Cutting Your Teeth

Cursed Corpses, Book 1

By: Caylan MacRae

Narrated by: Richard Pendragon

Length: 11 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

Ezra Santos is tired of running. Of burning bridge after bridge and going through new names like used matches. He desperately wants something he was never destined to have—a future all his own.

Having escaped his hell of a home two years ago, he can’t go a day without looking over his shoulder. Putting down roots was never in the cards when the family that raised Ezra relentlessly hunts him across the country. Right as he’s about to restart the cycle—new name, new life, the whole nine yards—his plans come to a screeching halt when he crosses paths with a mysterious and charismatic vampire, Killian Hale.

He promises a way out from a life on the run. Ezra knows there's no helping a man with the devil on his heels—but there's something about Killian that makes him believe he could finally break free of the Espinas once and for all. It’s only a matter of time before the clock winds down and the rest of Ezra's troubles come home to roost. There's something sinister in his blood—a dark fate passed down through generations. Can the two survive an ancient family curse, or will Ezra doom them both?

©2023 Caylan MacRae (P)2023 Caylan MacRae

Welcome to the Cult of Killian Hale

I loved the overall story, and found the characters easy to connect with/believe. I related to Ezra most, as someone who also had to overcome some family history and learn to accept themselves for who they are. Killian was quite charming, and I loved the small flits of Gaelic that were dusted through the story. The balance between horror, romance, action, and supernatural is a nice lil rollercoaster that sneaks up on you like a ninja. Rain's voice was well done for the characters, as best he could be, considering there's a lot of characters (more than two).

Non-Traditional, Creative and Fun!

Ezra Santos is being hunted relentlessly by a most ruthless hunter – members of his own family! To help protect Ezra, Killian steps in and manages to save Ezra several times. A bond is forming between these two friends that will develop into much more provided no one succeeds in killing them first!

The author, Caylan MacRae creatively crafts a world around Ezra that is entertaining, full of conflict, and edgy. There were several plot twists that kept the listener focused on the story and characters. The connections between the different characters were well executed and added to the storyline perfectly. The dialogue and secrets being kept were intriguing and flowed with the story well. The characters were well-developed and took on a life of their own, especially given their different relationships. The romances were well-structured and tasteful.

The narrator, Richard Pendragon delivered a solid performance that was not only entertaining but further enhanced the storyline. The essence of each character was projected well and consistently with each voice. The energy and emotions of the situations and characters were richer for his performance.

Having not read the summary of the book beforehand enabled the largest plot twist to blindside me in a mouth-dropping manner! I was not expecting the supernatural twist! Well done and a must-listen.

There were no issues with the quality or production of this audiobook.

Ok

I found this was quite a good story but it seem a
little slow at times.
I think a young adult male or female would enjoy it.
Just the right balance of drama and mystery and the touch
of romance.
The narrator did a reasonable job of bringing the book alive.
I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this audiobook.

A well done vampire urban fantasy

Richard Pendragon’s narration was great and added to the overall enjoyment for me.

The novel is a modern vampire urban fantasy. It starts with Ezra’s final boxing match before he’s ready to skip town again. Enter Killian, his last opponent, and so much more. From there, the novel spirals out of control, with estrangement and loss, deception and deceit. Oh, and vampires of course.

Through no fault of Ezra’s, naturally, some awful things happen to him, and therefore little choice is left when an injury threatens his life. Waking up a vampire certainly changes things, but I loved how grounded the novel read. The author does a great job of keeping the story going as it already was, only amping things up and adding in more supernatural elements over time. It made it read as a very personal story.

I also enjoyed the various bits that the author changed about what people think of vampires, especially as they were all done very underhandedly, which made them feel real to the story itself. Stakes to the heart, bullets, blood, this is a world of its own. I did like that there was a concert scene, as well as some later on werewolves, both of which felt like an Underworld club scene-esque nod.

The ending had stakes, the emotional connect was well made, and the somewhat supernatural explosion at the end read as warranted. This is not a typical read for me, but boy did I enjoy it. It was refreshing and different.

This was a nice quick read.

This was a great queer adventure. Like gay twilight but with the cartel. The performance has some good voices, but the main one is very robotic. Felt it was a bit rushed in the last part of the book. Could have done with a bit of spice but is good for what it is.

Absolutely loved it!

The story had a lot of heart and grit, with some fantastic action. I was on the edge of my seat the whole book. Very excited to read the next in the series when it comes out, and will be keeping an eye on this author in the future!