Dragonfly Dreams

By: Jennifer J. Chow

Narrated by: Kieren Metts

From Jennifer J. Chow, author of the award-winning The 228 Legacy, comes a young adult novel about immigrant struggles and family conflict. It's 1880 in Fresno, California when 17-year-old Topaz Woo dies after giving birth. She can get an extension in a non-physical body if she uses The Ten Commandments to influence her newborn.

Over the course of ten years, she finds herself stymied in parenting by intergenerational drama and spiritual battle. Will she adjust to an otherworldly existence and give her daughter a solid foundation? Or will she become mired in family disputes and forfeit her soul to evil?

©2015 Jennifer J. Chow (P)2017 Jennifer J. Chow

Captivating!

I planned to listen to this for 20 minutes when I was making dinner and was so invested in this story I couldn't put it down. A really unique and captivating story with great narration - I highly recommend this audio!

Dragonfly Dreams

This was a good story.The whole '10 commandmant' thing with a twist was a nice touch.Kieren Metts was a good narrator.“I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.”

It’s Not For Me…. now

The premise of this book sounded interesting - a young mother dies during childbirth. Then she “haunts” her child, looking over her as she grows up to ensure that she’s safe. As a father I really glommed onto this concept. If I died I would want to stick around and make sure my family was safe, and do whatever I could to ensure they lived their remaining days happy and free from harm.

And since it was a free copy in return for a review, how could I refuse?

But I couldn’t finish it. In the story, each year the mother is required to “teach” one of the Ten Commandments to her child. That means every chapter you as the listener are forced to endure a lesson straight from the Old Testament, like a church sermon or a Sunday School lesson. This felt too patronizing.

I am a baptized and am confirmed Catholic. But I left the church a long time ago and based on my own experiences, have no inclination to return. Maybe it was just the wrong book at the wrong time.

From what I can research, this is the narrator's first audio book. For a first time, this was pretty good - much better than my first narration of a book. I really have no complaints over her performance. Nor did I hear anything glaring technically. I would have no problem listening to her read a different book.

I’m sure that there are other listeners out there who will love this book. But God and I have some reconciliation to do, just now is not the time. And I feel terrible about this because I feel I’m not giving the author her due. It’s just not for me.

This audio book was gifted to me by the author in exchange for an unbiased review.

Good book for all ages

This is an entertaining book for any age, if a bit sad. It held my attention from the beginning and I finished in one sitting. The narrator did a good job.

I received a free review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wished that change lives.

Any additional comments?

This is a fairly sad tale. The main character dies in childbirth in the first chapter and makes a deal to observe her newborn for 10 years. Contrasting her religion of worshipping their ancestors and keeping the ten commandments was difficult for Topaz. I don't want to give any spoilers, but I wish there had been some explanations given to Topaz to make her choices a little easier. I voluntarily reviewed this audio book after receiving an advanced copy that I requested.