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Flannery's Reviews > Elantris
Elantris (Elantris, #1)
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Flannery's review
bookshelves: audiobooks, swords-and-lasers, read-in-2010, i-want-to-go-to-there
Aug 18, 2008
bookshelves: audiobooks, swords-and-lasers, read-in-2010, i-want-to-go-to-there
I listened to this book while on a road trip around the national parks in the Southwest with my sisters. One of my sisters allowed me to put it on even though I was already 12 hours into it!(the other one had already gone home:-() I was surprised how quickly she became engrossed in the story after I explained the backstories. As we drove into Vegas at the end of the trip,we were listening to the last hour or two of the book. It was pouring rain and the wind gusts were so powerful that the average speed on the highway was about 40 and tumbleweeds pounded the car. The drive was seriously dangerous but we were enthralled with the book!
The story really lends itself to audiobook format. Sometimes it is rough reading sci-fi that has ridiculously spelled names and apostrophes all over the place. Even now, going back to see how to spell the characters and place names is making me extremely grateful that I listened to this book.
***POTENTIAL SPOILERS BELOW***
I am a huge sucker for any rehabbing or cleaning up a big ol' mansion and whatnot in a book. (Nora Roberts, I'm talking to you!) Therefore, I was almost giddy with pleasure when Raoden got his cronies to start cleaning up Elantris. One major thing that bothered me about the book was how long it took for Raoden and Sarene to have a meaningful conversation about their relationship. I know she didn't trust him and thought he was a tyrant of sorts but she eventually figured out what was going on--they could've spoken much earlier than they did.
Also, I felt like the creepshow factor of some of the characters was pretty transparent. Oh, you're having a meeting about overthrowing the government? DON'T INVITE CREEPSTERS! I felt like most of the "undercover" meetings were a joke.
The story really lends itself to audiobook format. Sometimes it is rough reading sci-fi that has ridiculously spelled names and apostrophes all over the place. Even now, going back to see how to spell the characters and place names is making me extremely grateful that I listened to this book.
***POTENTIAL SPOILERS BELOW***
I am a huge sucker for any rehabbing or cleaning up a big ol' mansion and whatnot in a book. (Nora Roberts, I'm talking to you!) Therefore, I was almost giddy with pleasure when Raoden got his cronies to start cleaning up Elantris. One major thing that bothered me about the book was how long it took for Raoden and Sarene to have a meaningful conversation about their relationship. I know she didn't trust him and thought he was a tyrant of sorts but she eventually figured out what was going on--they could've spoken much earlier than they did.
Also, I felt like the creepshow factor of some of the characters was pretty transparent. Oh, you're having a meeting about overthrowing the government? DON'T INVITE CREEPSTERS! I felt like most of the "undercover" meetings were a joke.
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Reading Progress
August 18, 2008
– Shelved
February 16, 2010
–
0.0%
"I'm 6 hours and 45 minutes into this one...but I think that is out of about 20-something! Yikes!"
March 9, 2010
–
54.86%
"Over 12 hours in. The organization of this audiobook is frustrating. The audible version doesn't say "This is the beginning of Part X""
page
350
Started Reading
March 20, 2010
–
Finished Reading
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TinaNoir
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rated it 4 stars
Jul 27, 2011 08:37AM
Flannery, your experience with listening to an audiobook while driving in inclement weather sounds just like one of mine. In mine, we were listening to John Krakauer's Into Thin Air about his ill-fated climb of Mt. Everest. We were driving from a wedding in Massachusetts back to our home in NY. We were so sucked into the book it took awhile to realize that the really dark skies were not because it was becoming evening (it was only 3 in the afternoon). We turned off the book and turned on the radio to learn we were in fact driving during a pretty serious Tornado warning. We probably should have had a clue when we realized we hadn't passed another car for a few miles. LOL.
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My only gripe with this story is that Raoden and Serene were head-and-shoulders above the rest of the population in their problem solving - once they got pointed in the right direction it was all a bit simple for them. Otherwise, a very enjoyable book.
@Tina--!!! I'm sorry I didn't respond to this LAST YEAR when you commented. That is so scary yet kind of hilarious at the same time. I love getting so wrapped up in a story that I forget what I'm doing. My best friend tried to argue her way out of a speeding ticket once because she was so enthralled with The Hunger Games on audio:)@Clouds--I know what you mean, though I wonder at the percentage of society that is actually proactive about making the best of their situation. I think as a society we have a tendency to just complain about everything and wait for someone else to do the work to change whatever it is that is bothering us. I did find it pretty unbelievable that no one had thought about all the possibilities.
Thanks for the audio review, Flan! This is on sale on Audible atm and you've convinced me it's worth it. =)
