ZEROES

Amber Benson's confident, pliant voice carries listeners through this suspenseful account of a group of unlikely friends with unusual powers. Three authors collaborate to tell the story from six points of view--creating quite a challenge for the narrator. Benson succeeds admirably, balancing the everyday complexity the Zeroes face as they find their place in the world against the terrifying responsibility of being capable of actions with drastic, far-reaching consequences. As the teens struggle to understand, control, and use their supernatural skills, Benson grasps the subtleties of their individual perspectives, and her characterizations provide an array of fresh, fervid voices. Her pacing and subtlety maintain clarity in the face of overlapping storylines and peripheral characters, and she tackles the Zeroes' rising panic amid high-stakes circumstances with finesse. K.S.B. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2015]