City of Bones

Six of one, half-dozen of the other

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Yes, if you haven't listened to the original version of City of Bones, narrated by Ari Graynor. If you're like me and have the Ari Graynor version, don't bother. When I say "six of one, half-dozen of the other", I mean both versions are mediocre, as far as narration goes. The story is worth it though, so if you haven't read or listened to City of Bones, go for it! It's worth the credit. If you're just looking for a different version with better narration, don't waste your credit.

What did you like best about this story?

City of Bones opens a captivating young adult series, The Mortal Instruments. Cassandra Clare's Shadowhunter world is cleverly-built and the stories exciting. Keeping up with Clary as she learns about her heritage and discovers the world around her kept me hooked through all six books.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Mae Whitman?

Maybe? She wasn't terrible as a narrator, but her accents were. It would have been a much better listen without the questionable English accents.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Ugh...I wish I hadn't. The movie was terrible and it was one of the worst book-to-screen adaptations I've ever seen (but this isn't a movie review). I blame the movie for the bad English accents. The City of Bones movie decided that the Shadowhunters would have English accents and this is the result of that decision. In all of the other audiobooks (except for City of Heavenly Fire, which also came out after the movie), the Shadowhunters have American accents.

Any additional comments?

I wrote this review for listeners who have the Ari Graynor version of City of Bones and are wondering if this version is an improvement. It isn't.

35 sur 38 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.

Could be better

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

I couldn't finish this book. The writing is good for the young adult genre but the narrator is mediocre at best. I could have gotten past the horrible British accents but I couldn't stand her reading style in general. It's very...forced and immature. Emma Gavin and Marisa Calin are much better narrators. But perhaps it's the director's fault. Regardless, I would skip the audio and read the paperback.

24 sur 26 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.

Wish I hadn't listened to the audiobook

Any additional comments?

Didn't like the narration at all, most of the accents were super cheesy and didn't allow me to get into the book. I wish I had read the book instead of listening to it, because I'm sure I would have liked it more that way. The way it was narrated made me really annoyed with all of the characters. I only finished the novel for the sake of finishing it, I had no interest in how it ended.

12 sur 13 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.

Love the series not the multiple narrators

Wish the same narrator was used on the books...hard to picture the characters when the voices keep changing.

5 sur 5 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.

Terrible narrator

What disappointed you about City of Bones?

Honestly, it takes a lot for me to write a review, but this book is that bad. I had read other ones who said the accent was bad, and yea, it's not great. But for me what is worse is the narrator's choppy, "every sentence is a statement" style of reading. She reads everything fast, and as if it's dropping a bomb. Even sentences that have a follow up comma are read that way. I could get over the accents, but the choppy way of narrating everything as if it's a single stand alone statement is grating.

What didn’t you like about Mae Whitman’s performance?

See above.

10 sur 11 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.

Pretty Good Wish I'd skipped the move

What did you love best about City of Bones?

I saw the movie and thought the book would be worth a go. The book was a little difficult to get through since I knew what was going to happen. Look forward to the next book.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

I don't know why all the Shadowhunters have bad British accents. I found that annoying.

8 sur 9 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.

narrator terrible!!!!

The story seems promising but.... the narrator of this book made me want to vomit!

Don't listen to this audio book if you really want to read this book go get a physical copy.

That's what I did and I'm loving the book.

7 sur 8 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.

Adults who loves fantasy, skip this book.

If you are new to the fantasy genre, this is a cute, fun world. The narrator needs to work on her accents/dialects but is otherwise fine. But if you are an Adult who loves fantasy, skip this book. You will find no new ideas or surprises here.

21 sur 26 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.

Horrifyingly bad accents

What would have made City of Bones better?

Using a narrator that can actually do voices, OR telling Mae Whitman to stop doing them.

What didn’t you like about Mae Whitman’s performance?

Her accents sound like bad community theatre. Why re-record the book if you aren't going to make it amazing? This one is as bad as the original.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

I love this book but the audiobook is TERRIBLE.

23 sur 29 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.

Good YA story - Horrible narrator

The story was very engaging; one I had a hard time putting down. This is definitely a young adult book, but I still found it enjoyable and have moved on to the second book. The thing I hated about this book was the narrator; she is awful! One of the worst narrators I have come across. My advice; listen to the sample and think about reading rather than listening.

2 sur 2 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.