"Soul Riders" was an interesting story. The worldbuilding is pretty well done and the magical elements were interesting. I think the narration was very good.

Thank you to Andrews McMeel Audio via NetGalley for the free audiobook and the free digital copy of the book in exchange for an honest review!

Before starting this book I really didn't have any expectations, since I'm not a rider, nor familiar with horses and stables or Star Stable. However, I was drawn from the title and the cover, as well as the description. It did took me a long time to finish the book, but it's not because of the writing, rather my lack of time. I'm so glad I finished it though!

Jennifer Jill Araya seems a great narrator for the book. She tried to differentiate between the girls’ voices, and did a decent enough job with the male voices too. I could hear the excitement, or fear, or pain in her voice as the story progressed. The music towards the end of chapters was not the best for my taste, it seemed a bit more appropriate for children, but I can't complain, since I chose to read the book, however I did enjoy the final songs and especially 'Folk'Avant Jorvik Lullaby', which added a lot to the magic essence of the story.

The girls, Lisa, Anne, Alex and Linda are all well written and seem as if they are truly teenagers. I loved to see how their relationship unravelled and how close they ended up being. They all deal with different issues at home, so it was really sweet that they found comfort in each other and in their horses. I found the theme of parental loss to be well written and relatable, however the weirdest thing is that when Lisa loses contact with her dad, she never really thinks it over. It's as if the writer brushed that incident aside, but hopefully we'll find more in the next installment. Also, it was such a relief to finally read a book that had no romance in it and being only about fantasy and magic. It's not that I'm not a fan of romance, but it gets too repetitive to come across it in 80-90% of fantasy books these days. And because of this, I think that this book would be a great choice for young girls that enjoy relatively strong female characters and magical beings and themes.

Towards the end of the book, I didn't realise the book was ending, which means we're left on a cliffhanger and honestly, I don't mind! I think that it works well and keeps the readers on edge, since there is a lot of action in this one, yet still you are looking forward to the 'big battle' with the bad guys.

I would fully recommend this book to readers that enjoy young adult or middle grade fantasy novels. I thank the publisher and NetGalley again for allowing me to review both the book and the audiobook!

The blurb caught my attention but after that I lost my interest and didn't read this book. Maybe next time.

This audiobook was everything I needed to read in between two hard and heavy reads I've just finished
From time to time, I am a child who is looking for childish reads, who makes you believe that everything is amazing and everything will be fine. This is the kind of book that made me feel optimistic and happy when I finished it

"Cassie did not feel the soul rider enter her body...
but suddenly she knew that Anchor was corrupt, and that, far from being a formless void from which could issue ony mutant changelings and evil wizards, Flux was the soure of Anchor's very existence.
The price of her new knowledge is exile, yet Cassie and the Rider of her soul are the only hope for the redemption of both Flux and Anchor."

It's a fantasy book for young readers developed in a serie of 5 books. It's adventures and horse riding reminding me of spirit which is my all time favourite movie from when I was a little kid.
This book gives you all the energy and adventure you need from a child book. Totally recommend
Thank you netgalley for an advance copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review

The story was okay, but the track had some glitches and it made it so difficult to listen. I don't know if it was my phone or the audiobook.

I received a complimentary digital and temporary audiobook copy of “Jorik Calling (Soul Riders)" direct from the publisher Andrews McMeel Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

About the audiobook:

How the story sounded to me as it was being Read: (theatrical or narrative)

This is a spoken narrative audiobook - wherein, the individual characters do not have too much distinction between each other but you can still follow along with the story. Except for when it gets a bit choppy or thin on the details, you can discern which character is being featured in-scene and the gender of the characters a well. As some narrators alter their voice between male and female characters within a story - I found Ms Araya did alter her voice but not to the level I'm used to finding in an audiobook. It felt a bit awkward when she spoke as a male character especially how she voiced Lisa's Dad.

Her narration style kept changing the more you listened to the story as well - there were stronger sections and weaker moments where everything felt rather blurry as a listener to try and discern either something about the content of the first installment in this series or the character(s) themselves. Overall I felt her performance distorted some of the more alluring aspects of the storyline and made it a bit muddling to feel anchoured into the book.

Regards to Articulation & Performance of the story:

Articulation:

Although I could hear all the words as they were spoken, some of the words sounded a bit rushed which increased pacing in the context of the story where a slower pace was needed instead. There wasn't anything in the narrative or the dialogue to suggest a hastier delivery of those passages and that is where I felt the narration was a bit choppier rather than smooth. This started early-on in the story.

