I have to admit, the cover got me. The cool looking sword, the hazy Big Ben in the background, the shades of blue, it's just a great cover. I'm sorry to say the rest of the book didn't quite live up to it.

For some reason I thought this would be YA, but that's far from the truth. It's probably because Scott wrote the Alchemyst series (Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel). Lots of bloody rituals, sex, and more bloody rituals.

Thirteen people, the keepers, charged with watching over the thirteen More...

Those who love the children's series "The secrets of the immortal Nicholas Flamel" by Michael Scott need to realize that this new series of his is NOT, repeat NOT, for children. This book contains the violent torture and murders of elderly men and women, multiple beheadings and too many boringly gratuitous sex scenes. By the end of chapter 1, two women have been filleted. The beginning of chapter 3 has the evil characters, Ahriman and his psychic wife, Vyvienne, coupling upon a church alter.

So, More...

Starting off the review, with a note from the author, found at the end of the book:
"Most of the Hallows mentioned in this novel still exist, as do the group of people known as the Hallowed Keepers."

Wow, I was surprised by the overtone of darkness and the grisly nature of this novel. I wasn't expecting it since Michael Scott last wrote "The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel" which is a kids series. This is definitely an adult novel in such contrast, with the magical rites using sex, torturo More...

I read a lot of the reviews on this book...and found the majority of them to be negative so I felt compelled to add a review. It has been stated that this book is most definitely not for children...having said that I do not think that the sex and violence is "gratuitous" as I've heard others mention. Is there Sex? Yep. Violence? Most definitely. This book is about an EVIL man trying to unleash hell and damnation into the world of humankind. Sex and human sacrifice have always gone hand in hand w More...

This book had the emotional depth of a wading pool.

It was well written, had an actual plot, but the characters were just moving through the plot. It reminded me of a Dean Koontz novel with all of the emotional investment in the characters stripped out of it.

I honestly couldn't care if the demons were unleashed on london or not. The sexy evil sorceress that suffered from a highly abusive relationship and the skinhead junkie murderer were the most fleshed out characters, but still felt like carica More...

Good premise. Lots of potential. The characters were one-dimensional. Skinner was the only one I felt any sympathy for. The sex and the violence were totally gratuitous. All the ingredients were there but it fell flat. There were inconsistencies in the stories of some of the hallows. Despite the fact that the protagonists were wanted by the police and apparently covered with gore most of the time, they seemed to travel around with impunity. There was no intrigue, no build up and no denouement. P More...

Technically this book was very good. The lead up, rising action, climax, etc. All very well done and moved along at a good pace. But emotionally I wasn't able to connect to the characters at all. They came across as very one dimensional. Very little detail was established about their characters. For instance with Sarah we really only learn that she comes from a family with a verbally abusive mother who is always nagging at her and telling her what to do and that she is worthless. Yet somehow Sar More...

Sarah Miller is a 22-year-old Londoner in a dead end job who lives with and supports her widowed mother. Her mother dominates her life in every way, and Sarah allows it because she does not know what else to do. But when she comes to the aid of an elderly woman being mugged, she becomes hopelessly embroiled in a murderous conspiracy stretching back over 2,000 years. A criminal mastermind known as the Dark Man and his mistress/wife is gathering together 13 magical items. They are the Hallows of B More...

A well written, entertaining read

I was actually blown away by this book. It’s incredibly well written for a horror book and the pacing is probably the best I’ve ever enjoyed. I sat down to read one chapter and the next thing I realized, eleven chapters had flown by. I am not a fast reader; however, I finished this book in three days.

I’ve actually enjoyed reading the various reviews on the book and find it amusing that people are so vociferous in their distaste for the gore. This is a horror/fant More...

Urban fantasy has been my fiction "drug" of choice over much of the last five to ten years. So I was excited to get a chance to read the new book from Michael Scott (author of The Alchemist, The Magician, and The Sorceress from the young adult series The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel) and playwright and screenwriter Colette Freedman, who's recently been named one of the Dramatist Guild's "50 to Watch."

But be warned. The Thirteen Hallows is not for the faint of heart. This is by far the More...

Ever read a book ad wonder why you bothered to finish it. This was one of those books for me. It has been one of the most disappointing books I have ever read !!

