Audio Book Review: Riven

Riven

By:  Sherry D. Ficklin & Tyler Jolley

Publish Date:  May 5, 2015, Audiobook Release October 12, 2016

Format:  Audiobook - 4 hrs
Narrated By:  James Darcy

Genre:  YA Fantasy

Series:  3rd The Lost Imperials series: 1st Book ~ Extracted, 2nd Book ~ Prodigal

Impression:  The children are remembering, and learning more!

Synopsis:
In a battle for control of the time stream, the past and the future will collide, either saving mankind—or destroying it.

What should be a routine mission leaves Ethan with a serious problem. He’s fractured, a break between mind and body that leaves him at the mercy of his Rifter abilities, which are quickly tearing him apart. He will have to trust the only person who might know how to fix him, a mysterious Rifter named Stewart Stills, who seems to have a special connection with the time stream.

Forced to face his dark past and a decision he may never forgive himself for, he will be trained unlike any of the others, to become a true guardian of time. If he accepts, it will mean leaving everyone he loves behind, if he refuses, time itself could unravel. After a glimpse of the dark future awaiting them all, he will have to choose between destiny and desire. Will he rise up and take his place as a defender of the natural order, or will he watch as all of time burns at the hands of the girl he loves?

First Sentence:
Catherine leans calmly against the edge of the workbench.

Purchase At:
Amazon  /  Barnes & Nobles  

Audible

My Thoughts and Summary:
*This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review at my request.

After hearing what the Hollows did, creating a paradox that almost destroyed time and Flynn being lost to it, Tesla decides they must escalate plans to deal with the Hollows. Above all else, to get the Imperial children back.

Ethan starts to remember his past and it affects him in a way he'd not expected, or any other. He learns to travel through time and finds he's got more to offer than he expected.

James Darcy is a new narrator for me. In the beginning I could hear him taking the breath before speaking a stretch, though this became less obvious within the first chapters. Tesla's rendition here is not a twangy sound like in the previous stories, but more scratchy and deep. James uses his voice to make the differences where it sounded like others had used electronics to help with that twangy sound. I felt like the emotions of Ethan shifted as he talked in sudden ways instead of a smooth transition. Could it have been where new recordings ended and started? I'm not sure as the flow of recording is seamless, no audible clues to the recording sessions. I look through the ebook/print book before I start listening. One thing James doesn't add, and I wish he would have, was the heading of who we are living through. Ethan. There was one stumble, or I think, in one word as he reads through the story, in chapter 7. Overall, James was a nice voice to listen to.

Each book has a new focus character. This book is on Ethan. We overlap a little bit with some of the events from Prodigal, but Ethan's story is different in the events he lives through and learns of himself. We get to learn the connection of Ethan to the series title. Interesting what we've learned of these special children. With each book I realize how special these children really are.

We had seen Ethan fracture in the previous book. What we didn't see then is Ethan facing his past that's causing this fracture. Ethan must get his emotions under control, learning what happened in his past and facing his fear.

Oh how the lives of these children are intertwined. With the time travel, we see how the current selves interact with past lives of others. And it's so easy to keep track of who's when! I like the way the authors tell this story of time travel, making it easy to know who, where, and when we are.

We learn more of the Time Stream, and Stills and his connection to it. This is interesting. And the reason we learn it, oh very interesting. I can't tell you the reason because it ties in with the story. You just have to read (or listen) to learn about it too. Then we have a mission when Sisson returns from her travel to the future, things have changed and not for the good. We get to travel to the future with Ethan, Lex, and Sisson. There are some very interesting little, dangerous gadgets they get to use. The reason we travel to the future with Sisson is interesting and I like the way it's described before we go. It makes sense!

The path the authors take to tell the story is not always the way I would expect to travel. Sometimes it feels like we are going the wrong way, but it's far from that. The path takes us right where the characters need to be. I really enjoyed the journey of Ethan's here and what he learns of himself and around him. Ethan's venture takes place in the same time frame as Prodigal and ends in the same place, but where he goes and what he learns is completely different. And mind-blowing. I'm wondering where the children all go from here, with what they've all learned of themselves and the time. I hope they share it all and we go forward to see what they do.



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