Further into the story, exchanges in dialogue suffered because when the narrator was shifting between characters (as noted on Herman) sometimes her voice would drop too low to hear what she was saying and it made understanding those passages a bit trickier. There were other instances where her voice was strong and easily understood and other times it shifted down a few pegs to where her voice was less than it had been previously. It is hard to describe as it is the first time I've listened to an audiobook which had shifting tones and vocal levels within the story.

Performance:

When it came to Lisa's flashback to her Mum's death it felt a bit difficult to transition from Lisa's current situation with her father as they were in the van relocating to Jorik. It was an okay flashback but I felt Lisa's own thoughts and swirling emotions was stronger than the flashback itself. This was another point in the narration where I felt the final copy suffered a bit because the jarring way the flashback was inserted it took you out of sequence with the timeline.

There is a short and brief musical interlude wherein Lisa's song is heard - I wish it could have been a bit longer but it gave us the impression of why music was important to her and that served its purpose to have it included. The song itself almost sounded like it was sung by someone else and I wasn't sure if this was the work of Araya or someone else who had a cameo.

Notes on the Quality of Sound & the Background Ambiance:

There are musical interludes on some of the chapters which I loved hearing but other than that the sound quality was quite smashing as nothing prevented you from hearing the story. The musical interludes, the song being sung on behalf of Lisa and the other ways music play a strong role within the framework of how this audiobook was arranged was a lovely switch-up for stories which do not use music or soundscapes on their audiobooks. I liked having those interludes as it gave a bit more depth to the world within the story.

The song(s) and the musical overlays continue to increase in frequency the more you listen to the story and it is tied together with Lisa growing in her self-confidence to be more honest with her new friends. It truly added to the enjoyment for me because this was the first audiobook I've listened to which has relied a lot on music and song which gave it such a unique listening experience for me.

Preference after listening to re-Listen or pick up the book in Print?

Initially I was going to say I might have preferred reading the print edition until I reached about a quarter of a way into the audiobook and decided I much prefer the audio! Araya needed time to warm into the story and to find her feet with both the characters and the unique ways in which this audiobook was produced. Once she found her pace and rhythm with the delivery of the narration itself, I found myself truly captured by the story and found the audio version very entertaining.

Except to say, my enjoyment of hearing her narration was short-lived as after awhile there were more issues with her performance and one habit she had was having some of the characters sound much more mature than the ages they were meant to be in the story. I also felt her style became a bit too jarring to listen to as there were issues with the sound quality as well. In retrospect, I think a print copy might be warranted to remove the narration completely and just try to soak into the story without any influence of having it narrated.

About "Jorik Calling (Soul Riders)" the book:

I was committed to the story throughout the special 'light ride' which is a special event for the girls' to participate in and it has a lot to do with understanding the horses and how the girls' are important to the journey they are undertaking towards becoming soul riders. This is more implied than detailed out in a revelation as the light ride itself focused on a point of reckoning for them - as they were each rising into a new chapter of their lives where their particular gifts and talents were starting to become known. In essence it was a rite of passage for them and for the readers who are listening to the story as this was another stepping stone towards seeing what the soul riders were about and understanding the journey they were on.

This is also entering into the section where you first meet Mr Sands (reminded me of the dark side of Star Wars) of whom is the one of the worst characters I have found for villains in a story. He doesn't have any redeemable qualities and he might even be morally grey which seems to be more commonplace nowadays in Middle Grade and Young Adult stories. For me personally, I felt his character was writ far more sinister than needed to be and he could have been just as horrid even if he was painted a bit lighter round the edges. You don't have to go full-on dark to be a dark character in a Fantasy world!

The mythology returns by explaining how the symbols of the Sun, Star, Moon and Lightning Bolt interact with the history of soul riders; as each symbol itself represents four riders featured on cave walls representing the soul riders themselves. This is an important part of the story and yet it was barely highlighted - I ached for more details and for there to be a better grounding of the soul riders mythology as well. You really have to start reaching to connect the dots between the girls', the soul riders and the horses; everything is interconnected but rather than focusing on their story and this back-history of the world itself we're constantly having to be bombarded by the darker forces which are seeking to destroy their lives. You need that balance of good vs evil to make a compelling story but I felt it was misused more than once in the storyline.

