MINI REVIEW: IMPACT WINTER SEASON 3
Long live the queen?...
I've been a pretty big fan of this series so far, even if I had some issues with particular aspects of SEASON 2. I had high hopes for the third season of this audio drama and wow, did it exceed them all!
HOW I RATED IT
5/5 IMPACT WINTER is back in all it's glory as Darcy takes the vampire throne while Hope grapples with a prophesy and struggles with what she might have to do in order to save the world.
There were some aspects of IMPACT WINTER's sophomore season that didn't fully click with me. First was the repetition of certain relationships that felt like we'd looped back around to where things started in SEASON 1. Second was that the way things ended, while certainly shocking, just didn't make a ton of sense to me. I definitely went into this new chapter of the story hoping to see these issues resolved and am happy to say that they definitely were. The relationships, both romantic and not, progress forward nicely, keeping things feeling fresh in the earlier episodes. Darcy's sudden turn to the dark side is also fully explained in short order and the way that twist ended up unfolding over the course of the story worked out very nicely. On this side of the story, there is also some delightful court intrigue as the members of the vampire council aren't exactly sure what to make of Darcy's sudden appearance. I really enjoyed meeting all the cool new vampire characters, seeing how Felix handles himself as he shows up to try to help Darcy, and learning about all the interesting tidbits of vampire lore that the two of them uncover. The second half of the narrative belongs to Hope, Penelope, and Lydia as they set out in an attempt to stop the winter before it destroys the world as they know it. The way Hope grapples with the prophesy, her relationships with her companions, and the reality that she might need to kill Darcy was all deeply fascinating. She's become quite a complex character over the course of this series and I think it's in this installment that she really shines through. I also enjoyed that this little band uncovers some additional secrets about vampire kind and there are some crazy twists relating to Lydia that I am very excited to see the ramifications of in the next season. All in all, this installment is really the complete package of everything I wanted from the series and more. I think it is the perfect listen for spooky season as well as really any other time of the year and I hope that the next entry into this drama is every bit as good as this one was.
AUDIOBOOK
Once again, the full cast and elaborate soundboard of side effects manages to impress. I also felt like there were slightly more music tracks worked in this time around which is something I really enjoyed. Both the returning voice talents and the newcomers all did a fabulous job of making their characters feel alive. Because there isn't a ton of prose in this, the pressure is really on the voice performances to convey what characters are thinking and feeling and every single actor managed to do this brilliantly. It's worth noting that if this type of audio experience isn't for you, then that's okay, I would just caution that there isn't anything in this installment that is likely to drastically change your mind about it. That said, I have appreciated that the sudden loud jump-noises that were prevalent in SEASON 1 have been toned down quite a bit in the past couple of entries which makes this easier to listen to in a wider range of circumstances.
CONCLUSION
Although I had some issues with the second season of this awesome audio drama, I think this third installment has quelled a lot of those while returning with a bombastic and thrilling ride filled with intrigue, lore building, and tons of interesting conversations in between.
(+) The way the last season's twist with Darcy was handled worked very well for me
(+) Cool new vampire characters
(+) Some fun plot twists
(+) Some light court intrigue elements
(+) Tons of interesting revelations about the deeper vampire lore of this universe
(+) Another exceptionally handled audio production
( ) This series either is or isn't for you, if you didn't love the first two seasons, I don't think this will do a ton to change your mind.
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