Acquired Audiobook By: I started to listen to audiobooks in [2016] as a way to offset my readings of print books whilst noting there was a rumour about how audiobooks could help curb chronic migraines as you are switching up how your reading rather than allowing only one format to be your bookish choice. As I found colouring, knitting and playing solitaire agreeable companions to listening to audiobooks, I embarked on a new chapter of my reading life where I spend time outside of print editions of the stories I love reading and exchange them for audio versions.
Through hosting for Audiobookworm Promotions, I’ve expanded my knowledge of authors who are producing audio versions of their stories whilst finding podcasters who are sharing their bookish lives through pods. Meanwhile, I am also curating my own wanderings in audio via my local library who uses Overdrive for their digital audiobook catalogue wherein I can also request new digital audiobooks to become added to their OverDrive selections. Aside from OverDrive I also enjoy having Audible & Scribd memberships as my budget allows. It is a wonderful new journey and one I enjoy sharing – I have been able to expand the percentage of how many audios I listen to per year since 2018.
I received a complimentary ALC audiobook (mp3) copy of “Netherfield: Rogue Dragon” via Audiobookworm Promotion who is working with Benjamin Fife on this blog tour in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
What I loved about the first novel in this series “Pemberley: Mr Darcy’s Dragon”:
We retreat back into the world lit alive by Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett in a rather charming viewing of this family’s evening traditions. It is here were we find the incomparable Mrs Bennett still with a glint of criticism to share on her observations of her family and Lizzie herself, who is gathering requests for a story to be told about dragons. The young boys in her presence are besotted with the idea – barely able to contain themselves or the immediate glee they are experiencing over the prospect of what Lizzie might tell them about their favourite creature. And, thus our entrance into the Jane Austen Dragons series begins as if we never left this world at all – well, except with one minor difference, the last time I visited dragons were never whispered about nor aptly disclosed.
It is in this children’s story about the back history of dragons we first caught a glimpse of the first human who could interact with dragons due to his ability to ‘hear’ them; an unfamiliar trait amongst humans who previously were unable to communicate with dragons previously. This man was Uther Pendragon. And, thus the back lineage of dragons and humans is explained through how our original contacts with dragons began quite humbly and how Pendragon forged a unique capacity for peace with the dragon king he had met and of whom had given him gifts to takeaway with him. This was an interesting section of the story as it set down the tradition of how men kept falcons and why women kept birds; a seemingly uninteresting habit and yet, if you were to view this with the back history of how this tradition was manifested first through the meetings of dragons, it gives new meaning behind why humans have feathered companions.
This was a beautiful segue moment – where you can view this world in one dimensional lens and re-view it through the dimensional lens Ms Grace is writing for us to find disclosed. It was shortly after the bedtime story concluded where we first understood who Lizzie’s feathered companion really is and how she fits into the history of dragons inside this world. It is a slow building arc towards showcasing how most of the inhabitants still believe themselves to be living a rather ordinary experience – to see the non-magical elements round them and taking that as stock for what is truly the reality they know and love. Yet, behind that veilled reality there is a keener one, a more fantastical one which is seeking to merge into known history and the perceptional assumption everyone had already made about their own living sphere. It here I felt Ms Grace made a wonderful gesture towards breaking us out of the tradition of Pride and Prejudice and what we knew of the Regency to exchange it for this wholly new set of rules and traditions for this new world emerging into our view. I found it as fascinating of a transition as I had previously when I first learnt the word muggle and the differences therein in a universe just as fantastical as this one.
Ms Grace took us through a conjoined and mutually admired lens of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice storyline – keeping us clued into the familiar and then taking us into heightened new additions – not just the dragons but how she constructed this world ‘behind’ the lore and legend which has become the Jane Austen universe. It is in that breadth of entrance I could definitely see why the narrator Mr Fife was talking to me in my forthcoming interview about how expansive this world is going to become – because it isn’t locked into strictly resonating with our memories of Pride but will endeavour itself to re-transition through different components of theory and thought from each of Austen’s novels.
