Audio Book Review: Codename: Night Witch

Codename: Night Witch

By:  Cary Caffrey

Publish Date:  November 15, 2015, Audiobook Release June 3, 2016

Format:  Audiobook - 12 hrs 35 mins
Narrated By:  Kristin James

Genre:  Science Fiction

Series:  3rd The Girls from Alcyone series: 1st Book ~ The Girls from Alcyone, 2nd Book ~ The Machines from Bellatrix

Impression:  Sigrid is free from her captor, to face what was done.

Synopsis:
The unthinkable has happened. Sigrid Novak, the most dangerous and wanted person in the history of the Federation of Corporate Enterprises, has been captured. For the women of New Alcyone—women just like her, genetically reengineered and trained since childhood to be the most effective killers in the galaxy—this is a staggering loss. For the Independents, the rebels who captured her, this is a boon beyond measure.

If they can figure out how to control her.

Now, six years have passed since the events of Bellatrix, and for six years Sigrid Novak has been gone, vanished, with no sign, no word and no trace. But all has not been quiet within the Federation. The Council for Trade and Finance has been murdered, assassinated, and the death toll among the Federation's ruling elite continues to rise.

With every corporate enclave that falls, the legend grows. They call her the Night Witch. A champion to some, a nightmare for others. Wherever she goes, death is soon to follow.

Then, in an abandoned CTF research facility—and after so many years lost—a woman awakens. Her name is Sigrid Novak. And she is very, very angry.

First Sentence:
Captain Tomanek stared ahead, squinting against the setting twin suns of Cor Caroli.

Purchase At:
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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.

Sigrid gets her one chance to escape her captivity, shocked to learn it's six years after she was taken. She remembers nothing of her time as a prisoner. While she's on the run, trying to find a way off a planet that space transports were no longer available, she finds others that need her help to safety as well. Other girls like Sigrid. Sigrid also finds new friends and eventually old ones, who help her on the mission she takes once learning who's behind the actions of taking your woman.

Kristin has returned for the third book. Yea!!! I enjoy her many voices for the characters. She makes them each distinct and easy to differentiate while listening. She's even started using musical tones in reading the title page and between parts of the book. Cool. Kristin's voice has become Sigrid for me. I feel as though her emotions are present as Kristin voices her, along with all the characters.

We see how the world has changed with the war that's been going on, the Council of Trade and Finance is gone and Independents are fighting. Sigrid wakes and finds she's on Earth, a place she hasn't been in many years. And there is no transports leaving Earth since the CTF was killed by the Night Witch. Sigrid needs to get home. She wants to return to her friends and loved ones.

In the beginning of this book, I wasn't sure how it would all connect. I had my suspicions but wasn't sure. It seemed like the story was far from where we were at the end of book two, but we are six years later. The story had it's slower moments until we get to the point where things connect and turn for Sigrid. There are surprises in moments for Sigrid, in who she has to deal with and how they arrive.

The story comes around to connect and back to the one thing that drives Sigrid to attack. Though, through the story I still wondered how it was that she came to escape so easily in the beginning. I know a few tidbits were dropped, that she would eventually break their hold and all but in the end it seems as though it was a plan from the one who held control over her. Yet that person said she shouldn't have escaped. I'm not sure if she really broke their hold with distance being a factor, though with the ending it's possible.

Cary starts us into a different setting with new characters and plot to get the story rolling. We do come back to Sigrid and the one person she's after. Sigrid finds herself in fights and battles as she works toward her goal. But, with Sigrid it feels as she doesn't want to fight and kill. I love that Sigrid has a deep feeling for humanity and lives. Oh she's powerful and talented enough to kill, and we see that as well, but she doesn't want to do it.

This feels like the series is coming full circle with Sigrid. Earth is where the story started, so why not bring her back here. This is not the end of the series though. An end to an arc story, yes, but Sigrid, Suko, Lady Hitomi, and others of Alcyone will return in book four.



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Audio Book Review: The Machines of Bellatrix

The Machines of Bellatrix

By:  Cary Caffrey

Publish Date:  November 4, 2013, Audiobook Release May 4, 2016

Format:  Audiobook - 9 hrs 57 mins
Narrated By:  Kristin James

Genre:  Sci Fi

Series:  2nd in The Girls from Alcyone series; Book 1 ~ The Girls from Alcyone

First Impression:  The girls are hunted, and Sigrid is determined to keep them all safe, at any cost.

