#audiobook arc

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PUBLIC CALL FOR ARC REVIEWERS!!

My second novel, BACKMASK, is now available for review! Reach out to me or my publisher for more details!

[whimsicaldragonette]

ARC Review: Arrow of Fortune (Raiders of the Arcana 3) by Jacquelyn Benson

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Publication Date: November 18, 2025

About the Book:

A well-behaved lady historian ought to avoid haunted Indian forests… not plunge into them seeking an invincible weapon of the gods. Ellie Mallory didn’t exactly volunteer to prevent the most dangerous artifact of the Ramayana from falling into the wrong hands—but if one has been coerced into an adventure, the least one can do is bring along a few friends. Constance Tyrrell has new daggers stuffed in her garters, a thirst to discover everything India has to offer… and absolutely no interest in Dr. Neil Fairfax, Ellie’s scholarly stepbrother. Meanwhile, Neil finds himself wrangling a magical sword along with his increasingly tangled feelings about a certain doe-eyed danger gnome. Then there’s Adam Bates—handy with a machete, perpetually shirtless, and about to face some unsettling ghosts of his past. Together, they must follow the footsteps of an ancient hero from the festivals of Puri to the shadowy depths of a legendary forest, racing a brutal colonial administrator with allies of his own—including the complicated and mysterious Mr. Jacobs. It will take all Ellie’s resources—from a working knowledge of practical chemistry to a highly excitable dog—to beat a new sort of demon to the place where a holy power has lain hidden for two thousand years… alongside the secret history of the woman at the heart of India’s greatest story.

My Review:

5 stars!

This was such a good follow-up to the first two books! I loved how balanced the focus was between Ellie & Adam and Connie & Neil, and how the two relationships progressed. It was almost like getting two romance novels in one. And it was an excellent archeological adventure besides.

I really love these books. The characters are really charming and endearing, with depth to them. The adventure is rollicking and exciting and the archeological information is fascinating. Plus the thread of anti-colonialism throughout makes them satisfying reads.

It's all the guilty pleasure of an Indiana Jones adventure, but without the guilt. Because the characters grapple with the implications of colonialism and all the injustices it perpetrates while having their adventure, rescuing the Arcana from the colonizers who will do nothing good with the magical artifacts.

The good guys are charming, the bad guys are dastardly, and Jacobs remains mysteriously morally gray.

The audiobook was excellent. The characters' voices were consistent with the previous books and each character had a distinct voice. The narration was pleasant to listen to and well-paced, bringing the adventure to life.

I look forward to their next adventure! It sounds like Korea and Egypt are our intrepid pair of duo's net stops and I cannot wait!

*Thanks to Vaughan Woods Publishing, and Jacquelyn Benson for providing an early copy for review.

[whimsicaldragonette]

Audio Arc Review: Fraternity by Andy Mientus

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Publication Date: September 20, 2022

Synopsis:

A queer, dark academia YA about a mysterious boarding school, a brotherhood that must stay in the shadows, and an ancient evil that could tear it all apart. In the fall of 1991, Zooey Orson transfers to the Blackfriars School for Boys hoping for a fresh start following a scandal at his last school. However, he quickly learns that he isn’t the only student keeping a secret. Before he knows it, he’s fallen in with a group of boys who all share the same secret, one which they can only express openly within the safety of the clandestine gatherings of the Vicious Circle––the covert club for gay students going back decades. But when the boys unwittingly happen upon the headmaster’s copy of an arcane occult text, they unleash an eldritch secret so terrible, it threatens to consume them all. A queer paranormal story set during the still-raging AIDS crisis, Fraternity examines a time not so long ago when a secret brotherhood lurked in the shadows. What would Zooey and his friends do to protect their found family?

My Rating: ★★★★★

*My Review and Favorite Quotes after the cut.

My Review:

This started slowly but little by little it picked up steam until I was on the edge of my seat. It hits hard, blending magic and all-too-real topics in a way that feels wholly natural and right. This wouldn't be the same book if you removed the witchcraft and black magic, and it wouldn't be the same book if you removed the talk of AIDS and conversion therapy and queerness and race. It's queer and it's unapologetic and it's set so specifically in time. I was too young in 1991 to pay attention to the news, but even growing up later in the 90s I felt a sense of kinship with these characters and a sense of recognition. The characters are distinct and well-rounded. They can be summed up in a few descriptors, or so it seems, though they are revealed over the course of the book to be more than they first appear. I enjoyed the multiple POVs, which helped me feel closer to each boy. The villains are monstrous (in more ways than one) and the monstrous future they were pushing toward felt all-too-real, especially in light of recent events. We may be a far cry from shadowy political cults and the AIDS epidemic... but in many ways we aren't. This is not a happy book, and it's not an easy one to read. There is bullying and intolerance and bigotry and evil. But there is also friendship and queer joy and community and love. I took a while to warm up to the characters and story, and I even questioned whether I wanted to continue a few times. But by about 40% in I was thoroughly hooked and for the last several hours of the audiobook I couldn't tear myself away from the story. The audiobook narrators were really excellent and delivered a gripping and emotional performance. The voices they used for each character were believable and felt right, and I was more invested in the story than I would have been if I were reading it to myself. I'm not often a fan of an author narrating their own book because they so rarely deliver a riveting performance -- it's a different skillset, narrating a book rather than writing it. But in this case Andy Mientus did a fabulous job and I highly recommend getting the audiobook version. *Thanks to NetGalley and Recorded Books for providing an audiobook arc for review.