I truly loved her instincts – such as how she put in a new reason and central arc of intrigue into why the soldiers would be in Meryton and how this had a cross-effect of importance with the dragons. Similarly to how she enlarged the mindfulness of understanding why female heirs were not giving real estate and how this new component of needing a Dragon Keeper (a person who can hear and see dragons) is just as relevant as the old rules for the entailled property to go to a male heir. She takes the traditions of the story itself and then re-visualises how it can become augmented into a dragon society living adjacent and cohabitating with the humans who reside here. I found it wicked brilliant!
If you haven’t read Pride and Prejudice in a long while this is a wonderful re-visitation of the story – as Maria Grace aligns you so wholly true to where Jane Austen took us into her novel. The added benefit is the secondary arc wherein the dragons reign alongside the ton and country society the Bennett’s have become renown. As you take this journey each new corridor of the original story is re-explored and re-heightened by the presence of Grace’s dragons. It is hard not to spoilt what you will find within this new series because of how readily true she has written her world into Austen’s and vice versa. You almost question which of the world’s came first – even knowing the answer and that is a mark of a wicked good storycrafter who has given those of us who love Austen a new experience of her stories!
-quoted from my review of Pemberley: Mr Darcy’s Dragon
Netherfield: Rogue Dragon
Subtitle: Jane Austen's Dragons Book Three
by Maria Grace
Source: Audiobook via Audiobookworm Promotions
Narrator: Benjamin Fife
Elizabeth Bennet thought she was prepared to do anything to make the Dragon Conclave accept her beloved young dragon Pemberley into the Blue Order, but she had not anticipated it would leave her banished from her ancestral home and betrothed to none other than Mr. Darcy. But before Elizabeth and Darcy wed, they must find a dangerous rogue dragon before it provokes a war amongst the dragons and brings the fragile peace between dragons and mankind to a catastrophic end.
Nothing written in the annals of dragon lore has prepared Elizabeth to manage a dragon not governed by the Blue Order. Dragons have always loved her, but this one finds her arrogant, selfish and insensitive to others. With only her instincts to guide her, she must convince the rogue of her good intentions before the Blue Order loses patience and decides on more drastic measures.
Called away to the other side of the kingdom, trying to settle the dragons' unrest, Darcy learns the nature of the force poisoning the rogue dragon against Elizabeth. One nearer and dearer than they could have imagined.
Can Elizabeth and Darcy convince with rogue dragon to cooperate before darker forces turn it against them, without destroying the fragile bonds uniting the couple?
Places to find the book:
ISBN: 9780998093772
Also by this author: Pemberley: Mr Darcy's Dragon, Narrator Interview (Jane Austen's Dragons), Longbourn: Dragon Entail
Also in this series: Pemberley: Mr Darcy's Dragon, Longbourn: Dragon Entail
Published by Self Published
on To Be Announced (audiobook)
Format: Audiobook | mp3
Pages: 369
The Jane Austen Dragons series:
A Proper Introduction to Dragons (prequel)
Pemberley: Mr Darcy’s Dragon (book one) (see also Review)
Longbourn: Dragon Entail (book two) (see also Review)
Netherfield: Rogue Dragon (book three)
Formats Available: Trade Paperback, Audiobook* and Ebook
*slight delay in the release date but it is releasing soon!
Converse via: #JaneAustensDragons + #AudioReads, #Audiobook
as well as #Pemberley, #MrDarcy OR #LizzieAndDarcy
& #JaneAusten, #PrideAndPrejudice #aftercanon
as we shift forward in the series:
As we were exiting Longbourn: Dragon Entail – we learnt more about the Dragon Concave – wherein we get to see how dragons are a very organised and have an order of courts in order to process the rule of their land(s). This includes researching which of their dragon keepers and friends might be crossing certain lines of indiscretion which seek to place all dragons in harm. They rule to make choices which will maintain the sanctity of their species and their unknown status amongst most of the population they live alongside. The ways in which they order rule is very similar to our modern courts – everyone has the chance to speak their piece (the defendants, the accused and witnesses alike) and once the rule comes down from the Dragon Concave itself – those rules become law.
