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A review by pantsreadsbooks
Tasteful Anarchy and Tangled Auras by Tilly Bramley
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I listened entirely to this on audio (thanks to the author for the ALC) and I have to say first of all that Roxanne Deveraux gives the best audio performance I think I’ve ever listened to. Her ability to do the different voices for the characters— including convincing male voices and extended passages in a Norwegian baritone— is absolutely astounding. Is this her first audio book? Cause I’m going to need her to record at least ten more immediately, please and thank you. Five stars for the performance.
3.5 stars rounded up for the book. The characters are compelling and the world they live in is fascinating. In many ways this story feels like what Anita Blake’s Merry Gentry story should have been? My one big issue was that there’s too much time spent on details we absolutely don’t need— what everyone looks like, what they’re wearing, in depth anecdotes from Adi’s past about all sorts of weird random stuff like her coffee shop employees we don’t even properly meet— and then less energy and description is spent on proper worldbuilding things, like the different fae species (I still don’t know what a joint-eater is and I had to look up a bunch of things), what exactly Adi’s role as a priestess entails, or why the hell everyone gets horny if anyone is mad? Or details felt buried, like how Adi’s aunts were trying to kill her. I spent most of the book not sure why the EA was even organizing a rebellion in the first place. But I’m definitely invested! Why am I such a sucker for a big Viking cinnamon roll? And Bryn is wonderfully angsty. I just wish we’d seen the two of them bond more, rather than being told about it… and then had Adi’s breakfast described in detail. I hope the next audio version comes out soon, I want to wait for it, but I might not have the patience!
3.5 stars rounded up for the book. The characters are compelling and the world they live in is fascinating. In many ways this story feels like what Anita Blake’s Merry Gentry story should have been? My one big issue was that there’s too much time spent on details we absolutely don’t need— what everyone looks like, what they’re wearing, in depth anecdotes from Adi’s past about all sorts of weird random stuff like her coffee shop employees we don’t even properly meet— and then less energy and description is spent on proper worldbuilding things, like the different fae species (I still don’t know what a joint-eater is and I had to look up a bunch of things), what exactly Adi’s role as a priestess entails, or why the hell everyone gets horny if anyone is mad? Or details felt buried, like how Adi’s aunts were trying to kill her. I spent most of the book not sure why the EA was even organizing a rebellion in the first place. But I’m definitely invested! Why am I such a sucker for a big Viking cinnamon roll? And Bryn is wonderfully angsty. I just wish we’d seen the two of them bond more, rather than being told about it… and then had Adi’s breakfast described in detail. I hope the next audio version comes out soon, I want to wait for it, but I might not have the patience!