Blodeuedd's Monday: Snake-Eater by T. Kingfisher

Narrated by: Elena Rey

Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins

Release date: 12-01-25

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Paranormal

I did not know what to expect from this one, and this was not it. Ha, it was fun.

Selena is running from a relationship. She has anxiety issues, and he is holding her down. So she runs to an aunt in the desert. An aunt who is dead and now she has her house. But there are gods and spirits in the desert. And her aunt seems to have hooked up with one.

To help her she has her dog Copper, her neighbor Grandma, oh she was a hoot. And slowly gaining friendships she did not think she was capable of. Which is what you get from years of trauma by her mother and boyfriend.

There are scary roadrunners and a god called Snake-Eater. Selena is in for more than she bargained for.

I liked it. It took me somewhere I did not know I was going. The narration was great too. A good experience

With only a few dollars to her name and her beloved dog Copper by her side, Selena flees her past in the city to claim her late aunt’s house in the desert town of Quartz Creek. The scorpions and spiders are better than what she left behind.

Because in Quartz Creek, there’s a strange beauty to everything, from the landscape to new friends, and more blue sky than Selena’s ever seen. But something lurks beneath the surface. Like the desert gods and spirits lingering outside Selena’s house at night, keeping watch. Mostly benevolent, says her neighbor Grandma Billy. That doesn’t ease the prickly sense that one of them watches too closely and wants something from Selena she can’t begin to imagine. And when Selena’s search for answers leads her to journal entries that her aunt left behind, she discovers a sinister truth about her new It’s the haunting grounds of an ancient god known simply as “Snake-Eater,” who her late aunt made a promise to that remains unfulfilled.

Snake-Eater has taken a liking to Selena, an obsession of sorts that turns sinister. And now that Selena is the new owner of his home, he’s hell-bent on collecting everything he’s owed.

Audiobook Review: Earls Trip by Jenny Holiday

Author: Jenny Holiday
Narrator: Harry Frost

Title: Earls Trip

Series: Earls Trip #1

Genre: Historical Romance
Format: Audiobook

Published: April 23, 2024
Where I Got It: My shelf (Audible)


Summary: 

Even an earl needs his ride-or-dies, and Archibald Fielding-Burton, the Earl of Harcourt, counts himself lucky to have two. Archie (the jock), Simon (the nerd), and Effie (the goth) have been BFFs since their school days, and their annual trip holds a sacred spot in their calendars. This year, Archie is especially eager to get away—until an urgent letter arrives from an old family friend, begging him to help prevent a ruinous scandal. Archie’s childhood pal Olive Morgan must be rescued from an ill-fated elopement—and her sister Clementine must be rescued from rescuing Olive. Suddenly the trip has become earls-plus-girls.

This . . . complicates matters. The fully grown Clementine, while as frank and refreshing as Archie remembers, is also different to the wild, windswept girl he knew. This Clem is complex and surprising—and adamantly opposed to marriage. Which, for reasons Archie dare not examine too closely, he finds increasingly vexing.

Then Clem makes him an indecent and quite delightful proposal, asking him to show her the pleasures of the marriage bed before she settles into spinsterhood. And what kind of gentleman would he be to refuse a lady?

Review:

A few people I know have read this, and they all had vastly different experiences with it, so I was a hair hesitant to finally listen. Weeellllllllllll, a road trip is the perfect time to just do it. 

Archie and his friends go on a yearly "earls trip" to get away from it all. This year, Archie is eager to get away. His mother's health and mind are slipping faster and faster. However, an urgent letter arrives from an old family friend. It begs him to help prevent a ruinous scandal. His childhood friends, Olive and Clem, have both run away. Olive is with a man, and Clem is trying to stop this marriage. Suddenly, this trip will have the two ladies with them. What complicates matters more is that Clem is now a fully grown woman and is complex and delightful. Uhoh. 

I do have some mixed feelings about this. I honestly felt like I was on a roller coaster. 

One minute I'm IN LOVE with the story. The next minute I was yawning. A page later I was right back in it and wanted the narration to go faster! Theeeennnnnn I was just wanting it to be over. And yeah...so on and so forth. 

I liked Clem. Archie was...okay. He def got better near the end. 

The romance was alright. This felt more like a historical fiction with a sprinkle of romance. It took FOREVER for them to even admit they kinda, sorta like each other. Love a slow burn, but this was like rubbing two sticks together in the rain. Eventually the flames happen, but it takes a while. I think I liked everyone better as friends. It was a fun story watching them all interact! It was charming. 

The narrator did a fine job. His girl voices felt too similar.

But yes, mixed feelings for sure. 

Loved some bits. Some bits...meh. 

I'll give this 3 stars. 

