Thirteen

Women of the Otherworld, Book 13

By: Kelley Armstrong

Narrated by: Johanna Parker

Length: 10 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

The number-one New York Times best-selling author Kelley Armstrong delivers the novel her fans have been clamoring for: The epic finale of the Otherworld series.

It's been more than 10 years, a dozen installments, and hundreds of thousands of copies since Kelley Armstrong introduced readers to the all-too-real denizens of the Otherworld: witches, werewolves, necromancers, vampires, and half-demons, among others. And it's all been leading to Thirteen, the final installment, the novel that brings all of these stories to a stunning conclusion.

A war is brewing - the first battle has been waged and Savannah Levine is left standing, albeit battered and bruised. She has rescued her half-brother from supernatural medical testing, but he's fighting to stay alive. The Supernatural Liberation Movement took him hostage, and they have a maniacal plan to expose the supernatural world to the unknowing.

Savannah has called upon her inner energy to summon spells with frightening strength - a strength she never knew she had - as she fights to keep her world from shattering. But it's more than a matter of supernaturals against one another - both heaven and hell have entered the war; hellhounds, genetically modified werewolves, and all forces of good and evil have joined the fray.

Uniting Savannah with Adam, Paige, Lucas, Jaime, Hope, and other lost-but-not-forgotten characters in one epic battle, Thirteen is a grand, crowd-pleasing closer for Armstrong's legions of fans.

©2012 Kelley Armstrong (P)2012 Penguin Audio

✫✫ 5 Stars ✫✫

What a great ending to this series! I loved this book! It was so full of action, adventure, chaos and growth! Having all of the paranormal's working together to fight against evil was exactly what this series was all about for me! Everyone is the hero! Now I am looking forward to listening to the Anthologies (which I normally don't enjoy) because I NEED the back story for everyone, especially Jeremy and Clay!

The narration was great, Joanna Parker is an amazing narrator. At first I had a hard time not hearing Sookie because that series was my first experience with her but by the end of this book, she WAS Savannah!

Such a Shame

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

A plot that relied on something other than guts and gore. Now to put this in some context, I have read every single other book, story, and novella written by Kelley Armstrong, so this very negative review is from a big fan. I know she does not shy away from violence, but in this book that was all there was. It's like there were just a few scenes between blood and guts to get from one needlessly PROLONGED scene of graphic violence to the next, like porn that tries to have a story line. I could not even finish this one.

What character would you cut from Thirteen?

It's hard to say because the characters were very unimportant in this book: It was all about the violence. The one bright light was Eve. If Armstrong had been able to get away from her fascination with describing eviscerations in detail to develop characters more, the re-corporalized Eve would have been great.

Any additional comments?

Just because I have read every other book in the series, I will probably get this one in used paperback so that I can skip through the probable 3/4 of the book that does not involve plot. I seems a shame to end such a fantastic series on such a low note. It's hard to believe Armstrong even wrote this one.

LOVED IT!!

Kelley Armstrong is a wonderful writer. I've been reading her books for years. I think this is the last installment of "The Otherwolrd" series. She wraps things up nicely here. Using Johanna Parker as a narrator threw me a little bit for the last couple books because I was used to her "sookie" voices. However, she does a great job here.
I won't spoil anything here, but let it be known you are in for a wild ride right from the beginning. This book picks up exactly where the last one left off.

A fitting end to a fabulous series

In this last book of the series, all of the characters make their final appearances and contribute to a complex plot. Armstrong manages to spin a yard of thriller intrigue that has you seeing death, rebirth, renewal and endings. I am very happy with the endings and how loose ends are tied up. Savannah is the main protagonist, along with Adam, they go up against a group intent on killing tens of thousands of innocents.

I will miss these characters. The narrator, Parker, finishes with a stellar performance. This series will appeal to those who like a supernatural bent to their romances. The supernatural is not over the top and is definitely swapped out by the thriller aspect. I recommend the whole series. Nice job Armstrong.

Kelley Armstrong is great, narrator- not so much.

Would you be willing to try another one of Johanna Parker’s performances?

Only if she doesn't try to do an accent. Her southern accent was bad as well as her french accent. The southern accent was too many types of southern accents rolled into one.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes! In spite of the narrator I wanted to keep listening to find out how the series ends.

Again with the crappy narration.

Woman from Toronto with a southern drawl. No more need be said. Three more words.

Series overall

If you could sum up Thirteen in three words, what would they be?

The only issues were some of the narrators. Johanna Parker did the last few and I really enjoyed her the most.. In my option I wish they stuck with the same narrator throughout the whole series. Would have made it much better. But on the flip side I did absolutely LOVE the series and am quite sad that it's over. I loved the werewolves stories and of course the last few were Savannah was the main character... I really enjoyed your writing Kelly Armstrong, thank you!!!

Have you listened to any of Johanna Parker’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I loveeee Johanna Parker! I've listen to her read the WHOLE sookie stackhouse stories. By far my favorite.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No but most definitely would if I could have!!!

Not disappointed

Johanna Parker is by far one of my favorites. I enjoy her voice so much. I loved the book. If you enjoy the series, you will enjoy this one.

Great Series!

I love the Otherworld series - and it's had several different readers throughout its 13-book duration. Unfortunately for me, my favorite reader only did one. I love Johanna Parker's reading in the Southern Vampire series, but I can't get that series out of my head when I listen to this one. She does a good job, but she'll always be Sookie to my ears.


As far as the story goes, Kelley Armstrong did it again! The story was great and stressful! Fans of the series get to see a little of everyone - so no matter who's your favorite, you get to see them!

Great Finish For the Series

Where does Thirteen rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Among the top 30! This is such a great ending, I was nervous for a while but it was fantastic!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Thirteen?

I don't want to give anything away but it has to do with the Nast Cabal leader!

What does Johanna Parker bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Of all the narrators in this series I feel she did the best job. It was hard getting through all the switching. Glad she did the last couple of books!

Any additional comments?

Kelley Armstrong is a wonderful writer. I really enjoyed every book for so many reasons. I now get to enjoy the Men of the Underworld as well as the compilations of short stories. Glad I have some more of this world to listen to!