Changing Nature

by April White

[jesstheaudiobookworm]

4.25★ Audiobook ⎮ This installment didn't do as much for me as I was hoping. Unfortunately, either the story or my interest seems to have a hit a mid-series slump (which happens sometimes, on both accounts). Overall, this is still an incredibly fun series that incorporates several fantastical elements into one story. This installment was extremely action-packed and spent more time at the Elian Manor, which I appreciated as it was something I was wanting in the last installment. I still really like the main character, Saira, but I can't help but feel like she's getting lost in the series. The addition of these other minor characters are getting in the way of Saira's development (the only character I care about, tbh). Archer (her vampire love) has yet to grow on me and I was actually kind of rooting for his demise in this installment (no such luck). He seems very one-dimensional to me and I've been over the vampire boyfriend trend in 2010.

Character flaws aside, I absolutely adore April White's writing style. It's witty, sarcastic, and full of pop culture references, which I find delightful. But the whole "Saira and her merry gang" angle grew cold on me more quickly in this installment. I would have much rather seen her kicking butt on her own, but whatever. However, I can't ignore the originality of the world April White has created in this series. I enjoy the writing so much that I can abide a cliché vampire romance and a few flat and, in my opinion, unnecessary characters.

Narration review: This was the second installment Gemma Barrett has narrated for this series. I was critical of the audio for the last installment, largely because of production issues, not narration. Thankfully, those issues were corrected in this installment, which made for a much smoother listening experience. Barrett has a very distinct way of narrating, which made her voice stick around in my head long after the audiobook had concluded. Her narration style has grown on me over the last two installments and I never have trouble calling her voice to mind for reviews. Bonus: April White gave me a little insight (via Twitter ) into the process of choosing a narrator by saying that she knew Barrett was the perfect narrator for this series after just one meeting because Barrett's voice has the exact timbre she imagines for Saira. So neat! ♣︎