4 Wine Glass #Audio #Review of Danger's Halo by Amanda Carlson

 

Title: Danger’s Halo
Series: Holly Danger Book #1
Author: Amanda Carlson
Narrator: Emma Wilder
Format: Unabridged Audio Book (7 hrs and 5 mins)
Published: 11 Sept 2017 (Amanda Carlson, Inc.)
ISBN: ASIN: B075G129PG
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Audible
Reviewer: Linda
Source: Received thru an online audio review group
Rating: 4 out of 5 Wine Glasses

Holly Danger's current assignment, gleaned from a set of foggy instructions and a handful of coin stuffed into a slot, is to pick up a street kid who's about to terminate himself off a cliff. And, as a rule, she doesn't turn down currency. Her job as a salvager keeps her fed and clothed above the norm, which isn't saying much.

The norm in this city is a scrape-by existence in a post-apocalyptic world, where the rain never stops, food is always scarce, and the elite have deserted the ranks in search of something better. Picking up this urchin won't take much time, even if he's located outside city limits. Her craft is fast, her weapons deadly, and her tech has been optimized as well as it can be for a climate clogged with iron dust.

But things take a big turn when she decides to become the boy's guardian instead of hand him over. Outskirts have descended on the city, and their plans don't include playing nice. When her crew is backed against a graphene wall, it's a good thing her Gem is primed and ready to go. It's almost as deadly as she is...

Your Thoughts:
Danger’s Halo heralds the exciting debut of author Amanda Carlson’s new post-apocalyptic science fiction series set one hundred fifty years into the future. I’m a huge fan of Amanda’s and have inhaled everything I’ve ever read by her. As far as I know, this is the first time she’s ever ventured into sci-fi – but, no worries, she clearly has it aced. This series revolves around a smart, strong and capable kickass heroine, Holly Danger, a talented salvager with trust issues in the futuristic world Amanda has created. Holly prefers to work alone, but she has a close-knit team populated by a colorful assortment of characters that provide backup when needed.

The bare bones scenario of the world is that life on planet earth has become a daily hazardous struggle after humanity was nearly destroyed by a meteor strike. Meager remaining resources are dwindling with every passing day. The future looks even bleaker.  Power plays are the name of the game and the government that is left has no care for the survivors trying to eke out an existence.

As the story opens, Holly has been hired to track down and return a street kid to a mysterious client. The client has promised to pay with hard-to-come-by coin so this isn’t a job she wants to ignore. She easily finds him, but what should be a quick and easy job, swiftly becomes complicated when she sees herself at that age in him, and, in a spur of the moment decision uncharacteristic of Holly, offers to protect and sustain him for a year instead of turning him over to her client. Of course, this agreement is predicated on the kid’s decision not to end it all by jumping off the cliff he’s currently perched on. Thankfully, an agreement is reached and brave and vulnerable Daze becomes Holly’s responsibility for a year, setting off multiple repercussions - most notably placing Holly and her team squarely in the cross hairs of the powerful and influential client Holly stiffed by not returning Daze to him.

Please find a few of my favorite quotes from Danger’s Halo:

“Does everything you own stink?” 
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“Daze was within a daze.” 
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“Darby, stop fondling my batteries.” 

This is not a romance. If you are looking for a romance, look elsewhere… though that may change further into the series as a character is introduced herein who may evolve into that. I hope so, but it’s way too early to tell.

Emma Wilder provides the excellent narration for Danger’s Halo. I’ve never listened to her previously, but I thoroughly enjoyed this audio edition. Her voice is crystal clear and easy to understand from the get-go. Her pacing is spot-on and she exudes the expected emotions. Her character voices seem appropriate for each persona and they are consistent throughout. The result is a polished performance and pure listening pleasure. I wouldn’t hesitate to pick up another audio by her based on this experience.

This opening salvo was an intriguing, fast-paced. non-stop adventure teeming with suspense and danger. The story line hooked my attention from the get-go and didn’t let up until the very end, keeping me on the edge of my seat for much of the ride. I really enjoyed this first installment and can’t wait to see where Amanda is going to take these characters and this series next.  If you enjoy futuristic adventures with amazing characters, strap yourself into Holly’s craft which she named “Luce” and hang on!



Suggested Reading Order: 
Danger’s Halo (Book #1)
Danger’s Vice (Book #2)
Danger’s Race (Book #3)
Danger’s Cure (Book #4)
Danger’s Hunt (Book #5)