Audiobook Review – Red-Headed Stepchild (Sabina Kane, Book 1) by Jaye Wells, Narrated by Cynthia Holloway (2/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Length: 8 hours and 53 minutes
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Release Date: August 31, 2010
ASIN: B0042JG75C
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Sabina Kane series
Source: Audiobook from Audible.com
Rating: 2/5 stars
“In a world where being of mixed-blood is a major liability, Sabina Kane has the only profession fit for an outcast: assassin. But, her latest mission threatens the fragile peace between the vampire and mage races and Sabina must scramble to figure out which side she’s on. She’s never brought her work home with her—until now.”
This is the first book in the Sabina Kane series; there are five books in this series. This was okay, it was a pretty typical vampire urban fantasy. The dialogue was kind of awkward throughout and there wasn’t a lot of description throughout the book. I didn’t really engage with any of the characters either. Previous to reading this book I had read Wells’ “Dirty Magic” and didn’t really enjoy that book either.
I listened to this on audiobook and the narration was okay but not great. The narrator was pretty stiff sounding and didn’t do a very good job conveying excitement and emotion. She did the different character voices fine, but her stiffness made it hard to engage in the story.
I found a lot of the actions the characters took and the plot elements to be silly and contrived. I didn’t really enjoy the world or the characters presented here.
The writing was a bit stiff and awkward, although I think the narration contributed to that some as well. Considering I didn’t like the first book in Wells’ other series either “Dirty Magic”, I just don’t seem to like her writing style.
The plot is a fairly typical blend of vampires, mages, and fae. There really wasn’t anything all that creative or interesting here.
Overall this was an okay book but not great. It’s a pretty typical UF read and makes for a quick read. I think there’s much better UF out there and won’t be continuing the series.
This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– Goodreads Reading Challenge
– Mount TBR Reading Challenge