Spider's Bite

How I got to loathe the story

This book was one big cliche. The story was predictable. The characters were caricatured and without any depth.

I had quite a few laughs listening to this story. I do not think that it was intentional for the writer to make me laugh as reader/listener. And they were not laughs based on humour, more of a "I don't know what else to do" kinda laugh.

The constant use of...

"I looked at him with my grey eyes".
"His green eyes squinted"
"His hazel eyes met my grey steely eyes".

The description of the eyes kept popping up, and I was both laughing and thinking what a waste of my money each time it happened (and trust me it happens a lot). Who keeps describing herself looking at things with her eyes and the colour of her eyes? Noone.

it does not stop there:

"Guilt and grief racked my heart" is heard more than often.
"Cold rage in my heart" likewise.

The writer just tries too hard to make the persons in the story interesting and ends up making them shallow, and stupid.

Some might feel that the narrator is good. I am not one of them. Whenever she was trying to make someone sound sexy and persuasive they sounded like stupid braindead pornstars. When the rugged detective (and you will hear that a lot) is "talking" it sounds more like a person on drugs, than a person rugged and tough.

Add a story that is neither good nor interesting, and you get to waste a lot of hours you will never get back. None of the heroes or the main bad guys/girls have any flaws. They all belong in a model magazine.

I was left with a feeling of this becoming a teenage girl fantasy novel, and if that is your age you might enjoy this story. Everyone else should avoid it.

I will not be spending any more money of credits on this series, and you might be wondering why I bothered listening to the story until the end - if you have the answer please share because I do not know. Might be that I just hoped something remotely interesting would happen.

75 of 78 people found this review helpful

Only because...

... I paid for it. Is it wrong to listen to a whole story only for that reason?

It's the only thing that has gotten me through this book anyway. I hope for the sake of anyone who chooses to go on with the rest of the series that the author doesn't continue to remind you every couple of chapters that Gin looks at things with her grey eyes... Nobody ever describes the colour or their own eyes when they are looking at something. Let alone every single time. It's irritating. Self-absorbed.

There's a difference between a strong character, and a boastful, arrogant character. I found myself rolling my eyes over and over again when Gin was going on about her own endless awesomeness. Sorry, I found myself rolling my BLUE eyes over and over again... (You can see how that's irritating, yes?) Not to mention how often she repeats herself about where she keeps her five knives, how the spider runes ended up on her hands, and the exact same aspects of different characters' appearances . There's no need to remind your readers of trivial details over and over again.

Bad writing is even worse when it's read out loud.

166 of 180 people found this review helpful

NOT THAT GOOD

What would have made Spider's Bite better?

More action. I got the book based on reviews and was very disappointed.

Has Spider's Bite turned you off from other books in this genre?

I liked a couple already. This one was not good.

What three words best describe Lauren Fortgang’s voice?

OK but...

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

disappointment

Any additional comments?

We buy lots from Amazon because of the reviews, but the reviews and the quality of the books on Audible don't measure up. I don't know if they are padded or not. Considering dropping membership. For every 5 I buy, and I buy a lot, maybe 1 is good. What's up with that?

9 of 9 people found this review helpful

Very Disappointed

Would you try another book from Jennifer Estep and/or Lauren Fortgang?

No. The book seems like a 12th grade creative writing assignment gone wrong. The repetition of information again and again is distracting. I haven't had to mention to anyone the color of my eyes more than once ever. I can actually go months without considering this. The main character has trouble going more than 2 or 3 minutes without mentioning what is going on with her GRAY EYES. I listen to audiobooks all the time, ( I am a long distance truck driver) and this was quite possibly the worst purchase I've made. I may be spoiled, I just finished the fourth book in the iron druid series, 13 books of the dresden files and the Mercy Thomas series. I was unable to listen to more than the first hour of this book.

67 of 73 people found this review helpful

Couldn't finish it

What disappointed you about Spider's Bite?

Nearly everything disappointed me about this. Repetitive, poor writing. I'm with Alex (another reviewer) - except I didn't think the purchase price was worth the waste of my time. If I heard 'my grey eyes' one more time...

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

disappointment that I'd wasted my money

8 of 8 people found this review helpful

Narration too slow and sleep-inducing

What disappointed you about Spider's Bite?

I agree that the narrator has an AMAZING voice for Gin. The problem is that she read everything in the same slow, monotone, emotionless way. Whether describing the scenery, a hit, her family's death... it all was the exact same pace, with no inflection. I really wanted to get into the story, but I kept zoning out and having to go back and re-listen to parts. After an hour and a half, I couldn't keep going anymore. The story didn't hook me yet either, but it wasn't that far into the book. Also, the super slow pace and lack of energy and emotion definitely made it harder to connect to Gin. But, there hadn't been a whole lot of character development so far either, and very little to be invested in yet. Maybe that would've gotten better. I'll never know though, since I'm returning the book.

What was most disappointing about Jennifer Estep’s story?

The lack of energy and acting in the narration.

14 of 15 people found this review helpful

Dreadful!

What disappointed you about Spider's Bite?

The narrator over-acted and grated on my nerves. Her voice sounded forced and unnatural. I could not get past the first two chapters.

Would you be willing to try another one of Lauren Fortgang’s performances?

NO

13 of 14 people found this review helpful

Poorly written and lackluster

While the narrator gave it her best go, you can't turn a pig's ear into a silk purse. While this might be a cliche to use, the kind of writing contained within only deserves a cliche. In a word: Yawn. Next?

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

"No means no!"

First I live in TX, and I'm deeply annoyed by the accent the performer uses.

Second - "No means no!" Did anyone else feel that Gin came across as a male rapist at times. I mean the "MMmm!" she kept spouting out in reference to the detective was creepy enough, but I'm really talking about the scene where she was dry humping him in the bar and he clearly didn't want to even though he was attracted to her. Just because your attracted to someone does not mean you are giving your permission. And her determination that she was going to "have" him. I was a disgusted! Really, people gave this drivel 5 stars.

Third - Gin is not a strong character, she is a female character that thinks she is strong, and her supporting cast thinks so too. To be expected, but she comes across as insecure and stupid. I dislike her character so much I don't know where to start! I much preferred Illona Andrews strong character to this one. She had strengths and weaknesses that could be appreciated.

Fourth - An assassin...not so much!

I'm so upset I wasted a point on this book!

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

I was amazed at all the positive reviews.

The story was just short of average with huge plot holes throughout. The psychotic lead needed a bullet in the head as far as I was concerned. Every character in the entire book was a bad apple and seemed to be a child beating rapist. Shouldn't every book have a least one character that is worth bonding with.

Another thing that always drives me crazy in books like this is how they have these incredible powers but still ignore them. It just does not make any sense. "Oh, I'm a powerful and rare stone elemental but really don't want to ever use my power", get real.

If you are super bored and there is nothing else in your library then put this on. Ignore the nasty characters, redundant descriptions, huge plot holes and try to get your commute finished.

24 of 28 people found this review helpful