Favorite Quotes:

She took one of us on each arm and, as we walked to our seats, I felt the kinds of looks I used to get at Blackfriars and had an unexpected pang of nostalgia. In a weird way, I’d missed feeling like a freak. Being a freak alone is tough, but being a freak arm-in-arm with your fellow freaks can feel pretty punk.

---

If we’ve learned anything this past year, it’s that history lets us carry the work of those who came before us forward so that we might finish it.

[whimsicaldragonette]

Audio ARC Review: Valiant Ladies by Melissa Grey

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Publication Date: June 14, 2022

**This Review can also be found on my dedicated book review blog (also called Whimsical Dragonette) here.

Synopsis:

Two teen vigilantes set off on an action-packed investigation to expose corruption and deliver justice in Valiant Ladies, Melissa Grey's YA historical fiction novel inspired by real seventeenth century Latinx teenagers known as the Valiant Ladies of Potosí. By day Eustaquia “Kiki” de Sonza and Ana Lezama de Urinza are proper young seventeeth century ladies. But when night falls, they trade in their silks and lace for swords and muskets, venturing out into the vibrant, bustling, crime-ridden streets of Potosí, in the Spanish Empire's Viceroyalty of Peru. They pass their time fighting, gambling, and falling desperately in love with one another. Then, on the night Kiki's engagement to the Viceroy's son is announced, her older brother―heir to her family’s fortune―is murdered. The girls immediately embark on a whirlwind investigation that takes them from the lowliest brothels of Potosí to the highest echelons of the Spanish aristocracy.

My Rating: ★★★★★

***My Review below the cut.

My Review:

I LOVED this book so much. I have had high hopes for it ever since I first heard it announced -- seventeenth century teenage Latinx vigilante sword lesbians? sold! -- and it vastly exceeded my expectations.

Kiki and Ana were such great characters, and I loved their dynamic and their escapades. It was clear from the first pages that they meant everything to each other and loved each other very much. I loved their bond and the way their relationship and friendship strengthened as the events of the story unfolded. I also really appreciated their love of weaponry. The other characters were also very well-fleshed out and I came to feel strongly about all of them.

The villains were villainous (but not always obvious, which was nice). It was very satisfying to see Kiki and Ana stand up to them, especially when others didn't always do so -- for social or political or monetary reasons.

It was also really refreshing to see sex workers treated as regular people who are just as worthy of being rescued as anyone else? There was never any judgement or negativity toward them, which I loved.

The setting felt very real and… immersive, I guess? Like I totally believed I was there in 17th century Peru while reading.

Most of all, I had the best time while reading this. It was so fun and adventurous and it was like I was there alongside Kiki and Ana as the events of the plot unfolded. They were totally kick-ass and there was never any doubt in their minds about that fact. I will definitely be reading this one again.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Recorded Books for providing an audio arc for review.

[whimsicaldragonette]

Audiobook ARC Review: Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta

5 stars!

This was such a good audiobook! The narrators were great and really captured the emotions and voices of the characters. The story was original and engrossing and I found myself completely wrapped up in it. The only thing I didn't like about the audiobook was that the narrators spoke too slowly for my taste, but that was easily remedied by speeding it up to 1.25x and sometimes 1.5x speed. Sona and Eris are wonderful characters and have a very convincing enemies-to-friends-to-lovers relationship, with both of their feelings and emotions slowly evolving over the course of the book. Jenny is a great character, if a little harsh on her little sister Eris. Eris' gearbreaker crew are endearing and wild. Sona was a bit heartbreaking when she got her first gear tattoos. It was everything she'd ever wanted and she couldn't quite believe it was happening. The twist at the end was pretty good. I saw part of it coming (but not 'til near the end), but part of it surprised me. I will most definitely be snapping up the sequel as soon as it is available because I really need to know what happens next. *Thanks to NetGalley and RB Media / Recorded Books for providing an audio arc for review.

[tanyasreading]

Breathing Underwater by Abbey Nash

Stars: 3.0 Start Date: 6/24/26 Ending Date:6/27/26 Genre: YA Romance Contemporary Form:ALC Page Count: 224 Publishing Date:3/5/24 Point of View:1st Setting: Content Warning: Seizures, Epilepsy Underage Drinking GoodReads:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8713502889 StoryGraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/50d9367c-9c3e-4bb6-9570-cb837336a708 Thank Tantor Audio for the…

Breathing Underwater by Abbey Nash

[tanyasreading]

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

Stars: 3 Start Date: 9/23/25 Ending Date:9/23/25 Genre: Middle Grade Form: ALC Page Count:175 Publishing Date: 01/01/1975 Point of View:3rd Setting: Content Warning: Kidnapping, Murder, Violence Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7938818514 Thank you Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review. This is a special 50 anniversary of the coming…

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

[tanyasreading]

The Darkness Within Us By Tricia Levenseller

Book Stats  Stars: 3.5 Stars Start Date : 03/18/24 Ending Date: 03/21/24 Genre: YA Fantasy Romance Form: Audiobook Arc/ E-Arc Page Count: 336 Publishing Date: 07/09/24 Point of View: 1st Person Setting: Victorian England I mean Naxos  Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6358032207?book_show_action=false StoryGraph…

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