- Title:
- Rise of the Sparrows
- Author:
- Sarina Langer
- Release:
- May 23, 2016
- Format:
- Audiobook
- Narrator:
- Leanne Yau
- Series:
- Relics of Ar’Zac #1
Unfortunately, this book is a do not read from me. I normally leave the audiobook bit for last, but this narrator is putting me to sleep every time I pick it back up.
Nearly every line of the book is read in this boring-as-hell, near-monotone voice. The only real inflections in her voice cums from her sounding like she’s a teenage girl, relaying the newest gossip to her friends. I can barely tell who’s speaking because none of her voices sound distinct.
The second issue is her male voice. While I normally try not to criticize female narrators for this, the lackluster overall narration just adds to it. If you’ve ever watched a movie where a woman has to pretend to be a man, and puts on the worst male voice of all time, to the point where you feel like the characters would have to be daft to fall for it; That’s every male voice in this book.
As for the story; it’s the only thing that kept me going. Or I should say, the main characters were. They’re likable, I feel for them, they have good chemistry and I want them to succeed. The point where it lost me is this plot archetype.
Say aye if you’ve read this before. There’s a downtrodden protagonist who’s been overlooked their entire life. Turns out, they’re the center of some prophecy. They try to convince the people rallying behind them that they’re not a hero., but you know they’re full of shit, They’re going to change their minds, save the day and defeat the evil king along the way.
The problem isn’t the plot, it’s just the lack of ANYTHING new being brought to the table. It went from being an interesting story about survival against all odds, our protagonist finding humanity in herself, despite it never being shown to her, to a generic hero story. It just feels like each plot point is being checked off of a to-do list, so nothing ever feels special or original.
I couldn’t help but think of Spy Kids 3D as I was writing this. That came out in 2003, 13 years before this book. I’m all for this plot structure, so long as something new is brought to the table.
I can still recommend this book, if you’ve not read it, watched it, or listened to it 100 times before. Just get the physical or eBook versions. The audiobook version is not worth your time.
NOTE: This copy was provided to me free of charge as a digital review copy. The opinions stated in this review are mine and mine alone, I was not paid or requested to give this book a certain rating, suggestion, or approval.