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Black Crow, White Snow
In a world where women hold all the power and men have barely been an afterthought, an intrepid shipmistress must put aside everything she knows if she is to save her people.
Bela is at the helm of the Sandcrow, a ship sent from calm seas to the far frozen north in search of a legendary power that could turn the tide of war. Locked into ice, the Sandcrow is lost. Now, for the shipmistress and her crew, a desperate voyage becomes a chilling struggle for survival against nature, fear, and prejudice.
If Bela can lead them to their ultimate destination, will the magic they find be their redemption—or their destruction?
Bela is at the helm of the Sandcrow, a ship sent from calm seas to the far frozen north in search of a legendary power that could turn the tide of war. Locked into ice, the Sandcrow is lost. Now, for the shipmistress and her crew, a desperate voyage becomes a chilling struggle for survival against nature, fear, and prejudice.
If Bela can lead them to their ultimate destination, will the magic they find be their redemption—or their destruction?
3 pages, Audible Audio
First published January 1, 2019
29 people are currently reading
413 people want to read
About the author
Michael Livingston
55 books234 followersA native of Colorado, Michael Livingston holds degrees in History, Medieval Studies, and English. He lives today in Charleston, South Carolina, where he teaches at The Citadel.
In his author life, he is a winner of the prestigious international Writers of the Future Contest (in 2005), and his novel SHARDS OF HEAVEN, the first in a trilogy of historical fantasies, will be published by Tor Books in November 2015. He has also published in a variety of other genres and venues, from a historical retelling of BEOWULF to a brief story about quantum physics in the world-renowned journal of science, NATURE.
In his academic life, he has published more than a dozen articles on subjects as varied as early Christianity, BEOWULF, Chaucer, James Joyce, J.R.R. Tolkien, and digital and practical pedagogies (though never all of them at once!). He has investigated European maps of America that pre-date Columbus, found unrecorded Anasazi ruins and artifacts, and written about the handwriting of fourteenth-century scribes. He is the general editor of the Liverpool Historical Casebooks Series, for which he has edited casebooks on the Battle of Brunanburh (Exeter, 2011), the Welsh rebel hero Owain Glyndwr (co-edited with John Bollard; Liverpool, 2013), and, coming soon, the Battle of Crécy (co-edited with Kelly DeVries; 2015).
In his author life, he is a winner of the prestigious international Writers of the Future Contest (in 2005), and his novel SHARDS OF HEAVEN, the first in a trilogy of historical fantasies, will be published by Tor Books in November 2015. He has also published in a variety of other genres and venues, from a historical retelling of BEOWULF to a brief story about quantum physics in the world-renowned journal of science, NATURE.
In his academic life, he has published more than a dozen articles on subjects as varied as early Christianity, BEOWULF, Chaucer, James Joyce, J.R.R. Tolkien, and digital and practical pedagogies (though never all of them at once!). He has investigated European maps of America that pre-date Columbus, found unrecorded Anasazi ruins and artifacts, and written about the handwriting of fourteenth-century scribes. He is the general editor of the Liverpool Historical Casebooks Series, for which he has edited casebooks on the Battle of Brunanburh (Exeter, 2011), the Welsh rebel hero Owain Glyndwr (co-edited with John Bollard; Liverpool, 2013), and, coming soon, the Battle of Crécy (co-edited with Kelly DeVries; 2015).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 367 reviews
May 12, 2019
I have a pretty low bar for the free audible originals that come with the monthly subscription now, and picked this one almost purely because it was fantasy. This was a surprisingly good story, and I very love much the gender role reversal that made the foundation of this world. I am happy to have stumbled across this, and it is something that I would recommend.
May 13, 2019
Lesbian pirates.
Now that I have your attention...that's basically what this brief little Audible Original brings to the table. It's high fantasy in a matriarchal world where lesbian pirates find themselves trapped in an ice floe while looking for some magical Macguffin and must survive the harsh environment.
