DREAMER'S POOL Blackthorn & Grim, Book 1

Narrators Scott Aiello, Natalie Gold, and Nick Sullivan deliver this Blackthorn & Grim series opener in alternating chapters. Gold tells the story of Blackthorn, a healer who escapes prison only to accept fae servitude for seven years. Sullivan portrays the stalwart Grim, Blackthorn's traveling companion. Aiello is the diffident Prince Oran, who begs Blackthorn and Grim for help with his new fiancée's strange transformation. Together, the narrators weave a compelling tale. Gold captures Blackthorn's bitter disillusionment, but her diction is not always crisp. Sullivan's deep voice matches Grim's giant size and taciturn nature. Oran emerges as a gentle scholar, but Aiello's secondary voices are less realistic. Transitions from one narrator to the next provide clear continuity as each faithfully presents Marillier's atmosphere of magic and mystery. C.A. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2015]