Audiobook Review: Rebellion by Raena Rood
Rebellion
Series: The Reverence Trilogy, Book Two
Author: Raena Rood
Narrator: Brittany Goodwin
Audio Published: December 10, 2025
Audiobook: 8 hours 51 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: December 17-22, 2025
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
Kira always knew that her future in Vita Nova was a mandatory death at age sixty, just like every other citizen. But when she falls in love with Will Foster, one of the city’s revered Volunteers, and risks everything to escape the city’s iron grip, she begins to believe that a different life might be within reach.
With Will and young Teddy by her side, Kira ventures into the Unregulated Zone, desperate to find other survivors and a place free from Vita Nova’s oppressive rule—a place where freedom still exists.
Their journey brings them to Haven, a secluded community hidden deep in the Pennsylvania woods, led by the enigmatic Ghost. But Haven holds many secrets—secrets that could shatter Kira’s fragile hopes for the future and threaten the tenuous bond she’s forged with Will.
When a brutal attack shatters the fragile peace she’s found, Kira is forced into a deadly confrontation. Torn between protecting the people she loves and securing her own future, Kira must confront the true meaning of sacrifice—or risk becoming another victim of Vita Nova’s cruel justice.
Jessica’s Review:
Rebellion picks up immediately after Reverence ends. The reader along with Kira experiences more of the world outside of Vita Nova and meets new characters. This is a story about different types of love, actual family and people who become family, friendship and security. But most of all, FAITH. Rood gets her message across without being ‘overly preachy.’ Sometimes a book with Christian themes can turn readers away, especially if it is ‘overly preachy.’ This is a clean novel that would be appropriate for younger teens. Yes, characters we have become attached to over the course of these two novels die, but it is a dystopian world! The romance between Kira and Will is sweet and innocent, but does move very quickly. (Again, this is a dystopian world!). Some character deaths are more poignant than others.
We have a new character named Ghost, who is an enigma all on his own, and I liked him! I want to know more about him. The way these character’s lives are connected intertwines in just the right way. We are left with another cliffhanger at the end and I find myself wanting to find out how this story ends, which it will with Ransom as it is the final book in the trilogy.
We have a new narrator with Rebellion: Brittany Goodwin. She has a different take on Kira than the previous narrator whom I enjoyed. I had to get used to Goodwin’s narration as I had just recently finished Reverence. I ended up enjoying Goodwin’s narration. She has a good take on Kira and I could hear her growth over the course of the novel. From being naïve and a ‘sheltered city girl’ to becoming the woman she will ultimately become.
I received an Audible code from the author and enjoyed listening to Rebellion. Rood also just updated the covers, which focuses more on Kira and Will. I liked the older cover for Reverence as once I finished it, the images on the cover had more meaning for me.
I look forward to listening or reading Ransom. I want to know how this story ends. If the audiobook doesn’t come out soon, I might just have to read this one on my kindle!
Audiobook Review: The Woman in Suite 11 by Ruth Ware
The Woman in Suite 11
Series: Lo Blacklock #2
Author: Ruth Ware
Narrator: Imogen Church
Published: July 8, 2025
Audiobook: 15 hours 11 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: December 5-16, 2025
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
In this follow-up to #1 New York Times bestselling author Ruth Ware’s multi-million copy mega-hit The Women in Cabin 10, Lo Blacklock returns to attend the opening of a luxury hotel, only to find herself in a white-knuckled race across Europe.
When the invitation to attend the press opening of a luxury Swiss hotel—owned by reclusive billionaire Marcus Leidmann—arrives, it’s like the answer to a prayer. Three years after the birth of her youngest child, Lo Blacklock is ready to reestablish her journalism career, but post-pandemic travel journalism is a very different landscape from the one she left ten years ago.
The chateau on the shores of Lake Geneva is everything Lo’s ever dreamed of, and she hopes she can snag an interview with Marcus. Unfortunately, he proves to be even more difficult to pin down than his reputation suggests. When Lo gets a late-night call asking her to come to Marcus’s hotel room, she agrees despite her own misgivings. She’s greeted, however, by a woman claiming to be Marcus’s mistress, and in life-or-death jeopardy.
