5 ⭐️

These characters have a special place in my heart ❤️ I love the world of elfhame. Really good audiobook.

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Back to Basics was a Triumph

Initially I was frustrated that the story went so far back- the cliffhanger from Stolen Heir was so intriguing. But I love an origin story & the whole novel being told from Oak’s poV was refreshing & exciting, I’d been loving him through Ren’s eyes, but Oak really shines in his own merit for the sequel,

I’m always conflicted reading A Holly Black novel - the desire to binge the story because the plot is so deliciously compelling wars with my wish not to have it over too fast!

The tricks and riddles which are intrinsic to the magical cast will keep any reader on their toes and the devotion and complex allegiances make it impossible to guess ahead. Yet the similarity between Oak and his brother in law Cardin gave me a sliver of insight. It was also wonderful to be reunited with characters from the early books. I’m a huge fan of Jude’s.

I’ve only just finished The Prisoner’s Throne & I already want to listen all over again.

Wasn’t sure about the change of narrator, but he came into his own after a while.

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Change of narrator makes sense

I really enjoyed both books like all books about Elfhame. The change of narrator made sense to me because Oak is telling the story this time and Barrett Leddy does it really well! I especially enjoyed his voice for Cardan. It just fit really well with how I thought he would sound with a mans voice. So dramatic hahaha!

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1 person found this helpful

character development

Emotional misunderstandings were frustrating at times but understandable in the context of the plot and the denouement.

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a great story

+Brilliant story as always. I love Holly Black's dark tales of faerie. She writes the fae so beautifully
-The narrator is very stilted in his reading. There were points where he sounded unnatural!

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Change of narrator

Enjoyed the story but found it hard to listen to the new narrator. He was a bit too stiff and not the right voice for the book, which took away from the story. Just got through it as quick as possible. I was mostly just disappointed to be honest especially after pre-ordering and waiting for like 3 months for it’s release day 😅

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3 people found this helpful

I love this book

It’s amazing and I never thought that I could get so invested into a world created my another but I will always love Holly Blacks writing

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Disappointed at both the story and the audio

For some reason the audio volume kept going up and down between chapters, not when it changed to whispers, but rather the overall volume of the narration, like a bad editing. Regarding the story, it felt rushed, unpolished and a bit of a mess. Usually the main character develops better instincts during her stories, in this case, my perception is that the maturity of the character had to keep being clarified, rather than show in his decisions and actions. The obvious conclusion could be drawn much too soon, which made the book feel like it was dragging a bad narrative. It was like listening to a story that had the same background as the other novels in the collection but that for some reason was aimed at a 10yo rather than a teenager or young adult. I’m disappointed.

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A return to Elfhame

I really loved this book! I think it’s my fav Elfhame novel - I found any excuse to listen to it! I love Oak 🥰 Holly Blacks writing is just beautiful and the performance was great, like a warm hug (at least to my ears) I hope others enjoy it as much as I have!

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Great characters and dialogues

Absolutely loved it! The series introduces nee characters while nicely developing old ones. Looking forward to her next book in the series!

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