Storm in a Teacup by Emmie Mears

Both Nell and Ivana had a rough start with this audio book, but stuck it out and were pleasantly surprised by the end of the book.

Title:  Storm in a Teacup
Author:  Emmie Mears
Series: Ayala Storme Book 01
Publish Date:  February 3, 2015
Genre:  Urban Fantasy
Source: Provided by Audible Studios

Publisher’s Description: Mediator Ayala Storme handles PR by day and kills demons by night. She avoids Mediator luncheons and a fellow Mediator who’s been trying to get in her pants for years. She does her job. She keeps her sword clean and her body count high. But when a rash of disappearances leads her to discover that Nashville’s hellkin are spawning a new race of monster in human hosts, Ayala will be the first line of defense against these day-walking killers.

That is, until one of the creatures saves her life.

Ayala’s new knowledge of the hybrids’ free will challenges everything she’s ever known about her job. Racing the clock while trying to outrun her comrades and enemies alike, she’s not sure who will catch her first…

Possible spoilers beyond this point.

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Nervous Nellie says…

This was a new thing for me.  Storm in a Teacup was available for review from Audible Studios, so I gave it a whirl.  The premise looked enticing and I had never tried any books by this author nor this narrator.

At first, the narrator wasn’t sparking my interest. Her voice for the protagonist was very hard and sharp.  I thought it was just me and after listening awhile, I decided it really was just me. The protagonist is a very hard and sharp woman who is in a difficult place.  She has a mystery to solve and some difficult moral choices.  Her employer is not exactly understanding a new hybrid demon/human because “it’s always been done this way.” Famous last words.  Kill that which you do not understand.

The narrator doesn’t use much voice range in the characters, but it wasn’t a deal breaker.  I didn’t like the narrator’s voice much when I first started listening, but as I got wrapped up in the story, the voice seemed to fit better and better.

The ending isn’t a cliffhanger, nor is it a happily ever after.  It’s not death and mayhem, just moving on.  I like the HEA much better, but it’s ok.  Give it a shot.

Invested Ivana says…

Having seen Storm in a Teacup on Amazon and Goodreads several times, and being familiar with Amber Benson (narrator) from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I decided to review the series for Audible Studios. While I had something of a rough start with the series, I’m glad I stuck with it.

Two things contributed to the rough start. First, the world-building didn’t go fast enough for me. I struggled to understand what Mediators were, what the Summit was, whether or not Ayala’s boss knew she had a second “job,” that nighttime hours were normal for Mediators, etc. World-building is important to me so I wanted to know more up front. I know plenty of people who would argue against me on this point, so I know it’s a subjective thing.

Second, the voice Benson chose to use for Ayala didn’t work for me at first. I’m not sure if the voice was an attempt at a Southern drawl or an attempt to portray a hard-ass attitude — both of which would be very true to the character, don’t get me wrong on that point; the voice was appropriate. But it was fatiguing to me as a listener.

These two things kept me from really getting into the story at first. But then the character Mason was introduced, and my interest level picked up. Mason brought the conflict to a personal level and let us see through Ayala’s “armor” a little.

By the time I was done listening to Book 1, I was used to Ayala’s “voice” and I was looking forward to Book 2, so I would call that a success. I’m eager to see where this series goes next.

**NOTE: At the time of publishing I have now listened to Books 2 and 3 and am hooked on this series!  Look for the review of Any Port In A Storm in one week, and Taken By Storm in two weeks.

Our reviews in this series…

• Storm in a Teacup, Book 01
• Any Port in a Storm, Book 02
• Taken by Storm, Book 03
• Eye of the Storm, Book 04

Other reviews…

• Lydia Aswolf
• Rabid Reads

If you like this book…

…you might try Goddess with a Blade by Lauren Dane or the Storm Chronicles by Skye Knizley.