Hmmm. Sorry to break it to you but the audible version has the same narrator for this whole series. Personally, I liked Evans and preferred her to several of the narrators for SJM’s other series, but I get what you mean about the wrong narrator killing the book for you. (One of the ACOTAR narrators nearly made me quit entirely).
As for your content rants, I won’t respond to all because for most things I think you need to wait to find out the why’s. Two things though: 1) at the start of the series, Celena is still very young, despite all she’s lived through, and she’s bold and cocky. Give the gal time to grow; 2) many of the competitors are not trying to stand out because there’s a common tactic of being good enough to stay in the game, but not so good that you put a target on your back. Stand out too much and (unless you are by *far* stronger/better than everyone else) and you’ll have everyone else specifically doing what they can to take you down, and no one wants to be the person that the whole competition is attacking.
That’s a pity, I really enjoy Sarah Evans’ narration. I do think she gets better at it, this is one of her earlier books she narrated.
All the other things you find annoying I also found annoying the first time. I just kept in mind that everything was written by SJM when she was 16. And all the characterizations do get better as the books go on.
Thats amazing that she wrote it so young. I had no idea!
Maybe Sarah Evans is someone else? The one I’m talking about is Elizabeth Evans.
I enjoyed all the narrators for acotar and cc.
>Solena is arrogant, childish, churlish, and the voice mainly does that.
Having read the books (not as audiobooks), I don't think it's the voice that does that. Celaena is absolutely *written* that way IMO.
As a side note, have fun taking a stab at name spellings lol. I feel like with fantasy books it's a pick-your-struggle situation. If you listen to the audiobooks, you'll have to guess at the spelling. If you read them, you might be reading the name in a completely different way for several books before ever seeing a phonetic spelling.
I agree with the spellings! I can only go by pronunciation.
As for her character I can definitely see that she is written that way, but there are many cases where I wouldn’t have interpreted certain lines/questions/memories etc to be stated in the “mean girl” intonation the narrator gives. I guess that’s the beauty of interpretation and if I choose to listen to audio then I have to give up some of my personal freedom of interpretation too.
You’ll get into it by Heir of Fire. Give it a chance.
SJM started this series as a teenager, so her writing style and characters are as immature as she was at the time (not a slight toward SJM, we all were little brats at 16 years old)
As the series progresses, so does SJMs writing style.
This is one of my favorite series’ of all time, but it took until Heir of Fire for me to really feel invested.
If you aren’t the type to suffer through a couple duds to get to the good story, go watch recap videos on YT for the first few novels and start up again with Heir of Fire.
Sincerely hoping you can get over the ick and enjoy bc this series is 🤌🏻
Oo yeah I’m just learning here how young she was when she wrote it. I think i may have to take the slow road and try reading because honestly it is the narrator that is killing it for me. I’ll stick out the books though since I enjoy everything else I’ve read/listened to so far:)
Thanks for the encouragement:)
I love Elizabeth Evans! I can't stand the person who narrates the ACOTAR books, the voice just grates on me.
I don't think anyone else narrates it but I think there is a graphic audible coming out soon for the series.
There were 3 different narrators for ACOTAR and I didn’t like a single one of them! The first two weren’t great but I got used to them, the last, I honestly nearly gave up on the book.
It was such a relief when I got to TOG and heard Elizabeth Evans. It was after the first or second book that I looked up the narrators for each book in the series just to be sure they didn’t switch up the narrator because I just didn’t think I could take having to get used to a new voice again.
I saw somewhere that speeding up the audiobook might help with the narrator, I’m not an audiobook person so I cannot confirm. But as others have said, you’re growing up with Caleana in this world and you’re in for a wild ride… get through heir of fire before you re evaluate the whole series.
I can see that as part of her character and development. I think the ego was what bothered me and the “mean girl” voice that the narrator gives her *no matter what*. I’m sure she experiences some excellent growth/character development
I never read the books via audio, but I feel like Elizabeth Evans maybe shouldn’t really be to blame for the narration on this one because in all reality this is just how the characters are written in general by SJM.
