As February’s month of love comes to an end, it might just be the perfect time to delve into the horrors of social issues pushed to the extreme. These four horror audiobooks feature not only exceptional narrations but also a surefire antidote to all feelings warm and fuzzy.
Joe Hempel expertly immerses listeners in the slowly increasing horror as much of America devolves into mindless monsters in WAKE UP AND OPEN YOUR EYES. Noah’s liberal values contrast with her conservative parents’ Fax News-obsessed conspiracy thinking, but his mother’s recent voicemail about the Great Reawakening worries him. His return calls go unanswered, so he travels from New York to Virginia to check on his parents, only to find them catatonic in a messy house full of rotten food. Hempel captures Noah’s caution and increasing anxiety as it transforms from worried to terrified when his parents violently attack him. His narration enhances the vivid imagery of the infected tearing apart themselves and the people around them. A full cast joins in the second half of the audiobook to illustrate the chaos of the devolving world through newscasts, livestreams, and TikTok videos. This unsettling, highly political audiobook will stay with listeners long past the finale.
A talented trio narrates LISTEN TO YOUR SISTER. Kristolyn Lloyd voices Calla, 25 years old and barely holding her life together as she parents her troublemaking younger brother, Jamie. Lloyd embodies a kaleidoscope of emotions as Calla masks her slowly increasing anxiety and resentment behind the facade of a responsible guardian. Her relentless nightmares portend the gruesome deaths of her brothers. Middle brother Dre, narrated by Eric Lockley, promised to help raise Jamie but is so absorbed in his own life that he hasn’t followed through. Zeno Robinson depicts Jamie with a youthful confidence that fits his teenage recklessness. At a protest gone wrong, Jamie gets in serious trouble, and not long after, Dre is nearly killed in a home invasion. Fearing persecution, the siblings run to a remote cabin, but then Calla’s nightmares come to life. Each narrator excels at realistically depicting complicated emotions and fear, earning this chilling audiobook an Earphones Award.
In SO THIRSTY, Sloane’s husband gifts her a birthday getaway with her troublemaker friend Naomi. But this refreshing change of pace from her mediocre, predictable life is hardly a balm on the truth of his chronic cheating problem. Brittany Pressley's performance of Sloane hints at the restraint she places on her emotions as her expectations for a cozy weekend retreat turn into an unexpectedly wild night. Naomi’s voice is relaxed, reflecting her ease with her highly unpredictable party-girl life. Pressley demonstrates impressive vocal versatility with accents when voicing a mansion full of worldly, mysterious strangers who come to alter Sloane and Naomi’s lives entirely. She paces her performance to keep listeners on edge for the thrills and allow them to savor the darker details as the girls’ new blood-fueled lives unfold in front of them.
Leslie Howard is the primary narrator of WITCHCRAFT FOR WAYWARD GIRLS. Fifteen-year-old Fern spends the summer of 1970 at Wellwood Home, where pregnant, unwed girls are sent to give birth and then give their babies up for adoption. Howard voices a large cast of charismatic characters, including several young girls and strict, relentless adults, all while carefully adjusting the strength of her southern American accent and depth of her tone. Howard’s withdrawn, breathy voice for Fern reflects her innocence; her voices gradually grows in strength as she and her friends gain access to a book on witchcraft and get back some of their autonomy. Hillary Huber voices short segments of pregnancy facts and guidelines for witchcraft with a matter-of-fact tone that suitably contrasts with the emotional main story. At the end of the audiobook, Sara Morsey’s mature, older voice rings with wisdom.
