Quick Review: Princess in Black series

Princess in Black is an easy chapter book series by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale. The illustrations are by LeUyen Pham. There are currently four titles available in the series:

1 - The Princess in Black
2 - The Princess in Black and the Perfect Princess Party
3 - The Princess in Black and the Hungry Bunny Horde
4 - The Princess in Black Takes a Vacation

Books 1-3 were in an audiobook collection, while book 4 was a standalone audiobook. Since these books are easy chapter books, the audiobooks were very short - about 20 minutes each. Each book is read by narrator Julia Whelan. I thought I heard Whelan read before, but checking the blog I don't have her documented. Interesting. I liked her voice. She was youthful and gave different characters different voices or characteristics. I thought she maintained her character voices well between all four stories.

The stories are fun and for a young audience. It was a fine read for this youth librarian. They read very quickly. I can see the appeal for girls, guys, and families. The "battle scenes" were similar to retro Batman - *Bam!* and *Pow!* That was fun. I would recommend this to families to read together or readers who want to begin chapter books.

The Princess in Black, Books 1-3 reviewed from a library copy. I received The Princess in Black Takes a Vacation audiobook from Penguin Random House for an honest review. Thank you, Listening Library!

Audio Book Details...
The Princess in Black, Books 1-3 by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale
Series: The Princess in Black
Read by Julia Whelan
Produced by Listening Library
Number of Discs: 1
Total Time: 55 minutes
Release Date: February 9, 2016
ISBN: 9780735209916 / 9780735209923

Audio Book Details...
The Princess in Black Takes a Vacation by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale
Series: Book 04, The Princess in Black
Read by Julia Whelan
Produced by Listening Library
Number of Discs: 1
Total Time: 19 minutes
Release Date: November 8, 2016
ISBN: 9780735210141

Review: A Most Magical Girl

A Most Magical Girl takes place in Victorian England. Proper young lady, Annabel Grey, goes to her great aunt where they share magic with her. It is unbelievable that her mother never mentioned any of this to her. Now she is told that she needs to learn quickly in order to find the Moreover Wand in under London. She needs to fight white magic against the black magic that has arrived in London.

I was uncertain about A Most Magical Girl. I have been avoiding narrator Jayne Entwistle for some time. Occasionally her character voices get under my skin and I turn her off. I like a fantasy tale and I haven't heard Entwistle for a while, so I gave this audiobook a listen. The story was strange, but the narration was well done.

The story is a dark, gothic tale of good versus evil and young versus old. (Some moments reminded me of Neil Gaiman stories.) Mr. Angel was the dark magician who called up darklings from the shadows which is a bit unsettling. I preferred to imagine them as little inkblots in motion rather than how they were actually described. Annabel Grey did have a "friend," Kitty, who was along during the whole adventure. Kitty was interesting and wild and magical. Annabel and Kitty's adventure was nearly the entire length of the book. The wrap up at the end seemed rather short in comparison to the lengthy journey. The most interesting part of the book for me was the dark magic machine Mr. Angel created. It was fed by mourning tokens of the Victorian age. That historical addition was short and fascinating.

As I previously stated, Jayne Entwistle is the narrator for A Most Magical Girl. It was a good listen. Her voices were believable for all the characters. Annabel and Kitty were the main characters, but there were elderly ladies and gentlemen, trolls, Mr. Angel, and darklings. The character voices were maintained throughout the whole book. I would give Entwistle another go after hearing A Most Magical Girl.

I received this audiobook from Penguin Random House for an honest review. Thank you, Listening Library!

Audio Book Details...
A Most Magical Girl by Karen Foxlee
Read by Jayne Entwistle
Produced by Listening Library
Number of Discs: 7
Total Time: 8 hours, 13 minutes
Release Date: August 2, 2016
ISBN: 9780147521033 / 9780147521040

Review: The Writings of Paul Frees

Paul Frees is a legendary voice actor. His voice appears in some of my favorite movies. I was interested in what he wrote and I was in for a surprise. It was not what I expected. He wrote during a different era. The following selections are on the audiobook The Writings of Paul Frees:

Monster from Dimension X (script)
Spike Jones letter
The Collector's Item (Bats)
I'm Drowning My Sorrows lyrics
Partners in Crime (TV Series w/ Jeremiah & Jennifer Shade)
Who Knows? (audition script)
Freddy (short story)

Frees wrote some science fiction and science fiction isn't one of my top genres. It was interesting and a bit creepy. The first story made it hard to continue listening to the whole audiobook. The format of a read script didn't put me off, it was the story. The sound creature, or monster, killed people. The Collector's Item was interesting. It sounded like a silly commercial about a mad man with bats in his attic. And the short story, Freddy, was interesting, too. Freddy was a story about a science loving kid.

Paul Frees' son, Fred Frees, narrated the collection. He's dynamic like his father. I wasn't observant enough to notice that Fred read the book until I was writing my review. I was listening for voices that I recognized and was confused. After realizing my mistake, I knew why Fred's voices were a bit different from Paul's voices that I knew growing up.

Reviewed from an Audiobook Jukebox copy. Thank you, Blackstone Audio!

Audio Book Details...
The Writings of Paul Frees: Scripts and Songs from the Master of Voice, 2nd Edition by Paul Frees
Read by Fred Frees
Produced by BearManor Media
Number of Discs: MP3 download
Total Time: 3 hours, 30 minutes
Release Date: May 31, 2016
ISBN: 9781504743006