Ruby's books: Audiobook Tour Book Review: Flash Point by C.L. Schneider

Audiobook Blog Tour: Flash Point by C.L. Schneider

Author: C.L. Schneider
Series: Nite Fire, Book 1
Narrator: Cassandra King
Audience: +18
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: C.L. Schneider
Length: 15 hours 51 minutes
Release Date: Nov. 30, 2018
My Rating: 4 Cups
Source: Audiobookworm Promotions
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Slated for execution, shape-shifting assassin Dahlia Nite flees her world to hide in the human realm. As payment for the shelter they unknowingly provide, Dahlia dedicates herself to protecting humans from what truly lives in the shadows. Moving from town to town, she hunts the creatures that threaten an unsuspecting human race, burying the truth that could destroy them all.

But the shadows are shifting. The lies are adding up. When Sentinel City is threatened by a series of bizarre brutal murders, light is shed on what should never be seen. The secrets that have kept humanity in the dark for centuries are in danger of being exposed.

Wrestling with a lifetime of her own deceptions, Dahlia investigates the killings while simultaneously working to conceal their circumstances. But with each new murder, the little bit of peace she has found in this world begins to crumble. Each new clue leads her to the one place she thought to never go again: home.

Flash Point is the first audiobook in the Nite Fire series.

*Disclaimer: I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by C.L. Schneider. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

An urban fantasy book centered around dragons? Yes please and thank you. That was my reaction when I first heard about Flash Point and I knew I had to sign up. Then the story and the narrator made me want to stick around and never leave this world.

There's nothing I love more than a good murder mystery paired with dangerous but fascinating creatures. It's been a while since I read a book with a world building this complex, but I absolutely loved it. This is also my first C.L. Schneider book and I was very impressed.

Flash Point is the story of Dahlia, a shape-shifting assassin that ran away from execution because of a mistake she made many years ago. Her exile took her to Earth, where she tries to live her life with a purpose. And what better way to achieve that than to protect humans from other worlds that want to prey on them?

Dahlia was a very interesting character. An ex assassin that had a moment of weakness, she's forced to hide her true self in the human world. Her dedication to keeping innocents as far away from her world as possible was something I truly admired. I loved how she didn't take crap from anyone, even when her life was in danger. And boy, was it in danger a few times during this story.

The serial killer aspect is probably one of my favorite tropes to read about and this author made a really good job delivering it. The danger and the suspense were present from the very start and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I love how Dahlia was able to use her abilities to see beyond what the humans were able to see at the crime scenes, and something that happened during one of her investigations had me very intrigued. I truly enjoyed this side of the story.

Flash Point introduced a lot of characters, and while at times it was hard to remember all of them, I found that the narration helped out a lot with that. Cassandra King is a brilliant narrator and paired with a rich story I felt that it was the best combo I could have asked for. King managed to keep all characters separate, and she has an amazing range, making each and every single character sound different. She could also go through all of the emotions possible, and she could actually make me feel the anger or sadness or desperation in Dahlia and other characters. I thought she did a brilliant job and I hope the sequel is narrated by her as well.

I had a really good time reading this book. I thought the pacing was amazing, and I was kept glued to my headphones until the early hours of the morning because I just didn't want to press Pause. I am very excited to see what happens next. All in all, a really good urban fantasy story, just like the ones I love. I'll definitely check out more books by this author.

C.L. Schneider is an award-winning author of immersive fantasy fiction, including The Crown of Stones Trilogy and the Nite Fire Series. Born in a small Kansas town on the Missouri river, she penned her first novel at age sixteen on a typewriter in her parent’s living room. She currently resides in New York’s scenic Hudson Valley with her husband and two sons. To learn more about C.L. Schneider, and the worlds she creates, visit clschneiderauthor.com where you can read reviews and excerpts, subscribe to her newsletter, and join her Street Team. An active part of the indie author online community, you can often find her on social media, chatting about the daily ups and downs of a writer’s life.

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Cassandra is a professional actor from New York. She works with a private acting trainer and has been making her way into the voice over world. Becoming an audiobook narrator was a great way to combine her desire to act and her passion for literature. She is currently working on book 2 of the Nite Fire series entitled 'Chain Reaction' as well as a Warhammer 30k fan film called 'Death of Hope'. In addition to reading and acting, Cassandra also enjoys anime, sports, cooking, and traveling.