The Mystery of Nevermore

I have to admit that I am not a mystery fan and so my critique of this story is more heavily weighted on the "romance" side of things than the mystery. I think, like Mary, that the mystery was pretty engaging and that fans of Poe will probably love diving into this story for all it's bloody goodness.

The fact that Neil is still part of Sebastian's life at the beginning of the story made me a bit uncomfortable, and that, coupled with how - relatively - quickly he went from Calvin being a new lover to "in love" with Calvin - didn't sit well with my sentimental heart. The initial love scene between them put a bad taste in my mouth for the rest of the story- unfortunately - and I never did warm to these two as a couple. I'm a sap and I just can't help it!

In any case, I really enjoyed Derrick's narration. He is so easy to listen to, the sound quality excellent and he has excellent timing- clearly understanding the importance as it applies to both humor and suspense. He shows a great breadth in characterization, too. He made both a convincing nerd in Sebastian and growly Alpha in Calvin - as well as some very creative secondary characters that included women! Well done!

So for the writing, mystery, romance - I'd give this a 3 of 5 stars and the narration 5 of 5 stars to round up to an overall experience of 4 of 5 stars

A brilliantly funny, marvelous mystery. Derrick McClain gives a masterful performance. A magical listening experience.