Straight Outta Fangton by C.T. Phipps
This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.
I liked this one even if I didn't love it. I decided to read this book because I have really enjoyed this author's work in the past and this sounded like a lot of fun. I did enjoy the story but it didn't grab me the way that I had hoped it would. It took me a lot longer to finish this audiobook than a book this length usually does. I actually started the book over about two hours in because I felt like I had missed some key plot points. I did end up having some fun with this one and am glad that I gave the book a chance.
Being a vampire is supposed to be glamorous, right? That has not been the case for Peter Stone. Peter is a poor black vampire working at the local convenience store. Peter is the only employee at the store that is willing to do any work. Peter can't even get his servant to do anything. When a woman turns to a vampire in the store's bathroom, it is up to Peter to keep things under control.
I had a really hard time connecting with the characters in this story. I didn't dislike Peter but I was never really invested in his well-being. There were a couple of characters that died during the story and I have to admit that I wasn't moved by the development. I feel like it is probably a bad sign when character deaths don't elicit any kind of reaction. I thought that some of the special abilities and unique world building were interesting. I also appreciated the complexity of the mystery and the amount of action in the story.
This was my first experience with Cary Hite's narration. I feel like he did a good job with the story overall but I do wonder if his delivery might have taken some of the humor out of the story. This was described as a comedic story but the humor was completely lost on me. I had no issues with Mr. Hite's reading voice but I do wonder if his narration style might have kept me from really connecting with the story. I wouldn't hesitate to listen to his work again though.
I think that this book will work better for a lot of readers. It was a unique take on vampires with a well thought out mystery. I wouldn't hesitate to read more from C.T. Phipps in the future.
I received a review copy of this audiobook from the author.
Initial Thoughts
This was okay for me. I found parts of the book to be amusing but I had a hard time connecting to any of the characters. I felt like the book tried really hard to be funny but often fell flat. This was the first time that I have listened to Cary Hite's narration and I felt like he did a good job overall but I wonder if his delivery might have taken some of the humor out of the story.
I liked this one even if I didn't love it. I decided to read this book because I have really enjoyed this author's work in the past and this sounded like a lot of fun. I did enjoy the story but it didn't grab me the way that I had hoped it would. It took me a lot longer to finish this audiobook than a book this length usually does. I actually started the book over about two hours in because I felt like I had missed some key plot points. I did end up having some fun with this one and am glad that I gave the book a chance.
Being a vampire is supposed to be glamorous, right? That has not been the case for Peter Stone. Peter is a poor black vampire working at the local convenience store. Peter is the only employee at the store that is willing to do any work. Peter can't even get his servant to do anything. When a woman turns to a vampire in the store's bathroom, it is up to Peter to keep things under control.
I had a really hard time connecting with the characters in this story. I didn't dislike Peter but I was never really invested in his well-being. There were a couple of characters that died during the story and I have to admit that I wasn't moved by the development. I feel like it is probably a bad sign when character deaths don't elicit any kind of reaction. I thought that some of the special abilities and unique world building were interesting. I also appreciated the complexity of the mystery and the amount of action in the story.
This was my first experience with Cary Hite's narration. I feel like he did a good job with the story overall but I do wonder if his delivery might have taken some of the humor out of the story. This was described as a comedic story but the humor was completely lost on me. I had no issues with Mr. Hite's reading voice but I do wonder if his narration style might have kept me from really connecting with the story. I wouldn't hesitate to listen to his work again though.
I think that this book will work better for a lot of readers. It was a unique take on vampires with a well thought out mystery. I wouldn't hesitate to read more from C.T. Phipps in the future.
I received a review copy of this audiobook from the author.
Initial Thoughts
This was okay for me. I found parts of the book to be amusing but I had a hard time connecting to any of the characters. I felt like the book tried really hard to be funny but often fell flat. This was the first time that I have listened to Cary Hite's narration and I felt like he did a good job overall but I wonder if his delivery might have taken some of the humor out of the story.
2