I've read the previous four books of Michael Scott's fantasy series, "The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel," which have been decently written, plotted, accurate enough (in their use of real places and characters), and enjoyable.

This thing co-authored with playwright Colette Friedman is however, comparatively speaking, a piece of t More...

When Sarah Miller saves an elderly woman from a brutal attack and robbery she soon learns that there was more to saving Judith Walker than the impulse to help an old lady hold onto her bag. Sarah is inexplicably pulled into an ancient struggle that dates back thousands of years as a mysterious enemy seeks to destroy everything around her in his attempt to claim the rusted piece of metal that Judith entrusted her to guard. The action in The Thirteen Hallows burns across every page from start to f More...

The Thirteen Hallows combines mystery and folklore with romance and destiny in an age-old good-vs-evil story.

drey’s thoughts:

The Thirteen Hallows has everything you’d look for in a murder-mystery with magical objects at its heart – action, plot, and history. The magical objects number thirteen in all, and perform a function in keeping the demons locked away from humanity. The Guardians number thirteen as well – although they’re being systematically destroyed, so the count’s a few short. And one More...

Book Title: "The Thirteen Hallows"
Author: Michael Scott & Colette Freedman
Published By: Tor Forge
Age Recommended: 18 +
Reviewed By: Kitty Bullard
Raven Rating: 5

Review: This book completely knocked me for a loop. By far one of the best modern fantasy books for adults I have ever read. The story revolves around the Keepers of the Thirteen Hallows, all of which are elderly having guarded these Hallows for generations after they were passed down from son to son and daughter to daughter, and so on More...

Sarah Miller is an unremarkable young woman, working a job she doesn’t like and continuously held back by her domineering mother.
When she sees an elderly woman being attacked by two junkies she does the unthinkable and intervenes. For reasons she doesn’t quite understand herself Sarah accompanies the woman, Judith Walker, to her home and when they find the place ransacked, Sarah offers Judith a bed for the night in her own house. An offer which has devastating consequences for both Sarah and Jud More...

When I received this book for review I started by showing it to my son and making the ooohing and aaahing sounds he detests. Come one, this is Michael Scott, author of one of his favorite series (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel), he was bound to be jealous. Then I read the first 20 pages and felt bad for my actions because this is NOT a kid’s book. So, no, my son won’t be picking this one up. I’m not familiar with Freedman (the other author), but Scott has a way with making fantasy c More...

Disclosure: I received an advance reader's copy of this book from the Amazon Vine Program in exchange for an honest review.

The Thirteen Hallows by Michael Scott and Colette Freedman

From the back of the book:

THE HALLOWS. Ancient artifacts imbued with a primal and deadly power. But are they protectors of this world, or the keys to its destruction? A gruesome murder in London reveals a sinister plot to uncover a two-thousand-year-old secret. For decades, the Keepers guarded these Hallows, keeping t More...

In a world separated from the one we inhabit, live a race of demons who love eating human flesh. Two thousand years ago, their entryway into our world was sealed off with thirteen locks, which can be opened only by their thirteen corresponding "Hallows". Each of these objects, once ordinary but now imbued with fearsome power, is strong enough in its own right, but should the thirteen ever be reunited, the demons will triumph and engulf us forever. When Sarah Miller rescues an elderly woman from More...

Ever since a fateful summer in Wales during World War II, when a bunch of young refugees from the city were sent to the countryside for safekeeping, the Thirteen Hallows - thirteen sacred, ancient treasures - have been scattered around Britain. It has been foretold that to bring them all together will be disastrous, but decades later, the children who were entrusted with the Hallows are all much older and the memory grown distant...while all the while, the forces of evil bide their time, waiting More...

This is the story of the 13 hallows, their keepers, and the evil the hallows keep locked out of this world. A young woman, Sarah Miller, is thrust into a fight of good vs evil when she comes to the aid of an elderly woman who is mugged. When Sarah meets up with the woman's nephew, they embark on a harrowing journey as they simultaneously run from those who would kill them for the artifact they carry and try to unlock the secrets behind the hallows and their keepers.

Although I really liked the p More...

I admit to being a bit surprised by the gruesomeness of this book in its first 20 pages. Like other readers, based on the marketing, I had expected more of a fantasy novel. But I read on, and so glad I did! Once I readjusted my expectations, I was pleasantly surprised, and became more so as the book continued and the complex and intriguing plot began to unfold. It became clear that the opening of the book was necessary to set up the story and even more so, the stakes, of what was to come. The fu More...

