Helpful Score: 3
This book was easy to listen to. I'm not sure if this is a YA book or not but it sure felt like it. The language is pretty simple. The story is interesting & it went quickly. It was an entertaining book but pretty superficial. I didn't feel like I got to know the characters well. I listened intently to the mystery but found the resolution anti-climactic. The fact that the story revolves around current technology (Google, Apple, Twitter, coding, etc) makes it cool & interesting right now but I doubt it will have the same impact in 5-10 years. I'd recommend it if you want a quick easy "read" but not if you are looking for a though provoking, compelling novel.
From the summary and from reading reviews, I was expecting this to be (what I'd call) fantasy-lite, by which I mean placed in our world but with dashes of fantasy, like a much lighter Harry Potter or an Off to Be the Wizard. It's not. It's fiction firmly set in modern America--San Francisco to be exact. The "magic" I wanted quickly became less HP and more Freemason (huge disappointment) and then morphed into little more than a morality tale or parable, if you will.
The set-up was intriguing. I mean a mystery about a bookstore and loving books: that's right up my alley! But most of the characters are average, and there never seemed to be anything on the line--no real sacrifice or looming danger. I didn't really love any of them, I felt just along for the ride. Penumbra was the most likable character but his constant, "My boy," started off endearing but soon grated on my nerves.
I liked the narrator; he's easy to listen to and sounds natural. He only gets 3 stars because I found times when I didn't know if Clay (protagonist) was speaking out loud or was in his own head. Not a problem I've had with other audiobooks.
It lacked something, maybe grandeur, but I kept thinking I wanted more.
The set-up was intriguing. I mean a mystery about a bookstore and loving books: that's right up my alley! But most of the characters are average, and there never seemed to be anything on the line--no real sacrifice or looming danger. I didn't really love any of them, I felt just along for the ride. Penumbra was the most likable character but his constant, "My boy," started off endearing but soon grated on my nerves.
I liked the narrator; he's easy to listen to and sounds natural. He only gets 3 stars because I found times when I didn't know if Clay (protagonist) was speaking out loud or was in his own head. Not a problem I've had with other audiobooks.
It lacked something, maybe grandeur, but I kept thinking I wanted more.