This isn't really a short-story, nor is it a novella. It's basically a chapter in a larger book and that's its major problem. The central plot (survival) isn't interesting enough to drive the narrative and the world building and explanation of the magic systems & matriarchal social structures feels like unnecessary padding (even in such a short work).
Generally disappointing, but then again....lesbian pirates.
Now that I have your attention...that's basically what this brief little Audible Original brings to the table. It's high fantasy in a matriarchal world where lesbian pirates find themselves trapped in an ice floe while looking for some magical Macguffin and must survive the harsh environment.
This isn't really a short-story, nor is it a novella. It's basically a chapter in a larger book and that's its major problem. The central plot (survival) isn't interesting enough to drive the narrative and the world building and explanation of the magic systems & matriarchal social structures feels like unnecessary padding (even in such a short work).
Generally disappointing, but then again....lesbian pirates.
May 5, 2019
Black Crow, White Snow very much felt like what would happen if Alfred Lansing's book Endurance (historical account of Ernest Shackleton's disastrous voyage to Antarctica, circa 1914) married a Steampunk novella, the results would be, well... it would be this story. Michael Livingston made me feel Bela's pain as she watched the sea ice tear her ship apart, and the miserable cold as they make their way to land, but unlike Shackleton and the crew of Endurance, they're not hoping for rescue, but rather a fabled city, and the dream of something far greater than mere gold...
I really enjoyed the narration by Janina Edwards as well...
The ending kinda' felt like it could also be a beginning... like if Michael Livingston wanted to, he could use this as a springboard for expanding his universe, and I really hope he does just that!
I really enjoyed the narration by Janina Edwards as well...
The ending kinda' felt like it could also be a beginning... like if Michael Livingston wanted to, he could use this as a springboard for expanding his universe, and I really hope he does just that!
August 23, 2019
First I hated this book. Then I thought I might love it. Then I didn't really care again.
The relationship "ship mistress" had with her "maiden" was flat. Like a crayon coloring in one color.
The magic system and terminology dumped so hard on the listener. I still have no idea what some of the terms meant.
I have to say the setting was refreshing, but that was really the only thing that pulled me back into the story when I repeatedly considered quitting. This might be a series? And if that's the case, I'm sure someone who is familiar with this world would have a higher probability of enjoying this mini-story. And since this is an Audible original, the narrator was a big piece of the experience. Picture Tia Dalma's accent from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest- you have the narrator's voice down. It was enjoyable.
All in all, I didn't feel like this was worth my time or my pick.
I'd rate this book a PG-13 for some violence and sexual scenes.
The relationship "ship mistress" had with her "maiden" was flat. Like a crayon coloring in one color.
The magic system and terminology dumped so hard on the listener. I still have no idea what some of the terms meant.
I have to say the setting was refreshing, but that was really the only thing that pulled me back into the story when I repeatedly considered quitting. This might be a series? And if that's the case, I'm sure someone who is familiar with this world would have a higher probability of enjoying this mini-story. And since this is an Audible original, the narrator was a big piece of the experience. Picture Tia Dalma's accent from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest- you have the narrator's voice down. It was enjoyable.
All in all, I didn't feel like this was worth my time or my pick.
I'd rate this book a PG-13 for some violence and sexual scenes.
September 20, 2019
I wished it was a bit longer.
Black Crow, White Snow is an audiobook filled with pirates. Lesbian pirates but pirates all the same. Since this audio was so short, and an original, I feel like there was so much happening rather quickly. Which is why I wish it was a bit longer. Then maybe I would've been able to understand everything that was happening a bit more.
In the end, I liked getting to meet all the characters in this book. I had a lot of questions about some of the things happening but maybe I can find like an ebook version of this and read it? Maybe, then I will understand everything? Who knows but I do enjoy the original books on audible. Can't wait to dive into the next one.