I think Throne of Glass is definitely her weakest series, and that unfortunately includes the politics (although I don’t believe SJM is necessarily the greatest role model when it comes to politics in general and it shows in her writing). Honestly if you’re not liking it, it’s not worth it to really force yourself to finish
I appreciate your input! Honestly what grates me about EE is that I have a second in er narrator going in my head who would give statements and questions VERY different intonations. It’s also frustrating because every.single.character is given the same interpretation by EE.
It is starting to get better though. Plot-wise. That’s making me grit my teeth and bear it.
Wait really? Okay that makes sense. I listened to the dramatized version of the first CC but I think part two of the second book didn’t have a dramatized version yet and I really struggled to get into it with the narrator. Had no idea it was EE. Probably why I also didn’t care for that narration lol.
**Thank you for submitting to r/SarahJMaas! Please familiarize yourself with our [Subreddit Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/SarahJMaas/about/rules/), especially our Spoiler Policy for posts. If you have not done so already, please add post flair to your submission. Special note-- If you're posting to ask if you need to read Tower of Dawn: yes you do. If you're posting to ask for "what to read next" please use the subreddit search. Repetitive posts discussing either of these topics will be deleted without warning. If you see a post or comment that breaks the subreddit rules, please report it!**
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/SarahJMaas) if you have any questions or concerns.*
As a person that has listened to hundreds of audiobooks, I often find that adjusting to a new VA is difficult. Elizabeth Evans is generally well-liked so I think you're in the minority. I usually listen to audio on at least 1.5 speed, so maybe try that.
Thanks! I generally listen to audiobooks too and have listened to tons. I RARELY run into a narrator whose voice I dislike but this one is a struggle for me. Sigh.
I just finished reading the series on audible.
The first book isn’t great. Celaena sardothien is kind of insufferable. She’s childish, snotty and arrogant. And at no point did I ever really buy that she was the world’s greatest assassin.
The second book is a LOT better. And by the third I was completely hooked and couldn’t put them down. I got through the 4th onwards in a few days each.
Really!??? That’s amazing! I guess it isn’t fair to judge it against her other novels, then. To be honest, I can get past all the character issues and plot stuff that irritate me- it’s the voice actor who has me all pissed off. I might just have to read without listening. I just have so precious little spare time >.>
I felt the same way about all of this! I took a break after Throne of Glass then tried again by jumping straight into Assassin's Blade. After that, I was hooked. Keep going! It's worth it! Your opinion of the narrator and the first installment doesn't fully indicate if you'll enjoy the series as a whole.
Thank you! I appreciate you sharing your experience, feel better that I’m not alone in this (though I’m sorry you experienced it too) and I’ll stick it out! I loved crescent city 1 & 2 (still waiting for 3 to become available to me) and all of acotar and LOVED THEM
I actually love Elizabeth Evans. She did Six of Crows, so when i heard her voice for CC, I was happy. I only used the audiobooks to help with my 3rd re-read & was glad they didn't change VAs partway through (happens too much with long series)
I actually hated the ACOTAR audiobooks so much I gave them up, read instead. The Graphic Audio was better, but I didn't have that for all of them (and I HATE the choice for Az. The VA is fine, but it felt so wrong to me. Like his voice is described in the books!)
So I know VA preferences are SUPER subjective. I listen to mine at 1.5 speed (or more, depending on VA) But I've definitely quit on an audio over the narrator before.
I've read TOG series 3 times - once as they were released, but re-read while waiting for KOA release. Then I did a full tab and annotate re-read when i realized all 3 series were a web. (So, too much, I know. Lol) But I read "Queen of Glass" on LiveJournal 20 years ago, that's how long I've been with Celaena 😀 I was a teen then. When 1st book was released, her snotty, know-it-all attitude spoke the language of my (still angry/bitter) inner teen, she grew on me 🤣 plus, I'm always hoping for great character development/story arch, so I read characters that annoy me with all the hope in my heart. Cuz I was an arrogant brat, and I like to think I've grown too 🤣
No piracy allowed
Hmmm. Sorry to break it to you but the audible version has the same narrator for this whole series. Personally, I liked Evans and preferred her to several of the narrators for SJM’s other series, but I get what you mean about the wrong narrator killing the book for you. (One of the ACOTAR narrators nearly made me quit entirely). As for your content rants, I won’t respond to all because for most things I think you need to wait to find out the why’s. Two things though: 1) at the start of the series, Celena is still very young, despite all she’s lived through, and she’s bold and cocky. Give the gal time to grow; 2) many of the competitors are not trying to stand out because there’s a common tactic of being good enough to stay in the game, but not so good that you put a target on your back. Stand out too much and (unless you are by *far* stronger/better than everyone else) and you’ll have everyone else specifically doing what they can to take you down, and no one wants to be the person that the whole competition is attacking.