Synopsis:
Alcyone is gone. The Independent stronghold on Scorpii is destroyed. Sigrid and her sisters have fled the Federation to make a new home on the remote world of Medea.

But with a price on her head the size of a planet, and pursued across the galaxy by the Council for Trade and Finance, Sigrid knows she and her sisters are not safe. As long as there are those who would seek to control them, hunt them, they will never be safe.

Unless Sigrid can stop them first.

But to stop them, Sigrid must first find them. But how? And where? Her only clue is a mysterious coded message; one that could serve as either warning or invitation; one that will lead Sigrid to a factory world at the very edge of Federation space, and to a deadly confrontation with her most dangerous enemy yet: the machines of Bellatrix.

First Sentence:
The TGV sped along, cruising at a pedestrian 782 kph.

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My Thoughts and Summary:
*I requested a copy of this audiobook from the narrator, author, or publisher for an honest review.

Sigrid, Lady Hitomi and all the girls have a price on their heads. But they need supplies badly in order to continue building their new home and survive. Sigrid is sent to acquire these, and ends up taking a job for supplies that are beyond valuable to them now, to learn that she was tricked. Now, the coordinates to New Alcyone is in the hands of another looking to make some serious cash. The deception opens up the possibilities of trouble for the girls. There are others hunting the girls of Alcyone, and have their own projects in process. And Sigrid is determined to keep them all safe, at any cost.

Dr. Farrington is determined to continue researching what Lady Hitomi Kimura has done with the girls. He's determined to do more than she did. Running to Bellatrix, he finds there are others here with their own facility, and working on what he wants to do.

Kristin is a favorite voice of mine. She does many different tones, accents, and emotions in her voices as we listen to the story. All these differences present help differentiate characters for me, and makes them more individual and personalized. As always, Kristin's voice is crystal clear in speaking and no background noise as well as seamless in flow. A pleasure to listen to.

This book starts like the previous ends, and my kind of story. Action and danger at each decision. I believe the girls would be in trouble if Sigrid doesn't act, yet it was her action that could bring danger to their doorstep and gives Sigrid the reason to correct what was started. There are slower times as they plan to protect New Alcyone by finding those after them. But I felt this was attracting due to the setting up of the people in positions and clues to where they are going and what they will look for. This book kept that feel throughout the story, adding more weight and backing to who Sigrid is after, and why.

We learn there is new research being done, and these prototypes might be more dangerous. The things these doctors are doing! They are just mad! But it's the next logical step in what they started to create with Alcyone. Scary.

This book feels more adult to me than the first book as well. The first book was them growing up and training, this is Sigrid and the first set of girls as they fight to survive. There are intimate moments with Sigrid and Suko. The private moments are rather detailed, so definitely adult content. These two ladies have a solid relationship and we see the romance between them through the book. Suko flirts more than Sigrid in stressful moments, but it helps them and us get through the serious moments and reminds that there is love there.

We do get addition POV's with Sigrid. In doing so we learn different directions and plans of others, slowly they come to light as we go through the book, all coming together. I feel there is more story and drive in this book where in the first book we got more of the girls growing up and training, which felt slow to me.

The ending... Oh my! Sigrid... Wow. I can't tell you but it takes the story to a new direction and makes me worry. What has happened? Oh, we were lead to this by everything in this book pointing to here, but it's still a shocker when we get there.

I was engrossed in this story the whole time. For me, this book was better than the first and I'm pleased I continued with the series. Where Sigrid is now... oh I am soooo looking forward to the next book!



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Audio Book Review: The Girls from Alcyone

The Girls from Alcyone

By:  Cary Caffrey

Publish Date:  November 21, 2015, Audiobook Release March 28, 2016

Format:  Audiobook - 10 hrs 36 mins
Narrated By:  Kristin James

Genre:  Science Fiction

Series:  1st in The Girls from Alcyone series

First Impression:  Space opera of Sigrid's life as she grows into a trained mercenary.

Synopsis:
Sigrid and Suko are two girls from the impoverished and crime-infested streets of 24th century Earth. Sold into slavery to save their families from financial ruin, the girls are forced to live out their lives in service to the Kimura Corporation, a prestigious mercenary clan with a lineage stretching back long before the formation of the Federated Corporations.

