Rating: ★★★ | 11 hours 5 min | Forever/Self-published | Contemporary | 12/17/14 |
I’ve been reviewing on this blog since 2015 and I’ve never read New Adult, a subgenre I generally define as a first person contemporary romance novel with characters between the ages of 18-25 that features tragic backstories, intensely felt emotions plus a deluge of internal and external conflicts—which is exactly what I got from Archer’s Voice. But it also feeds into the “escape to a small town” trope which I think gives it immediate cross over appeal.
After witnessing the brutal murder of her father Bree gets in the car and drives to the last place she remembers her family being happy–Pelion, Maine. The small lakeside town is a respite and during a chance encounter Bree runs into Archer Hale, the town outcast who lost his family in a tragic accident that also stole his voice. Both Archer and Bree are fluent in sign language; for the first time in a long time someone can hear Archer’s voice and the secrets he’s been holding.
Heartfelt and hopeful, Archer’s Voice features a non-traditional hero, not just because he can’t speak but because he’s been isolated for years with only his schizophrenic uncle; making him naive and anxious, and you guessed it. . . a virgin hero. Of course he bides his time doing stone masonry which makes him super built, cause you know. . .romance novel.
Structurally this book caught me off guard.A large portion of the book is Bree’s POV and we only get Archer’s POV from when he was a child. So, when adult Archer’s POV is thrown in it’s jarring and that’s particularly true in an audiobook.
Speaking of audio, Emily Durante just has a VOICE for New Adult. It’s this young endearing girl-next-door voice that is a fit for a girl in her early twenties. Kris Koscheski is a new to me narrator and he knows how to add an affect to his tone when he’s voicing a child. He only does a few chapters, but I’m intrigued enough to see what else he’s done.
A New Adult for those who doesn’t think New Adult is for them.
I saw the paperback cover that Forever is set to release in 2018. It looks like an expy of Collen Hoover’s exploding flower covers.