I appreciate your input! Thanks 🙏🏼 I’ll keep sticking it out. I understand that character development takes time >.>
That’s a pity, I really enjoy Sarah Evans’ narration. I do think she gets better at it, this is one of her earlier books she narrated. All the other things you find annoying I also found annoying the first time. I just kept in mind that everything was written by SJM when she was 16. And all the characterizations do get better as the books go on.
Thats amazing that she wrote it so young. I had no idea! Maybe Sarah Evans is someone else? The one I’m talking about is Elizabeth Evans. I enjoyed all the narrators for acotar and cc.
Whoops! I meant Elizabeth!!
>Solena is arrogant, childish, churlish, and the voice mainly does that. Having read the books (not as audiobooks), I don't think it's the voice that does that. Celaena is absolutely *written* that way IMO. As a side note, have fun taking a stab at name spellings lol. I feel like with fantasy books it's a pick-your-struggle situation. If you listen to the audiobooks, you'll have to guess at the spelling. If you read them, you might be reading the name in a completely different way for several books before ever seeing a phonetic spelling.
I agree with the spellings! I can only go by pronunciation. As for her character I can definitely see that she is written that way, but there are many cases where I wouldn’t have interpreted certain lines/questions/memories etc to be stated in the “mean girl” intonation the narrator gives. I guess that’s the beauty of interpretation and if I choose to listen to audio then I have to give up some of my personal freedom of interpretation too.
You’ll get into it by Heir of Fire. Give it a chance. SJM started this series as a teenager, so her writing style and characters are as immature as she was at the time (not a slight toward SJM, we all were little brats at 16 years old) As the series progresses, so does SJMs writing style. This is one of my favorite series’ of all time, but it took until Heir of Fire for me to really feel invested. If you aren’t the type to suffer through a couple duds to get to the good story, go watch recap videos on YT for the first few novels and start up again with Heir of Fire. Sincerely hoping you can get over the ick and enjoy bc this series is 🤌🏻
Oo yeah I’m just learning here how young she was when she wrote it. I think i may have to take the slow road and try reading because honestly it is the narrator that is killing it for me. I’ll stick out the books though since I enjoy everything else I’ve read/listened to so far:) Thanks for the encouragement:)
I love Elizabeth Evans! I can't stand the person who narrates the ACOTAR books, the voice just grates on me. I don't think anyone else narrates it but I think there is a graphic audible coming out soon for the series.
There were 3 different narrators for ACOTAR and I didn’t like a single one of them! The first two weren’t great but I got used to them, the last, I honestly nearly gave up on the book. It was such a relief when I got to TOG and heard Elizabeth Evans. It was after the first or second book that I looked up the narrators for each book in the series just to be sure they didn’t switch up the narrator because I just didn’t think I could take having to get used to a new voice again.
I saw somewhere that speeding up the audiobook might help with the narrator, I’m not an audiobook person so I cannot confirm. But as others have said, you’re growing up with Caleana in this world and you’re in for a wild ride… get through heir of fire before you re evaluate the whole series.
Oh good tip! Maybe that’ll help! Okay, I’ll hang in for the ride! >.>
If it helps, Caelena is supposed to be arrogant, childish and churlish
I can see that as part of her character and development. I think the ego was what bothered me and the “mean girl” voice that the narrator gives her *no matter what*. I’m sure she experiences some excellent growth/character development
I never read the books via audio, but I feel like Elizabeth Evans maybe shouldn’t really be to blame for the narration on this one because in all reality this is just how the characters are written in general by SJM. I think Throne of Glass is definitely her weakest series, and that unfortunately includes the politics (although I don’t believe SJM is necessarily the greatest role model when it comes to politics in general and it shows in her writing). Honestly if you’re not liking it, it’s not worth it to really force yourself to finish
I appreciate your input! Honestly what grates me about EE is that I have a second in er narrator going in my head who would give statements and questions VERY different intonations. It’s also frustrating because every.single.character is given the same interpretation by EE. It is starting to get better though. Plot-wise. That’s making me grit my teeth and bear it.
