Another day with wonky internet! Luckily my phone has the hotspot on it so I can briefly connect to the internet even though it’s not as fast as I would like. I also have like three tests to take today since I didn’t do them earlier in the week. This is why we don’t procrastinate, fam.

Thank you so much to Audiobookworm Promotions for hosting this blog tour!

All Faye wants is another chance at being normal: hanging out with friends, playing video games, or reading the latest manga. As a wraith, her craving for a normal existence seems forever out of reach.

When she makes the move to the small town of Hueman, Texas, with her not-so dead nomadic family, she prays this fresh start will be the one that sticks.Until, one of her kind is murdered by a mysterious man in a black mask.

With only Carter, an unlucky human witness, by her side, Faye must find a way to prevent the body count from rising and protect her family’s secret identity. 

As the man in the black mask lurks in the shadows waiting to strike again, her choice becomes a matter of life and death. 

In the face of true evil, being normal is overrated.

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Isaiyan Morrison was born and raised in Minneapolis, but her heart is in the impressive magical worlds she dreams up. She hopes to share her love for world-building with her readers and help guide them through the extraordinary settings she creates.

Her other passions include reading, and researching historical events. She also enjoys gardening, gaming, and spending quality time with her three cherished cats and beloved pitbull.

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Samantha Turret is an LA-based voice artist, actress and comedian who absolutely loves working on Isaiyan Morrison’s books. Other favorite narration credits include: Bestseller Rivals! Frenemies Who Changed the World as Mary, Queen of Scots (Audible) and Pearl the Magical Unicorn (Macmillan). She’s voiced many other audiobooks and also lends her voice to animation and commercials. Samantha is also an onscreen actress best known for her role as Ms. Jingles on Nickelodeon’s TOP ELF. Check out her website for more!

Disclaimer: I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Isaiyan Morrison. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

First of all, I was really happy to see that Faye was an Asian MC. I am sad that she’s not-so dead, meaning she’s a wraith that needs to feed on humans’ essence in order to survive, but hey. I love that she’s so into video games and manga and just wants to have a normal life. She kind of reminds me of Bo from Lost Girl, except Faye leeches from life force and Bo sucks some sexual chi. But they both are trying to figure out how to manage their intense hunger and make some sort of life in the after-life.

I liked the work that Turret did for Faye’s voice, although I definitely wasn’t getting any Asian vibes from Faye except when it was specific. I think that Turret did a good job voicing her and the other characters though, and I like that she was the only narrator for this book. I think she was a great neutral voice for the book and gave the book that Faye voice that I liked a lot.

I also liked that this wasn’t your typical – I’m a vampire needing to learn how to feed – type of book, although it’s a wraith with similar issues. I haven’t come across a book about wraiths before, and I think that this found family that Faye has with her other fellow wraiths were great. They are under the protection of Dusk, who seems to be the oldest of them all, and wants to make sure that they are all protected since they are his family. But when one of them gets killed by a “human” that seems to know how to kill wraiths, then things start to hit the fan.

I can’t wait to see how the second one in this installment comes out, and I think Faye is a great character to get to know! Even though she’s only been a wraith for about two years, she’s still learning what it means to be not-so dead and ends up making a friend that likes some of the same things she does. Even though he’s a human and she’s… well not, I hope that they are still able to maintain that friendship in future books.

When did you know you wanted to be an audiobook narrator?

Funny enough, I wanted to be an audiobook narrator since I was very young, before I knew it was a profession! I’ve always loved reading aloud to others—especially children. I love reading in general, but there’s something so magical about creating a world out loud and sharing a story with my voice.

Did you find it difficult to “break into” audiobook narration? What skill/tool helped you the most when getting started?

Yes and no. I pretty quickly started narrating books for royalty share when I first started off, however it was difficult to assemble the equipment and tools necessary to produce a really good quality audiobook from home. The most helpful tool when I just started was definitely ACX.com. That’s how I met the amazing Isaiyan Morrison and a bunch of other brilliant authors! It’s a great mechanism to bring narrators, authors and rights holders together.

Are you an audiobook listener? What about the audiobook format appeals to you?

As a relatively new LA resident, I’m definitely an audiobook listener. This format is amazing because you can read no matter where you are or what you’re doing. In LA I’m constantly driving, but I can also be constantly enjoying a good book thanks to audiobooks.

What about this title compelled you to audition as narrator?

Isaiyan and I worked together on one of her previous books, The Behesians, and we continued to keep in touch. When she sent me this book I knew after reading the first chapter I was all in. This book kept me on the edge of my seat. I read the whole thing in one day even though I was with family for the holidays—I couldn’t tear myself away from the book.

What’s next for you?

I just recorded a radio spot which should start playing soon and I have a show I’m likely going to be a part of this summer. Other than that,I’m auditioning, taking classes and of course reading and listening to great books!

And that’s all, fam! I hope you enjoyed it!