End of Days

ARKANE, Book 9

By: J. F. Penn

Narrated by: Veronica Giguere

Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

“When the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison.” Revelation 20:7

The thousand years are ended.

A marble tablet found in the ruins of Babylon warns of the resurrection of a banished serpent in the final days. A sarcophagus is discovered in the deepest ocean, locked by seven seals scattered throughout the ancient world.

As the Brotherhood of the Serpent race to find the seals before a rare lunar eclipse over the heart of Jerusalem, ARKANE agents Morgan Sierra and Jake Timber battle to find them first.

But this time, evil threatens to destroy all that Morgan loves and she must wrestle an apocalyptic foe as well as fighting to conquer her own fears.

In a fast-paced adventure from the ruins of Iraq to the snake-handling churches of the Appalachian Mountains, from archaeological digs in Israel to the tombs of Egypt, Morgan and Jake must find the seven seals and stop the resurrection of an evil as old as mankind. An evil that will usher in the End of Days.

©2017 J.F.Penn (P)2017 J.F.Penn

A race to stop the serpent from rising

What did you love best about End of Days?

J.F. Penn has a way of writing senses that liven the book. The red sand or smelled of freshly turned earth... These sound like simple phrases, but I knew exactly what they looked or smelled like. And when used in the phrasing Penn uses to describe things, oh, they tell all and heighten the feel of the story. The use of senses so familiar gave me a quick reference to what is happening, drawing my senses with me to feel the emotions of the moment with the characters. And, being of a familiar reference, gives me time to focus on other things that are happening.

Penn has crafted her stories to give details of the most important moments, wasting no time in telling us about what we are looking for and the connection through history and religion. (Mind, the story is NOT preaching, it's actually an interesting twist on Religious beliefs and history.) Her characters, Morgan and Jake along with Martin and others, are well versed in the beliefs and legends so all their logical connections is explained. I love that there is always action or worry of danger when at different sites. The story is constantly moving forward with troubles and what we are searching for.

Which character – as performed by Veronica Giguere – was your favorite?

Not just one. The narration. Veronica is one of my favorite voice actresses. Her work feels to create a whole character in voice, emotion, and personality in compliment to the authors words of actions and personalities. This world of Morgan and Jake is wonderful while listening to Veronica. I find myself slipping into the world with the characters and don't even realize she's narrating. This is a hats off to the author and Veronica. An amazing bond between the words and voice, great pairing!

Any additional comments?

*I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

We are back with Morgan and Jake, on a dangerous mission before the groups out there seize the opportunity to bring the End of Days to pass. There are signs surfacing with the stars and tablet found.

The story is told for a few different POV's. But! Before you worry, Penn does an amazing job at dropping enough details or descriptions that you know exactly who's head you are viewing through. There is NO confusion. What you learn in each moment with different characters is spot on to the events happening and draw you in even more. You know what's happening on the inside of the troubles along with our agents trying to stop it from happening. Penn blends these in a way that you want to rush Morgan and Jake along to get there in time! Awesome!

As for the characters, I do love them. I enjoy them together as they have different strengths that is highlighted by the other on their missions. Morgan is starting to see her job in a new light. What about her family? After the last book, she fears that she's putting them in danger with her work. But, she seems to like the adrenaline and research blend of working for the ARKANE. And Jake too. We get to spend time with Martin and learn a bit about him, and see him out in the field. Yep, it's a little hard on him in this book but with working in this secret agency it can happen.

Another magnificent installment to the world or ARKANE. I'm curious about the next mission and what Morgan will decide.

Great Thriller..Dan-Brown-esque

What did you like best about End of Days? What did you like least?

I liked all the history and locations. Nice storyline, fun characters (Morgan, Jake and the Arkane group). A few times, the change from one perspective (Arkane characters) to the bad guys (Sam and Lilith) had me scratching my head. I just didn't pick-up on the change for a few beats. Overall, kept my interest on a very long car ride. Thanks!

What three words best describe Veronica Giguere’s voice?

Clear, Fun, EngagedI very much enjoyed Ms. Giguere's narration. She was able to keep me engaged from the very beginning. I liked the production very much. A few mispronounced words had me doubting that I was always getting the right pronunciations on other words I was not familiar with, but it didn't detract from the overall experience.

Any additional comments?

I received a free audiobook copy via audiobook boom. I voluntarily wrote an unbiased review of my listening experience. Thank you.

Well told the snakes didn't even trouble me

Any additional comments?

Serpents are just not one of my favorite things in life, to be honest I hate them the only good one is a dead one. To be honest they are the one thing that I fear the most. When I started this audio I thought oh lord will I be able to finish it. What I found was a wonderful delightful story that had me sucked in snakes or no snakes. It was told in a way that I could deal with my fears and really forgot all about the snakes for the most part. The detail given from the bible to the seeking of the seals to bring one demon to life really pulls you in from the danger of the unknown to the people who seek it and the ones willing to kill to get them really keeps you invested in this story. What is truly minded blowing is the ending, it all becomes very real for the reader. Lives will be lost but more will live as they try to bring the unnatural to life.

