THE THIRTEEN HALLOWS

Kate Reading takes the abundance of sex, violence, and torture in this dark fantasy in stride. Thirteen hallows (artifacts) are being hunted by the Dark Man. After Sarah rescues an elderly woman from a mugging, she learns firsthand the powerful intensity of one of the hallows, which she is meant to pass on to the woman’s nephew, Owen. Reading smoothly transitions between the raw brutality of the thugs as they execute the Dark Man’s orders and the innocence of Sarah and Owen as they try to stay out of the Dark Man’s reach. Reading brings out the intensity of the action, creating suspense and terror without overdoing it. She moves comfortably between the accents of the English, American, and Welsh characters. J.E.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2012]