The premise of the book is very interesting. It was short and easy to get through. The story is quite fast paced. However, even with all that, this book didn't capture my attention. I barely noticed that I already made it to 35% while listening to it because I feel like I am waiting for the story to finally capture me. The audiobook has a good job of setting the whole ambiance to me because of the music, but I found myself not focusing on the story.

The main characters are not likeable. I am confused with the siblings' dynamics. And there is a point where I had to look it up to see if this is a second or third book in a series because the story made me feel like I should have known a certain information beforehand. Like why the backstory why the sister cannot drive.

All in all, it is a fine read. There is a lot of potential with the story and the concepts, but the execution did not fully click with me.

Thanks to budget cuts Pandora Yi gets issued a case the only problem is the body is missing and to make matters worse as she investigates it seems her brother Matthew who is only supposed to be driving her around decides to get involved. Between the locker room mystery her brothers new found confidence in her parents continuously inviting over a possible suitor can Pandora “Penny”y Yee catch a break? This was one of the funniest paranormal mystery stories I have read in a very long time and I was so happy to see that it is a series with the dual narrators and they’re cut and dry delivery of such great lines especially Pandoras put up on façade I found this book not only funny I need to taming but one I found hard to put down. I have been reading some really great books especially out of Australia and this is definitely one of them. I would be curious to know which author wrote for which character because they are both so great and work so well together. I highly recommend this book if you love mysteries with a little paranormal mythology thrown in then you’ll love The Hounds Of The Underworld The Ra mystery book 1 I certainly did. I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Format: Audiobook courtesy of Netgalley but views are my own.

Plot:

Squabbling siblings and amateur detectives realise they’ve bitten off more than they can chew when the case spirals out of reality and into the supernatural.

Content Warnings for animal cruelty and neglect.

Pros:

The production of the audiobook is great, the narrators sound like they could be siblings and the music notes help set a good tone.

I also liked some of this world building, I think the cover of the book certainly helped with my intrigue in that.


Not-so-pros:

I felt super uncomfortable quite a few times. There needs to be content warnings about the cruelty towards animals. The relationship between the siblings is toxic, and manipulative. I hated the way certain conditions or diagnoses were talked about. And ultimately the story itself was a bit clunky.


Final:

If you like nuanced detective stories, and want something set in a different reality, then you may enjoy this. It wasn’t a book I enjoyed, but the narration and audio production was good.

Usually for audiobooks, it takes me a couple of retries, to finally have my brain focus on the voice in my hear and the story being told to me. But this time, it went fast. I got hooked real quick and I found myself loving both of those siblings. They felt nice and real and the story was well brought up.

I received an advance copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review #netgalley #houndsoftheunderworld

Right from the get go this was my kind of tale - pacey, intense, and all the kinds of clues that leave you wondering. A crime thriller with a dash of supernatural - and I do love ancient Egyptian mythology.
Loved the narrators, I enjoyed listening to a NZ accent rather than an American one.

I really enjoyed this audiobook performance of Hounds of the Underworld. I thought it was a unique concept and the pace of the book was just right. I liked the tie-back to Egyptian mythology and gods with the Path of Ra. If you like horror with a bit of a twist, I think you will like this book. I want to thank the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for giving me a copy of this audiobook, in return for an honest review.

This was an interesting one for me. It clicked and unclicked pretty much the whole way through. The characters were also a bit hit or miss for me. I do wish there were more horror elements but that’s not entirely fair because I always wish that. Overall I thought it had a lot of potential and I am interested to see where it goes from here.

Would have ben nice if I grew to like one of the two protagonists.

I couldn’t wait to listen to this audiobook as it boasted to have several elements that I enjoy: mystery, science, fantasy, New Zealand locale, and near future setting. HOUNDS OF THE UNDERWORLD, written by Dan Rabarts and Lee Murray, book one of The Path of Ra series. The audiobook is narrated by Dan Rabarts and Susan Holt.

