The Reader
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The Reader Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Traci Chee (Author), Kim Mai Guest (Narrator), Listening Library (Publisher)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 418 ratings
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Instant New York Times Best Seller

A stunning debut set in a world where reading is unheard-of, perfect for fans of Inkheart and Shadow and Bone.

Sefia knows what it means to survive. After her father is brutally murdered, she flees into the wilderness with her aunt Nin, who teaches her to hunt, track, and steal. But when Nin is kidnapped, leaving Sefia completely alone, none of her survival skills can help her discover where Nin's been taken, or if she's even alive. The only clue to both her aunt's disappearance and her father's murder is the odd rectangular object her father left behind, an object she comes to realize is a book - a marvelous item unheard of in her otherwise illiterate society. With the help of this book, and the aid of a mysterious stranger with dark secrets of his own, Sefia sets out to rescue her aunt and find out what really happened the day her father was killed - and punish the people responsible.

With overlapping stories of swashbuckling pirates and merciless assassins, The Reader is a brilliantly told adventure from an extraordinary new talent.

Previous page
  1. Listening Length
    12 hours and 31 minutes
  2. Author
    Traci Chee
  3. Narrator
    Kim Mai Guest
  4. Audible release date
    September 13, 2016
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Listening Library
  7. ASIN
    B01KB8U2G2
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 12 hours and 31 minutes
Author Traci Chee
Narrator Kim Mai Guest
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date September 13, 2016
Publisher Listening Library
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B01KB8U2G2
Best Sellers Rank #238,766 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#50 in Action & Adventure for Teens
#430 in Mystery & Detective Fiction for Teens
#506 in Action & Adventure Fantasy for Teens

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
418 global ratings
An exciting fantasy adventure
4 Stars
An exciting fantasy adventure
Imagine living in a world where people don’t know how to read? And you come across a book and find out how to read it and learn the secrets? I loved the premise of “The Reader,” and the author immediately drew me into the plot and the characters.Firstly I have to commend the author for her style of writing. She narrates the book from different perspectives, like Sefia, Tanin, Lon, and Captain Reeds. When you start reading the story, you don’t know how they will all connect because they seem detached from one another. It was interesting to see how the author seamlessly merged them throughout the book.I adored Sefia and Archer. Frankly, they both hold the story together through their actions, even if the plot focuses more on Sefia. Moreover, I loved their friendship. Even though Archer is mute, I enjoyed how Sefia communicated with him and found them to be an exciting duo. The second half of the book is equally thriller as Sefia and Archer find themselves in action and adventure as they go on their journey to find Nin. Some moments had me tensed, like when they have to fight for themselves near the crates.Even the supporting cast like Tanin and Captain Reed was exciting to read. I particularly liked Captain Reed’s tale as he and Meeks and the rest of the crew search for treasure. Also, the author ends the story in a suitable manner that makes you look forward to reading the next book.Overall, I felt “The Reader” is an exciting fantasy adventure with a unique plot. It is a great start to “The Reader Trilogy,” and I look forward to reading the rest of the series.
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Top reviews from the United States

ViolettePen
5.0 out of 5 stars A spell-binding, layered tale about friendship, survival, and the power of a story
Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2016
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4.5 out of 5

Traci Chee’s THE READER is about BOOKS. And PIRATES. And MAGIC. More importantly, it’s about a girl named Sefia who’s left alone with a mysterious artifact after her aunt is kidnapped. The artifact turns out to be a book – and in Sefia’s largely illiterate world, this book is both mysterious and dangerous. Sefia, however, believes the book might help her rescue her beloved aunt, discover who killed her father (both of her parents have been dead for years), and learn more about her burgeoning magical powers. So she embarks on a journey with a mute young man and a legendary pirate crew – and by the end, she realizes her adventures might only be the beginning of a much greater story.