I especially thought it was interesting how they decided to deal with Mr Collins and how Collins himself was beyond perplexed about why his life has become increasingly complicated! The persons of whom I felt the worst for were Lizzie and Pemberley – as they felt like the two who were caught betwixt and between the events of others who were dictating their own futures. The approach to narrate these older dragons who oversee their society were performed brilliantly because their voices are far deeper than most dragons and they command attention once they start to speak – as they should! I felt the ending of this installment left several open doors in regards to the continuity of where we must go from here.
And, of my dear sweet wild Lydia! If you think she was the wildchild of the Bennett sisters previously – goodness! Wait til you find out the kind of complicated chaos she’s causing in this series! This is where I felt the pacing of the series excelled as Ms Grace draws you through the original canon but took certain breaks in sequencing the original canon with the insertion of her own variant; thus, giving you a broader ‘story’ overall and inclusive of what you’re expecting to happen inbetween the events you can’t quite imagine til you hear them!
Yet, it is what the Dragon Concave chose to do with Lizzie and how their sense of justice put her in a very uncertain path – I was dearly curious to see what would become of her in the months leading out from this newfound revelation about Longbourn (the dragon) and how her own heart was left to mourn what she was losing but with a small bit of hopefulness of how someone unexpected came to her rescue.
my review of netherfield: rogue dragon:
I felt this third installment was beginning on a similar vein of uncertainty as the Lady Darby series – as Lizzie was no longer in good favour with her family, with dragonkind or anyone else she might have previously felt knew her beyond what was being presumed. Counter to her uncertain path – Mary has the full brunt of the weight of her new duties to make her feel like imploding under the pressures of what is now expected of her in the wake of Lizzie’s new path. I never took Mary as having the same kind of moxie and strength of her sister Lizzie, not that she can’t learn to endure as her sister had but there was something about her which led me to believe she was not willing to do with was needed of her. She was completely out of step with the legacy of Longbourn (the estate) and she was not as willing to understand why her family (the Bennett’s) must keep themselves within the dragon society they were meant to work within to keep the peace between their species.
It led me to wonder if Mary was under an influence she could not pin down (ie. by a dragon) – either that or she was not fully thinking of the ramifications of her own recent actions to takeover for Lizzie. I felt she was either going to be determined extremely selfish in her pursuit of what suited her best or she was just a foolish girl who didn’t understand the fuller scope of how serious their situation had become with the Dragon Concave. Meanwhile as Lizzie and Darcy take up the chase to seek Lydia’s whereabouts north in Scotland – they have to take accomendations as they can find them which led them to some interesting situations! Laughs. Walker was Darcy’s dragon companion who was the one Darcy could rely on to give him the news he needed as it was needed to be known. I have enjoyed watching the growth of Walker in the series – he’s as important to Darcy as April is to Lizzie. They each give their humans not just companionship but ready friendship and keen insight into other dragons; something which aides them both whenever they have encounters they might feel more challenging than others in the past.
Lydia is confusing Lizzie because of how she’s changing her habits and her impulsive actions are leaving Lizzie with more concern than solid answers as to why she took flight. This concern was shared by Darcy but there was nothing they can do except to continue to search for her and hope they will find her before anything else untoward happens to Lydia or anyone else in her company. Concurrent to this adventure, the Netherfield Rogue Dragon is causing its own distress to everyone because they cannot pin the dragon down and better understand why there is a rogue dragon living at Netherfield – thus placing Jane and Bingley in danger. I regret we didn’t get to see as much of Jane and Bingley in this series as I felt Ms Grace focused more on Mary than Jane. The irony for me is that I have better memories of Jane than I ever had of Mary! Isn’t that interesting? Seeing Mary as I have in this series, I cannot say I was swayed to learn more about her as she vexes me more than she amuses me for her nonsensical actions and shared opinions.