Known only to Kimura, the two girls share startling secret—a rare genetic structure not found in tens of millions of other girls.

But when their secret becomes known, Sigrid and Suko quickly find themselves at the center of a struggle for power. Now, hunted by men who would seek to control them, Sigrid and Suko are forced to fight for their own survival, and for the freedom of the girls from Alcyone.

First Sentence:
The wet cloak hung heavy over Dr. Lisa Garrett's shoulders.

Purchase At:
Amazon 

Audible

My Thoughts and Summary:
*I requested to review a copy of this audiobook for an honest review from the author or narrator.

Sigrid's parents sell her to Kimura due to the debt they own. Kimura has found Sigrid has a rare genetic code, and it's perfect for their program. Sigrid grows up in the academy, taught to take care of herself and becomes stronger mentally and physically. Sigrid and the other girls don't realize they are a secret experiment. But when the secret gets out, Sigrid will have to fight to save herself, her love, and those she's grown to see as her sisters. Finding out who's behind the attacks will be harder than Sigrid expected, and safe harbor is needed for all the girls like her.

I do love listening to Kristin's voice(s). Each character truly feels as though they have their own voice and personality as I listen to her bring the characters to life in voice. Oh the music leading in at the title, wow. Seems to fit the image of the cover. I really liked it! There are a few accents in the story as the girls are from different places, a Kiwi one for Suko and Kristin voices it true. The little extras that are added to voice effects is a bonus for me. Kristin does this like when in water and water muffles talking as it covers a characters mouth.

There are many young girls brought together at Alcyone at a young age of 8-9. We see the girls grow closer as they are trained and suffer from the abuse of other girls bullying them. I found the beginning slow with this growing of the girls. The beginning is all about Sigrid and Suko at the academy and how others were cruel to Sigrid and how Suko came to her rescue. Other than Sigrid not wanting to be at the academy, I don't know what the direction of the story was. I guess that they are growing into and trained to be mercenaries?

Then things pick up. When the girls find trouble during a training exercise, men trying to take the girls, that's when the story started to pick up, which was in chapter 6, 2 hours into the 10 hour book. Then it calms again. When things go sideways for Sigrid and others like her, that's when the story became more interesting for me. There is a good bit of action in trying to take Sigrid and others along with how they react to stay free. This is the last third of the book. It feels as we get a lot of growing up and friendship and enemy bonds made in much of this book. For me, it's a bit slow in moving for all of this even though it's showing the world as a vast place and setting it up for the troubles that will come. I found the book moved better after the halfway point of the story.

Most of the book is Sigrid's POV. Then we start getting POV's from Carl, Suko, Selene, and a few others to see the different sides of the story. We also get views from the scientific side of the researcher through Dr. Lisa Garrett's journal entries. This tells us what they are doing to the girls to make them stronger, faster, and more enhanced. We also see how the enhancements work with the girls through Sigrid's story. It seems all done to the girls doesn't harm them, which is what they were looking for in the genetics so that none are harmed.

I found the book a space opera with the direction of Sigrid living a life. It was a soft story as everything Sigrid comes across in troubles, she easily dominates and works through it. Things seem to be easy for her, like the bully in school and how she just disappears. Then taking over a small vessel that was trying to capture her. Sigrid is powerful, but it doesn't seem like there is a challenge out there for you. I didn't have the worry of danger going into these scenes and for that didn't feel invested with Sigrid.

At the beginning I could have seen this story being a wonderful YA sci fi opera story except for the sex scenes that are present. Then as Sigrid and the girls grew up and ventured out on their own, the story aged too. They experience things and we start to see the conspiracies forming.

Oh, about the book description. It mentions that Sigrid and Suko are two special girls with a rare genetic structure. It's true, they are. But they are not the only two. The girls at Alcyone are all found to have the rare genetic coding. So there are more than these two, it's just that we see these two more closely in the story. Also, I took the fighting done by these two as they were a team together. Not always. Most of it is actually Sigrid and Suko's not aware of what's happening out in the universe as Sigrid is learning all the information.

By the end of the book, it was exactly what I wanted from my space operas. I am curious to see if the next book keeps up the pace that this book ended on.


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