Member Reviews
I picked up this audiobook because I like the narrator as well as the cover art. I am rating this one a 3.5 and rounding up to 4 stars. I really enjoy each book I have listened to narrated by Bahni Turpin. She does a great job bringing all the characters to life, giving each character a unique voice. I was not expecting this to be more like an old radio play. There are sound effects and sometimes the narration is layered with muffled talking going on in the background. I understand they were trying to achieve the effect of the other conversations simultaneously happening in the narratives reality. A couple of times this was overly distracting for me as a listener. I found myself trying to figure out what was being said in the background and missing the main narration. I will definitely warn anyone I recommend this book to they should expect more of a radio play with a single narrator than the typical audiobook.
Overall I enjoyed the world McKinney and Morrow created together. It was a compelling story of intergeneration family trauma and strife. All of the Cauley women were believable, well fleshed out characters. I could definitely identify with some of the family dynamics growing up closely with cousins.
What I particularly liked: This audio production reminded me of one of the old fashioned radio shows my Nana used to listen to. It has great sound effects/narration/transitioning between chapters to where you can almost listen to it in episodes, which I think would be great even for people who may not listen to audiobooks often.
Overall Thoughts: The Cauley family felt inspired by real family dynamics, especially seeing how the estranged sisters and their cousin Rene all interact, hold grudges/resentments against each other, and at the end of the day care about each other. The story itself was a little predictable and maybe not the most memorable with the family ties coming together to conquer a dark force, but it was enjoyable nonetheless.
I will highlight this book in my reading recap on TikTok @kelreadsanything as a recommendation for those who like audio dramas/radio shows/serialized podcasts.
I received an e-arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
When I requested this book I did so because I have enjoyed previous books by these authors, and did not realize that Mourning Glory was written not as a traditional book, but with the intention of it only being an audiobook. As such it's really more of an audio drama or fiction podcast than a book. Normally when accessing a book through audio format I try not to let any issues (if any) with the audio narration cloud my view on the book. Mourning Glory, however, was intended to be published as an "audiobook" and so I will include comments on it's format in this review.
First though, the story itself. Mourning Glory is following three sisters and their cousin as they try to deal with their family history legacy and also the demon that haunts their family.
The characters are all so likeable and distinct and I loved seeing how they interacted with each other and with other family members. I loved how family-oriented the whole story was, with the main relationship plots being sisterly ones.
I also really liked the A plot in which the family trying to deal with this demon and learning about how they came to be haunted by this demon in the first place. Rooted in southern American history and those horrors, this book was giving characters the agency to take on the past.
The only B plots in this story were the relationship plots between the four main characters, which should have been enough, but some how came across as shallowly done. Without enough B plot, this story seemed to lack dimension.
There was one scene I was confused about near the end in which two of the protagonists wind up having to kind of time travel and steal souls, and rather than follow them do this, we sit with the other two girls and listen to them wait and chat. I truly don't understand why we couldn't have seen both perspectives, and if we were to only get one why we only get the duller one?
The ending was also wrapped up far too neatly. There was no real hitch in the plan that our characters had to overcome. They made a plan and followed it through and that was it, it was rather uncompelling.
On to the format. This story was narrated by none other than Bahni Turpin, who is a favourite audiobook narrator of mine. Her voice truly brought this story to life and added so much dimension to the story. The story itself, being written with audio narration in mind, would lose a lot if ever published in print as it currently stands.
This story also came with so. many. sound effects. Too many. I was continuously pulled out of the story by the sound effects, some of which didn't even exactly match up with the sound described. There was also often background music alongside the narration that made the scenes feel cheesy rather than actually adding anything.
Then on top of all of that there were some lines delivered at half the volume as the rest of the narration because the character was mumbling or was supposed to be further away that I just could not hear at all. I did however, check out this story on spotify to see if the quality was better and it did seem to be a bit clearer than the file I received.
If I hadn't received this story as an ARC I would not have included it as part of my reading and probably would have DNFd it for the sound effects alone, however I promised an honest review so here we are. I would recommend this to people are already fans of fiction podcasts or audio dramas as the format may be more to their tastes.
this was a really great read especially as an audio book. The sound effects and the narration was spot on. The story itself was great as well. I loved the family bonds and how everything tied together so well. If I had to complain about anything it would be that the passing of time could be a little unclear in specific places but that's just we being nitpicky. This is definitely one I would recommend!
The Cauley sisters reunite after their mother's death and must confront their family's legacy of keeping a powerful demon named Legion at bay. However, they have lost their family magic, leaving them vulnerable. Tensions arise as they work to regain their power and overcome their differences before Legion destroys them.
This is probably one of the best audibooks I have ever listened to. The background noises, along with the narration, instantly transports the listener into the story. I was actually getting creeped out by Legion and its voice! Overall, a pretty solid read. The only complaint I have is that the writing is very dialogue heavy, and sometimes it’s hard to understand the passage of time within the story. The Cauley family was hysterical and I would love to see a sequel of this book in the future
3 ⭐️ from me!
Witches? Demons? Close family bonds?
Yes please.
The Cauley sisters have met back at their ancestral home/last Black owned funeral home in the state to mourn the loss of their mother and figure out what to do now that her magic that was protecting them from a demon is gone.
The audiobook is read by Bahni Turpin who is one of my favorite narrators. It also has sound effects which I didn’t super care for but Bahni’s narration still made it super enjoyable.
I loved the family bonds and all the different relationship ships the women had with each other and how they were able to come together to figure out what the root of the problem was. The flashbacks were intense and definitely be aware of triggers (graphic lynching scene)
Overall I thought it was a well done horror!
the plot is interesting and the book is very well written. The audiobook was pretty goo, with the background voices and the music and it was very fun to listen to.
This was so incredibly well done! This is a great example of how good audiobooks can be. The background noises. The plot. The VOICES. That legion This is so creepy
This was such a fun find. L. L. McKinney (A Blade So Black) and Bethany C Morrow (A Song Below Water) cowriting and Bahni Turpin narrating.
Black girl magic. Family drama. And some demons.
This would be a great October read and it worked well now. Content warning a graphic lynching scene and one other rather graphic/violent scene.
I enjoyed this quick read. It made me think and entertained at the same time.
#MourningGlory #NetGalley
The story and dramatization of Mourning Glory are wonderful. I love the characters and the way the story ties into the Winchesters. It's a story of several women, justice, the intentional historical disenfranchisement of Black Americans, and witches.
The sound effects are incredibly distracting. They keep pulling me out of the story before I can really get into it.
Overall it’s about sisters and their grandma reeling from the death of their mom/daughter and trying to figure out which one of them now has the power to combat the evil lurking around them.