Black Crow, White Snow is an audiobook filled with pirates. Lesbian pirates but pirates all the same. Since this audio was so short, and an original, I feel like there was so much happening rather quickly. Which is why I wish it was a bit longer. Then maybe I would've been able to understand everything that was happening a bit more.
In the end, I liked getting to meet all the characters in this book. I had a lot of questions about some of the things happening but maybe I can find like an ebook version of this and read it? Maybe, then I will understand everything? Who knows but I do enjoy the original books on audible. Can't wait to dive into the next one.
September 5, 2019
Two words: Male Gaze. 🙄
And, if this really was written in 2019, it's a sad attempt by a white dude to make a groundbreaking point...that has been made a thousand times before, for a couple hundred years, often by authors that weren't white dudes.
It's mostly offensive because he's not the worst writer ever. So it could have been, you know, kind of great. But instead, it introduced the lead character with a sex scene, featured women purring (wtaf) and slapped the most black & white traits of male archetypes into bodies with breasts to be edgy.
And, if this really was written in 2019, it's a sad attempt by a white dude to make a groundbreaking point...that has been made a thousand times before, for a couple hundred years, often by authors that weren't white dudes.
It's mostly offensive because he's not the worst writer ever. So it could have been, you know, kind of great. But instead, it introduced the lead character with a sex scene, featured women purring (wtaf) and slapped the most black & white traits of male archetypes into bodies with breasts to be edgy.
May 8, 2019
There wasn't enough background for world or character building. wasn't much to go off of to connect with the characters. However, I did enjoy the power reversal where women rule the world
May 7, 2019
I didn't connect with this short story. There just wasn't enough time for world-building or character building and I couldn't care for the protagonist, their objectives or the vague denouement.
May 5, 2019
This has been my week of reading in genre, and I gave this fantasy a shot because it was free on Audible and it was short.
Both turn out to be positives.
I read more fantasy than I intend. Every so often there’s something deeply satisfying like Susannah Clarke’s Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell or Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus, and it lingers long enough to trick me into reading something mediocre in its wake. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing except for the great Achilles Heel of fantasy: books that run on at anywhere from three times too long (I’m looking at you Robin Hobb) to ten times too long (cough, Robert Jordan, cough). For the record, those are not exaggerations.
So, here, the brevity comes as a breath of fresh air. We open with the seeming failure of a desperate attempt by an out-gunned society to recover the lost technology of their ancestors. Our heroes’ warship has been crushed in arctic ice, and they have to proceed in small boats and eventually on foot through hostile terrain.
Weirdly, the plot is similar to a short story I wrote a year ago, at least in the way it’s an all-female group of women who have to discover some of the latent powers (and limitations) of their seeming strengths while on a near hopeless quest. And who have highly regimented distinctions between the different warrior and specialist castes.
As such, I’m drawn to the story itself, though I think it might be a bit flat. And then, as fantasy, it’s awfully generic. Maybe the 1200-page sequel to this answers the question, but it isn’t clear why the ancestors would abandon their one-time capital and conveniently leave the flying-shop technology for anyone to find.
So, before too long, it becomes clear that our heroes are going through the paces that every group of fantasy heroes goes through. A few of the details are compelling – they fight polar bears with cutlasses, which is pretty cool – but most of this is predictable.
The single exception to that predictability, of course is that this is over so quickly. I can’t say it leaves me wanting more, but it seems a strong point in its favor that it ends before I reach the point of counting pages to the end or wondering what’s wrong with the editors in the field.
Both turn out to be positives.
I read more fantasy than I intend. Every so often there’s something deeply satisfying like Susannah Clarke’s Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell or Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus, and it lingers long enough to trick me into reading something mediocre in its wake. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing except for the great Achilles Heel of fantasy: books that run on at anywhere from three times too long (I’m looking at you Robin Hobb) to ten times too long (cough, Robert Jordan, cough). For the record, those are not exaggerations.