There is a lot of affection between the dragon companions and their humans – similar to our companions in fur (ie. cats and dogs) these dragons can empathically understand when their presence is needed and how a nudge of love is most welcome. This was especially true as Lizzie was learning about what her options were as a soon to be married woman (as her marriage is now becoming a state of convenience than one of love) and yet, she was much more concerned about the status of how the estate dragons are being placed in danger by others who do not respect their place in their lives. Even more confounding is how Lydia was working with Wickham to cause duress to her family longer than they first realised. This is another moment in the series were coded messages and/or older languages have become a key component towards highlighting the suspense behind the timeline of the regular events.
I loved learning about how the dragons maintain their records and how important it is for them to have not just a spoken language but one that is written. They are very advanced society except not everyone understands their fuller histories nor understand how to write their own language. This became a note of curiosity to me – as I was trying to sort out why for all their progress, they were still self-discovering their own lineage and their own cultural heritage. I was curious if that is part of what was fuelling their structural and entailed rules about how dragons and humans are forced into contracted relationships generationally constrained.
Hearing Longbourn’s aggressive defensive voice did not surprise me in the least! He had such a firey reaction when Lizzie was speaking on her own behalf in front of the Dragon Concave and that didn’t suit him at all. They have had an uneasy connection since then and thus, hearing his voice booming again to give the impression he has not forgiven her even now was rather fitting with what was previously disclosed of his nature. Longbourn has a very distinct reaction to when he feels he’s lost trust with humans – thus, it is hard to move forward with him because there is no reasoning against his own thoughts and his own opinions on the events that occurred between them.
There is a beautiful thread of continuity with Lizzie’s appreciation for dragonart and how this artwork has led her to sleuth out what those pieces of art could connect with in overall arc of what has been going on ‘behind the Pride and Prejudice‘ timeline. On a curious note, despite loving the creative energy put into the art itself, she is confounded by what first inspired the art being created – it led her to find more encouragement in sorting through Lydia’s coded messages and this is where we see how she loves to use her mind towards intellectual pursuits. Darcy for his part, appreciated this about Lizzie because he saw the beauty of who she is whereas others only see something they can lay fault on her shoulders; Darcy by contrast likes to lift her in praise rather than continue to subject her to criticism which I think he even realises was a bit ill-placed.
The reunion of the sisters (Lydia and Lizzie) was a favourite scene of mine because of how it presented a reason for the sisters to speak openly with each other. We get to see how Lydia has been processing her experiences with dragonkind what kind of impact that has had on her own experiences. I especially enjoyed seeing Netherfield – each of the titles in this series are relating to the estate dragons and Netherfield is quite an unusual dragon in how he is a bit more soft spoken and he has a voice which isn’t as confident as Longbourn but he has quite his own mind about things which doesn’t quite align with the Dragon Concave’s rules either!
Each time we meet a new dragon we see how each of these dragons interpret their own rules and how the humans who interact with them (as keepers or friends) are trying to maintain the peace between both societies even if there are situations they can’t always understand until one of the dragons reveals what is happening without their purview. This is how Lizzie realises the further importance of properly raising the children in a dragon keeper’s family to better understand the gravity of their responsibilities. As Lydia’s actions placed everyone in jeopardy due to her ignorance and due to her impulsive actions which sought to undermine the accord in place between dragons and humans alike. It is this vein of interest which Grace fuses into the timeline of the story in such a way as to present it as if it were the leading climax of the first three stories of the series itself.
