The Mesmerist

Narrator Colleen Prendergast's steady performance allows young listeners to get caught up in the magical adventures of 13-year-old "mesmerist" Jessamine, who lives in Victorian London. Jess believes she and her mum are fake spiritualists, taking grieving people's money and pretending to have them speak to their dead loved ones. In actuality, Jess CAN speak to the dead, and the world is full of magic and monsters. As Jess encounters faeries, werewolves, and other scary creatures, narrator Prendergast sounds astonished by it all; the wonder in her voice keeps the story from being scary. Jess battles evil with the help of some supernatural friends, and Prendergast's reading shows how dauntless and brave she is. G.D. � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine