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    The Finisher: Vega Jane, Book 1
    The Finisher: Vega Jane, Book 1
    The Finisher: Vega Jane, Book 1
    Audiobook14 hours

    The Finisher: Vega Jane, Book 1

    Written by David Baldacci

    Narrated by Nicola Barber

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Fourteen-year-old Vega Jane lives in the village of Wormwood, where life is nasty, brutish, and short. Villagers have been told that there is nothing outside of Wormwood except for the Quag, a foul forest filled with terrifying beasts. No one comes, no one goes, and Wormwood has stayed this way for generations. Until Vega's friend Quentin Herms disappears.

    Quentin leaves Vega a secret message hinting that there's a way out of Wormwood and something extraordinary on the other side. As Vega begins to investigate, she realizes that Wormwood is a village built on dangerous lies. And that powerful people are willing to kill in order to keep it that way. Soon Vega is careening down a path that will either lead straight to the truth...or straight into an early grave.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherScholastic Audio
    Release dateMar 4, 2014
    ISBN9780545690201
    The Finisher: Vega Jane, Book 1
    Author

    David Baldacci

    David Baldacci is one of the world’s bestselling and favourite thriller writers. A former trial lawyer with a keen interest in world politics, he has specialist knowledge in the US political system and intelligence services, and his first book, Absolute Power, became an instant international bestseller, with the movie starring Clint Eastwood a major box office hit. He has since written more than forty bestsellers featuring Amos Decker, Aloysius Archer, Atlee Pine and John Puller. David is also the co-founder, along with his wife, of the Wish You Well Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting literacy efforts across the US. Trust him to take you to the action.

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    Reviews for The Finisher

    4/5

    291 ratings26 reviews

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    • 5/5
      If you've ever read any of his other books you have to go into this one with an open mind. This is a different genre and writing style compared to his other books.I would recommend this to friends who want to read a different take on a fantasy novel. I don't read many books in this genre because they usually don't interest me but this one sounded good and I'm glad I read it.Some parts are a little predictable but there were a lot of things that I didn't see coming. At some points, the main character, Vega Jane, seemed a little too good to be true but overall I enjoyed her character.I'm looking forward to reading the second book in this series, it left me craving to know what happens next.
    • 5/5
      Well I will say it is a great book to read. Love it but not like any of the books I am used to.
    • 5/5
      Constant changes and surprises! Can’t wait to read the next book.
    • 5/5
      I saw elements of The Unwanteds and Harry Potter, and I thoroughly enjoyed this first book! Can't wait to read more, so I'm on to the second in the series. Excellent narration!
    • 2/5
      I want to like this book, but I really don't. The coined words and phrases feel forced and the protagonist doesn't sound very intelligent. I feel like maybe the exposition doesn't translate well to audio, or maybe it was just the narrator. I'm going to finish it because I am intrigued by the story, but it's annoying me. ***After reading for a bit, I find the story to be a bit rambling. It goes off in different directions, and often feels like completely different stories. The Sci-Fi/Fantasy themes fit awkwardly amongst the otherwise dystopian plot.
    • 1/5
      I usually enjoy Baldacci's books. At one point, I wrote down the titles I hadn't read from a list. This was a series I hadn't heard of prior to that list. It's apparently Baldacci's attempt at fantasy (young adult fantasy). It was a DNF for me and I don't plan to read the rest of the series.
    • 1/5
      It's like the main character Vega is schizophrenic. One moment she's brave as can be, defiant and adventurous; the next moment she's fearful, confused and seems to have forgotten all the magic weapons she's been given. Maybe the author set aside the book so many times and would forget what he's written. Or maybe, there are co-authors who are literally not on the same page. At any rate, with the sheer length of the book, reading to the end would be too tedious and a total waste of time. I never thought I would ever be disappointed with a David Baldacci book.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      The book had endearing characters. The story was very compelling.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 2/5
      I usually like books by Baldacci, so was interested to read his first YA novel. Unfortunately, I didn't like it. Although he tried to create a realistic world and a strong, female protagonist, the book was a slog to read and halfway through I finally gave up. This author should stick to what he does best - write exciting adult thrillers.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      It reminded me a bit of a teen fantasy book. It was a different style but I couldn’t stop listening! Some good ideas and some deep things to think about.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Vega Jane is the hero of this book. Baldacchino captures your interest with this YA novel. Read it in one sitting, couldn't put it down,,,, waiting to read the keeper next

      2 people found this helpful

    • 5/5
      I have to admit I had a few issues with some of David Baldacci's coined words. There really could have been more imagination put in to the creation of new words for this new world. However, once I got past that, I loved the characters and creatures that filled this action packed fantasy/mystery and I can't wait for the next installment. Vega Jane is a alone in her small community and is looking for answers to mysteries in community. She is not willing to accept the platitudes of a hierarchy that has with held answers from anyone brave enough to observe and question the facts. Baldacci creates a truely original world alive with new creatures, people, and magic to explore.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      A bit hard to get into at the beginning with a lot of new language in this fictitious town of wormwood. The main character seems a bit too cynical of the place without reason. But the story builds well and I was hooked by the end. Themes are relatively modest.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      I couldn't put this down. Loved the Old World slang, Vega Jane's no-nonsense, but inwardly kind and vulnerable personality, Delph's warm heart, Vega Jane's relationship with her tree, the constant surprises, twists and turns in the plot, the mystery of "the other side," the many strange creatures in the world of Wormwood (check out "A Wugmort's Guide to Wormwood and Beyond" in the end matter, especially if you get confused, like I did, by the many different creatures attacking Vega), and even the clever number names Baldacci invented for the chapters (a combination of French and Spanish?). Though shades of The Hunger Games exist in the annual "Duelem," these were not as horrifying as those in Collins' story. Baldacci writes in an afterword the he researched mythology and this is evident in much of his world-building and characters. Morrigone is reminiscent of Morgana from the King Arthur story. Some of the dangerous creatures and weapons were most likely inspired by mythology, as was the room Vega goes into to find them. I can't wait to read the sequel, The Keeper.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this book. A good story for a vacation.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      What a delightful surprise! I chose this partly because I like Baldacci's adult fiction, partly because it was one of the free 'listens.' The narrator did a good job of changing voices for each character - although I loved her style, I can see how some people might not like it. I am older, but plan to look into buying the book for my niece, who is 14 - I'm sure she'll love it also.

      2 people found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Fun, quick and quirky. Well narrated in easy to understand voices.

      2 people found this helpful

    • 4/5
      I enjoyed the quest storyline and if you like quests you may enjoy it as well.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      Fantasy is not my thing.
      Baldacci made it a good story though.
    • 2/5
      Baldacci does fantasy? Who knew? I expected better. He changes things that there is no point changing - using 'Wugs' instead of 'People'; 'Lights' instead of 'Days'; a very annoying use of 'Males' and 'Females' instead of men and women...confusing to say the least. The plot was interesting, but does not match the leader. I thought that we would follow a young woman fighting her way through a deep forest, but instead it was a young woman fighting her way out of the city...literally fighting. And, with some strange weapons. This acclaimed author should not bother with fantasy...but wait, there's another...which I'm not interested in reading.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 2/5
      Hoping it wouldn't be too young for me, but it was. But Robie is still awesome.
    • 3/5
      Better than I expected. It's very readable although some of the world slang gets annoying. Especially when mixed in with slang from our world.Not sure I believed that a closed dictorial culture like this would allow Vega to get away with what she does. But it's an OK read.
    • 4/5
      I've previously read quite a few books by David Baldacci and really enjoyed them, so I was looking forward to getting stuck into his first journey into the YA genre. I'd like to thank the netgalley team for the copy i received to review. This title was published on 4th March by Pan Macmillan.Fourteen-year-old Vega has lived all her life in Wormwood. Beyond Wormwood lies the terrifying Quag, filled with all manner of weird and evil creatures that are intent on ripping a Wug like Vega limb from limb. All Wugs are taught from an early age that outside of the Quag there is nothing, just... nothing.This is a wonderfully descriptive novel that easily rivals any of Baldacci's previous books. The story comes to life with the use of brilliantly descriptive language, draws you in from the very beginning and takes you for a very bumpy ride at breakneck speed before throwing you out after the thrilling conclusion. 4/5 stars.
    • 3/5
      Purchased it because I often like writers of adult novels who decide to drop into the teen market. Unfortunately, this one didn't work for me. I became so bored of the story by the end of the first quarter that I just could NOT make myself finish it. Perhaps I was just in a reading slump because I rarely if ever, abandon a book, but this one was just not doing it for me.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      Vega Jane and her brother live in a village that is supposed to be the "only" habitable place. It is surrounded by a wilderness called the Quag inhabited by terrible beasts. But when her mentor disappears into the wilderness, Vega Jane tries to understand how, and finds herself in danger both from the outside, and from the powers in her own village.
    • 3/5
      One of Scholastic's front list titles for spring 2014 is bestselling author David Baldacci's YA novel, The Finisher. Aimed at readers ages 10-14, this is an exciting fantasy/adventure story about a young girl who lives in a mysterious place called Wormwood. This is Baldacci's first YA novel, and my first Baldacci novel.Vega Jane is yet another strong and confident YA heroine, demonstrating that she has the skills, smarts, and capabilities to survive and thrive in a male-dominated society. At one point, Vega is forced to enter a tournament and physically fight against men for a prize (and her freedom). Vega uses her brain and her strength to overcome her opponents and prove herself worthy of being someone we can root for. She comes up against terrifying monsters, dark secrets, and faces people who will kill anyone to protect the secrets of Wormwood. She is a formidable force for someone so young — and for being a female, as she is so often reminded.Few authors could construct a world like this and make it so compelling. At times it is as fantastical and breathtaking as Lewis Carroll's Wonderland. The odd language, particularly the names of the monsters (ie. Jabbits) made Wormwood lightly reminiscent of Wonderland. The language is sometimes a little hard to get used to, but the repetition of the terms makes the text easy to understand.Sliver = a moment Sessions = years Light = morningThe book is a little daunting at just over 500 pages, and the story is fairly complex. A lot happens in the story, so an attentive reader is a must. David Baldacci brings his exquisite use of language and storytelling abilities to this middle grade book. Although the target audience is 10-14, I'd say the book skews toward an advanced reader ages 12-14.Overall, I enjoyed the story, but the grandeur of the story arc slowed down my usual reading pace as there was so much detail to take in. Fans of James Patterson, JK Rowling, and Rick Riordan will appreciate the fantastical, dangerous, and dark world of Wormwood. This is a great addition to libraries and personal bookshelves. Baldacci has few rivals in his ability to masterfully construct a good story.3.5 Stars