Reading Challenges

- Audiobook #44

Audiobook Review: Bram Stoker's Dracula

Author: Bram Stoker
Narrator: Ella Purnell, Jonathan Bailey, & full cast

Title: Dracula

Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Paranormal, Classic
Format: Audiobook

Published: October 1, 2026 (this rendition)
Where I Got It: My shelf (Audible)


Summary: 

When her fiancé vanishes in Transylvania, Mina pieces together letters, diary entries and chilling testimony to hunt the predator stalking those she loves — only to discover he's already hunting her. Dracula lurks in shadow, slips into dreams, and casts no reflection. To nearly all, he defies beyond what the eye can see, and what the mind can comprehend. When her closest friend Lucy succumbs to his thrall, the enigmatic Professor Van Helsing is summoned to wage war on this unfathomable threat. But it is Mina; her intellect, her resolve, her gift for drawing the unseen lines between clues, who may hold the key to stopping this ancient scourge. If he hasn't already found his way inside her mind…

Review:

Love me some Dracula. Esp Dracula remakes. And when I heard the cast of this one, I couldn't resist checking it out!

Mina's fiancé vanishes, and she is trying to piece together the letters, diary entries, and chilling testimony to figure out what happened. He returns, but he isn't the same. At the same time, her childhood friend is dying, and they do not know why. They bring in Professor Van Helsing to combat the threat. However, it is Mina who will connect all the dots and figure out that they are being hunted by an ancient scourge. 

The original story is good, but man, was this cast amazing. They really did a wonderful job breathing fresh air into this story. Fabulous. I was so invested. I listened to this during a long drive down to Florida, and I was in Tennessee by the time I finished it. I was surrounded by trees and darkness. Such a great way to listen to this. I was so scared by the end. I ran to the hotel to check in. 

I would listen to this rendition again. It really just flushed out the story and made me love the story all over again. I haven't read the original since 2012, and I remember it seemed to drag on and on. I didn't feel this way with this narration. They just brought this to life so well. 

5 stars, 100%. 

Reading Challenges

- Audiobook #43

Book Review: The Last Seance by Agatha Christie

Author: Agatha Christie

Title: The Last Séance

Genre: Thriller, Anthology, Paranormal, Mystery, Classics

Format: Ebook

Pages: 353

Published: September 24, 2019

Where I got It: Library

Summary: 

For lovers of the supernatural and the macabre comes this collection of ghostly and chilling stories from legendary mystery writer Agatha Christie. Fantastic psychic visions, specters looming in the shadows, encounters with deities, a man who switches bodies with a cat—be sure to keep the light on whilst reading these tales.

The Last Séance gathers twenty stories, some featuring Christie’s beloved detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, in one haunting compendium that explores all things occult and paranormal, and is an essential omnibus for Christie fans.

Review:

Yayyyy more Agatha Christie! She really is a great read for the Spooky season!

Here we have twenty shorts. There were a couple I have read in the past, but a lot I have never read before so it was nice to check them out!

The Last Séance

This one was spooky! A nice way to start off the collection. 5/5

In a Glass Darkly

Another spooky one. I liked this one a lot. 5/5

S.O.S.

Loved the atmosphere. This was a nice one. Not sure about that ending. 4/5

The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb

Such a good one! I've read this one before. Nice! 5/5

The Fourth Man

Oof. This was a rough one to read for a few reasons...still a good read but man. 3/5

The Idol House of Astarte

Miss Marple!!!!! This was entertaining! I want more Marple. 5/5

The Gipsy

I wasn't sure how this was going to end! EEE! 5/5

Philomel Cottage

I was meh about this one. 2/5

The Lamp

Sooo bittersweet. So nice though. 4/5

The Dream

I feel like I read this one before....maybe not. Maybe it was something similar. But still enjoyable. 4/5

Wireless

I LOVED this one. I think this was on my top 3 of this list. 5/5

The Wife of the Kenite

Ooooo this was a good one. I had no idea what was going to happen. 5/5

The Mystery of the Blue Jar

Mmmmm. It was okay. Not sure how I feel about the ending. 3/5

The Strange Case of Sir Arthur Carmichael

This was weird but entertaining!! 4/5

The Blue Gernaium

I...barely remember this one. Whoops. 2/5

The Call of Wings

Awww I liked this one. It was good. 4/5

The Flock of Geryon

Another goodie. I really liked this one. 5/5

The Red Signal

Oooooooooo. Such a good one. Top 5 for sure. 5/5

The Dressmaker's Doll

Super horror with this one. Spooky. Creepy. Fun. 4/5

The Hound of Death

I wish I had liked this one more. It just didn't get me as much as I wanted. Still a nice read. 3/5 

Overall! I liked this collection. Lots of wins. Lots of good reads. A couple I was meh about or honestly....couldn't even remember it. I consider this a win! It would be a fun Netflix collection to make hehehe *wink*

Doing complicated and Harvard level math...............................4 stars. 

Reading Challenges

- Library Love #26