So, here, the brevity comes as a breath of fresh air. We open with the seeming failure of a desperate attempt by an out-gunned society to recover the lost technology of their ancestors. Our heroes’ warship has been crushed in arctic ice, and they have to proceed in small boats and eventually on foot through hostile terrain.
Weirdly, the plot is similar to a short story I wrote a year ago, at least in the way it’s an all-female group of women who have to discover some of the latent powers (and limitations) of their seeming strengths while on a near hopeless quest. And who have highly regimented distinctions between the different warrior and specialist castes.
As such, I’m drawn to the story itself, though I think it might be a bit flat. And then, as fantasy, it’s awfully generic. Maybe the 1200-page sequel to this answers the question, but it isn’t clear why the ancestors would abandon their one-time capital and conveniently leave the flying-shop technology for anyone to find.
So, before too long, it becomes clear that our heroes are going through the paces that every group of fantasy heroes goes through. A few of the details are compelling – they fight polar bears with cutlasses, which is pretty cool – but most of this is predictable.
The single exception to that predictability, of course is that this is over so quickly. I can’t say it leaves me wanting more, but it seems a strong point in its favor that it ends before I reach the point of counting pages to the end or wondering what’s wrong with the editors in the field.
May 21, 2019
So this was an ok way to kill a few hours. We follow Bela, a ship captain as she tries to save her crew when their ship becomes ice-locked in the far north. Things do not go as planned and together they must all use their strengths to try to survive.
In this world, woman rule and men are pretty much just along for the ride. This is an interesting theme, but I think I'd prefer to see it examined in a longer story than this. Some of the character development that could have really flourished under the premise just wasn't possible because there wasn't the time.
Personally, I'd love to see more with these characters, but maybe in a setting that's not so damn cold and bleak. I'll be watching for more from this author.
In this world, woman rule and men are pretty much just along for the ride. This is an interesting theme, but I think I'd prefer to see it examined in a longer story than this. Some of the character development that could have really flourished under the premise just wasn't possible because there wasn't the time.
Personally, I'd love to see more with these characters, but maybe in a setting that's not so damn cold and bleak. I'll be watching for more from this author.
May 29, 2019
I've read stories before constructing a matriarchal society where women are the warriors and rulers, and men are mincing submissives. I've never found any of them believable, nor is this one particularly creative in constructing its society.
It's the story of a crew of women on a ship journeying to the far north to find a fabled weapon that will save their society from an enemy that has airships and superior weapons. There is some magic and implied science-fantasy. There are lesbian pirates, women fighting off polar bears with swords, and one male eunuch on the crew who is a "reader" (literacy is apparently reserved for "eggless" males - yeah, that's the sexist insult they come up with to insult men) who of course turns out to be brave and intelligent and the sort of character who'd be "spunky" if this weren't a gender-swapping of the traditional cliches.
As a fantasy story, it was okay, but just not particularly original, with or without the fantasy matriarchy. I didn't regret listening to it, but I wouldn't be interested in a longer novel or series based on these characters.
It's the story of a crew of women on a ship journeying to the far north to find a fabled weapon that will save their society from an enemy that has airships and superior weapons. There is some magic and implied science-fantasy. There are lesbian pirates, women fighting off polar bears with swords, and one male eunuch on the crew who is a "reader" (literacy is apparently reserved for "eggless" males - yeah, that's the sexist insult they come up with to insult men) who of course turns out to be brave and intelligent and the sort of character who'd be "spunky" if this weren't a gender-swapping of the traditional cliches.
As a fantasy story, it was okay, but just not particularly original, with or without the fantasy matriarchy. I didn't regret listening to it, but I wouldn't be interested in a longer novel or series based on these characters.
May 9, 2019
I don't usually expect much from free Audible originals, but this book was actually really good. I find myself wanting more stories from their world and I loved the narration by Janine Edwards.
May 26, 2019
The gender reversal could have been great, unfortunately it just became an annoyance, tbh.
