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The Serpent in Heaven by Charlaine Harris, narrated by Eva Kaminski
#4 Gunnie Rose
Post-Apocalyptic Thriller, Alternate History
Publisher: Recorded Books
Published: 11.15.22
Time: 8 hours 53 minutes
Rating: 5 stars
Format: Dramatized Adaption
Source: Library borrow
Sellers: Amazon
GoodReads Synopsis:
#1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Charlaine Harris returns to her alternate history of the United States where magic is an acknowledged but despised power in this fourth installment of the Gunnie Rose series.
Felicia, Lizbeth Rose’s younger half-sister and student at the Grigori school within the capital of the New Holy Russian Empire in San Diego, is caught between secrets and powerful family struggles. As a distant relative to the Tsar, she provides an essential service to him by providing blood transfusions for his hemophilia, and she is thus given rare access and dismissed as if cattle. At the Grigori school she is seen as a charity case, a poor orphan with no prospects and no sign of magical prowess—the latter which Felicia keeps purposefully hidden. And yet, when a kidnapping attempt is made upon Felicia her past and her future crash together in violent ways.
Continuing immediately after The Russian Cage, this fantastical fourth book takes a side step, exploring the Holy Russian Empire while also showcasing the dynamic depths of magic within Harris’s alternate North America in curious mysteries. Felicia, it turns out, is far more than the Russian-Mexican waif Lizbeth rescued, and the journey of discovery she is on is filled with magical assassins and desperation, but above it all is her courage to never give in to the limitations imposed upon her.
Sophia Rose's Review:
The Gunnie Rose series has so far followed the exploits of Lizbeth Rose, but The Serpent of Heaven switches things up by placing Lizbeth’s enigmatic younger half-sister, Felicia in the spotlight for her own adventure.
The Serpent of Heaven is book four of the Gunnie Rose series of alternate history and magic. The books tie together closely so must be read in order.
Felicia appeared in the series near the end of book one, An Easy Death, and didn’t play a strong role until Lizbeth came to the Holy Russian Empire in book three, The Russian Cage. The sisters shared a rogue Grigori of a father and grew up never knowing of each other’s existence. Felicia was packed off to school so she’d have a safe place to live with her basic needs met- at least, that was Lizbeth’s plan when she sacrificed to get Felicia on the train and headed west with Eli.
But, Felicia is a trouble magnet not unlike her older sister. After Lizbeth and Eli return home to Texacoma, Felicia goes back to her life and schoolwork at the Grigori Academy. One day she is kidnapped off the street and a harrowing adventure figuring out who is behind it begins even as the Spanish Flu roars through the city and several students get it so that the school is shutdown through the worst of it.
Felicia had secrets and now they are coming out while Eli’s younger brother, Peter, partners with her to find answers along with a reluctant Grigori, Felix and the school guard and administrator. Now, the danger heightens when the upgrade goes from kidnapping attempt to murders.
I had a good time getting The Serpent of Heaven from Felicia’s POV. She is very different from her older sister in thought and character which I thought was well done of Charlaine Harris. Felicia’s background slowly comes out as does her surprising magic gifts. I enjoyed the awkward friendship and first love between her and Peter as well as the complicated relationships she has with other people around her, especially the irascible Felix. Felicia started with nothing so feels the great differences between herself and the other well-to-do students, staff, and even Peter’s family. But, while knowing this, Felicia doesn’t let any inadequacy prevent her from going about her business. Her only hesitation were the sisterly feelings and admiration she has for an older sister she barely knows. She wants to be close with Lizbeth as Lizbeth does with her, but the pair don’t find it easy.
Eva Kaminsky continues to dazzle with her narration work even with Felicia’s mild Mexican accent and that of all the Russians and others in the story.
All in all, a strong segment of a series that keeps up all the goodness with great worldbuilding, characters, and intriguing plot. Definitely not to be missed for those who enjoy a blend of magic and alternate history.
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Author Bio:
Two thousand twenty-three will mark Charlaine’s forty-second year as a published writer. She has written two stand-alones, and her series include the Aurora Teagarden mysteries, the Lily Bard mysteries, the Sookie Stackhouse urban fantasies, the Harper Connelly urban fantasies, the Midnight, Texas novels, the Cemetery Girl graphic novels (with Christopher Golden), and the Gunnie Rose books, set in an alternate history America. Charlaine has also written many short stories, and together with Toni L.P. Kelner she edited seven themed anthologies (and had great fun). Her books have sold over 39 million copies worldwide.
The television series “True Blood” was based on Charlaine’s Sookie Stackhouse novels. Hallmark Movies and Mysteries is still showing a series of movies created about the Aurora Teagarden character, and for two seasons “Midnight, Texas” was on the air. Two of her other series are in production.
Charlaine belongs to several professional organizations and is an avid reader. She and her husband live on a cliff overlooking the Brazos River with their rescue dogs. Charlaine has the joy of being a grandmother, and she attends the Episcopalian church.
Website: https://charlaineharris.com/
Sophia’s Bio:
Sophia is a quiet though curious gal who dabbles in cooking, book reviewing, piano-playing, and gardening. Road trips and campouts, museums and monuments, restaurants and theaters are her jam. Encouraged and supported by an incredible man and loving family. A Northern Californian transplant to the Great Lakes Region of the US. Lover of Jane Austen, Baseball, Cats, Scooby Doo, and Chocolate.
As a lifelong reader, it was inevitable that Sophia would discover book blogs and the joy of blog reviewing. Sophia is a prolific reader and audiobook listener which allows her to experience so many wonderful books, authors, and narrators. Few genres are outside her reading tastes, but her true love is fiction particularly history, mystery, sci-fi, and romance. Though, sorry, no horror or she will run like Shaggy and Scooby.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sophia.rose.7587
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sophiarose1816
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13418187.Sophia_Rose
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