Narrated by Gabrielle Baker

Recently I came across a review for a book by Grace Draven called Eidolon. The review was so effusive in its praise for the book, I immediately wanted to read it. But it came with a qualifier: to enjoy this, the second book, you must have read the first in the Wraith Kings series, Radiance. Call me sad…until I remembered I had the audio version sitting in my Audible library for review!

Ildiko, niece of the King of Gaur, has been promised to marry Brishen Khaskem, prince of the Kai, to seal an agreement between the two countries. Both countries are facing a threat from a neighboring country and this is the best way to add an additional layer of security to their agreement. Not an unusual occurrence amongst royal households, except for one thing.

Ildiko is human. Brishen is not.

When they first meet, they both think the other hideously grotesque. Britain thinks Ildiko resembles a mollusk; Ildiko sees him as an eel. The two of them have promised to honor the agreement and make the best of things. The people around them have different ideas.

You guys! The writing in this book was lyrical and very lush. It’s reminiscent of the way Nalini Singh fashions her sentences. The words flow like poetry, creating vibrant and lush images of the world and the characters that inhabit it. I really enjoyed how the author developed the friendship between the characters before making them fall in love. She clearly demonstrates the progression from Ildiko and Brishen being repulsed by one another’s appearances to being partners that you truly believe will be together long into the future. The story didn’t follow the expected pattern, keeping me on my toes and my attention entirely focused on what happened next.

The narrator, I’m sad to say, did not do this book justice. From the beginning there was a lisp that made it difficult to understand words and follow along. I gave it the benefit of the doubt in the beginning, thinking it was a deliberate affectation. Wrong. She made an attempt to modify when the characters spoke but it consistently cropped up. She also attempted to distinguish Ildiko and Brishen from one another but nobody else. If it weren’t for the character names mentioned, I would have had no idea what ancillary characters were speaking and when.

She also has issues with audible inhalations and performing the described character’s action when they’re speaking. For example, if the writing said ‘she chuckled’ Baker would read the words then chuckle before beginning the dialogue. This didn’t use to bother me, because it was something easily ignored. However, on top of the other issues, it made me cringe and wince.

I’ve never heard of Baker and her backlist at Audible wasn’t that long, so I assume she’s still new to the narrator business. I think she has potential; what she lacked in quality she made up in enthusiasm. I could tell she really enjoyed the book; several smiles came through loud and clear. However, I would advise skipping the audio version of Radiance and reading it in print.

Diana

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was provided to AudioGals for a review.