August 10, 2019
A short interesting read set in a really strange world.
I'll be frank - when it comes to Audible originals, its either hit or miss.
This was a ... hitmiss?
Within a very short book, it had interesting world development and had an interesting storyline. Both of these accentuated by the great narration.
While interesting as it is, I had no connection with any of the characters - they all felt very two-dimensional.
Granted maybe it was due to the short format.
Just wish it was more fleshed out
I'll be frank - when it comes to Audible originals, its either hit or miss.
This was a ... hitmiss?
Within a very short book, it had interesting world development and had an interesting storyline. Both of these accentuated by the great narration.
While interesting as it is, I had no connection with any of the characters - they all felt very two-dimensional.
Granted maybe it was due to the short format.
Just wish it was more fleshed out
May 3, 2019
With her ship stranded in the ice, then lost, shipmistress Bela and the handful of survivors of her (almost) all female crew able to escape the foundering vessel must battle for survival in the frozen wilderness, carrying on with a desperate mission that might be the only hope for a people threatened by war with a stronger enemy against seemingly overwhelming odds.
An excellent offering from this months free Audible Original selection, this gripping survival story in a wonderfully rendered fantasy setting easily had me hooked.
An excellent offering from this months free Audible Original selection, this gripping survival story in a wonderfully rendered fantasy setting easily had me hooked.
Read
June 5, 2019This is a complete reversal of the patriarchy, however it is a direct reversal to an earlier era. As an almost mockery of the notion of an Amazonian nation where the women are warriors and the men are non-existent, this book has women as the warriors only valuing men for procreation...and knowledge. The men, eunuchs not useful for acquiring children, are taught to read so that they might be useful in some way. The women are the protectors, warriors, and providers. This had the distinct potential to be amazing, and I am very sorry that it just became another patriarchal novel pretending to be matriarchal. It is possible that the intention was to prove that human nature is similar enough that whichever gender was in charge things would have turned out the same. If you are looking for a book that points out patriarchy by disguising it as a matriarchal society, fast paced adventure involving lesbian sea voyagers that find out men are not as useless as they thought, or a parody of the Amazonian archetype, then this is the book for you. If you are looking for a real look of what a matriarchal society is supposed to look like I suggest you read up on the history of Ireland as well as some of the Native American societies. These are lovely examples of what a true matriarch is supposed to be.
May 16, 2019
I give this two stars - grudgingly. I hovered over the ONE star button - but the second star I give it for not being longer that it was. Auch.
This is a completely silly story. Of females in the role of male warriors. Problem is that it is written by a man - and he obviously cannot think as anything but a man - so we get an opening of the story - with a naked woman - having just make love to her female helper... sigh!
And on and on it goes with cliches. Women thinking back on the days of the whore houses. COME ON!!!
God is referred to as a she, of course - just to emphasize the total reversal of gender roles. Jeez!
The story itself became meaningless in all this women-as-the-superior-sex stupidity... and our lead female of course hitching it up with the ONE male aboard the ship that our "hero" commands - and looses. Man oh man! - or perhaps I should say Woman oh woman!
Story is boring (sorry Michael Livingston) pointless - and with the reversed gender roles - I only got to the end because of sheer MALE will power Ha!
And well the best thing is that I got the book for free as one of the two freebies in my Audible subscription.
This is a completely silly story. Of females in the role of male warriors. Problem is that it is written by a man - and he obviously cannot think as anything but a man - so we get an opening of the story - with a naked woman - having just make love to her female helper... sigh!
And on and on it goes with cliches. Women thinking back on the days of the whore houses. COME ON!!!
God is referred to as a she, of course - just to emphasize the total reversal of gender roles. Jeez!
The story itself became meaningless in all this women-as-the-superior-sex stupidity... and our lead female of course hitching it up with the ONE male aboard the ship that our "hero" commands - and looses. Man oh man! - or perhaps I should say Woman oh woman!
