Review: Everything is Possible

Finding Faith & Courage to Follow Your Dreams

Jen Bricker, acrobat, aerialist, daughter, sister, and speaker, is a woman with a mission to succeed in life and praise the Lord. She strongly believes that God has an amazing plan for her and everyone in the world. We need to trust God and stay connected with Him. God will give His people unbelievable adventures.

Jen shares her story - good, bad, and everything in between. As she shares her life's struggles and victories, Jen encourages her readers. It's a very refreshing read. I would highly recommend Everything is Possible to readers who enjoy biographies, athleticism, and faith journeys.

Jen Bricker narrated her book which I really enjoyed. Her words were in her voice, which doesn't always happen in audiobooks. It was an enjoyable listen. One small note was at the very end of the book after information about how to contact her, she ends with, "Thank you." It felt so genuine and the perfect way to end her story.

Thank you, Jen Bricker for sharing your story and your faith!


I received this audiobook for free from christianaudio for an honest review.

Audio Book Details...
Everything is Possible by Jen Bricker
Read by Jen Bricker
Produced by Mission Audio
Number of Discs: MP3 download (14 parts)
Total Time: 3 hours, 47 minute
Release Date: September 2016
ASIN: B01J6HS5Y0

Review: Once Upon a Dream: A Twisted Tale

Author Liz Braswell returns with book two in the Twisted Tales series. Book two, Once Upon a Dream tackles the tale of Sleeping Beauty. Just like book one, A Whole New World, the tell is a dark story. The tag line from the cover reads, "What if the Sleeping Beauty never woke up?"

Maleficent is in control of Aurora's dream world. Aurora's dreams are gray and confusing without much love or sunlight. The tale picks up when Phillip pierces the dragon's heart and runs to wake up Aurora except the sleeping power of the castle overcomes Phillip before he can kiss Aurora. The reader is transported to Aurora's dream.

Familiar Disney characters appear in the story - Aurora Rose, Prince Phillip, Maleficent, Maleficent's minions, Aurora's parents, Phillip's father, and the three good fairies. New characters are also introduced into the tale as well.





Disney's Sleeping Beauty is one of my favorite Disney movies. I was very intrigued to hear this story and how Braswell would twist this tale. She gave the characters added depth compared to the movie. The story is very dark with some bloody scenes. I was rather relieved to finally finish the audiobook. It was a bit lengthy for me and dark magic wasn't enjoyable. (Compared to book one, book two is just over an hour longer.) I would definitely place this story in the young adult / teen section of the library. There is a hint of romance, but it focuses more on individual growth versus relationship growth.

James Patrick Cronin returns to narrate Once Upon a Dream. His reading was enjoyable. I recognized his voice from book one, but I never felt that the character voices overlapped between the books. Which is great, since each story is a solo book in the series. The ladies voices were believable. Blackstone Audio added intro and exit music.

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

Audio Book Details...
Once Upon a Dream: A Twisted Tale by Liz Braswell
Read by James Patrick Cronin
Produced by Blackstone Audio
Number of Discs: MP3 download (37 parts)
Total Time: 9 hours, 42 minutes
Release Date: October 2016
ISBN: 9781504751346

Armchair Audies 2017

The Audies are awards given by the Audio Publishers Association, or the APA. Audiobooks from 26 different categories are narrowed down to a short list of finalists. The finalists were announced in February and the winners will be announced at the Gala in June. The Armchair Audies are audiobook enthusiasts who listen to the finalists in each category and cast a vote for the winner.

 

I want to listen to the Young Listeners and Middle Grade finalists. My goal is to listen to as many titles as I can find through the library system. If there is a generous publisher, author, narrator, or friend who has a spare copy to share, let me know!

The titles for each category are listed below. I hope to link my reviews to each of these titles. If I am unable to find a copy, I will share that as well. I'm looking forward to hearing some great audiobooks for young listeners!


2017 Audie Award Finalists for Middle Grade:

• All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook by Leslie Connor, narrated by Michael Crouch and Kathleen McInerney, published by HarperAudio 
• Demon Dentist by David Walliams, narrated by David Walliams, Jocelyn Jee Esien, and Nitin Ganatra, published by HarperAudio 
• The Enchanted Files: Hatched by Bruce Coville, narrated by a full cast, published by Listening Library 
• How to Train Your Dragon: How to Fight a Dragon’s Fury by Cressida Cowell, narrated by David Tennant, published by Hachette Audio 
• The Inquisitor’s Tale: Or, The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog by Adam Gidwitz, narrated by Adam Gidwitz and various, published by Listening Library

2017 Audie Award Finalists for Young Listeners:

• 28 Days: Moments in Black History That Changed the World by Charles R. Smith, Jr., narrated by a full cast, published by Live Oak Media 
• Island Treasures: Growing up in Cuba by Alma Flor Ada, narrated by Trini Alvarado, published by Recorded Books 
• The Quentin Blake and John Yeoman Collection by Quentin Blake and John Yeoman, narrated by Stephen Thorne, published by Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd 
• The Tale of Kitty-in-Boots by Beatrix Potter, narrated by Helen Mirren, published by Listening Library 
• Voice of Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford, narrated by Janina Edwards, published by Dreamscape Media, LLC 
• The Wooden Prince: Out of Abaton by John Claude Bemis, narrated by Ralph Lister, published by Oasis Audio

Want to join the audiobook fun of the Audies? Visit Armchair Audies and sign-up to judge a category! You can also follow these audiobook awards on Twitter with hashtags #ArchairAudies and #Audies2017. Happy listening, friends!

Audies 2017

Today was the day the Audio Publishers Association announced this year's Audie Award Finalists! It's an exciting day for publishers, writers, narrators, and audiobook lovers. The Audies are called the Oscars of audiobooks. This year's hashtag is #Audies2017. The winners will be announced during the Gala in New York on Thursday, June 1, 2017.

Adolescent Audio Adventures primarily focuses on listens for younger readers. Here are the nominations for Young Listeners, Middle Grade, and Young Adult. For a complete listing of the 2017 Audie Award Finalists, check out the AudioFile Magazine press release.