Sunday, April 1, 2012

Review: Graveminder (Audiobook)




Graveminder by Melissa Marr
Genre: Horror, Paranormal
Length: 10 hours and 26 minutes
Narrator: Emma Galvin
Source: eLibrary
Author's Website | Blog | Twitter
Buy it: Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Book Depo

Description:
Rebekkah Barrow never forgot the tender attention her grandmother, Maylene, bestowed upon the dead of Claysville. While growing up, Rebekkah watched as Maylene performed the same unusual ritual at every funeral: three sips from a small silver flask followed by the words, "Sleep well, and stay where I put you." Now Maylene is gone and Bek must return to the hometown—and the man—she abandoned a decade ago, only to discover that Maylene's death was not natural . . . and there was good reason for her odd traditions. In Claysville, the worlds of the living and the dead are dangerously connected—and beneath the town lies a shadowy, lawless land ruled by the enigmatic Charles, aka Mr. D. From this dark place the deceased will return if their graves are not properly minded. And only the Graveminder, a Barrow woman, and the current Undertaker, Byron, can set things to right once the dead begin to walk.

My Rating:
My Review:
Following her grandmother's death Rebekkah, or Bek, returns to Claysville to pay her respects to Maylene. She remembers her grandmother as a loving person who had many traditions that involved lovingly taken care of the dead.  However, Bek soon realizes that these rituals are more than traditions and they will now affect her in ways she never imagined.  Byron, the undertaker's son, has lived in Claysville almost all his life, and while he is accustomed to hearing that things are done a certain way because of traditions, he becomes tired of these explanations and wants some answers.  When he finally gets the answers he's been looking for, he finds that it comes at a very high price.  Both Byron and Bek find that their lives drastically changed and they try to navigate their new roles in the midst of a crisis.

On the story...
I absolutely loved this story.  I was hooked from the very beginning. The story is told from various points of views of residents of Claysville.  This worked really well in this particular story because everything was so strange that I was dying to know what was going on in everyone else's head. I love that this premise is unique and refreshing. I initially thought that the story was primarily about Byron and Bek finding out and navigating their new role but I soon found there was more to everything.  That surprise really put the book over the top for me.  The ending was well done but everything isn't quite wrapped in a pretty little bow.  There a few things left to the reader's imagination and a few unanswered questions.  Overall, this was a wonderful book.

On the narrator...
The narrator brings the enjoyment of this book down just a tad for me.  Ms. Galvin has soothing voice and it is very much a storytelling voice.  I found that I was able to get lost into the story very easily.  The only downside to this audio is that Ms. Galvin has very little, if any, voice changes for the different characters.  This wouldn't be a problem except there are different points of views throughout the book.  Some people we only hear from once, but others, like Bek and Byron, we return time and time again.  Therefore, it made it very difficult to follow the point of view switches.  At times, I was well into the section before I figured it out.  While I was still able to enjoy the book, I found myself a tad frustrated at times.

Overall, I would recommend this book in both paper form and audio form.  Ms. Marr has a way of putting together a story so that it unfolds in the most entertaining way possible.  I enjoyed this one from start to finish.

Have you read Melissa Marr before?  I hear she writes YA as well, are those good?  For anyone who has read this book...Does this qualify as a zombie book (just curious)?

This read also satisfies the eclectic reader challenge.
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24 comments:

  1. I have read her YA books, well two and they were..well YA PNR, they are all alike in the end and according to me annoying

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    1. Oh really? That's interesting. This definitely doesn't read like a YA PNR.

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  2. I liked this one too, though I think it wasn't as action packed as I thought it would more - I read the print version. I didn't think zombie book when I read it though - just paranormal in general.

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    1. I expected it to be more action packed as well. Okay it didn't seem like a zombie book to me either. So I still haven't read a zombie book.

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  3. I'd been thinking about reading this book. Great review! Thanks.

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  4. Cool! I had heard of this book but I had no idea what it was about. :D
    Great review! :D

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  5. Great review. SO glad to hear the narrator is good.

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  6. I'm very intrigued that you like this! I've avoided this book because the cover is super creepy and I did read a YA book by Marr, Wicked Lovely, and did not like it. I may have to give this a second look. Thanks for the great review!
    NC
    Truly Bookish

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    1. I avoided it because of the cover as well but when I saw it on audio, I couldn't help but grab it. It is not as creepy as it looks for sure.

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  7. I have this book sitting on myshelf for quite a while now. it does sounds good. Hopeful to bump in this book soon, I loved Wicked Lovely and I think this would be interesting. Great review girl! x

    Ƹ̴Ӂ̴ƷFICBOOKREVIEWSƸ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ

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  8. Stumbled your post.

    http://www.atticgirl.com/2012/04/tots2tweens-blog-awesomeness-challenge.html

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  9. This book sounds very interesting. I have been looking for an audiobook to listen during my morning drives to work! Thanks to you and your review, I have found the perfect book! :-)

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    1. Oooh oooh let me know if you listen. I really want to know what you were thinking. It unveils in such an interesting way.

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  10. I stumbled your post. This looks interesting and looks like something I might enjoy. Thanks for the great review.

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  11. I read this last year. I really enjoyed it because it's so different! Love the underworld!! I'm sure this would be a fun audio. I kinda wish it was going to be a series! Great review :)

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    1. It is different. I wondered why it wasn't a series but I definitely appreciate it more because it isn't.

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  12. I really liked this one but glad I read it instead of listened to it. That sucks that the narrator was not able to distinguish between characters a bit better. With so many switches between POVs, that is essential in a narrator. I read another one of Melissa Marr's YA novels as well and really enjoyed it!

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    1. I haven't tried any of her YA novels, I'll look into them. If they are as good as Graveminder, I'm sold.

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I absolutely LOVE all comments! So please feel free to chime in with your thoughts, questions, opinions, or whatever else you have to say.

Don't forget to check back as I reply to comments. Dialogue is good right?

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