THE GEMS…:
- The protagonist. I adored Sefia from the get-go. She’s preciously imperfect, a believable mix of cleverness, curiosity, loyalty, and sass. I grew more endeared to her as she taught herself to read, recalled horrific memories from her childhood, and stayed focused on her mission. No wonder I nearly cried at the end.
- Sefia’s best friend, Archer. The poor guy. Between his own traumatic childhood and the abuse he suffered as a “slave-fighter,” Archer has been traumatized into muteness. After Sefia rescues him from his captors, he learns how to be human again and tag-teams with her for their survival. The struggles he endures during THE READER are just as compelling as hers.
- It’s not just Sefia’s story, by the way. THE READER features two other storylines that are deftly interwoven with the main one. First, we meet Lon and Mareah, two of the Guild’s rising stars who struggle with and question the group’s purpose. Second, we learn about the mythic Captain Reed and his crew of the Current of Faith through stories that Sefia reads in the Book – and discover his tales are more than mere legends.
- Books, pirates, and magic – oh my! The two latter elements alone would have sold me on this book. But as the title indicates, THE READER is also about the power of literature and the dangers of it in a largely illiterate world. Think Markus Zusak’s THE BOOK THIEF with shades of Rachel Caine’s Great Library series, with a magic system that involves “reading” people in order to learn their memories and secrets – and perhaps take advantage of them.
- A convincing friendship-turned-romance that never overtakes the plot. One of my favorite types of romances. And it’s a slow-burn, too. <3
- Traci Chee’s writing style. It’s vivid and evocative, yet clean and precise. It fits the story really well and maintains a smooth flow and maturity without getting too flowery.
- The art direction. THE READER takes the “story within a story” concept several steps further with occasional aesthetic touches like smudged fingerprints, faded or crossed-out text, and burn marks that heighten the reading experience rather than interfering with it. And if you pay close attention to the page numbers, you’ll find words that, when strung together, create a message.

… AND THE THORNS:
- Some world-building aspects were lacking. Apart from the magic system, insights into the Guild, legends, and historical bits, I never got a strong sense for the "flavor" of the archipelago known as Kelanna. Learning about the islands' cultures and other aspects would have fully immersed me in the world. So I'm hoping there will be more of this in the sequel.
- How did Lon and Mareah discover the Book? I can’t say more without spoiling anything, but there’s a HUGE, unexplained gap in time between Lon and Mareah becoming disenchanted with the Guild and the big gamble that changes everything. It was enough to make me stop for a moment and ask if I had missed something, even though I hadn’t. Again, maybe we’ll learn more in the sequel?

IN SHORT:

After a string of so-so YA fantasies earlier this year, I’m so glad I’m finding true jewels now. Traci Chee’s THE READER is one such diamond, spellbinding and intelligent in its layered storytelling, beautiful yet understated prose, and compelling characters. Fans of Cornelia Funke’s INKHEART, Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha Trilogy, and (yes, even though it’s not fantasy) THE BOOK THIEF will want to dive in and stay submersed for a long, long time.
5 people found this helpful
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Jessica O
5.0 out of 5 stars Blow Away
Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2017
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This book absolutely blew me away from the first line. It draws you in so well, it feels like you’re a part of the story (and you kind of are!) I don’t want to give too much away, since I really think it’s best to go in knowing as little as possible; so please bear with my extremely vague review. (Maybe I’ll do a book talk soon so I can talk in detail?)

I really loved how we got to see through multiple POVs that were seemingly unconnected until the end! The way everything tied together made so much sense and I liked that it wasn’t something that was easy to figure out sooner.

The characters and world building in this book are absolutely amazing! Everyone is well fleshed out and it really feels like you’re living through them. When you can feel the same emotions as characters and envision the world clearly, how could you not fall in love?

There is also TONS of diversity as well as strong female characters; what more could you want?

For some reason I thought the little extras and hints were printing errors in the beginning and I honestly feel so ridiculous for thinking it, haha. First I saw a fingerprint on one of the pages and was like, “wow, that’s a really big error for a Penguin book.” Then, about 100 pages in, I noticed the words on the bottom of the pages and finally realized that I was missing out on all kinds of clues and hints.

I did some reasearch and found that the author said there were 10+ hidden messages! I am not perceptive enough to find them all, even after going through the book twice; so if anyone else has found more than two please tell me. I need to know!

Overall, I really loved this book. It’s been a while since a book completely blew me away and this really did it for me. I’m absolutely amazed that this is a debut novel, since it was written so well! Also, the books are absolutely gorgeous!
13 people found this helpful
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UncaLawwy
4.0 out of 5 stars Thoughtful, Imaginative, Brutal
Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2019
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A friend of over 50 years insisted that I plunge into Traci Chee's work. When I mentioned it to my niece who's a high school English teacher, enthusiastically agreed with him... so I did a test run with The Reader. I was not at all sure at first because the book ignores chronological time lines and/or conventional sequencing. About 1/3 of the way in, I found myself making time to get to and thru the book. I whipped thru the rest of it and immediately plunged into The Speaker, the next book in the trilogy. Be warned that Chee is brutal in the treatment of her characters and unsparing in her description of violence and its results. It is also a YA novel so there's a serious measure of post-adolescent longing and misunderstanding, but it's handled in a way that doesn't provoke eye-rolling in adults.
5 people found this helpful
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Lynn Thurber
3.0 out of 5 stars Lost in the Sea of Ink and Gold
Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2018
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As I love to read, I has at first hooked on the idea of something special about people who read. But as I read on, it seems as though it is really about history, predicting the future, and humans gathering meaning about living by having something glorious written about them in the mysterious Book. That said, the descriptions are wonderful and the word choice is outstanding.

