A bit of a mess, but good narration.

Hmm I don't know... This book was just too much but also not enough at the same time. And I kind of want to say: "What a bloody mess"

I love this series, and each and every book up to this one has been a great and wonderful read. So after finishing this one I'm a bit disappointed. I would say this was by far my least favourite instalment in this series to date. It felt lacking on so many levels. I missed the wonderful atmospheric feel that Fox created in her other books, and that creepy and haunted feeling to Dark and the people in the village was missing. It kind of felt like any old paranormal book, and that's not something we've come to expect from this series. It lacked the feelings that made it unique, and nothing can portray this more than the first line the first book and this;

Once Upon a Haunted Moor:

"That sound – you feel it before you hear it, a kind of low vibration in your bones."

Preacher, Prophet, Beast:

"My name is Lee Tyack-Frayne".


A bit of a difference, isn’t it?

I also felt like that wonderful connection between Lee and Gideon was missing. In this book they felt just like any old married couple with a toddler, no muss no fuss. We are not used to that. Ok, so Tamsyn does have some rather unusual powers and ones that come into play in this book, but still it's just not enough. Lee and Gideon have been this...force of nature almost, their connection as real and tangible as anything you can see and touch. Part of a whole. But this time around it was lacking everything that made them special. I do appreciate that they had a bit of ups and downs and not always lovey-dovey, but I still didn't feel them like I used to.

These books have also been very intimate of a sort. They take place in Dark and some of the surrounding small towns and villages. The rest of the world just didn't matter, it wasn't all that important to the people here. So for all intents and purposes the rest of the world didn’t exist. Yet suddenly Brexit and Trump and the instabilities in the world are being discussed more than once. And Ok, these things are important and the impact factors in the world are high. But nothing can touch Dark or Bodmin Moor, so this was just so unnecessary. It just doesn’t have a place in this series.

Let’s move on to the plot shall we. I have to admit I am so very confused about it. There was just soo much going on. Both new and old threats, ones we’ve long thought were done with, come out to play, threatening the lives of Dark and the people we’ve come to love. Add in ominous visions by Lee, and the mysteries surrounding Tamsyn, the village of Dark might never be the same again. The plot went in a million different directions and not many of them made much sense or were easy to follow. So much so that if you didn't pay 100% attention to the story for every second you'd be confused. And if you’d ask me I probably won't be able to tell you much more than maybe just the general idea of the book, no details and not on my life will I be able to re-tell how everything was connected and what really happened. And I literally finished listening to this book not 10 minutes ago.

So would I recommend this book?

I honestly don't know. In part I think that depends a bit on where the next book starts off, how much it will build on what happened in this one. And judging by the previous books, you are probably going to need to read it for reference if nothing else. But I would say, if you are like me and often have other things on the go while listening to audiobooks, you should read this book and not listen to it. Not that the audio is bad, Tim Gilbert is still a great narrator for this series. There's just so much going on that I think you'll benefit from reading instead of listening. Where you can just take a second and think about everything that happens, or go back to re-read a section before moving on. Hopefully you won't be as confused as I'm feeling right now – feeling like you need to go back to the beginning just to find out what was really going on.

A copy of this book was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review for Love Bytes Reviews.

4 people found this helpful

Whirlwind

Deciding what to keep and what to share with others must be a form of insanity. This one was intense and so much so that even I feel like the axis of my world has changed or perhaps that is just living in 2020.

1 person found this helpful

Not my favorite of the series.

I have loved this series, the stories are based around myths, magic and the unknown all here in the real world. While I know this means a lot of story lines can fly in this realm, this one frustrated me. After readying 65% of the book, suddenly the MC wakes up and none of the previous happened. Although, you are left wondering up to what point was included, who might recall the first take on events and who doesn't. First it seems, only one person kinda remembers, then he starts to forget, while no one else remembers but "feels different". Then at the end suddenly two or three other admit to remembering the alternate events. UGH, just not my thing.

Great story, narration falters

I’ve enjoyed all the voices Tim Gilbert created for the various characters, and in all the prior books he stuck to them, but in this one his voice for Lee started to sound gruff like his voice for Gideon, and his voice for Rufus lost its posh, academic character. It got harder for me to follow which character was speaking.

I don’t know if this is the last book of the series, but the ending didn’t feel tied up in a bow.

adventurous

this seems to be the last audio in this series but there looks to be some more books! I'll have to check them out on Kindle as I want to know what happens with the beast :)

as always I think the narrator and author both did a great job.

Why couldn’t they all have been like this?

I Strongly suspect that a Harper Fox is the pseudonym for two or more people - and that the first and second half of the series were written by different people. The series went from boring porn wrapped in a very flimsy cover, to an interesting story combining Cornish mythology with modern day events and interesting interpersonal relationships

At the beginning of the series I had to skip through endless “lube encounters” in an effort to piece together some semblance of a story. Towards the end of the series, the focus was on the locale and characters relationships with one another - with only a passing nod to the fulfilling physical bond between the protagonists.

If it hadn’t been a long weekend with a lot of yard work to get through, I never would have stuck with the series though. Perhaps if the author(s) went back and rewrote the first several stories they could actually charge for the books

Loved it

I read all 7 books, and I love them all. A beautiful story beautifully written. I’m sad it has to end but even the ending was so sweet and perfect. Can’t recommend enough.

Such a lovely idea

I'd love to live in a world like the one conjured by Harper Fox in this series. I'd love to know a love like this, and a sense of primordial magic in the background making sense of it all even when the characters themselves can't. I pray it's so much more than fantasy. Thank you for enriching my life with these characters and their adventures. I am delighted and so grateful for your efforts.

Excellent Series

I just had to say, Ms. Fox that I really love the way you write. I was hesitant to listen to this series because of the "creep" factor, or so I thought it but what I found was intriguing. All the characters so wonderfully flawed and each beautiful in their own way. Since listening to the Tyeck & Frayne novels I have gone on to purchase most everything you've got on Audible and most thoroughly enjoyed every single one of them. Since reading and listening to your books I've studied Cornwall maps, looked up the different areas, places and monuments you write about. If I have the chance to travel Cornwall is where I'll go. So much magic!
Thank you Tim Gilbert for your fabulous narration you literally brought these characters to life. Ms. Fox I've gone on to purchase books 8, 9, 10 (2) of the Tyeck & Frayne books from Kindle but really hope that you and Mr. Gilbert choose to finish up this wonderful series with Audible. I look forward to listening to more from you.

This series is becoming tiresome

Jump from reality to not reality or vice versa abruptly. Also between characters. Please cut to the chase!