, and not inkeeping with the personalities you've come to know.
Unfortunately, I was also a bit underwhelmed by the narration. Don't get me wrong, I'd happily listen to Jacob Morgan read the phone book, but his range and expression sounded a bit flat in this one. He did the job where it counted, but there were large swathes where the energy felt lacking. And again with the dual narration that isn't! Elena Wolfe is credited, but makes an appearance for a total of 3 or 4 excerpts. The rest of the time, Jacob just lifts his voice. This, he does well - his change in tone is feminine enough to give life to Poppy, without being painful to listen to. It feels like a huge waste of an excellent talent on Elena's part!
I was also a bit surprised by the spice level. I had been expecting some smutty smut, but actually I wouldn't say it's any more 'out there' than a lot of other books. It's clearly not vanilla, but I think the shock value is supposed to come from the situation rather than the spice itself. But as I'm not a church goer, I'm essentially just seeing this as a 'normal' relationship (well, as close to normal as you can get in fiction) as I can't identify with why Father Bell wanting a relationship is a problem.
I won't necessarily be picking up the rest of this series any time soon, but if I find myself running out of other audiobooks, I may come back at some point.