Belladonna

By: Anne Bishop

Narrated by: Maggie Hoffman

Anne Bishop’s “erotic, fervently romantic, [and] superbly entertaining” (Booklist) novel Sebastian introduced readers to the realm of Ephemera. Now, the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author continues her tale of light and darkness...

The Eater of the World is casting its shadow over the landscapes of Ephemera, tainting people’s souls with doubts and fears. Only Glorianna Belladonna possesses the ability to thwart the Eater—but she is not alone. In dreams, a call has traveled beyond the Landscapes—“Heart’s hope lies within Belladonna”—and reached Michael, a man with mysterious powers of his own. Together, they may offer Ephemera the very hope it needs.

“A shattered world of extraordinary, interconnected landscapes.”—Publishers Weekly

“Belladonna is the work of a master…thought-provoking.”—Fresh Fiction

Critic reviews

Praise for Belladonna

“A shattered world of extraordinary, interconnected landscapes.”—Publishers Weekly

“Belladonna is the work of a master...thought-provoking.”—Fresh Fiction

“A powerful and emotional tale, set in a land of dazzling complexity and deep magic.”—SF Revu

“Bishop excels at characterization...compulsively readable.”—RT Book Reviews

“A fantastic read. Ms. Bishop has a very fertile imagination...Belladonna is worth reading on so many levels.”—Romance Readers Connection

Love the series not so happy about change of voice

Would you consider the audio edition of Belladonna to be better than the print version?

I pretty much love anything by Anne Bishop, and was not sure if I would like this series. However it ended up being one of my favorites b/c of the humor. I was not thrilled with the change of narrator though. I really like the guy who read Sebastian, he is one of my favorite narrators, and would have liked it better if he had read the second book. Other than that I am happy with the audio book.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Did not like the way she made the women sound and hated the way she did Sebastian's voice.

Maggie Hoffman brings Belladonna to life!

This audiobook was excellent. Maggie Hoffman did an amazing job portraying the wide variety of characters and really brought the story to life. I wish she could read all of my books!!! The book itself is wonderfully creative, tasteful, and enthralling.

wonderful!

I love her works beyond words! even my fiancée likes to listen to these stories while we Cook together! I hope they just keep coming and coming

Belladone

It was okay. I was so excited for this book while reading Sebastian, but this felt so long, not in a good way. I can honestly say my low ratings for this story is in part to the switch of narrator. It wasn't that Hoffman did a bad job, but her voice wasn't right for this series. Most of that has to do with Graham narrating the first book of the series.

Besides the change of narrator, Michael just didn't 'resonate' with me at all. I tried to find some sort of connection with him but I just couldn't. He lacked something that Sebastian, and even Lee, had. This entire story could have happened without him. When a character who is supposed to be an essential player can easily be plucked out, his role easily filled by other characters already there, it is not a strong character.

However, I never thought Bishop could make me feel sorry for The Eater, but I kinda did.

I give it a 3 at best.

Plusses and minuses

What made the experience of listening to Belladonna the most enjoyable?

As always, Anne Bishop creates a world like no other; complex, original and breathtaking.

What other book might you compare Belladonna to and why?

None. Anne Bishop is a writer too unique to be compared to anyone else. Love her!!

What didn’t you like about Maggie Hoffman’s performance?

The voice of the reader is why I would tell people to get the book and read it. The tones didn't fit the story. She would put in a bit of a laugh in her voice when the situation was serious, like it all was a bit of a joke. It was very distracting.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. I couldn't listen to the voice for long and almost stopped listening to it all together.

Any additional comments?

I loved Sebastian and the voice for that story. I wish they had used the same person for both stories. I'm afraid the new book, Bridge of Dreams, will be yet another voice that doesn't work so I will most likely get the book and read it.