REVIEW BY: Christie
TITLE: Sacrati
AUTHOR: Kate Sherwood
NARRATOR: Dorian Bane
PUBLISHER: Riptide Publishing
LENGTH: 12h 36m
RELEASE DATE: May 26, 2016
BLURB:
As an elite Sacrati fighter in the mighty Torian military, Theos is blessed with a city full of women who want to bear his children, and a barracks full of men proud to fight at his side and share his bed. He has everything he needs — until he captures Finnvid on a raid.
Finnvid is on a secret mission to prevent the Torian invasion of his homeland Elkat. Being enslaved by Torian soldiers wasn’t in his plans. Neither is his horrified fascination with the casual promiscuity of the Sacrati warriors. Men should not lie with other men — and he should not be so intrigued when they do. He definitely should not be most intrigued by the leader of the soldiers who captured him and plan to invade his home.
For Theos, everything would have been easier if the infuriating, lying, bewildering Elkati had never come into his life, but he can’t stay away. When betrayal and treachery threaten both their nations, they must work together to stop a war that could destroy their homes forever — even as they begin to question everything they’re fighting for.
REVIEW:
Okay so here’s the thing, I *really* wanted to like this book. But, honestly I couldn’t. At all. Not only was the first 30 min’s hard to get into and keep my attention, but Dorian Bane’s narration just really bothered me. A lot.
In the very rare case that I cannot finish an audiobook due to an issue with narration, I usually buy the ebook version on kindle and simply read the rest of it. Unfortunately in this case, I decided to forgo my usual pattern and just walk away from Sacrati entirely. For now. This is not to say that I am completely predisposed to never get the kindle version and read it; It’s just that, right now, I really can’t. Now that a voice has been associated with the book, I don’t want to read it only to hear Dorian’s sub par narration in my head whilst attempting to enjoy the story.
However, if you enjoy m/m fantasy books, I will not discourage you to take a chance on Sacrati by Kate Sherwood. This was my first book by Kate (second narrated by Dorian Bane), and even tho it turned out to not be my cup of tea, I plan on giving her books another chance. You should at least give both Kate and Dorian a first chance to impress you. You never know, after listening to/ reading Sacrati, you may even disagree with me and absolutely love both story and narration. In that case, I am very happy for you. It’s upsetting to have to give a bad review.
I said it in my last review and will repeat it here: Not many people have the courage to write a book or even narrate one, then release it to the public for their opinion and review. Both Kate Sherwood and Dorian Bane should be commended on doing something a rare few people in this world have the courage to do. So, even tho I was dissatisfied with this audiobook, it is simply my opinion. You can definitely use this to help you in deciding whether to purchase this book or not. Or, you can treat it as a grain of salt and ignore it entirely.
If you have read this book before and liked it, I highly encourage you to comment below with your specific favorite highlight/ scene. It would be great to see and may encourage me to go back to this story sooner than expected.
BUY LINKS:
This is actually one of the rare Kate Sherwood books that I haven’t read, so I can’t actually promise that you’ll enjoy it if you pick up the eBook. But I can honestly say that Kate Sherwood is one of my very favourite authors so you should definitely check out some of her other books, if not this one. I think that Dark Horse will forever remain one of my all time favourite series, or if menage isn’t your thing, then my other fave is Mark of Cain.
Good luck 🙂
Thank you so much for the recommendations! I will most certainly check them all out. *who doesn’t like reading a little menage once in a while? 😉
I read this when it first came out and I remember enjoying it. I liked the setting and found the story intriguing. It reminded me of the tales of Ancient Rome and Greece that I always loved.
Thank you very much for letting me know! I have been obsessed with tales from ancient Greece and Rome since I first learned to read. You gave me great food for thought. 🙂
I just wanted to thank you Christie for taking the time to review this audio book and also to thank you for both your constructive critisism and encouragement. It seems that for many listeners this was a hit, so I am sorry to hear that it was a miss for you.
As for Sacrati in its written form, I truly hope that you can bring yourself to at least go back and read this book. Kate Sherwood does an amazing job of bringing a world and its characters to life while weaving an intense and complex story.
Thanks again and I hope that as I grow as a narrator, I am able to impress in the future.
Till next time…
-Dorian Bane
Mr Bane, you humble me greatly by taking the time to not only read this review, but actually comment on it too. Thank you.
I am truly very sorry that it was a miss for me. One thing that led me to try this audiobook was all the great reviews on how talented you are. Please know that I am absolutely not averse to trying out other books you have narrated. In fact, I have a few on a wish list to try in the very near future.
I also do plan on reading this book when my review queue is reduced a bit. Thank you for your encouragement.
Thank you for doing what you do, and lending your voice to bring books alive in your own way. I am in awe of you.
All the best to you!
-Christie