Now I was unaware that this was part of a series (Novellas for each book in the series) but the narration was so good that i didn’t care. In each story the narration changes and each person did such a great job with the characters. There is music that also caught me off guard at first but honestly i love it. And the sound effects for each chapter was a nice idea. This audiobook makes me want to listen to the original series even more. The second novella was my favorite bc the story was good and the narrator really did well.

These were great intro novellas for folks interested in learning more about the Orishas. I’ve never seen stories about them set modern day (with things like social media), so I loved that! I also loved that in the third novella, other deities from other cultures show up, like Thor. It was a cool blending of cultures.

The author jumps in between narration of the novellas to encourage you to read the full stories for each diety, and those longer stories are supposed to connect the novellas together. I’ll note that I was able to follow the novellas without reading the larger stories, but it’s great to have the option. I thought the stories were interesting and easy to follow and generally enjoyed reading them.

Audiobook fantasy for teens and YA, based around West African mythology. Two short and one longer interludes/additional vignettes which intertwine between, and add to our interactions with the characters in the TJ Young series books.
I’ve listened to the first two audiobooks in this series, they are fun fantasy adventure stories.
These additional stories work if you’ve already read the books, but equally will add to your enjoyment if you are a newbie to this series. The author tells you the best place to listen if you are going through the books in turn.
If I’m honest I probably enjoyed the first two shorter stories more. I think they have more of the fun found in the books. But the third story does bring extra understanding of the bigger story to the listener.
Thank you to Bandele Books and NetGalley for the audio ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

Solid collection, promising young adult series. I wish there was a little more backstory or description of the various gods’ powers, but I havent read the main book series so I’m probably missing a lot of the context there.

I really wanted to like this one. Stories that include ancient gods, especially Orishas, are always interesting to me, but the audiobook just didn’t hit the way I hoped it would. The narrator’s voice didn’t match the tone or energy I expected, and it made it hard for me to stay engaged. I might try reading it instead because I do feel like I’d connect with the story better that way.

This book is a collection on novellas that are each a prequel to Book 1, Book 2, and Book 3 of the TJ Young and the Orishas series.

I was given an ARC by NetGalley! Thank you!

The first Prequel was very interesting to me, it follows along with a character named Manny and caught my attention fast.

Having not read the entire series, the next two prequels didn’t make any sense to me. So my rating is solely based upon the first 30 pages or so. The series as a whole sounds very interesting as there are a mixture of different gods from different religions and I’m always intrigued by those things. The author is a BIPOC which I love being able to support when I can. I will be recommending the series to my friends that are teachers as I feel it would be good for kids to learn about other cultures beliefs and theologies, especially since it feels like I knew nothing about them at the age of 30+

This audiobook is a whirlwind of mythology, magic, and adventure. The narrators, John Joseph Rogers and Nekia Renee Martin, bring the story to life with their dynamic performances. The world-building is rich, and the characters are compelling. If you're into stories that blend folklore with modern twists, this one's for you!! 🌟🌟🌟🌟

I was gifted an advanced reader copy of this work in audiobook format via Netgalley in return for an honest review.

The narration is excellent, the music included between stories is atmospheric and beautiful.
I have loved getting to know TJ and learning about Yurba and the Orishas mythology. These stories fill in time before, between and after the events of the third book. I really enjoyed them alot.

A perfect read or listen for a lazy Saturday afternoon.

This was an interesting… Prequel Novella? I thought it was all 3 books, but it seems like this is… A prequel novella for all 3 lol? Either way, the premise was interesting. The jump def surprised me. I thought it was just Orisha’s & then all kinds of Mythology entered the chat lmfao.

The narration was cool though, I loved all the added effects. Nekia Renee Martin did an amazing job, their range is crazy lol!! Overall, listening to this def tempts me to read the main series.