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leweylibrary's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The cast is 🤌 immaculate. Neil Gaiman as the narrator?? Come on. Then you add Sean Astin (Samwell), London Hughes, Wil Wheaton, and of course Felicia Day, and it's just insane the level of voice talent on display. Not to mention the cameos which I had a hard time catching lol but still, so good.
I love the premise of the book and the magic world Felicia Day created here. I know it was her baby and it shows ❤️ my only tiny, tiny gripe is that the end confrontation and end reveal fell a bit flat for me after all the build up. But I guess that kind of fits the goal, right? Because she was a Chosen One who ended up being a Normal One, so it makes sense the ending would be the same? But I think the amount of effort and skill that went into every other aspect of this book makes it a 5 star read for me.
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Gore, Murder, and War
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Body shaming
sherrios's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Turns out, life goes on. Just, y'know, a lot worse for the laypeople who got failed by the Chosen One.
We follow the life of Laurel Pettigrew, fifteen years after she failed to save the world from the Great Evil, Tybus. Rather than being killed, Tybus keeps Laurel around to basically remind the supernatural world why they all lost their magic in a super fun annual event called the Shaming Ceremony. The story picks up a week or so before the Shaming Ceremony, when Laurel meets a fifteen year old girl named Kate.
There are, of course, a host of characters surrounding Laurel: Frank, the fangless, not-hot vampire; Sybil, the extremely narcissitic fairy princess; Ben, the frozen in crystal for fifteen years teenage (ex)boyfriend; Charles, the poor normie who is just in the wrong place at the wrong time, all the time; Robigus, the ex-greek god turned deputy of Tybus; and Tracy, Kate's former guidance counselor.
As far as the story goes, it's entertaining, though a bit predictable. This is an audio drama, so the structure is only mildly novel-esque. I think this accounts for a lot of the issues that I had with this, chief among them the character development and the pacing.
A lot of the pay offs at the end feel cheap and unearned.
The pacing is... haphazard, at best. I honestly couldn't tell you how many days passed, but some of the days felt extremely long, some extremely short. Some parts felt overly long, while others felt like more time could have spent on it.
What makes this worth listening to is the cast. This is superbly voice acted, and you can tell that everyone had a lot of fun during the process. It's an absolutely delightful listen despite the issues that I had with it, which is the main reason that I recommend it. It's a fun, brainless romp.
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Vomit, Murder, and Toxic friendship
undertherowantree's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, Toxic relationship, Violence, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Minor: Drug use, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury
faithaforman's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Alcoholism, Body horror, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment