Reviewed by Annika
TITLE: A Wish Upon the Stars 
SERIES: Tales From Verania #4
AUTHOR: TJ Klune
NARRATOR: Michael Lesley
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
RELEASE DATE: November 28, 2018
LENGTH: 18 hours, 27 minutes
BLURB:
Nearly a year ago, blinded by grief and betrayal, Sam of Wilds made a desperate decision to follow the Great White into the Dark Woods. Now, he emerges to a world changed.
The City of Lockes is a prison. The King has been locked away in the dungeons. The Kingdom of Verania has fallen, and the Dark wizard Myrin sits on the throne.
But soon after his return, Sam learns of a resistance fighting in his name led by a courageous knight, a defiant prince, a pissed-off unicorn, and a half-giant who wants to smash everything in sight. If he has any hope of defeating the villains who have taken their home, Sam must face the consequences of his choices—and the friends he left behind.
REVIEW:
If you’ve read or listened to any of the previous books you pretty much know that they are over the top and utterly ridiculous. A Wish Upon the Stars is equally so. I mean that in the best of ways. I think that the audio and Lesley enhanced that even more. I haven’t listened to any of the previous book (I did read them though) so it was my first encounter with Michael Lesley. And it was to borrow Klune’s own words; epic and awesome! I won’t talk about the plot as I already did that with my previous review, so you might want to check that one out for more details on that. Suffice to say it was a great end to a wonderful adventure that’s been this series. Insane, but great. I think I also might be just a little bit scared of what Klune’s brain can come up with….
So I thought I knew what it meant to perform an audiobook opposed to narrating or reading it. Well, I was wrong. Oh so, so wrong. this was performing. It had everything from the singing to the special effects and so much more inbetween. It was a thrilling listen. It made me smile and laugh and it fit so perfectly with the essence of this series – a bit over the top – but just right.
Michael Lesley captured all the characters, they were all spot on. I loved ow he portrayed Tiggy and Gary, his voices matched them perfectly. The more than over the top sexual overtures from Gary, and his obsession with the perfection that is himself. To Tiggys a bit slower speech. That at first glance might be simplistic but boy does he always cut to the heart everything, to what’s truly important. No need for fillers there. Though Tiggy and Gary weren’t the only characters he perfected, but this review would be far, far too long to list them all. Let me just say that every character had a voice, a personality that truly matched the ones Klune created with his words.
Another thing that I thoroughly enjoyed was the special effects. It added another layer to the listen. Everything from knocking on doors, turning the pages in books and other sounds. It was different and fun. It fits with the madness. What’s more it was never intrusive or took over – and it was far from all the time – but every now and then we got these added bonuses.
I enjoyed reading this book when it first came out, but I have to say that listening to it was even better. The story and these (insane) characters reached a new level and I had a hard time to stop grinning. I was getting weird stares from people on the train, apparently it’s not “normal” to grin for no apparent reason. But I don’t care, I had a blast for these past hours and don’t regret a thing. Highly, highly recommended!
RATING: 
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