Audiobook Review: The Heart Forger by Rin Chupeco

Author: Rin Chupeco

Narrator: Emily Woo Zeller & Will Damron

Title: The Heart Forger

Series: The Bone Witch #2

Genre: Fantasy, YA, Romance, Paranormal

Format: Audiobook

Published: March 20, 2018

Where I got It: Borrowed from library

Summary: 

In The Bone Witch, Tea mastered resurrection―now she's after revenge...

No one knows death like Tea. A bone witch who can resurrect the dead, she has the power to take life...and return it. And she is done with her self-imposed exile. Her heart is set on vengeance, and she now possesses all she needs to command the mighty daeva. With the help of these terrifying beasts, she can finally enact revenge against the royals who wronged her―and took the life of her one true love.

But there are those who plot against her, those who would use Tea's dark power for their own nefarious ends. Because you can't kill someone who can never die...

War is brewing among the kingdoms, and when dark magic is at play, no one is safe.

Review:

Finally decided to read book 2. I read book 1 a while back for book club. Been meaning to get started on this one. 

We continue on Tea's journey. Tea is a bone witch who can resurrect the dead. She is done with her self-imposed exile and has her heart set on revenge. With the help of her beasts and some friends..she can finally enact her revenge on the royals who wronged her and took the life of her true love. There are those who plot against her and want her dark power for their own nefarious ends. War is brewing. 

Again we get to see two different POVs. One is Tea in the past recounting her journey and story. One is in the "present" and the Bard takes her story and follows her as she builds her army and power. 

I liked book 1 better. This was still okay, but I struggled at the beginning and the middle. The last 30% or so had me absolutely hooked. But the beginning 70% was a little effy. Yes, there were some good fights and some drama...but I just want to be done with the past. I am fully invested in seeing Tea in the "present". 

There was a lot of blood and fighting here which was exciting. We also get to see more romance which I am happy about. About dang time!

This didn't feel YA at all and that made me happy. Some YAs can be brutal. 

The ending has me itching for book 3. Lots of drama and war coming our way. Eeeee. 

The narrators are still fantastic. I am glad I did the audio. I think I would've been bored with the ebook/print. The narrators pulled me through the parts I was meh about. 

In the end, I am intrigued about book 3 even though I did struggle with some parts here. This was for sure a transition book. I'm sure book 3 will be littered with drama and war. I'll give this 3 stars. 

Challenge(s):
- #37 for Audiobook challenge

Audiobook Review: The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco

Author: Rin Chupeco

Narrator: Emily Woo Zeller, Will Damron

Title: The Bone Witch

(The Bone Witch #1)

Genre: Fantasy, YA, Paranormal

Format: Audiobook

Published:  March 7th 2017

Where I got It: Borrowed from library

Summary: 

When Tea accidentally resurrects her brother, Fox, from the dead, she learns she is different from the other witches in her family. Her gift for necromancy means that she’s a bone witch, a title that makes her feared and ostracized by her community. But Tea finds solace and guidance with an older, wiser bone witch, who takes Tea and her brother to another land for training.

In her new home, Tea puts all her energy into becoming an asha—one who can wield elemental magic. But dark forces are approaching quickly, and in the face of danger, Tea will have to overcome her obstacles…and make a powerful choice.

Review:

Never heard of this one until book club! It is this month's book and after reading the summary and looking at that lovely cover...I couldn't wait to dive in. 

We follow Tea who, after accidentally resurrecting her brother, she learns she is different from the other witches in her family. Her gift for necromancy means she is a bone witch. This is a title that makes her feared and ostracized by those in her community. Tea finds solace and guidance from an older bone witch who takes Tea and her brother to another land for training. In her new home, Tea will put all her energy into becoming an asha, but when dark forces are approaching quickly, Tea will have to overcome all obstacles and make a powerful and deadly choice. 

This was slow to start. There is a lot of world-building and character-building that was needed so I wasn't upset with the slowness. I enjoyed it oddly. There is a lot to learn about the world and especially our characters and their powers. 

Once things started.....I couldn't stop listening. I HAD to know what was going on. I am especially intrigued because we go back and forth between times. We see her tell her story to a Bard. Tea, at some point, is betrayed and exiled. This storytelling does set us up for book 2. I can't wait to start book 2. I need to know what happened and why. Especially when it is revealed all the what's and a who she is bringing back from the dead. OoooOOOoooo can't wait. 

This reminded me a little bit of a fantasy and YA version of 'Memoirs of a Geisha'. I had attempted to read that book an eon ago and didn't really like it. That had been bland. Maybe I'll try again, because I really did like this novel. 

There is a hint of romance here. I'm glad it didn't take over the story. So yayy there. 

The two narrators were flawless. Loved them. Not sure if I'm doing audio for book 2 (depends on what I can find), but if I do I hope they read that one too. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this even with the slow beginning. I found that the slow beginning was warranted. There is a lot to know and I have a feeling that just scratches the surface for this world and these characters. 5 stars from me.

 

 

Challenge(s):
- #70 for Audiobook challenge