THE BOY WITH THE WITCH’S NAILS
by Shannon Shim
Narrated by: LB Neibaur
Production by: Thelifestyle
Scary and Intriguing!
Legend has it that a witch died in 1592 with a rock in her mouth during the time of the black plague. Lucio and his sister Paola attempt to recover a prized possession stolen from their home but instead they wind up in the forbidden forest, home of the dead witch and somehow steal her blue magical fingernails. The journey of Lucio and Paola, facing off against the witch and her minions is captivating and breathtaking. Who will win?
The author, Shannon Shim, magically weaves a myth-based fantasy geared toward young adults with the characteristics of a modern fable blended into a captivating storyline. The development of the characters is well-defined and intentional. The dialogue is rich and detailed furthering the forward movement of the story.
The narrator, LB Neibaur delivers a rich performance capturing and projecting the personality of each character vividly. Neibaur’s cadence was steady and rhythmic. Neibaur spoke clearly and concisely. I enjoyed the versatile nature of Neibaur’s voice.
A delightful and poignant story woven to capture the imagination of its listeners.
Reviewer: N. Schilling
Shannon Shim, the author, crafts a delightful tale featuring a mythical witch and the adventures of a boy and his sister trying to rescue a bottle of wine made by their vintner father. Her skillful weaving of the story captures the emotions and thoughts of children at that age trying to right a wrong.
The narrator, LB Neibaur is a pleasure to hear! Loved her versatile voice which helped me keep the characters straight as well as kept the magic of the story fresh and present!
We have story time each evening at my house, so I listened to this book with my children (8 and 10) and they loved it as much as I did!
Reviewer: J. Linthicum
Shannon Shim wrote a captivating tale about a mythical witch, a boy, and his sister on a mission to rescue a bottle of wine. Her storytelling vividly portrays the behavior and thoughts of children at this age trying to save their families. I liked the inner strength she gave Lucio as he struggled repeatedly against the witch.
LB Neibaur is always great to hear! I love her voice, and her ability to accurately project the essence of each character as vividly as she does. She speaks clearly and comfortingly. Love the voices she gave to Lucio and Paola.
Thoroughly enjoyed listening to this audiobook!
Reviewer: C. Foley
It is clear that Shannon Shim, the author, is brilliant at engaging the audience and skillfully immersing them in the story. Her storyline development is deliberate and complete. The plot twists are well executed and flow smoothly. Each character is depicted vividly and further enhanced by the narrator.
As the narrator, LB Neibaur takes an already captivating story and further enhances it with her talents as a voice actor. Her performance is consistent and flows smoothly, her voice is rich and vivid. I always enjoy hearing performances by Neibaur!
Loved this book! Can’t wait to hear more from this author and narrator!
Reviewer: B. Hardin
The Boy with the Witch’s Nails is an enchanting book written by a very talented author, Shannon Shim. While the book is mesmerizing and action-filled, it is set at a level appropriate for listeners of all ages. The descriptions are authentic and intense. The characters are lifelike and thoughtful in their actions. The dialogue was impressively realistic and easily flowing.
The characters are clearly and straightforwardly expressed using the narrator, LB Neibaur’s, almost musical voice, and skillful narration techniques. The energy she projects through her voice for each character skillfully brings them to life.
This is a great book! It is enchanting and sticks with the listener long after the last word is spoken.
Reviewer: B. Carpenter
I am impressed with this author and her book, The Boy with the Witch’s Nails. The story flows smoothly and is quick-paced. The characters are striking because they have depth and the way they are written brings them vividly to life. The author, Shannon Shim, tells a well-crafted story that is level/age-appropriate. There is action in each chapter. Importantly, I believe the younger listeners can relate to the story very well.
The voices used by the narrator, LB Neibaur, are crisp and natural sounding. I found her voice to be lively, vibrant, and spirited. She spoke clearly and concisely with a consistent flow to her delivery. While the author did an excellent job of detailing the characters and their personality, it was Neibaur who finished bringing them to life.
I found the book to be entertaining and charming.
Reviewer: T. McDonald
It is apparent that the author, Shannon Shim, has crafted a story that resonates with her audience, engages them, and keeps their attention. The content is detailed, yet not overbearingly so, and her characters are structured with the storyline as their foundation. Each character exhibits the correct trait for their character’s personality and contrasts accordingly to others whether it is loyalty, courage, honesty, bravery, weakness, selfishness, jealousy, shyness, or other traits. The characters are created to not only fit the storyline but also to play off one another to demonstrate acceptable and unacceptable behavior and actions in a well-organized manner. The storyline and plot twists flow logically.
The narrator, LB Neibaur, provides an exhilarating performance. She provides an exhilarating performance that demonstrates her voice range, and ability to remain consistent with voices and delivery, and she pronounces her words clearly. I thoroughly enjoyed her acting and voice skills!
I hope to hear more from these two very talented and gifted women, Shannon Shim and LB Neibaur.
Reviewer: G. Bastin
I have not had the pleasure of experiencing Shannon Shim’s writing before The Boy with the Witch’s Nails. The storyline was well-balanced with action, adventure, plot twists, and principles. Shim’s message of doing the right thing is evident throughout the storyline and character development. She communicated a moral code clearly and in a manner that spoke to her audience. Shim crafted a riveting tale complete with components of the supernatural, karma, morals, and characters with behaviors that exemplified both acceptable and unacceptable behavior.
The narrator, LB Neibaur spoke eloquently and distinctly. She spoke concisely and when needed dramatically, intensely, and soothingly. I had not heard this narrator before either but found Neibaur a pleasure to hear. Her performance further heightened my enjoyable experience of the book.
I highly recommend this audiobook, author, and narrator!
Reviewer: P. Davis
I simply could not put this book down once I started it. Shannon Shim, the author, takes the genres of fable, fantasy, action, and adventure and blends them together seamlessly into a captivating story! She mixes in a variety of settings while cultivating each character to their fullest. She takes her time growing each character, blending them firmly into the storyline. Her choice of words accurately conveys the meaning, tone, and actions of the audiobook clearly and concisely.
The narrator, LB Neibaur, accurately projects the tone of the storyline and characters in a rich and vibrant manner. Her performance allows the listener to become completely immersed in the story as a character and not as an observer. The pauses, voices, and delivery are reflective of the action and storyline. I was impressed with her ability to switch from character to character smoothly and flawlessly.
This is a wonderful book! I could not put it down!
Reviewer: M. Levi
Shannon Shim, author of The Boy with the Witch’s Nails crafted a unique storyline with strong and intelligent characters. I found their involvement in the story logical, consistent, and believable. I thought her descriptions were vibrant, and detailed and placed the listener directly into the story. The different threads flowed together smoothly. Although the Shim tossed in a few shocks, they were well done! I found myself totally immersed in the story.
The narrator, LB Neibaur delivered a professional performance complete with unique voices and calm delivery. Including the parts full of action, the narrator maintained within the energy of the action a calmness. I’m not sure I’m explaining it correctly, but she was able to project the chaos/high level of energy in a scene without having it sound chaotic or rushed, she maintained a calmness to her voice. I found her voice flexible and lulling at the same time.
I truly enjoyed this book! So much imagery, use of one’s imagination, and more!
A brief summary, this book is highly recommended by all the reviewers who contributed to the review of this audiobook.
There were no issues with the quality or production of this audiobook.
Disclaimer: This Audiobook was purchased by Audiobookreviewer.com.