Journey to the Ancient City
Minecraft Series
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Journey to the Ancient City
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Narrated by:
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Amber Dekkers
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Ozzie Jacobs
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Kevin R. Free
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By:
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Mojang AB
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Danny Lore
About this listen
Jump back into the Overworld with the next blockbuster Minecraft novel, Journey to the Ancient City. An official Minecraft adventure!
Opal has almost done it all – fighting monsters, protecting people from pillagers and even defeating the legendary Ender Dragon! But that’s all in the past. Now, Opal has hung up their adventuring hat and is living the life of a happy crafter, far more likely to build you a bed than fight a Wither. In fact, Opal has decided that their time is best spent building their Dream Manor outside the very village that displays the Ender Dragon Skull they brought back from the End!
Meanwhile, Opal’s sister, Lisa, is beginning her own unique journey. She’s ready to be a hero. Just ask her. Or don’t … She’ll tell you anyway. She knows every single story ever told about her sibling, and probably a few other heroes as well. She has always admired her sister, Opal, but now it’s her turn to have an adventure!
And that adventure might be bigger than she could ever have imagined. One day, a travelling adventure named Braun arrives in town, claiming to know how to defeat a Warden – a fearsome mob that not even Opal has defeated. Lisa jumps at the chance to join Braun on his epic quest, and Opal reluctantly agrees to accompany the duo – only to protect their sister, of course. But along the way, Opal might just rediscover their love of adventure, and realize that it’s even more fun when someone else is there to share in the story …
©2024 Mojang AB (P)2024 Penguin Random House LLCListeners also enjoyed...
As the story progresses, the interactions between the sisters become repetitive and grating. Opal, the older sister, is dealing with trauma after a terrifying experience with the Warden in the Deep Dark. Her constant worry and protectiveness are understandable, but the way she expresses them often feels overly negative and drawn out. And when it comes to how she treats the boy who joins them, her behavior crosses a line. Her reactions are completely out of proportion, and at times she comes across as downright unbearable. In those moments, she stops feeling like a concerned sister and starts acting like an unreasonably harsh and bitter person.
Lisa, the younger sister, is determined to go on an adventure and refuses to back down. This leads to a constant loop of arguments that grows tiresome quickly. Their big confrontation near the end of the book feels more exhausting than emotional, and instead of feeling like a climax, it feels like more of the same bickering.
The voice acting makes this worse. Each of the main characters has their own voice actor, which in theory should bring the story to life. I actually like this approach, and it can really enhance an audiobook. But here, it falls flat. The voice actress for Opal uses such a sharp and piercing tone during emotional scenes that it became painful to listen to. The actress for Lisa also did not hold my attention. Her delivery felt flat to me, and I often found myself losing focus during her parts. I had to keep rewinding just to follow what was happening, which ironically made the very short book feel slightly longer.
In the end, this is not a terrible book. It has its strengths, and I can imagine it might really speak to younger readers who have experienced fear or trauma. There is a message here about overcoming fear and rebuilding trust, and that is valuable. But due to its rushed pacing, uneven voice acting, and repetitive character interactions, it did not resonate with me. I can only give it three stars.
Buried Potential: A Minecraft Tale of Trauma and Missed Opportunities.
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