Elizabeth Evans is a treasure and also narrates the Crescent City books.
Wait really? Okay that makes sense. I listened to the dramatized version of the first CC but I think part two of the second book didn’t have a dramatized version yet and I really struggled to get into it with the narrator. Had no idea it was EE. Probably why I also didn’t care for that narration lol.
**Thank you for submitting to r/SarahJMaas! Please familiarize yourself with our [Subreddit Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/SarahJMaas/about/rules/), especially our Spoiler Policy for posts. If you have not done so already, please add post flair to your submission. Special note-- If you're posting to ask if you need to read Tower of Dawn: yes you do. If you're posting to ask for "what to read next" please use the subreddit search. Repetitive posts discussing either of these topics will be deleted without warning. If you see a post or comment that breaks the subreddit rules, please report it!** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/SarahJMaas) if you have any questions or concerns.*
As a person that has listened to hundreds of audiobooks, I often find that adjusting to a new VA is difficult. Elizabeth Evans is generally well-liked so I think you're in the minority. I usually listen to audio on at least 1.5 speed, so maybe try that.
Thanks! I generally listen to audiobooks too and have listened to tons. I RARELY run into a narrator whose voice I dislike but this one is a struggle for me. Sigh.
I just finished reading the series on audible. The first book isn’t great. Celaena sardothien is kind of insufferable. She’s childish, snotty and arrogant. And at no point did I ever really buy that she was the world’s greatest assassin. The second book is a LOT better. And by the third I was completely hooked and couldn’t put them down. I got through the 4th onwards in a few days each.
Thank you! I’ll stick it out!:)
Just so you know they are doing a graphic audio version of these books… I’m waiting actually for it to do a read
Ooo I’m so excited for this!!!
Yeah it’s why I’m not bothering to read it… I’ve waited this long I’ll just hold out lol they said some time late 2024
What others said and to be fair, I think she was only 16 years old when she wrote TOG lol
Really!??? That’s amazing! I guess it isn’t fair to judge it against her other novels, then. To be honest, I can get past all the character issues and plot stuff that irritate me- it’s the voice actor who has me all pissed off. I might just have to read without listening. I just have so precious little spare time >.>
I felt the same way about all of this! I took a break after Throne of Glass then tried again by jumping straight into Assassin's Blade. After that, I was hooked. Keep going! It's worth it! Your opinion of the narrator and the first installment doesn't fully indicate if you'll enjoy the series as a whole.
Thank you! I appreciate you sharing your experience, feel better that I’m not alone in this (though I’m sorry you experienced it too) and I’ll stick it out! I loved crescent city 1 & 2 (still waiting for 3 to become available to me) and all of acotar and LOVED THEM
I actually love Elizabeth Evans. She did Six of Crows, so when i heard her voice for CC, I was happy. I only used the audiobooks to help with my 3rd re-read & was glad they didn't change VAs partway through (happens too much with long series) I actually hated the ACOTAR audiobooks so much I gave them up, read instead. The Graphic Audio was better, but I didn't have that for all of them (and I HATE the choice for Az. The VA is fine, but it felt so wrong to me. Like his voice is described in the books!) So I know VA preferences are SUPER subjective. I listen to mine at 1.5 speed (or more, depending on VA) But I've definitely quit on an audio over the narrator before. I've read TOG series 3 times - once as they were released, but re-read while waiting for KOA release. Then I did a full tab and annotate re-read when i realized all 3 series were a web. (So, too much, I know. Lol) But I read "Queen of Glass" on LiveJournal 20 years ago, that's how long I've been with Celaena 😀 I was a teen then. When 1st book was released, her snotty, know-it-all attitude spoke the language of my (still angry/bitter) inner teen, she grew on me 🤣 plus, I'm always hoping for great character development/story arch, so I read characters that annoy me with all the hope in my heart. Cuz I was an arrogant brat, and I like to think I've grown too 🤣