Narrator: Caitlin Davies
Series: Hallowed Games #1
on December 2, 2023
Genres: Fantasy Romance
Length: 8 hours, 41 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Purchased
Goodreads
Amazon, Audible
If he’s death, I crave oblivion.
Elowen is cursed: she kills with a brush of her fingertips. Her worst fear is hurting the boy she cares for—and her second-worst is the attention of the Raven Lord. Maelor is the lethally beautiful leader of the witch-hunters. And now, he seems like he knows her secrets.
When he arrests her, her only hope is to survive a series of brutal trials. Ninety-nine out of a hundred will die, and magic is strictly forbidden. Strangely, Maelor is immune to Elowen’s touch. The Raven Lord claims to want to help her. But as she spends more time with him, she discovers he has a dark secret of his own. Is he the reason bodies have been showing up around the kingdom, drained of blood?
The more Maelor wants Elowen, the more dangerous he becomes. In a world where trusting someone can get you killed, will this beautiful monster help her survive?
Hallowed Games is the first book in a new series by the same name. I would call this a bit of a cross between Salem witch trials (if they were really witches) and the Hunger Games. The order is going through villages looking for those touched by the serpent with some kind of power. They are rounding up suspected Witches and those accused by their neighbors. Those captured are taken to the Orders headquarters to be put through trials. Around 100 enter but only 1 will survive and be saved.
Elowen’s life changed forever the day she was touched by the serpent. Her curse/gift is to kill anyone who touches her. It ruined most of her life. The man she wanted to marry become untouchable to her and moved onto another. She is feared by her former friends and neighbors and used by the Baron to be an assassin. The only solace she has is in the orphaned boy she took in to raise after his parents were named Serpent touched. She would do anything to protect him. When the order came to her village looking for witches, she is captured but at least she can hide her young ward.
Maelor is the leader of the guard looking through the towns and gathering people for the games. He has been drawn to Elowen since he first saw her, he just doesn’t know why. Determined to do what he can to make sure she makes it through these trials, he will give her as many clues as possible, no matter the cost to himself. Elowen can touch Maelor; he is immune to her power. She is so starved for touch she isn’t sure if she is drawn to the man or just the fact he can touch her. She will use him and his infatuation if it means making it out of the games and back to her ward. How better to get all the information she wants than by possibly seducing him. She will just have to do that without becoming compromised herself.
What an interesting story with Vampires, Zealots and of course, real Witches. When your life is on the line all the moral lines get blurred and people do what they must to survive. I had a good time with the characters as they face the challenges. Elowen and her small alliance try to keep each other alive to the end to give everyone the best shot at being the one chosen to be redeemed. As they fight through challenges the story is teased out and there may be a resistance working against the Praetor and his religious zealots. If Elowen can find the resistance, maybe there is hope of more of them leaving the games alive.
This was a great introduction to the world and the peril. It set up all the characters well and gave us some temptingly hot scenes throughout the story. It was easy to root for Elowen, even when she was making some questionable choices. Very interested in seeing where the team of characters ends up and how they will conquer the Praetor and his followers. They will have to stop hiding and band their power together if they are ever going to stand a chance.
Narration:
Caitlin Davies and I go way back to when I first started listening to audiobooks. I loved her listening to her narration of Penryn and the End of Days. She has an extensive catalog and represents all the characters and the emotion of the story really well. I usually enjoy the stories narrated by her more than when I read the book myself. I was able to listen at my usual 1.5x speed.
Listen to a clip: HERE
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” a bit of a cross between Salem witch trials (if they were really witches) and the Hunger Games”. Damn I am curious now.
Love the cover on this one, and it sounds really good from your review. Thanks for sharing this one!