Hidden Truths

This started off pretty much exactly like other books in this trope, so I figured I knew what to expect … and I was right but it was still fun to experience.

I liked Talia, pretty much off the bat, so I hung in there (and I’m so glad I did!). It’s sort of slow-paced and very cliché (typical, highly used mafia plot, unoriginal) until about 2 hours from the end, action starts to go down, and things heat up quite a bit. The action occurs in short spurts, and then it’s sorta slow-paced again, but it’s done well, as more is clearly just on the horizon, keeping me engaged.

By the time I got to the end, I was hooked. And after that wicked cliffhanger, I definitely will need to listen on to book 2—very well played on the part of the authors.

Overall: 3.5 stars.



Audio:
Overall not bad at all, but could’ve been better.
-It could be confusing at times, because both narrators pronounced the main a major character’s name inconsistently, sometimes saying Aris < as it sounds in an American accent, and one saying “Edd-es”. (I get it, I can’t roll my Rs and it sounds similar if I try to say it, however, one consistent pronunciation would’ve made it a lot more seamless to listen to.)
- Both have good voices and both more perform than read like robots, which is amazing. Dual cast that sounded like a full cast thanks to accents.
-However: each narrator works well individually. It seems like they did not work together at all. Whenever the male covered female dialogue, he made her sound like a petulant, weak little girl. It was absolutely awful and a striking conflict from how Sarah portrayed her, and how the authors designed her (as she’s actually wise beyond her years, grows up quickly after being forced to, strong and brave).

Stolen Lies

After being bored for much of book 1, I ended up getting totally hooked near the end and NEEDING this one. Interesting tactic on the authors’ part—which I have to respect!

This one starts a year after that cliffie in book 1 … it’s turmoil, action, drama, and heat. Overall, a good, quick listen. Much faster paced than the first, but I now understand why the first went the way it did—the world, character and plot development were needed.

4 stars.


Audio:
Very good, especially the female. The male did a great job w/ the male parts, but his female impersonations were tough to take. Excellent sound quality overall!