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Undertow by Willa Blackmore Narrator: Sarah Sampino
Series: The Carolina Files #2
Published by Tantor Audio on February 10, 2026
Genres: Fantasy, Mystery
Length: 9 hours and 59 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Library
Purchase Links: Amazon*Libro*Kobo*Chirp*Audiobooks.com*B&N
Goodreads
Three sisters, one power, and an evil out to destroy everything in its path.
The Whitlow witches often rub elbows with all things that go bump in the night, but what will they do when Hell itself comes calling?
A dangerous ritual, decades old, is about to set loose an evil on the town of Henley-on-Hale and the Whitlows are the only thing standing in the way. The sisters must untangle a web of lies to find the truth behind a series of brutal and horrific murders that are taking the lives of local teens and leaving very strange clues behind. Clues that say this is more than just your run-of-the-mill serial killer.
The witches must call on the aid of their allies—old and new—to confront a force unlike any they've ever faced before. The fate of the town and its inhabitants hangs in the balance and, should they fail, the evil that could be unleashed on the world would be cataclysmic.
Also in this series: Witchwood
Undertow by Willa Blackwood—narrated by Sarah Sampino—is book two in The Carolina Files. Although each entry presents an individual mystery for the Whitlow family, I highly recommend listening/reading in publication order due to the series overall arc surrounding the stone beneath Whitlow Manor.
Though she never wanted the role, Tula Whitlow has become the de facto leader of the Whitlow sisters. This installment treats readers to a dark, suspenseful mystery involving missing and murdered teens, demonic symbols, ancient rituals, secrets, and demonic possession.
Although Tula takes center stage, we get a deeper look at her sisters and aunt this time around. We follow Tula as she tries to figure out what’s happening in town and save the kids, all while her mother urges her from afar to deal with the stone under Whitlow Manor. Tula clearly feels unprepared, but with the danger mounting, she has to step up. That said, Tula and some of the other characters did frustrate me at times by getting into situations where the danger was obvious and easily avoidable.
There is a slow-burn romance with a sexy vampire named Victor, though it remains a secondary subplot with minimal progression in this book. Personally, I would have loved to see more of Victor in the story!
While I don’t love any of the sisters, they are tolerable enough, though Aunt Ruby and our sexy vampire Victor are definitely my favorite characters. Something about this installment felt a bit off for me, and I couldn’t fully connect with it—perhaps because the story veered away from cozy mystery territory into much darker vibes.
Audio: Sarah Sampino does a fantastic job with the narration, perfectly capturing Tula, the secondary characters, and the overall tone of the story. Her character voices are enjoyable and bring a wonderful Southern charm to the performance. Honestly, I don’t think I would have finished this novel if I hadn’t listened to the audiobook, so I highly recommend going the audio route!
Rated: 3 Stars
Audio Narration: 4 Stars
Was this review helpful? If so, please consider liking it on Goodreads (Angela)!
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About Sarah Sampino
Sarah Sampino is an actor from Long (LAWWng) Island – but you only hear her accent after she’s had a few drinks. She is continuously surprised by the support of her business-oriented parents, who swear that she sang “Part of Your World” before she could talk. Apparently that can’t go on a resume.
Sarah earned her B.F.A in Drama from New York University, and her BF from England – She highly recommends studying abroad. She learned to sword fight at RADA, which is brought up at any opportunity, because it’s really, really cool. She also trained at The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute and Stonestreet Studios.
Life as an actress has provided Sarah with invaluable knowledge and self discovery. For example, she now knows how difficult it is to ride a horse sidesaddle in Amish skirts. On the occasion that Sarah is not being actor-y, she can be found procrastinating everything by burying her face into a fantasy novel.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2026 Audiobook Challenge
- 2026 Beat the Backlist Challenge
- 2026 COYER Out To Lunch Again
- 2026 Library Love Challenge
- 2026 TBR Tackle Challenge
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