[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”2146″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]2017 taught me that I don’t have the time to review all the audiobooks I’ve completed individually.  So for 2018, I’m going to have monthly review where I give my Audiobook of the Month Recommendation with short reviews and ratings for all audiobooks I’ve finished during the month.  In addition to that, I also want to share a list of audiobooks that I’ve picked up during the month of January.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Audiobook Of The Month

My first inaugural Califoreigners Audiobook of the Month Award goes to The Land: Founding by Aleron King.

Congratulations! I foresee the sales of The Land: Founding to skyrocket by at least two. All kidding aside, The Land: Founding was very entertaining. Be sure to read the short review for The Land: Founding below if you’re interested.

Or, if you trust me from previous ratings and reviews you can Buy it here.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]

January’s Audiobook Haul

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]I picked up eight audiobooks in the month of January.   With five coming from Audible’s Daily Deals/Sales and the other three based on series familiarity.  The Land, Paradise, and Iron Gold were all continuations to books i’m currently invested in.  While most got added to the back log, I already completed Paradise and plan to dive into The Land: Forging real soon.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

• The Land: Forging – Chaos Seeds, Book 2
• Paradise: Expeditionary Force, Book 3
• Iron Gold: Red Rising, Book 4
• The X-files cold cases
• All the pretty horses
• NPCs
• The collapsing Empire
• Extracted

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Completed Audiobooks

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]If you read our last blog post, about our Holiday Break.  You’d know that January was an abnormally busy month for us.  As a result, I only managed to complete four audiobooks this month.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Oathbringers: The Stormlight Archive, Book 3

I was so excited to listen to book 3 in the Stormlight Archive only to be shocked that I ended up disliking it. Maybe I did it too myself by counting down to the release date. When I finally finished listening to the 50-hour audiobook, I felt betrayed by the complete flip in the attitude of a few of the main characters. How does one man go from a total badass to a guy crying in a crowd for people to stop fighting? Many of the characters in this book had similar u-turns in what I thought were their core values, and I found it frustrating.

Also, the 50-hour audiobook ended with little advancement to the plot. Just hours and hours of not getting to the point.

Not wanting the bash the series, Oathbringer had some great moments. I just can’t get past the relentless break in the characters core values. Truthfully, I’m not sure if I’ll continue the series after the rough time I had listening to Oathbringer.

Rating: 2/5

Buy it on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2GnEcJb

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The Landed: Founding: Chaos Seeds Book 1

I Loved everything about this book. I’m sure a lot of the love came from being an avid RPG player growing up, but I thoroughly enjoyed The Land: Founding. In fact, I loved it so much that I even went to the author’s official website and considering buying a shirt! Which isn’t something I usually do.

Listening to the story felt more like playing a game.  A game that follows a newbie named Richter as he levels and grows his village.  As the story progressed, I kept getting more and more engrossed in the journey.  Eventually, I ended up feeling like I was leveling up as well. Each time I heard the ding sound in the story the kid inside of me got excited to learn what skills had been acquired, or what mystery’s we uncovered.

I can’t wait to listen book two in the Chaos Seeds series.

If you ever liked Dungeon and Dragons or RPG’s growing up, you need to get this book.

Rating: 5/5

Buy it on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2Gr7VB5

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Firefight The Reckoners, Book 2

I liked Book 2 of the Reckoners series. The main characters maintained their personalities with little to no deviations from their core values. The new villains were interesting, and the main story flowed very well from book one to book two.

The action sequences were incredibly entertaining with plot twists that kept the story interesting. Having listened to the first two books of the Reckoners series I recommend giving it a try if you’re into fantasy/superhero novels.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Buy it on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2EfVrv7

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Paradise: Expeditionary Force, Book 3

I enjoyed the third book in the Expeditionary Force series. Keeping true to the series I even laughed out loud a few times. Although I had such a rough time listening to the second book in the series, I considered stopping there. Thankfully, Paradise was much better. Introducing conflict to a new set of characters was smart. The additional point of view was refreshing.

In contrast, the most significant flaw in this book and the series, in general, are the repetitive subplots. Any conflict the Merry band of Pirates comes across is handled the same way every time. It’s so unbelievably transparent that you can break every, “Uh oh Joe” into 4 phases; There is a problem, super smart AI says it’s impossible to fix, the dumb monkey has an idea, and the idea works. The books rinse and repeat plot is infuriating, so buyer beware.

Rating: 3/5

Buy it on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2DV12cF

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I Listen To All My Audiobook’s On Audible

New to audiobooks?

Audiobooks are expensive.  That’s why I use Audible.  For $15 a month I get one credit to use on anything in their library, including any of the audiobooks I mentioned in this post.  In addition to Audible’s memberships prices, they also have great sales where you can get audiobooks for even cheaper.

If you are new to the service, Audible has a deal where you can Try Audible and Get Two Free Audiobooks. I love the service. I used a similar trail when I first started listening and now my audible library contains over 134 titles!

Need help figuring out what audiobooks you should get?  Check out our main Audiobook Recommendations Page.  On there you can view my entire library which is ranked from 1 to 5 stars.

If you end up trying Audible, let me know in the comments below which books you picked.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Disclaimer:

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

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