Hello Friends!
I hope you are all doing well. I’m still on vacation in Germany that’s why I haven’t been on my blog, posting reviews, but today I’m part of a blog tour about a book that I have read and reviewed in November of last year.
“Visions of Zarua“, written by Suzanne Rogerson, is a fantasy novel published on 16th November 2015, and now it’s also available in audiobook format.
And that is why I’m here, to give my review of the audiobook.
I want to thank Rachel, at Rachel’s Random Resources, and Suzanne Rogerson for the Audiobook of this book, and for allowing me to join in the fun and being a part of the blog tour with my honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Blurb
Two wizards, 350 years apart. Can they save the realm of Paltria from Zarua’s dark past?
An ancient darkness haunts the realm of Paltria.
Apprentice wizard Paddren is plagued by visions of a city on the brink of annihilation. When his master dies in mysterious circumstances, the Royal Order of Wizards refuses to investigate.
Helped by his childhood friend, the skilled tracker Varnia, and her lover Leyoch, Paddren vows to find the killer.
The investigation leads Paddren down a sinister path of assassins, secret sects and creatures conjured by blood magic. But he is guided by a connection with a wizard from centuries ago – a wizard whose history holds the key to the horror at the heart of the abandoned city of Zarua. Can Paddren decipher his visions in time to save the Paltrian people from the dark menace of Zarua’s past?
Purchase Link – Amazon | Audible | iTunes
Author Bio
Suzanne lives in Middlesex, England with her hugely encouraging husband and two children.
She wrote her first novel at the age of twelve. She discovered the fantasy genre in her late teens and has never looked back. Giving up work to raise a family gave her the impetus to take her attempts at novel writing beyond the first draft, and she is lucky enough to have a husband who supports her dream – even if he does occasionally hint that she might think about getting a proper job one day.
Suzanne loves gardening and has a Hebe (shrub) fetish. She enjoys cooking with ingredients from the garden, and regularly feeds unsuspecting guests vegetable-based cakes.
She collects books, loves going for walks and picnics with the children and sharing with them her love of nature and photography.
Suzanne is interested in history and enjoys wandering around castles. But most of all she likes to escape with a great film, or soak in a hot bubble bath with an ice cream and a book.
Social Media Links – Website | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon | Goodreads
Narrator Bio
Guy or the Big G as he is known to his friends is a London/ Brighton based actor and singer songwriter and producer.
He has recently completed his first leading role in the film Typo out next year and played the role of Alvin Turner in American film Holly Turner also out next year.
Guy only started narrating audiobooks last year and Visions of Zarua is his 2nd. He will be narrating 2 classics this year, Bram Stoker‘s Dracula and HG Wells The Time Machine.
In his spare time Guy is a passionate biker and cigar aficionado and he’ll not say no to a Sierra Nevada beer or two!
My Review
I have had already the pleasure of reading this book last year, and when given the opportunity of listening to the Audiobook and give a review, I had to jump in. I like to listen to audiobooks, especially when I’m working on other stuff (at the gym, doing some cleaning, before going to bed, …) and I used this one during my training at the gym.
I won’t tell you my opinion of the story, because it hasn’t changed since I read the book last year. I still love the storyline and the characters and what I have to say is that this narrator made me as curious about the characters as when I read it. I knew what was going to happen, and I knew about the characters, so it was an interesting experience and it gave me a different perspective about the all book, that’s why I was still curious to listen to each chapter.
The narrator had a type of voice that grabbed my attention, and following all the POVs and all the characters was even more fun, especially when I would close my eyes and imagine what was being narrated. It allowed my imagination to run wild by just listening, which I find exciting, especially when I have a headache and reading isn’t possible.
The story was easy to follow, and although I have read the story last year, some details were lost and by listening to the audiobook I was able to go back to this world and relearn the story and be more attentive to information and details that I may have not seen before. This was all thanks to the wonderful job of the narrator that made it a smooth adventure, with his clear voice.
Overall, if you are someone that enjoys Audiobooks, you should definitely check this book out.
Don’t forget to check out all the other bloggers that given their contribute in this Blog Tour, to see the reviews of this audiobook.
Don’t forget to comment, don’t be stranger. If you have any book recommendation you can leave a message using the form on my Contact Me page.
If you are an author or publisher and want me to do a review of a book please check out my Request Review page to learn more about the reviewing policies.
I always welcome new books to add to my list and I’m always excited to do reviews and read books. And I’m open to debate and exchange opinions, so let’s talk.
Also, if you would like to join me as a guest on my blog, check out the Guests Post page to know more and contact me so we can start planing your visit.
Love,
Jess
Jess Bookish Life 
Thanks for taking the time during your vacation to post a review of Visions of Zarua. It’s great to hear that you enjoyed the audiobook version as much as reading it yourself.
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