Audiobook review: Amber Gambler by Hailey Edwards
Picking up right after the conclusion of the first book, Amber Gambler continues the story of Frankie searching for the missing human/living granddaughter of a ghost client. The story quickly expands when it’s discovered that a few girls with a hint of magical blood are missing, and some already deceased.
Overall, Amber Gambler is an interesting story, and I enjoy the premise of the series, but there are issues with the execution. I’ll start with the good stuff: I enjoy the expanding mythology and learning more about Frankie’s abilities. I love the bond she has with her siblings and network of ghosts. I adore Carter and love that she and Frankie are becoming good friends. Their bumpy journey is touching and hilarious. To a lesser degree, I like the romantic subplot for Frankie, but she’s also all over the place and the relationship feels like it’s moving forward way too fast.
That said, Frankie can really annoy me at times. I appreciate an empathetic heroine; however, she spends way too much worrying about other people’s feelings and how other people are treating others instead doing what she needs to do to solve the case or move forward. The personal drama between Frankie, Kierce, and Harrow overwhelms the story and takes away from the mystery. I hate how wishy-washy Frankie is with respect to Harrow, and his character is irritating.
I also didn’t like the loose ends with plot points that were raised and then dropped. I had more questions after finishing the book, but not in a “what will happen next” way, but rather in a “what just happened” way. In the end, Frankie does close her case on the missing granddaughter, but it fed into so many more plot lines that confused me. It just left me unsatisfied.
Narration: The story is shared via the first person POV of Frankie. Joice utilizes a softened feminine voice for Frankie that is generally fitting; however, it often came across like Frankie is whiny or exhausted. She adjusts her voice effectively to express emotion. Joice alters her tone during dialogue for gender and regional accents, making characters unique sounding. She is far more effective creating additional and identifiable female characters than male ones.
In the end, I’m still intrigued by The Body Shop series despite having issues with the characters and plot in Amber Gambler. I hope the next title clears up some questions and that the author strengthens Frankie’s personality.
My Ratings
Story: C/C-
Narration: B-
Jen
About the Book:
The other family business at The Body Shop is slow after word gets out that Frankie had clients die—cease to exist?—on her watch. Considering they were dead to begin with, she understands why the news shook the spirit community’s faith in her, but it’s a hard hit to her bottom line.
When a spirit appears in her office, ready to sign a contract, she’s eager to please. Until she learns why he wants to hire her. He heard about her clients’ deaths, yes, but he also learned Frankie was instrumental in bringing their killer to justice.
The spirit’s human granddaughter has gone missing, and he wants Frankie to find her before it’s too late. Frankie’s no detective, but her schedule is wide open. The job is to save the girl, but with so many gods and monsters prowling the streets of Thunderbolt these days, she’ll be lucky if she can save herself.
Author: Hailey Edwards
Narrator: Candace Joice
Series: Body Shop series #2
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Audiobook Release Date: March 24, 2025
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
Source: publisher
Audio Speed: 1.35x
