The Devouring (Unabridged‪)‬

masterful storyteller with a cunning and crafty mind

Fredrica (Freddi) Stasiek is a self-assured, drop-dead gorgeous advertising executive who has a couple of ex’s and in the process of placing another on her “ex” list after his vicious side shows through.  Freddi discovers she must stay a few steps ahead of her newest ex as he has proven in multiple ways of being deadly and uniquely scary when he moves through the shadows.

This is an exciting action packed horror thriller that puts a fresh spin on vampirism.  One would be hard pressed to like the main character, Freddi.  She’s the type of person who knows more than anyone else, comes across as a user and insincere.  Not someone that has a herd of friends … not really, at least not human ones!

I found this book exceptionally different from other vampire books.  Furthermore, Richard Keith Taylor spins this yarn with more twists and turns than a hundred foot slinky!  Taylor keeps everything cohesive and flowing, nothing is random or confused.  It is clear that Freddi is not meant to be liked but rather someone who is too full of herself and by the end, the listeners are hoping that she gets what she deserves.  Taylor’s story leaves one stunned at the end when you realize just how clever Taylor has been.

I have to admit, I took two days to write this review because I wanted to say how manipulative Taylor has been throughout the book and then smacks you between the eyes with a whopper!  I had to take a day or two to come to grips with what was done so that I wouldn’t spill forth any spoilers.  Freddi is a strong woman – but one who is obnoxiously strong.  She’s the “it’s my way or the highway” type.  I found myself connecting to other characters but not to her – she was my “Love to Hate” type person.

Taylor has built a strong story line that flows well, his character development is intense leaving each character fully developed.  Taylor is a masterful storyteller with a cunning and crafty mind.  He calculates each plot move and character involvement to extract the fullest reaction.  Excellent job!

Narrator, Jen Thorpe does a good job of portraying Jen and the other characters.  She is extremely talented with a soothing voice.  While I did not hear a lot of excitement or emotion in her narration, it dawned on me that she was telling it from Freddi’s viewpoint – she was a pretty emotional less woman so Thorpe did an accurate owning of the story.

This is not a story you will hear and forget about – it takes a day or two for everything to hit home.  Well worth hearing and taking the time to think about the outcome.

There were no issues with the audio quality of this production.

Audiobook was provided for review by the author.

Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog

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