I had previously posted about my re-read of this book, which I enjoyed. I needed something new to listen to in the car on my commute, so I thought I'd try this book on audio. It made for a completely different experience.
The reader was very good, giving character's unique voices and accents, which I really liked. What I found, though, was that I actually didn't like the voice of Karou. And I noticed something else: when I read this book, the language and writing style seemed to flow and I found it beautifully written. When I listened to it, however, it felt . . . a bit overwrought. I noticed there was more emotion when listening to it, almost to the point where it felt too dramatic. Everyone is pretty, so thin and attractive. Karou's emotions are so intense. Some of the action sequences are very dramatic. Listening to the book being read intensified the feel of the story, to the point where I didn't really enjoy it.
I realize that this is probably due to the fact that I am not a young adult -- and that's who this book is written for. If I were a younger reader and listening to this book, I'd be all over it (and loving reading the book, too). However, the fact that I'm noting how some of the writing comes across to me as overly dramatic probably underscores the fact that I am an adult who does remember being a teenager, complete with emotional mood swings, but who doesn't experience those emotional mood swings any longer. Thank goodness.
So, an interesting experiment, but I won't listen to the other 2 books in the series (and might not re-read them again right now, either).
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