Where I felt myself pulling out of the context of the story is when one of the horses disappears - yet one of my final observations was about Anne. Anne's journey was relatable as she had trust issues with her friends and she worried that all the friendships she was making was more co-dependent on who she was in the community rather than anything else. She was gaining confidence and comfort from her new alliances with the girls' and with Starshine but her fears were still holding her back from realising that this time she could trust her instincts and find peace in knowing she was in a safe space.

I just reached the point where I could not listen to the rest of the story - the darker elements for me really pulled me out of the rhythm of what I felt had been established initially as I had described it earlier in my review - how beautiful this story was evolving into focus and how it was truly a lovely Middle Grade Fantasy - before of course it went off the rails and startled me more than once for unexpected content disclosures and a far, far darker undertone of story than I was prepared for listening too. For those reasons, I simply had to quit the audiobook - which was sad because I felt like I had been shortchanged from knowing more about Starshine, the girls' and the mythological aspects of Jorik which really rocked my readerly world to discover. I was even able to overlook some issues with the narration and delivery of the performance by the narrator but one thing I cannot always shift through is the darker elements which seek to eclipse the light and joy of a story - for me that is what ultimately made this from becoming one of my best loved discoveries this year to a story I could not finish.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the review copy of this audiobook!

This was such a good middle grade book. I highly recommend parents to let their kids read this. It was so fun and the story was so intriguing. The narrator did a great job but even if you are like me, I listen at a faster speed but kids will love it.

I highly recommend this read!

Story review:
I would have been absolutely obsessed with this book as a middle grade reader! At that age I was in love with all things horses and fantasy and the bond between these horses and their riders would’ve been right up my alley. Each of these characters had a sad background, but their love for horses and their bravery In the face of adversity drew them to each other which resulted in strong friendships and a few hijinks. I loved the “fight against evil forces” component of the book and am interested to see where that storyline goes in future books in the series!

Audio narration:
The narrator for the audiobook was excellent, especially considering the target audience! She was engaging and drew the reader into the story.

The idea was interesting--four girls who find friendship as they uncover their unique powers that are somehow tied to their horse companion--but the actual story fell flat for me. Book 1 felt like the too long preface to the "real story" that I'm guessing will be in Book 2. And while it touches on serious issues, it doesn't seem to go anywhere heartfelt with them. The whole reading experience felt like a skim over a bunch of ideas rather than a delve into a story.

My Review: My horse loving childhood soul could not pass this book up. This is everything I would have loved as a kid (and still do). I highly recommend this audio book for fellow horse lovers, it has a unique mix of story and music. Songs and music play a big part in the story and the added element to the audio book was a pleasant surprise. This was an interesting story but definitely a building block for a series. I feel like we are still getting to know the characters and some of them are a little difficult to tell apart at this time. We also know who is trying to harm the riders and the guardians but a lot of the evil is still in the dark. This first book also ends on quite the cliffhanger and stops just as the story is starting to come together and the conflicts are beginning. Young horse fans will definitely enjoy this book, but be sure to have the other books ready for them to dive into right away.

My Rating: I love the mystical and horse elements of this story. I just felt like I was left in the dark a little too much. I do think it is an intriguing first book and I would highly recommend the audio book for young horse fans. I give it a rating of Three Paws.

I am not going to lie this book made me want to start horse riding. The relationship the girls had with their horses are amazing. I loved the songs in the audio books it made the books more entertaining. I didn’t like the whole evil – popular trope so much or the classic all rich kids are snobs trope. The rest of the book was absolutely amazing. I was very bummed about the ending. Talk about a huge cliffhanger.

It doesnt support or open after I download the pdf version of it. It's also not showing in my shelf in netgalley and I cant open it to read

Please look into the issue and if you can send me the pdf in my mail ID- taniagungunsarkar@gmail.com

I cant read the book from here. Please look into the issue

Thank you so much to Netgalley for providing this audiobook.

I have loved horses my entire life, and played the Star Shine Legacy games, and now play Star Stable online regularly. So I am extremely familiar with this story, but not in a bad way.
This book is definitely on the younger side of YA. And I think you can easily enjoy it if you aren't familiar with Star Stable, however, I think you have a much larger understanding if you are familiar with the story, especially the one from Star Shine Legacy, where some of the storyline from this book unfolds. But if you aren't familiar, don't let that scare you away.
I loves the audiobook, the narrator did a great job, and it was easy to follow. The view changes between all four girls, and as you learn to know the characters there is not a problem to follow who's POV you are following.
I can't wait to read the next books in this series. This book really takes me back to the old Star Shine Legacy times.