What follows is a thrilling cat-and-mouse pursuit across Europe, forcing Lo to ask herself just how much she’s willing to sacrifice to save this woman…and if she can even trust her?
Jessica’s Review:
It’s been ten years since her ‘adventure’ on the Aurora and Lo Blacklock is back! The Woman in Suite 11 is Ruth Ware’s first sequel and it was written because fans wanted it. Did we need it, no, but I did enjoy it. It had been nine years since I listened to Cabin 10, so I went for a re-read before I listened to Suite 11.
In addition to the time having passed, Lo is now married with children. She receives an invite to the opening of a new luxury hotel which she takes up. She would like to revive her career and this invite might just be the way to do it.
When Lo arrives at the hotel it is a sort of reunion of folks who were on the Aurora ten years ago. Now, has Lo learned anything from her last adventure ten years ago? Apparently NOT! Lo makes one bad decision after another and gets herself into quite the cat and mouse game across Europe. My thoughts became ‘here we go again’ with every bad decision Lo made. But she had her own reasoning why each decision would work. It’s a bit crazy, but I did enjoy the ride despite rolling my eyes with every decision Lo made. I mean, how trusting can one person be?
Despite the craziness that occurs throughout the novel, I did enjoy it. And Anything Ruth Ware writes I will listen to! And of course, Imogen Church returns as narrator! I can’t really see anymore adventures occurring with Lo, how much more can one woman go through?
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Audiobook Review and Movie Comparison of The Woman in Cabin 10
The Woman in Cabin 10
Series: Lo Blacklock #1
Author: Ruth Ware
Narrator: Imogen Church
Published: July 19, 2016
Audiobook: 11 hours 14 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: November 27- December 4, 2025
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
Lo Blacklock, a journalist who writes for a travel magazine, has just been given the assignment of a lifetime: a week on a luxury cruise with only a handful of cabins. The sky is clear, the waters calm, and the veneered, select guests jovial as the exclusive cruise ship, the Aurora, begins her voyage in the picturesque North Sea. At first, Lo’s stay is nothing but pleasant: the cabins are plush, the dinner parties are sparkling, and the guests are elegant. But as the week wears on, frigid winds whip the deck, gray skies fall, and Lo witnesses what she can only describe as a dark and terrifying nightmare: a woman being thrown overboard. The problem? All passengers remain accounted for and so, the ship sails on as if nothing has happened, despite Lo’s desperate attempts to convey that something (or someone) has gone terribly, terribly wrong.
Jessica’s Review:
The Woman in Cabin 10 was my first Ruth Ware and Imogen Church novel. Since then if I am going to ‘read’ a Ware novel, I make sure I will listen to it as these two women are perfect together! I have a friend, Devin who feels the same way about these novels. I listened to Cabin 10 shortly after it came out in 2016 and enjoyed it. My review is here. Listening to it again, I can’t add much more to my previous review. I chose to listen to it again as the movie was going to be released on Netflix and I wanted the book fresh in my memory when I watched the film. In addition to the film, Ware even wrote a sequel! I enjoyed Cabin 10 as I did the first time and gave it four stars again.
Anything that Ruth Ware writes, I will listen to!
Movie Comparison
Movie Trailer
My Thoughts on the Movie Compared to the Book:
This is simple: DO NOT COMPARE the book and film! It is the same basic premise in both with two very different ways of going about the story. Even the endings are different. If you do not compare then you will enjoy both. It took me about halfway through the film before I stopped comparing, and once I did, I really enjoyed the film. The book was very recent in my memory from listening to it a second time.
I would say definitely watch the film first and then read the novel. With all of the differences these are almost two completely different stories. One thing that bothered me about the film: Lo/ Laura has no PTSD to deal with and not an alcoholic so there was no reason for the fellow passengers to not believe her.
Purchase Links:
The film is solely on Netflix.
Novel
Amazon US
Amazon UK