Good, not great

Although you do not have read either of the two previous Aaron series (Heartstrikers and DFZ) set in the same world as By a Silver Thread before reading this book to follow the plot, I'd recommend it for two reasons: 1. The Heartstrikers series is one of the best light fantasy series I've read and Nice Dragons Finish Last is a better intro to the best of Rachel Aaron, and 2. Aaron does very little world-building in this first book of her DFZ Changeling series so I think you'd be a little disoriented if you have not been introduced to this world via one or both of the previous series.

If you have read the previous two series, you'll probably be as anxious as I was to pick this up because Rachel Aaron has created a very cool and interesting world full of great story potential and the previous series' were great (Heartstrikers) and good (DFZ). And having listened to By a Silver Thread, I won't tell you not to buy it, but I have to say I was disappointed. The biggest difference in the start of this new series is a decided lack of the humor that truly carried through all of Heartstrikers and much of DFZ. In addition, our main heroine, Lola, just didn't make the instant connection with me that I felt for Julius, Marci, or Opal. I think Lola could get better in later books, but she spends most of this first book literally falling apart. The plot is fairly engrossing (bit too heavy on the romance for my taste), side characters are well fleshed out, and the ending is classic - current crisis resolved, ongoing story arc continues in next book. The magical system is almost totally new and although much of the book is set in the DFZ, there seems to be a bit of disconnect with the great world building that has gone before. My final disappointment - no dragons in this one.

I have not listened to Naomi Rose-Mock's narration before, but she wasn't bad. She has a pleasant voice and does good character voices. I just had one quibble - she doesn't always enunciate clearly and her words are garbled enough that I had to rewind a few times to figure out what she said. After the brilliant performance of Vikas Adam for the Heartstrikers series, I might be setting the bar too high and I liked Rose-Mock enough to listen to other books she might narrate.

So, this is a "qualified" recommendation - Rachel Aaron delivers a good story with interesting characters and an engaging plot. It isn't as fun as some of the previous books set in the DFZ, but it has a lot of potential to get better with Book 2. I will try at least one more in this series in hopes that Ms. Aaron will turn up the humor and tone down the romance. (Oh, and, think about adding a dragon, Rachel!)

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7 people found this helpful

Mixed feelings, overall-good

I found Rachel Aaron through her DFZ Trilogy, which I really loved. Comparatively, this book was not as good.

Part of the issue with this one is definitely the narration. The narrator was almost monotone through most of the narration and spoke a little too fast/mumbled through much of it.

The pacing of the story was a little off, too, though. I liked Lola. She was, by far, the most developed character in the book. The others were mainly props and had little development of their own, although certain characters had the potential to be more... they just weren't. Honestly, most of the characters were pale copies of characters from the dfz Trilogy. Simon=Peter, Black Rider=Nick, Victor=Gamemaster

I didn't hate it, but it fell flat. I did like the plot and storyline, but execution left a lot to be desired.

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1 person found this helpful

Great story as always, so-so performance

Story is great as always, buy for that reason alone and to support the author's work 😁

It seems like audible didn't option this one for production, or the author wanted a bigger cut. I definitely don't begrudge her that as she is entitled to everything she creates.

That said, I have to critique the performance. The audio is inconsistent, ranging from reasonable to full potato, and in desperate need of de-essing. Narrator needs some noise insulating foam, a good quality mic boom and pop filter, and something to avoid smacking the mic.

Note for other listeners: the audio sounds significantly better with the bass turned up and audio configured to mono. This will normalize a lot of the less enjoyable mouth sounds.

Podium, Soundbooth theater, anyone please option the DFZ books! They're excellent and your audience would love them.

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Love the DFZ books

Another good book out of the DFZ. I love these and highly recommend anything from Rachel Aaron.

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not bad

I don't know how i feel about the mc, but it's over all a good book.

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Inconsistent distracting narration, story good

The story is fun and engaging but nowhere near as interesting as Minimum Wage Magic. Characters relatively flat, plot relatively predictable. Still a fun book that I enjoyed listening to.

I found the narration distracting. There was an accent--maybe an attempt at a Michigan accent?--that goes in and out and is present at times in all the characters' dialogue, even ones where it's incongruous (e.g., the British accent fey nobility). There isn't a lot of distinction between character voices beyond male/female and fey/human. Also, the narrator kept putting emphasis on the wrong word, as if she started a new line and retroactively understood the first part of the sentence and tried to recover. A good bit of stumbling over words for professional narration.

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Just so good! The best DFZ story yet - Aaron is hitting her stride

I was originally drawn into the Detroit Free Zone series with Minimum Wage Magic, one of the most delightful series I've read in a long time, full of great characters, an intriguing premise, and totally unique worldbuilding.

This Changeling series is even better - another outmatched woman who's up against great magical odds, choosing kindness and decency despite being treated with cruelty, and fighting for her survival and self-determination. Another sexy man with a tortured past (and one of the hottest / sweetest sex scenes I've ever read). I can't wait for the rest of this series!!

(I didn't love the much prior Good Dragon series, - while I enjoyed the central character, I got bogged down in the politics of ruthlessness. Not my thing, Aaron got a lighter touch over time.)

This first Changeling book takes place after the Minimum Wage Magic one, and has a nice nod to the DFZ's development since then that made me happy.

The narrator is really good! I was able to follow all the voices, and enjoyed it. Like others, I got distracted by her sometimes random pauses as she turned the page, but I'm guessing this is one of those narration tricks one picks up. She has a solid basis otherwise.

Highly highly recommend this book. Give it a try, it's a great fun read.

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Couldn't put it down

I read this in one afternoon. I was gripped by Lola's situation by the first chapter, and I reread a few chapters, and still finished it before going to bed.

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Yes! A new favorite series is born!

Thanks for creating an adventure and opening the door to many more. I’m ready for book 2!

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Complex and Wacky

Nice twist on Urban Fantasy from the "monsters" POV. Giving the story 5 stars more for it's potential. It's a look into what are considered minor characters, that they have lives and problems too.

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