Story is boring (sorry Michael Livingston) pointless - and with the reversed gender roles - I only got to the end because of sheer MALE will power Ha!
And well the best thing is that I got the book for free as one of the two freebies in my Audible subscription.
May 15, 2019
Entertainment value was what I would expect from a 2 1/2 hour story. It’s ok with some pretty good action. I caught myself eye rolling a lot while reading it. Is pretentious the word I’m after? Or maybe I’m just in a bad mood and am taking it out on the book.
I agree with other reviewers that said it felt like a chapter ripped from a full novel and that the fantasy world wasn’t built up strong enough.
I found one review particularly amusing that said this is a story about lesbian pirates. :-)
I have also recently finished A Handmaid’s Tale and am feeling myself raging against cliche dystopian ideas and this screams of cliche feminism to me.
One reviewer expressed that it wasn’t ok for a man to have written this book because he’s not a member of an oppressed group and shouldn’t be allowed to imagine a world where men are repressed. This comment rubs me wrong. It’s completely illogical to me. Our goal is freedom from repression, so let’s censor and repress. (Hope you read sarcasm there.)
The end is hopeful and could be setting up for a sequel, but I won’t read it.
I agree with other reviewers that said it felt like a chapter ripped from a full novel and that the fantasy world wasn’t built up strong enough.
I found one review particularly amusing that said this is a story about lesbian pirates. :-)
I have also recently finished A Handmaid’s Tale and am feeling myself raging against cliche dystopian ideas and this screams of cliche feminism to me.
One reviewer expressed that it wasn’t ok for a man to have written this book because he’s not a member of an oppressed group and shouldn’t be allowed to imagine a world where men are repressed. This comment rubs me wrong. It’s completely illogical to me. Our goal is freedom from repression, so let’s censor and repress. (Hope you read sarcasm there.)
The end is hopeful and could be setting up for a sequel, but I won’t read it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 25, 2019
A world where women are superior...except they still need men to read and write for them 🙄
February 6, 2020
I liked some things about this book. I liked the way it makes the reader think about gender stereotypes and some of the ways those stereotypes are embedded in our language. I liked the concept of the society and the glimpses we got of Weavers and Readers. I liked the narration a lot.
But there was still plenty about the book I didn't like, too. I didn't like that the reverse gender roles were sometimes thrown in the reader's face. I didn't like that the world which was created seemed too large for such a short volume. I'm all for worldbuilding, but I don't like being teased with fascinating stuff that never gets expanded on because there's no time. And I didn't like that most of the characters seemed to be there for the stereotype and weren't developed much beyond that.
Overall I liked it, but I won't be rushing out to see what else the author has written. I do really appreciate, though, that this Audible Original didn't include tons of unneeded sound effects the way so many of them have.
But there was still plenty about the book I didn't like, too. I didn't like that the reverse gender roles were sometimes thrown in the reader's face. I didn't like that the world which was created seemed too large for such a short volume. I'm all for worldbuilding, but I don't like being teased with fascinating stuff that never gets expanded on because there's no time. And I didn't like that most of the characters seemed to be there for the stereotype and weren't developed much beyond that.
Overall I liked it, but I won't be rushing out to see what else the author has written. I do really appreciate, though, that this Audible Original didn't include tons of unneeded sound effects the way so many of them have.
June 10, 2022
I’ll listen to a book about lesbian pirates any day, but this story really missed its chance to explore the cool foundations of this world. Lesbian pirates stranded in an icy terrain, surviving on their own in pursuit of a mystical resource, while maintaining this story’s flipped gender hierarchy sounds great and it WAS a great basis. Buttttttt, it was a little boring and really only featured two main action sequences against the same damn polar bear. If the author is reading this very important review, then I suggest he cut the arguing and the polar bear by half and really focus on the fascinating world building of this story.
May 9, 2019
This action-packed fantasy adventure short story was so cool! I mainly gave this 4 stars because I wanted it to be a lot longer. A whole series set in this world, please!