The narrator does and outstanding job pulling the reader in for me she made this story so real with her tones, the way she pulled in the danger and those that really seemed cold (which is how they should seem to us) to those trying to bring the serpent to life and those trying to keep it dead. There were no background noises or any places where the volume changes. No repeat of words or uneven tones or sounds. Her voice is very pleasant from her males who are bold to her sweet older men, he females from the elderly to the very young. I had no trouble understanding or knowing what each character was feeling or who was talking. Ms. Giguere has put a lot of time and thought into this audio you can tell from her powerful character voice, their tones and emotions. I have really enjoyed this and can’t wait to listen to more of her work.

Ms. Penn has taken time to do her research penning a wonderful tale of the end of time. Her books are so real you get lost in them. Her characters become family you want to pull them in to protect them from the evil. You can feel the danger coming off the pages as it wraps you in its arms feeling like you are there. Even the good are normal they have done things they are not proud of you have no trouble relating to them. I am not sure what happen to the lady who was taking the venom. I am not sure if I was so caught up in what was going on at the time that I missed it or if we were not told. I had no other issues. It really was a powerful story and very believable of ancient tales of the end of days. The author had me from the first page until the last not knowing if the end was near or if it could be turned around. At times my beat over time I could feel the serpent and could almost feel his power. There are a lot of twists and turns that really add to the story as well as old characters we have come to love and new one. There are secret, dishonesty, death, evil as people race to bring down people who are trying to bring this serpent back to life in hopes of bring evil and power to their selves. They just might be surprised at the outcome as the hunter becomes the hunted. If you enjoy books of this nature you do not want to miss this one.

Another creepy hit

First off, this story focuses on snakes. Secondly, more snakes. And supernatural issues. If that's a deal-breaker for you, that's too bad, because this book was very entertaining and hard to put down. Try it, you'll like it!

Excellent addition to the ARKANE series

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, because of the story. The performance was only four star because I did not care for the interpretation of Morgan's voice. It was too soft, too high-pitched, and came across as too wimpy. She is a very strong, capable woman and her voice she be performed to reflect that. All of the other characters were excellent, and basically, made the performance.

What was one of the most memorable moments of End of Days?

Of course, at the end, when the Great Serpent which had been entombed for a 1,000 years is released. Breathtaking description.

Have you listened to any of Veronica Giguere’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes. I have listened to her other performances for J.F. Penn novels. Morgan's voice was also too soft-sounding in these also, but it was very noticeable in this particular audiobook.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The description of the church service in Appalachia where the parishioners are handling rattlers. The description of the people, the pastor, and the performance of the service are incredible.

Any additional comments?

Other than the interpretation of Morgan's voice, overall the performance of this exciting story was extremely well done. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Highly Entertaining Series

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, this series let's you travel the world while dealing with a unique blend of intrigue, danger and great views on religions. I purchase books, movies, music etc. to be entertained and this entire series does just that.

What does Veronica Giguere bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Veronica is one of the best in the narration business, she has a talent that sucks you into the characters and creates pictures in your mind.

Best Book of the ARKANE series

End of Days is the best book in this series. It tells a different interpretation of Revelations. Each time I put down the book since I was started reading the book during a working week, I couldn't but help to wonder how the story is going to end.

I just love how the serpent is revealed in this book and the religious meaning of what the snake means in each religions.

The ending of the story is sad without giving the ending away. I can't wait for the next book in the ARKANE series to know what will happen next to one of the main character that may or may not come back.

The narrator Veronica Giguere delivered another perfect performance. The narrator provided the perfect voice for Morgan Sierra. I would like to say that she is Morgan Sierra.

I was given this audiobook by the author and volunteered to write an unbiased review for this book. I was not compensated or influenced in any way for writing this review.

eww snakes! lots of them

ewwww Snakes!
I have a fear of snakes, so this book really called out to me. I figured I could read it, and not be creeped out. Ok ok ok that didn’t work out as well as I planed. I found them still a little scary. especially the rattle snakes! and the thought of holding them.

This book was pretty good. it had the good, the bad, and the ugly covered. packed full of adventure. It
was a quest to find the seals of the end times. Not to let them get opend by the bad poeple.

i noticed the is a series and is book of it. I wasn’t lost at all. I found it very enjoyable.


The narrator did a great job! She has a lot of different voices and accents to do, and she did them all with ease.

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Good audiobook

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This is an adventure audiobook full of action scenes with original characters.It was also read in a good way.

What other book might you compare End of Days to and why?

It is a tipical adventure book which can be made into a movie.

Which scene was your favorite?

I liked the hole story.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

Well done!

Good book with interesting plot and characters. Well worth the credit.

"This book was provided at no cost for a unbiased review."