Little-known fact about me: until a few days ago, I had never listened to an audiobook. Thankfully, my favorite crime fiction publisher Orenda Books is currently celebrating #LoveAudio week - a week of celebrating the fantastic audio editions available for some of Orenda's brilliant crime fiction titles! Naturally, I had to jump on this chance—I chose to listen to psychological thriller IN HER WAKE by Amanda Jennings, and I absolutely loved my listening experience. Along with a review of the audiobook, I'm thrilled to share a few "extras" with you today: in this post, you'll find an audio clip of IN HER WAKE so you can check it out for yourself, and at the bottom of this post is an international giveaway for 2 audio book copies of this title!
Many thanks to Orenda Books for providing me with a free audio book copy of IN HER WAKE by Amanda Jennings, and for providing giveaway copies to two lucky listeners!
About IN HER WAKE:
A tragic family event reveals devastating news that rips apart Bella’s comfortable existence. Embarking on a personal journey to uncover the truth, she faces a series of traumatic discoveries that take her to the ruggedly beautiful Cornish coast, where hidden truths, past betrayals and a 25-year-old mystery threaten not just her identity, but her life. Chilling, complex and profoundly moving, In Her Wake is a gripping psychological thriller that questions the nature of family—and reminds us that sometimes the most shocking crimes are committed closest to home.
Praise for IN HER WAKE:
"Hauntingly beautiful" —Clare Mackintosh
"Amanda Jennings writes with profound insight into character and a poetic gift for language, exploring chilling themes with lyrical grace. In Her Wake is charged with dark, perfectly observed emotion; a haunting and compelling read." —Iona Grey, author, Letters to the Lost
"Absorbing, moving, beautiful" —Mark Edwards
CBTB's Listening Experience
As a newcomer to audiobooks, I wasn't sure quite what to expect when diving into IN HER WAKE. So much of reading, for me, is about the personal idea of a character that develops in my head as I'm reading, and I wasn't sure if having someone tell me the story rather than reading it myself would detract from my experience. I was thrilled (and relieved!) to find that this wasn't at all the case. The audiobook edition of IN HER WAKE left me spellbound—I found myself having that same "just one more chapter" experience while listening that I have when I'm reading a really gripping book. IN HER WAKE is a psychological thriller with a big, beating heart at its core—a beautiful, sometimes gut-wrenching, immersive mystery of one woman's search for the truth about herself and her life.
Narrator Kate Rawson handles this story masterfully, balancing the alternating voices of characters, the story's pacing, and the emotional trials of the story's main character in a genuine and seemingly effortless way. I was a bit nervous going into the audiobook that I would somehow be fixated on the narrator, and unable to get past the fact that someone else was telling the story to me. This wasn't the case at all. After the first few minutes spent listening to IN HER WAKE, my awareness of Rawson as the narrator seemed to disappear, leaving just me and the story. This must be the sign of a really great narrator: someone who can get out of the way and let the story shine through. It's worth noting one unexpected feature of Audible that you seasoned audiobook listeners will already know about, but that came as a great surprise to me: you can speed up the narration if necessary! I live in New York, where people have a reputation for talking fast. I found that speeding the book up to 1.5x the normal speed really suited me, but I also experimented with 1.25x and the normal speed, and all were great! I love that you have the ability to adjust the narration to your personal preferences.
IN HER WAKE isn't your typical psychological thriller—it's much more. While it absolutely delivers the chilling, often shocking reveals that readers have come to expect of the genre, it offers its readers (or listeners, in this case!) more emotional depth as well. Following Bella's journey as her comfortable life is turned upside down and inside out will leave readers breathless and completely absorbed. Right from the story's outset, readers are drawn into the personal tragedies and hidden secrets that shatter Bella's life—I couldn't look away, and found myself ever more invested in Bella's search for the truth with each passing chapter. As much a story of personal discovery as it is a twisty psychological thriller, IN HER WAKE was an excellent introduction to the world of audiobooks for this newcomer.
AudioBook Clip & Giveaway
Thanks to Orenda Books, you can dip into the audiobook of IN HER WAKE to see if it's for you! Just click the file below to listen to Chapter 1.
Like what you hear?
Enter to win 1 of 2 audiobook downloads of IN HER WAKE by Amanda Jennings!
GIVEAWAY RULES:
- Two winners will receive a promo code for a free download of IN HER WAKE by Amanda Jennings
- Audiobook downloads works for both US and UK users - international!
- Giveaway closes 7/30/17 - winners will be contacted on Twitter!
- TO ENTER:
- Follow @crimebythebook and @orendabooks on Twitter, and comment with your Twitter handle below!
Disclaimer: this giveaway is not sponsored by or associated with Audible.
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