I started taking copious notes to keep track of the characters and settings. I referred back to the map multiple times. I loved the “poem” in the book and also discovered the setting symbols in front of each chapter. But it was hard to keep track of who was who and constantly had to look back at my notes. The plot seemed to spiral down into a dense forest of violence and I do not know if I can put the effort in to read the next book. I am tempted though and have already read the first chapter of “The Speaker.
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Top reviews from other countries

Harabi
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 5, 2018
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An intriguing book, fast paced and gripping
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Rishabh
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in India on March 19, 2018
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I liked it.
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Listwriter
4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful book!
Reviewed in Germany on January 16, 2017
Verified Purchase
First off, I have to say I absolutely love the cover of this book. So beautiful! If you like beautifully crafted books, I suggest the hardcover. The writing was lovely and effortless, and I also liked the relationship between Sefia and Archer.
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Dani Reviews Things / Love in a time of Feminism
4.0 out of 5 stars Exciting, unique, wildly compelling... but be prepared to be confused sometimes
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 23, 2016
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THE READER was incredible! I knew it would be special when I read the blurb. A book about a book in a world where books really do hold magic that only a select few can access? Yes, please! And I was not disappointed. Sure, it wasn't perfect, but the concept and execution were so exciting and creative, and my heart broke on more than one occasion.

The writing was beautiful, and it made me love books so much more. If you look on Goodreads, I have so many quotes that I highlighted while reading, but the note at the start of the book was my favourite.

"Hello.

If you're reading this, then maybe you know you ought to read everything. And maybe you know you ought to read deeply. Because there's witchery in these words and spellwork in the spine.

And once you know to look for signals in the smoke, for secrets in the sea, then you understand what it is to read. This is a book. You are the reader. Look closer.

There's magic here."

See what I mean? I want this on a poster!

One of my favourite things was that Sefia was so determined to survive and could totally take care of herself. She learned to hunt and track and READ on her own. But, even though she managed to harden her exterior, she remained kind inside, rescuing a guy in need and being unable to cross the line of killing humans. And then this guy? He was ADORABLE, even though he had a dark past. I loved how he and Sefia were able to connect without words, caring for each other. Be still, my beating heart.

The world was extensive, which was both good and bad. Good because it felt like a real world with different places and climates and cultures. Bad because it made it difficult to keep track of where people were. There was a gorgeous map at the start that helped, but maps aren't as easy to read and access on a Kindle when compared to a physical book, so maybe get the physical for this one.

Which brings us to my biggest issue while reading. I was often confused, as there seemed to be at least three different stories going on. First, there was Sefia looking for Nin. Then there was Lon, an apprentice learning to access the magic of the Book. THEN there was Captain Reed on his great adventures. AND THEN there was another lady who I won’t say more about for spoiler reasons. I wasn’t sure if the stories were running parallel but would eventually connect, or if they were happening at different times in history. When one thing was eventually cleared up, yet another POV was introduced. Don’t get me wrong, the story was interesting and kept me hooked this way, but it also had me feeling uncomfortable along the way. There is a line where mystery and intrigue goes too far, and I think THE READER did a little jig back and forth over it. Luckily, all the separate strings started to come together around the halfway point in surprising and delightful ways.

Despite the confusion, I couldn't stop reading. I even got the audiobook to go with the ebook (thank you, Whispersync) so that I could listen when I had to use my eyes for other business, like walking to and from the train station or cooking. It was so compelling!

Basically, if you're a reader (duh, otherwise why are you here), you should read THE READER. Just do it.
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable story with well-rounded characters
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 9, 2021
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Sefia and Archer are interesting and capable characters to follow. The way Reed’s chapters and those of other characters are interwoven is pretty cool and well-done. The writing is good and the story captivating. The romance, such as there is in the first book, doesn’t take center stage and is not distracting from the rest of the story too much.
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