*voicework rant incoming*
Pre-reading through the next chapter of the story Iâm recording (itâs a sex scene) before I dive in on a take and thinking (cringing, really) about the narrator for KJ Charlesâ Charm of Magpie series Iâve been listening to off and on recently. I actually really like the narrator overallâhe leans a bit heavily on overblown accents+tone shifts to distinguish his characters instead of on subtle but consistent inflection, which I think works better, but overall heâs solid and enjoyable to listen to.
Except for the love scenes.
MY GOD. Itâs so bad, yâall. You know how the best audiobook narrators can hit that line between bringing characters to life off the page while simultaneously making you forget youâre even listening to another human being reading to you? Itâs even more important to hit this line and stick it when reading sex scenes, and this guyâŠdoes not. His narration yanks me right out of the immersive experience, and itâs such a shame because the sex scenes themselves are perfectly fineâoccasionally really hot, evenâbut read the way this guy reads them, theyâre farcical and embarrassing. He speeds way up and gets loud (is he trying to convey tension? is he embarrassed so heâs rushing through it? if so then DUDE DONT TAKE ROMANCE JOBS) to the point that he sounds like heâs announcing a live horse race or boxing match, he exaggerates his character voices to a comical level, and he makes one of the MCs (the smaller, slighter one whoâs also bottoming, ofc) sound whiny and almost childlike (creepy much?) and the other like a blustering, elderly British patriarch having a stroke. Itâs justâŠugh. A masterclass in how not to narrate love scenes, I guess.
At least I now have an excellent reminder of how not to read this scene coming up!
