Joel Froomkin should find different work

I feel bad for Elizabeth about leaving 1 star on the performance, as hers is excellent. But Joel’s narration is so bad that I can’t increase the score and allow him to coast on a better co-narrator. His reading is stiff and jilted. His emphasis increases the first few words of each sentence, then drops to nothing for the remainder of the sentence — regardless of length or content. His dialogue is almost unintelligible. I am a big fan of Charlie N Holmberg. I can’t express the disappointment I felt when the second chapter started. Read this one. Skip the audio.

6 people found this helpful

Intriguing

WHAT IT'S ABOUT In Victorian England, there are two kinds of wizards: those rich enough to make spells and the rare few born with the ability to break them. MY TAKE I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed it. It was narrated by a man and a woman. Elizabeth Knowelden did a great job; Joel Froomkin was just okay, but it didn't take away much from my enjoyment of the story. The tale itself was intriguing. Holmberg does a great job with her magic systems, and Spellbreaker was no different. Elsie Camdem's magical ability of taking apart spells is against the law--but only because she's not registered. Abandoned as a child, she spent years in a workhouse until at the age of 11 she accidentally broke a fire protection spell and the place burned down. The law is severe against unregistered people, so Elsie can't admit what she can do. But she has a purpose, something given to her by the "cowls" (a name she gave the people who send her on secret missions to undo spells that she's told are being used to injure or subjugate poor people). It's on one of those that Elsie's caught by Bacchus Kelsey, who's visiting England to gain his mastery in magic. They work out a deal: he won't turn her over to law as an unregistered Spellbreaker, and she will work with him around his host's estate to undo negative spells. There's a lot going on in the story, including the murder of magic users, a search for Elsie's missing family, and a growing trust between her and Bacchus. I enjoyed the twists. There was one point where I was getting irritated by Elsie's naiveté and ready to stop reading when everything is turned upside down. Then the action really takes off. There's resolution for the main storyline but not for another part. I'm looking forward to the next book. 4 1/2 stars

3 people found this helpful

I love the story

I love the story, Charlie N. Holmberg is one of my favorites in this genre. The female narrator is perfect but I can do without the male he was awful and I found myself wishing his parts would hurry to get back to the her she could have read the whole book alone. Still great book.

2 people found this helpful

Interesting read/listen

I have to say, I really enjoyed listening to this book. I’ve already got the preorder saved for the next book in the series. Normally, I don’t write reviews unless the book is really good or really bad. Although this wouldn’t be a book I’d normally give a review one way or another I felt I needed to based on other reviews. Most previous reviews stated how horrible the male reader is. I almost didn’t get this book because of those reviews. However, not only am I glad I did, I totally disagree with the previous reviews. The male reader is good. Not the greatest I’ve ever heard but not nearly as bad as it’s been blown out to be. My ears didn’t bleed every time he began to read. Actually, I thought he did quite well with the tone of other male voices and the main male characters voice especially when having to slip into an “island” dialect. I guess I felt like Joel Froomkin was getting a bad shake and I wanted a review for future readers to have a different perspective. And, no I don’t know this man, or getting paid to write this. Js.

1 person found this helpful

Thank You

Thank you Charlie Holmberg for such a fantastic tale. I’ve read many of your excellent books, but the stories come alive in a Victorian England setting. It’s a rich magical world rife for mystery and adventure.

1 person found this helpful

Loved the story, didn't love the male narrator.

I loved this book! Elizabeth Knowelden did a superb narration, flowing from one character to another. Ms. Knowelden is so adept at this I found there was no point where I wondered what character she was reading. Joel Froomkin, however, struggled with every character he tried to portray. It seemed, especially when it came to accents, that he was having trouble breathing. His voice has a very grating quality that had me wondering if I would have to forgo finishing this tale. The voice he used for Elsie Camden made me immediately think of an English lower class washer woman. The voice he used for Bacchus Kelsey had an accent I have never heard and sounds a bit like a noise one might hear coming from a bathroom door. In spite of his "contribution" to this story, Ms. Knoweldon manages to help the listener figure out what they missed while Mr. Froomkin was narrating. All in all I love the book and I will be looking for the next in the series!

1 person found this helpful

enjoyable when the female voice reads

honestly, I hated the male reader. I hated his accents, how he spoke, his voice, everything. but when the female voice spoke I enjoyed the book. kind of predictable, but still enjoyable

1 person found this helpful

Great, almost flawless

I am HOOKED! The male narrator should have worked more on his various accents or just have...not.

1 person found this helpful

loved it

another wonderful book from Charlie Holmberg. I was captivated from the start and could barely stand to hit pause. i look forward to Spellmaker, as well as whatever Charlie has in store for us next!

1 person found this helpful

Great Book, Not Great Narration

Don’t get me wrong, Elizabeth Knowelden does a great job on the narration, but Joel Froomkin is absolutely awful. His voicing of Bacchus is forced and over the top, as well as jarring in terms of cadence and inflection. His voicing of the female characters is inconsistent and overall frustrating. I wish they had only used Knowelden for this audiobook. That being said, it’s a good book with a good story. If you enjoyed the Paper Magician, you’ll enjoy this for the same reasons. It’s a quick, easy, read; not terribly challenging, but nice for a mental break and some happy fantasy. If I had to do it over again I’d buy the physical book instead of the audio, but I’d still buy it nonetheless.