Pandora has just recently become a scientific consult for the police and I’d helping them solve several recent murders. Her brother, Matthew, is helping her in rather unorthodox ways. He doesn’t pay any attention to proper protocol and just plows ahead doing his own type of research. All his life he’s heard a voice that nobody else has and now he can see the vile being behind that voice, but he’s the only one. Does this prove that he is, or isn’t, mentally ill like his biological mother, and why did this voice suddenly become more sinister? Are these murder cases more than they appear?

I enjoyed the narration with their beautiful New Zealand accents. The story was interesting and I’m glad I read it. I thank NetGalley, RDS Audio, and Raw Dog Screaming Press for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review. 3 stars.

I enjoyed the story, I would have liked to see more horror, it felt closer to thriller for me. Also the names annoyed me throughout the book, Pandora and penny, I felt it should have just been either or not flicking between some people calling her Pandora and some penny. And because I listened to the book rather than read it I found myself having to go and look what Matui was called because I got in my head that he should have been called Matthew. Overall though I enjoyed the story and would continue the series.

Enjoyed this book. First time with Dan Rabarts, but have enjoyed Lee Murray before. Will definitely be reading more from each. The characters were great, and the plot and pacing kept me wanting more. Can't wait to read the next in the series. Also enjoyed the narrators. #HoundsoftheUnderworld #NetGalley

Initial excitement for a strong opening scene that had me hooked quickly dwindled into apathy.

I honestly spent most of the book unable to understand if siblings Penny and Matiu hate each other or actually get along. The mystery is interesting, but the investigation and wrap up are too easy to be believable. Matiu magically lands on the next correct location to advance the investigation by talking to his mysterious contacts, flouting all procedure. Penny complains, but mostly follows him passively even though she is supposed to be leading the investigation and he isn't meant to be involved at all. There's a lot of ominous hinting and portents without much payoff.

While the writing leaves something to be desired, there are fun elements here. Supernatural mysteries have a special place in my heart, and ancient gods and eldritch monsters are a pretty fun choice. The plot trips along at a good pace, and the variety of relationships around the main characters are a nice touch.

As to the audio... congrats to this book for making me more conscious than I've ever been of the need to pick complimentary narrators for dual POV audiobooks. The voice actor for Matiu narrates slowly and languorously, while the voice actor for Penny speaks quickly and brightly. Adjusting the speed for comfortable listening is an impossible nuisance with the frequent switches back and forth.

I probably won't continue the series, simply because it isn't my style. But I could see this book gaining popularity with the old school mystery horror crowd!

Hounds of the Underworld-⭐⭐⭐⭐ Mystery, Horror, near future, detective.
by Dan Rabarts, Lee Murray
Narrated by Dan Rabarts, Susan Holt.

Set in New Zealand - That was one thing that really attracted me to the audiobook. For some reason the mystery, crime stories involving New Zealand seem to be psychologically creepier and twisted. Your imagination is stimulated and the horror is more vivid. Happily I wasn't disappointed.

The colorful descriptions these authors use are brilliant. "The sun drowned by the sea" "her eyes drifting down, down like ash falling from the sky....." I really enjoyed this creepy audiobook. The music was a nice addition. Both narrators have great voices and are perfect for their parts.

I liked the characters, they were well developed. The book ended well and definitely left me with the desire to get the next book.

I'd like to thank RDS audio and NetGalley for this ARC audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The authors paint a descriptive picture of life in near-future New Zealand. Sibling amateur detectives piece together parts of a mystery as we learn more about their relationship and their individual strengths and weaknesses. Told from both perspectives, the story unfolds at a medium pace, peaking interest and investment in the fate of the characters.

It looks like this is a re-issue of the title originally published in 2017.

ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the narration on this book! It was great how during different chapters or breaks in the story there was music playing and bells, it really set the creepy tone. The story itself had me really interested from the beginning but sadly it was hard to hold my attention throughout. I did really love the supernatural elements of the book, just not the biggest fan of detective stories.

Why does the POV change in the middle of the chapter? Maybe that works fine in the print version, but putting chimes every time the narrator changes takes you right out of the story, and it happens multiple times a chapter.

DNF @25% because I just couldn't get into the story because of it.

*Thank you to the publisher or this eARC.