The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
moomieswan's review
2.0
I didn’t hate it but I just wasn’t really invested in the plot or any of the characters. Too many characters with similar enough voices that I was often not sure who was talking. This made it a little hard to follow (and care about) all the political machinations.
Other reviews mention the over dramatic music as a problem and I disagree about that but not because it was good. The ‘bwaaahhh’ sound effects got so ridiculous that I started to find them funny and, in an otherwise pretty dry audio drama, that levity was a highlight.
Other reviews mention the over dramatic music as a problem and I disagree about that but not because it was good. The ‘bwaaahhh’ sound effects got so ridiculous that I started to find them funny and, in an otherwise pretty dry audio drama, that levity was a highlight.
laurahastoomanywips's review
challenging
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Fantastic audiodrama, well acted and great plot, kept me gripped. Will definitely read more by this author.
helloandie's review
4.0
It was like British 24, so you know, less violent overall? I pretty much called the mastermind at about 25% of the way through, but there was still an "oh, that's kind of surprising!" moment, which was nice. :) The narrators were 100% the reason for the download and it was totally worth it. Music was actually pretty good, too.
distgenius's review
I'm not sure where to begin, other than to say that this is one of my rare DNF entries.
Calling it a book is a bit of a misnomer- this is really a radio drama, sold through Audible. I was aware of that in advance, and was looking forward to a change of pace. I've always enjoyed the old radio dramas, so I was hoping for a modern take on the concept.
The result, however, was a jumbled mess. The cast was large enough that for someone who wasn't familiar with any of them, I struggled to tell them apart after a scene transition. The scene transitions felt like they happened every two or three minutes, which helped make it difficult to learn to identify the voices with a character. I don't think I can blame the actors- the problem was one of production and writing. Short, terse scenes can work well in a visual medium, but in auditory form they need to be accompanied by context. Without a narrator, that context was missing more often than not. This was only exacerbated by the constant "DUN DUN DUN" background noises that reminded me of variations on the Inception noise.
Leaving the audio problems aside, at 20% through the book I've already determined enough of the story that I realized I just don't care. The supplied protagonist is having problems at home because of his work, surprise he has to work, there's a bunch of internal politics, the assassination attempt is obviously not what it seems- nothing is new here. I'm willing to give an old story a solid attempt if there is something about it that can draw me in, but there's just not enough here. Short stilted dialog between people doesn't do enough to make me care about any of the characters, and the investigation is dragged out horribly thanks to the constant POV changes that you can't even get a who-dunnit theme going.
2 Stars, because I think that someone who was more familiar with the voice actors may have a much better experience than I did. I'm calling this a DNF at 20% complete.
Calling it a book is a bit of a misnomer- this is really a radio drama, sold through Audible. I was aware of that in advance, and was looking forward to a change of pace. I've always enjoyed the old radio dramas, so I was hoping for a modern take on the concept.
The result, however, was a jumbled mess. The cast was large enough that for someone who wasn't familiar with any of them, I struggled to tell them apart after a scene transition. The scene transitions felt like they happened every two or three minutes, which helped make it difficult to learn to identify the voices with a character. I don't think I can blame the actors- the problem was one of production and writing. Short, terse scenes can work well in a visual medium, but in auditory form they need to be accompanied by context. Without a narrator, that context was missing more often than not. This was only exacerbated by the constant "DUN DUN DUN" background noises that reminded me of variations on the Inception noise.
Leaving the audio problems aside, at 20% through the book I've already determined enough of the story that I realized I just don't care. The supplied protagonist is having problems at home because of his work, surprise he has to work, there's a bunch of internal politics, the assassination attempt is obviously not what it seems- nothing is new here. I'm willing to give an old story a solid attempt if there is something about it that can draw me in, but there's just not enough here. Short stilted dialog between people doesn't do enough to make me care about any of the characters, and the investigation is dragged out horribly thanks to the constant POV changes that you can't even get a who-dunnit theme going.
2 Stars, because I think that someone who was more familiar with the voice actors may have a much better experience than I did. I'm calling this a DNF at 20% complete.
audreykerr's review
4.0
Started this on my walk to work...and apparently had a lot to do after work so finished it up by the time I got in to make tea. Fun, quick drama. Honestly got it because of Andrew Scott, which also helped bump the 3/3.5 star to a 4.