REVIEW: A Hat Full of Sky Audiobook

 A Hat Full of Sky 

By Terry Pratchett

(Audiobook)

Read by Stephen Briggs

Synopsis:
Tiffany has begun her journey as a witch, starting out as an apprentice to Miss Level, a rather odd witch who usually drives her apprentices off through no fault of her own. Unfortunately, Tiffany's apprenticeship is disrupted by the arrival of a hiver, a parasitic creature that takes over a person's being and causes them to behave VERY badly. With the help of Miss Level, Granny Weatherwax and the unforgettable Nac Mac Feegle, Tiffany begins the battle of her life, to win her body back from the hiver.

Character Likability:
Tiffany: Tiffany is a determined, logical young girl who is 100% Pratchett Witch material. While Tiffany herself is not one of my favorite Pratchett witches (that would be Weatherwax and Ogg to name a few), she is likable, and the fact that she's supplemented by the Nac Mac Feegle helps to offset her seriousness.
Nac Mac Feegle: ACH CRIVENS! The Nac Mac Feegle are hilarious, and in each book in this series (especially in the audio versions) I found myself laughing out loud at them.

Miss Level: She's a very interesting witch and I am quite amused that so many young witches were frightened by her. I like her quite a lot.
Granny Weatherwax: Probably my favorite Pratchett witch... she is dead serious, but kind of nutty-goofy in her own way, and prone to kindness when it least suits her.

Quality of Writing:
I find that all of the Tiffany Aching series is fast flowing and entertaining... mostly because you can't wait to see what the Feegle do next!

Ending:
I love the solutions that Pratchett comes up with for his books. Sometimes I see them coming, and sometimes I don't... mainly because he often wraps them up in the lore of discworld, which is something I don't know!
This ending was no exception. It was clever, and allowed for another of my all-time favorite Pratchett characters to show up. Won't name any names though ;)

Plot:
First off, I LOVE Pratchett's ability to name his books. He'll probably always get a 5/5 from me on that. I've yet to see him miss the mark on the name. Hat full of sky refers back to Tiffany's beloved Grandma Aching... and actually, at one point in this audio... she says the line "When I am old, I shall wear midnight"... and I Shall Wear Midnight is the last of the Tiffany Aching stories, so I was quite impressed by the set-up.
Anyhow, this story begins with Tiffany getting ready to leave home so she can train to be a witch. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to her more experienced witch mentors, she has learned the trick of stepping out of her body... and at one point, when she does, something called a hiver comes in and takes her over. She is left to struggle with it internally, while everyone else is trying to figure out what is going on externally. It showcases some of Tiffany's power that even she has no idea how to use, and it plays on the themes of fairytales (as do all the Aching books) and making assumptions.

Believability of World:
If you're familiar with other works in the discworld series, then this is a very well founded world... same as if you've already read the other Tiffany Aching book before this... but if you're coming into this one without reading anything else, I recommend you put it down and pick up the beginning of the Aching series first. Pratchett has built himself a very complete and complex world, and you need a little background!

Audio Quality:

Stephen Briggs does such a wonderful job reading Pratchett stories! These stories have a girl as the main character, but having a man read them isn't off-putting at all. He does it wonderfully, and his representation of the Nac Mac Feegle is phenomenal. I had read this book before listening to the audio, and I think he does it 100% justice.

Overall Grade: A (The Nac Mac Feegle always make me laugh out loud reading these books, I think they're some of my favorite literary characters of all time. Even if you tried to read the discworld series and didn't like it... pick up the Tiffany Aching series. They're hilarious... and Stephen Briggs makes the Feegle sound so amusing!)

Book Blogger Hop, Follow Friday and a Review!

"Where is your favorite place to read? Curled up on the sofa, in bed, in the garden?"

I have a little love seat in my home, on this love seat, I have one of those pillows with the little arms that shoot out the side to prop you up. I lay on the love seat, my back against the pillow, my feet against the armrest on the far side... and end up in a slightly reclined, mostly sitting position, perfect for propping the book on my legs, perfect for hours of reading, perfect for sipping a nice warm drink as I flip pages, and perfectly spaced if a fluffy little kitty wants to come and curl up on my lap :)

 

What are you currently reading? Basically, what book is that?

I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett

This is the last in the Tiffany Aching series featuring what are possiblly my favorite discworld characters, The Wee Free Men. Otherwise known as Nac Mac Feegle, known for shouting things such as "Ach, Crivens!" and "wailywailywaily"... they make me laugh out loud when I'm reading, and they issue complaints such as "Ach, I kicked meself in me own heed!" How can you not like such feisty little fighters?

REVIEW!!!

 REVIEW:

The Strangers Outside

by Vanessa Morgan

Synopsis:
Two sisters, Jennifer and Louise, return to their remote holiday cabin after a day at the seaside. But little do they know they’re being surrounded. Shortly after their arrival, the girls will come face to face with THE STRANGERS OUTSIDE. When the assailants make their intentions known, things take ashockingly terrible turn and an intense battle for survival
will begin.

Character Likability:
Jennifer is an almost wholly unlikable character. She's down on herself, she's down on life, she's just down. She's also whiny and worthless in a pinch. You find out later she has more reason for that than you suspect, but still, she is a passive character, even in her own life.
Louise, the older sister, is much more likable. She's stronger, determined, and trying to make a better life for both her and her sister. She refuses to let negativity bring her down and is appropriately in shocked disbelief at the attitude of her sister.

Quality of Writing:
This was a fast flowing, action packed story. There were no lulls, there were no parts where I was just wishing the story would get on with it... it was constant action from start to finish.

Ending:
It was an interesting ending, but I would have liked to have seen either more back story on the events leading up to this (the bit about the psychics contacting people) or more alarm from the characters at the very end. I know these are the determined, decisive characters, but still, I wouldn't be willing to split up with the people I found after what had happened... and I certainly wouldn't want to go back to my house by myself!! I think the thing that threw me the most in the whole story was Louise saying she was just going to go home at the end. If you had really just escaped something so terrifying, could you really just decide to go right back again... alone?

Plot:
A very interesting idea, and something that could definitely be a longer story. The motivation of the Strangers is left unexplored and that isn't a bad thing. It leaves the reader wondering "Why?!" and admittedly, reflecting a bit on their own lifestyles and wondering if they'd be chosen too. I mean, I know I'm not as helpless and somewhat pathetic as Jennifer... but still... creeeeepy!
Setting the girls on vacation in an unfamiliar setting helped too, because it threw them off, they were unable to do exactly what needed to be done when it needed to be done, and it made sense as to why... it wasn't just one of those "Oh gee, I'm a lame scared girl" situations you see so often in scary settings. The description of the Strangers, also, was incredibly creepy. There is a line about them seeming to have faces that were too big... and it's imagery like that that just creeps me out in stories... when you take a human feature and describe it as "wrong" somehow.

Believability of World:
Believable. It was set in this world, and it felt like it. I could imagine looking out my own window and seeing the Strangers, and that's creepy.

Overall Grade: B- (This was a really fun, creepy read PERFECT for Halloween!)