Wow! what a ride! Except instead of feeling exhilarating like I just stepped off good rollercoaster, I am feeling queezy like I just stumbled out of a cheep carnival tilt-a-whirl.

Though, I did find the book eminently readable and fast paced, the story was not at all what I was expecting. Reading the dust cover lead me to believe that this would be a story chuck full of archaic knowledge and old magic woven into the tapestry of a narrative that would give both history and mystery pertaining to th More...

In compliance with FTC guidelines, I received this book from Macmillan Audio in exchange for an honest review.

First I want to start with how fantastic Kate Reading is. She not only has a rather soothing voice but she's fabulous at providing the different voices, with different accents. I think it was an awesome move on Macmillan Audio's part to get her to read this, since it's set in the UK it only makes sense to have someone with the proper accent. I've heard other audio books that were not so More...

You may also read my review here: http://www.mybookishways.com/2011/12/...

Sarah Miller is having a really, really bad day. After helping an elderly woman during an apparent mugging, the woman convinces Sarah to take an artifact of hers (a piece of a broken sword) and keep it safe. Sarah’s not quite sure why she agrees to do it, but feels that it’s somehow her duty, and agrees. Turns out this artifact is part of a broken sword with ancient and deadly powers, and it’s also one of 13 Hallows that i More...

At the beginning, I thought I'd have difficulty putting aside my disbelief, but as I continued to read, I didn't have that problem. The action was great at first, I was on the edge of my seat, but then it just devolved into downright bloodiness. I thought that was odd for an English book, their movies don't seem to be so violent and bloody.
I think that if the author who is an 'expert in mythology and folklore' had used more of his knowledge, this book could have been a keeper. Instead it seemed More...

Kdysi dávno bylo použito třináct obyčejných věcí k zapečetí démonů, aby se nemohli dostat do našeho světa. Díky tomu se z těch věcí staly neobyčejné relikvie, které si strážci předávají z generaci na generaci. Relikvie nesmí být pohromadě, protože i jednotlivě mají velikou moc. V současnosti jedna ze Strážkyň zjišťuje, že ostatní Strážci jsou postupně vyvražďování. V médiích je to sice označováno jako nehody ale Judith Walkerová ví své. Jednoho dne jí náhoda přivede do cesty mladou Sáru. Ta Judi More...

Premis buku ini mirip dengan Prophecy of the Sisters, di dunia ini ada Otherworld yang dihuni oleh Demonkind. Beberapa di antara mereka pernah masuk ke dunia kita dan membuat kerusakan. Mereka juga berhubungan dengan manusia dan menghasilkan ras vampir dan werewolf. Sekitar dua ribu tahun yang lalu, seorang anak bernama Yoshu'a menyegel gerbang antara dunia kita dan Otherworld dengan tiga belas Hallow. Tiga belas Hallow itu juga disebut Thirteen Treasures of the Island of Britain. Hallow-Hallow More...

The Thirteen Hallows is yet another supernatural thriller based around a mystical object (in this case a sword) that gives the user supernatural abilities. As usual, there are bad people looking for it, and good people dying to protect it.

The story has everything in place to be exciting and enjoyable despite it's predictabe story line. There are plenty of appropriately sympathetic, or thoroughly despicable characters and action to keep the pace brisk and engaging. Where the author lost me was i More...

Michael Scott is a fun, young adult author that I picked up and have been reading his Flamel series, so I thought I would give this a try. Unfortunately this is not quite the same caliber. I breezed through The Thirteen Hallows, so if you want a quick read this will definitely fit the bill. The characters do not seem that developed or even interesting. The background story of each character, which are important, had major holes that even the fantastic elements of the novel could not patch. There More...

Mythology, religion, magic and action make for an interesting and exciting thriller.

When Sarah Miller comes to the aid of an elderly woman who appears to be being mugged, she has no idea that she has just involved herself in a centuries old battle that could lead to the end of the world as we know it.

Sarah takes the old woman, Judith Walker, home with her, after seeing her to her own flat and realizing it's been trashed. But once Sarah is seen to have been "with" Judith, the shadowy people who a More...