The time we spent getting to know Pemberley was in order for us as readers to respect how careful humans must be around new hatchlings of dragonkind. How imperative it is to have patience to keep watch over the young dragons and to learn how protecting them is in effect protecting us. Whilst pursuing the rogue dragon Netherfield sought to show how dangerous it is to muddle with dragons and to take actions rooted out of an incapacity to understand them can lead to further problems in the longterm. It is one thing to toil with one’s own life and to act reckless in your own affairs but with the Bennett’s they were meant to be skilled dragon keepers in order to lead by example. Of course, that legacy of theirs wasn’t quite as reputable now but there was hope that perhaps through their experiences they can impart wisdom to other families and help rebuild the trust which certain persons started to erase with the Dragon Concave.
on the fantastical after canon styling of maria grace:
I felt it was a good move on Grace’s part to keep the allure of intrigue (in regards to Mr Darcy and Lizzie) throughout the first two installments – to collide into a symphony of their own romance in the third. It is one of those long drawn out (slow burning) romances that you love to watch develop because for the most part – in this variant and the original canon, they are not friends to lovers but rather they are arch nemesis’s of witty exchanges where they locked heads in their stubbornness, their prideful personality and their prejudicial behaviour tendencies.
They were both blinded by their inability to see each other on equal ground – mostly due to their stations in society but also because there are layers of deception which sought to destroy them before they ever first began to draw closer together. Those key moments of their relationship are lovingly restored and built inside this world – with the addition of their dragon companions (Walker, April) and the responsibilities of their estate dragons (Longbourn, Pemberley) as much as the complexities of the wider complications when others seek to work against them or rather, to undermine their efforts which would affect how the Dragon Concave would view them and held accountable. I felt the original canon was beautifully honoured and then as it help constructed the foundation of this new world – it lead-in to where Ms Grace could take us next as she wanders through Austen’s canon and re-bridges new characters and new situations into her dragon world!
Fantastical Elements:
→ Hybrid creatures like the cat-snake Rumblkins who was really a Tatzelwurm
→ Dragons have telepath or empathic powers of influence over humans
→ A wholly fully realised dragon society including their own legends, cultural history with a spoken and written language!
In regards to the audiobook, directly:
I am appreciative of Ms Jess providing a cursory outline of how best to articulate my listening hours on behalf of this audiobook and the others I shall be blogging about or reviewing in future. I’ve modified the suggestions to what I felt were pertinent to respond too on my own behalf as well as keeping to the questions I felt were relevant to share.
Number of Times I’ve heard the Narrator(s):
This is the third time I’ve listened to the narration styling of Benjamin Fife.
Regards to the Narrator’s Individual Character performances:
The characters we all know & love within the context of ‘Pride & Prejudice’:
Lizzie: Due to how her life has become severely upturnt – her voice is more sombering in this third installment; nearly without the confidence we know she has within her and with a bit of a questioning tone of self-recrimination because of how the actions of others are now influencing her life in the present. You feel she has remorse and regret for some of what has come to pass and for others? She is the victim of having circumstances out of your control supersede your own truths and thereby she is striving towards finding a way ‘out’ of those circumstances and keeping her chin up as she does.
Darcy: Darcy shines in this installment – mostly as this is one where he has more scenes and more importance of being present for most of the novel rather than coming in and out as needed in the former two installments. He has a protective voice about him when Lizzie is round and he is the encouraging voice of reason she needs right now – whilst he also has his own opinions about how to resolve most of what is changing round them. He truly stepped forward to do right by the Dragon Concave but also in regards to Lizzie.
And, the dragons themselves:
Pemberley: I am unsure of Mr Fife was able to maintain the youthfulness of Pemberley’s voice but he has – consistently since she first was hatched! She has matured as all dragons do but she has maintained her more innocent language and word usage; which endears you to her because of how others round her are not as innocent! She has a heart of gold and I loved seeing how she could grow, adapt and be a strong presence in Lizzie and Darcy’s lives.
Netherfield: Of all the dragons, I found Netherfield to be the most conceited and selfish; it was truly a bad trait of his and he truly did not want to encourage any kind of relationship with humans. He felt to me to be the least likely dragon anyone could bond as he had this attitude of self-serving his own interests and putting others second if his own needs could be benefited first.
April & Walker: April’s voice still has a high squeak about it but she has such an endearing presence in the stories, you forgive her for this squawk! Laughs. Walker sounds more like Darcy – not that its an even match but where April is more subjected to her emotions, Walker is more like a Vulcan in how he chooses to use his logic and reason than leaning on emotional responses. They are both a ready presence in Lizzie and Darcy’s lives and I have enjoyed watching their presence grow as the series has moved forward.
How the story sounded to me as it was being Read: (theatrical or narrative)
I still maintain this is a spoken narrative audiobook – where you are treated to a revolving cast of characters between humans and dragons; where each new voice presented has its own unique particulars of resounding as themselves in your ears – meaning, you can definitely ascertain who is who whenever the fuller cast is in-scene together. The dragons have a different pitch set than the humans and I felt this was a stronger vocalisation than the first installment because of how Fife was showcasing his confidence for the roles and for the story at hand. It was a very enjoyable presentation and one that draws you back into the series to the point you wish to hear more of it.
Regards to Articulation & Performance of the story:
I felt there was a lot of growth between Pemberley: Mr Darcy’s Dragon and Longbourn: Dragon Entail as the characters felt even more well-rounded and presented in this installment than the first. I’ve grown accustomed to how they sound now and evenso, I found Fife’s performance has grown and matured into a confidence of articulation as well. Even the way he’s choosing to bring back the elder characters vs the younger ones sounds better to my ear but it is his overall approach to voicing the characters and drawing us further into the world set round them that I loved the most to discover.
Notes on the Quality of Sound & the Background Ambiance:
The quality of the sound was free of background disturbances and distractions – a very crisp production for this audiobook where you can simply hear Fife narrating the novel and not worry about an other interruptions to distract you. There wasn’t any additional ambiance sounds in the background – such as overtures or musical interludes – either in the beginning or between chapters and sections either. It was simply a clean sound setting wherein you could hear Fife’s voice and listen to how Maria Grace developed the story to unfold.
Preference after listening to re-Listen or pick up the book in Print?
Previously I felt it would be a key benefit to have the print copies in hand as I go to re-listen to this series in audiobook. However, somewhere between the first and second novels, I’ve sorted out the rhythm, pacing and world-building to where I felt I could re-align into this second novel with more ease than the first. Knowing this – I would believe that I could continue to listen to the series as it progresses (even past these initial three) to where I might not need the books in print in order to maintain my connection to Ms Grace’s world, characters and the curiosity I have developed for her dragons!
In closing, would I seek out another Benjamin Fife audiobook?
I can definitely see him a good fit for traditional Classical Fiction releases as well as a continuing grace for approaching the after canons and/or seeking out other stories within the Speculative realms! I look forward to following his career and seeing what develops as time goes by.
If you missed it – I shared my interview with Mr Fife.
Whilst I also shared my thoughts on Books One & Books Two of this series!
This blog tour is courtesy of Audiobookworm Promotions:
Be sure to follow the blog tour route to see what else awaits you!
Listening to this audiobook contributed to some of my 2020 reading challenges:
{SOURCES: Book Cover for “Pemberley: Mr Darcy’s Dragon”, “Longborn: Dragon Entail” & “Netherfield: Rogue Dragon”, the biography of Maria Grace and the narrator, Benjamin Fife as well as the blog tour banner, the audiobook promo banner and the host badge were provided by Audiobookworm Promotions and are used with permission. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Tweets embedded by codes provided by Twitter. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: #AudioReads banner created using Unsplash Photography (Creative Commons Zero) Photo Credit: Alice Moore, 2020 Audiobook Challenge badge, 2020 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge badge and the Comment Box Banner.}
Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2020.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
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