The character representations (LGBTQ, gender roles, disabilities) were so refreshing and the stakes of their predicaments are so intense. The world building was enough for us to understand what the rules of status/magic etc. were, but not too much to take away from the pace of action here. There were some nice twists (so I won't be too specific in my review so as not to give much away) and I liked how characters learned new things over the course of the story.
As much as I enjoyed listening to this, though, it was not perfect. It is a little too short for readers to care about every character before bad things start happening to them, but the core characters are good enough. And while the representation of diverse characters was my FAVORITE aspect of this, the portrayal of polar bear behavior is so unrealistic and simplistic. *sigh* I guess you cannot get everything.
I would still recommend to anyone interested in stories with LGBTQ characters, action, adventure, treasure hunting missions, cold region expeditions, disability narratives, and/or the fantasy genre. It was good!
The character representations (LGBTQ, gender roles, disabilities) were so refreshing and the stakes of their predicaments are so intense. The world building was enough for us to understand what the rules of status/magic etc. were, but not too much to take away from the pace of action here. There were some nice twists (so I won't be too specific in my review so as not to give much away) and I liked how characters learned new things over the course of the story.
As much as I enjoyed listening to this, though, it was not perfect. It is a little too short for readers to care about every character before bad things start happening to them, but the core characters are good enough. And while the representation of diverse characters was my FAVORITE aspect of this, the portrayal of polar bear behavior is so unrealistic and simplistic. *sigh* I guess you cannot get everything.
I would still recommend to anyone interested in stories with LGBTQ characters, action, adventure, treasure hunting missions, cold region expeditions, disability narratives, and/or the fantasy genre. It was good!
May 11, 2019
This book was interesting, but it felt more like a preview than an actual full story. Felt like the front end was missing. Book opens with a group on a ship crossing a frozen ocean to find something that they hoped would save their people. This is a society lead by women, where men are not particularly valued. I just needed a little more info about how we got to this place. Can’t say there were big surprises in the journey or end, but again, it just all felt a little incomplete to me.
Read
May 14, 2019well written, but I wasn't invested in the characters. Also, not really my thing, so probably just fine for fans of this kind of epic fantasy.
May 5, 2019
Listened to the entire audiobook on a long flight and enjoyed every minute. It's a little heavy handed in the way he handles the role reversal of genders, but I feel like there was a point being made that I kind of appreciated. It didnt detract from the story. The characters are well-developed and the atmosphere of it all was great.
For such a short story, you really get a layered and meaningful feel for the world. Loved the clever interjection of magic, the almost anachronistic steampunk/fantasy treasure hunt feel with the backdrop of the icy terrain. Just a smart, taut, and well-written story.
The audio reading was phenomenal, as well. I often opt for non-fiction when it's an audio book because I feel like storytelling is kind of a lost art with even the best readers, but props to the performer on this one. She was fantastic and well-cast for the book.
For such a short story, you really get a layered and meaningful feel for the world. Loved the clever interjection of magic, the almost anachronistic steampunk/fantasy treasure hunt feel with the backdrop of the icy terrain. Just a smart, taut, and well-written story.
The audio reading was phenomenal, as well. I often opt for non-fiction when it's an audio book because I feel like storytelling is kind of a lost art with even the best readers, but props to the performer on this one. She was fantastic and well-cast for the book.
May 10, 2019
A quick and overall decent fiction audiobook but definitely lacking on the fantasy aspect of it.
May 6, 2019
An excellent story. I'm sorry it's so short! I wish it would continue so I know what happens next. The story isn't what I expected. It's full of fight and plight. Ignorance, learning, and enlightenment. I do hope that Livingston writes more of this world. Just, wow.
May 4, 2019
Well written and well narrated. Interesting premise.
May 5, 2019
Free offering via Audible Originals. Didn’t care for the book, nor for the storyline.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 367 reviews