Soul Riders is a magical journey for the girls on this small island community. They discover their own magical gifts and the special horses that are their partners. in defeating the evil that threatens us all. Will they learn to use their gifts before it's too late?

Slow Pacing to Start; Disparate Parts Didn’t Work

Audiobook Review:
I had never heard of the game this is based on, so I came to this audiobook with no prior knowledge of anything about it. I wonder if my listening experience would have been better if I did. It's hard to say, of course. As I don't re-read book descriptions before I start reading the book itself, the way this started came across as odd to me. I knew the book was called Soul Riders, but I had conveniently forgotten what it was about except that it had something to do with druidry. So I was surprised when the book started out seeming more like a book written for young female horse enthusiasts about a group of young girls who love riding and their horses. Actually, the story went along in this vein for quite a while. So when the first scene with the demon happened, it felt completely out of place, like it just came out of nowhere. Then other magical elements and happenings started as well... and these just seem so separate from the all-girl horse-loving club that it felt like two different stories. For someone with no knowledge of this world, like me, the disparate elements just did not work together. The narrator was okay with the female voices, and she was able to make distinctions between the different girls. But I thought she did a terrible job with the boys and men. They didn't sound like real men or boys at all, and they all sounded the same. All in all, this audiobook was a disappointment.

This is a book of the four riders chosen by destiny to face a demon and try and defeat him and his group of riders. Lisa has just moved to Jorvik and despite all her friends being horse crazy she is not to sure. Lisa is still coming to terms with her mothers death in a riding accident. But when one special horse takes to her, her destiny is sealed along with three of her friends.

This is a really good book based on a game named Star Stables. It follows Lisa the last of the four girls to discover her horse and ability. If you are a horse lover or just a animal lover you will love this story. It will keep you up past your bedtime with its action and suspense. For a real treat try the audio narrated by Jennifer Jill Araya you will fall in love with Starshine and the others as I did.

What a fun first book in this series by Helena Dahlgren! I listened to this book in one straight sitting. The story was well paced and fascinating, and the narration was fantastic! The descriptions were detailed and beautiful.

Soul Riders: Jorvik Calling follows Lisa who lost her mother a few years previous in a horse riding accident, and she goes to live with her father. We meet several girls in the riding group near her new home. The girls and their horses are all very special. This book is packed with girl power!

I didn’t realize Jennifer Jill Araya was the narrator until I started listening. I recognized her voice and performance style immediately. She has been a favourite of mine over the last two years. Her voices are always distinct and easy to listen to.

I really enjoyed this story. It is perfect for girls who love horses and fantasy. Jennifer Jill Araya is one of the best narrators out there. It was such a treat to listen to her again. She never disappoints. I am super excited for the second book to come out!

I received an advanced audiobook copy from Andrews McMeel Audio through NetGalley. All opinions are 100% my own.

Lisa didn't lose mom alone in the unfortunate riding accident three years ago, no, that accident also took her courage and love for riding horses. She now suffers from anxiety attacks every time she goes near a horse, with the move to her new home, on its final leg, she looked at the sky and saw an unusual thing. The bright light seems to have birthed a silent thought within her, that maybe, this new life, just might be the best thing yet. It took a while but gradually she started to regain her courage for riding and with it came her new friends and a magical adventure. The narrator did an excellent job, I find myself charmed along a magical journey. The emotions, the thrill all were capture within the words, which was resonated as you listen along. A great audiobook that would lull you into the land of Jorvik and its magical horses.

I loved the narrator for this book; she did a fantastic job of changing her voice just enough to keep each character separate, but it was not distracting. The story was wonderful. I will definitely be watching for further books in the series. At the beginning of the book, we are following Lisa who just moved an island with her father. The island is famous for its horses. Lisa used to love horse riding but her mother had been killed in a riding accidents a few years earlier. As the story progresses, we meet other girls and their horses until we realize that there is something special about these four particular girls and these four particular horses. Highly recommended!

I really enjoyed this, my first audio book. The narrator was engaging and I loved the music included, it was a nice added touch.
The story kept me interested and I can’t wait to read the next in the series.
I felt a connection with the characters and the setting. Great read.