Audiobook review: Sweep in Peace [Dramatized Adaptation] by Ilona Andrews
The Innkeeper Chronicles is probably my favorite book series. This is the fourth time I’ve read Sweep in Peace. You can find my original ebook review here, as well as reviews of the original unabridged audiobook and the dramatized adaptation (both reviews on Goodreads). I found that my enjoyment of the book has only increased with each reading. I also found that I love the dramatized adaptation so much more this second time because I’ve since listened to the rest of the series in the same format.
Sweep in Peace is the second story in Ilona Andrews’ wonderfully original Innkeeper Chronicles. This series is a unique blend of outer space science fiction and paranormal, earthbound urban fantasy. Main character, Dina, is an Innkeeper, a magical human that runs an even more magical and amazing inn for space travelers. Her inn is still fairly new and needs otherworldly guests to help it grow and thrive. Galactic Arbitrator George knows of Dina’s hidden desperation and uses it to force her into hosting a most assuredly deadly peace negotiation.
Knowing where the series is going and understanding the broader world of the Innkeeper allowed me to fully engage with the story, so much more than someone reading it for the first time. I was able to better appreciate the world and details, picking up on and appreciating subtle humor and small Easter Eggs hidden within the text. I absolutely loved seeing George, Jack, Sophie, and Gaston from The Edge series. Reading the series back-to-back allowed me to really appreciate these characters and their motivations.
Narration: Overall, I enjoyed the full cast production of Sweep in Peace. The production features Nora Achrati as the solitary narrator, Dina Demille. The story is shared via her first person POV, so the majority of the audiobook is performed by Ms. Achrati, who has a solid southern accent and adds a lot of emotion into her performance. She captures Dina’s sensitivity, hope, and frustration perfectly.
Each character’s dialogue is performed by a different cast member – just like a play or TV production. Other standouts are Scott McCormick as chef Orro and Karen Novack as Lady Caldenia ka ret Magren. Both do wonderful jobs breathing life into the characters, creating personas that match the written descriptions, nailing the subtle comic relief each provides. And I’m going to believe it’s a brilliant casting nod to Star Trek, as the vampire engineer has a Scottish accent. Overall, the characters are well cast and performances full of energy and emotion.
In the end, I completely love The Innkeeper Chronicles and the unique world created by the Andrews. The mix of magic and science fiction is sublime. The humor is sly and witty. It’s such a joy to go back to the beginning.
My Ratings
Story: A+
Narration: A+
Jen
About the Book:
Dina Demille doesn’t run your typical bed and breakfast. Her inn defies laws of physics, her fluffy dog is secretly a monster, and the only paying guest is a former Galactic tyrant with a price on her head. But the inn needs guests to thrive, and guests have been scarce, so when an Arbitrator shows up at Dina’s door and asks her to host a peace summit between three warring species, she jumps on the chance.
Unfortunately, for Dina, keeping the peace between Space Vampires, the Hope-Crushing Horde, and the devious Merchants of Baha-char is much easier said than done. On top of keeping her guests from murdering each other, she must find a chef, remodel the inn…and risk everything, even her life, to save the man she might fall in love with. But then it’s all in the day’s work for an Innkeeper…
Author: Ilona Andrews
Narrators: Christopher Walker (Nuan Cee), Jonathan Lee Taylor (Klaus Demille), Karen Novack (Caldenia ka ret Magren), Lily Beacon, Nora Achrati (Dina), Scott McCormick (Orro), Kay Eluvian, Jenna Sharpe, Stewart Crank, Alex Hill-Knight, Jon Vertullo (George)
Series: Innkeeper Chronicles #2
Genre: Science Fiction, Paranormal Fiction, adventure
Audiobook Release Date: May 1, 2022
Publisher: GraphicAudio
Length: 7 hrs and 18 mins
Source: purchased
Audio Speed: 1.35x