New Reviews: Young Adult

This gripping and thought-provoking audiobook will not only please fans of dystopian stories, especially the author's, but will also add new listeners to both groups. In a post-Covid world, Crown Royale, a new virus that is seen as life ending--whether or not the sick recover--is spreading rapidly. All those who do recover experience enlightenment, losing any negative feelings... Read More

Narrator Ferdelle Capistrano depicts the emotional turmoil of River Santos, who is coping with breaking up with her boyfriend; being abandoned by her mother; losing everything, including her father, in a fire; having $2 million donated to her by an unknown source; yearning for her gorgeous new co-worker, Logan; and having a general sense that something is not quite right.... Read More

Join spirited narrator Caitlin Kinnunen for a coming-of-age story filled with quirky adventures. Amelia is panicking after asking her celebrity crush, famous YouTuber Walter Holland, to her prom online. Then she takes her dream a step further and plans a road trip with friends to see him in person. Surely, he'll then notice her, and her romantic fantasies will come true!... Read More

The true story of the Fox Sisters, as delivered by Sophie Amoss, brings listeners to rural New York in 1848. This story is pieced together from surviving letters, news articles, and other accounts. As children, Kate and Maggie Fox were believed to communicate with the dead. The curiosity of their mother, then a neighbor, then their hometown, and then the world led to... Read More

Will Watt's warm, empathetic performance makes this stand-alone fantasy set in the world of SERAPHINA a must-listen. In a story in which past crimes and present troubles converge, Watt flawlessly moves from character to character, giving each one a distinct and instantly recognizable voice and keeping listeners spellbound as the action unfolds. Charl's unassuming town of St.... Read More

Barrett Leddy lends his youthful-sounding voice to this YA sci-fi set in the near future when the climate crisis and pandemics have worsened. Xavier Oaks reluctantly spends the night at the lake house with his father and his pregnant stepmom. When he wakes up, he finds their cabin has been transplanted to a farm inside a dome. Three years later, another family arrives, raising... Read More

Erin Tripp narrates this brief and interesting history highlighting scientists, events, and discoveries that led to our modern science of biology. From the Islamic Golden Age of the 8th century through the Renaissance, the field of biology lurched forward in fits and starts until the scientific method firmly took hold and erased millennia of superstition and philosophical... Read More

Mia Hutchinson-Shaw delivers a heartfelt performance of this quirky YA romance. Evie is tired of being the nice girl. At her new boarding school she asks her dorm mate, Salem, an easygoing slacker, to help her become cool. In exchange, Evie will help Salem become a model student. They grow closer, but Evie is harboring a secret relating to why she's enrolled at this school.... Read More

Zeno Robinson's lively narration anchors the third installment in Flake's series about Black teenagers who are navigating tricky relationships with each other, their parents, and the world at large. John-John thinks he knows what kind of son his father wants, and it's definitely not the kind he is. A little shy and nerdy, he'd rather practice archery than shoot hoops.... Read More

Sophie Amoss's gripping narration propels listeners through Alice Springer's memories. As the 19-year-old waits in an 1886 Dodge City jail cell, her hanging imminent, the abusive husband she admits she killed reappears to add further torment. Amoss's Southern accent reflects Alice's Kentucky birthplace, but rather than sounding gentle, her voice has a bitter tone. Amoss's... Read More

Emily O'Brien voices 16-year-old Mullory Prudence and the other characters in this novel with a wide vocal range and quirky accents. James Babson's baritone pitches provide an abundance of variety for other characters, as well. Mullory is bombarded with multiple invitations to Stoutmire Estate to compete in a game of mystery royale for the chance to win a sizable inheritance.... Read More

Jennifer Aquino and James Fouhey take turns swapping the mic in this story of crush at first sight. It begins in the school nurse's office and continues when bullheaded Pacy and anxiety-ridden Cecil find themselves working together on the planning committee for the freshman dance. In alternating chapters, Aquino and Fouhey voice each teen's first-person account of the blooming... Read More

When Harper, portrayed by Natalie Naudus, moves next door to Ollie, portrayed by Mary Helen Gallucci, her upended senior year might not totally suck, thanks to their Dungeons & Dragons sessions. Harper and Ollie haven't seen each other since they were 12, but Ollie is still afraid of acting on her romantic feelings for her childhood friend in her small Virginia town. Gallucci's... Read More

Mark Sanderlin gives an outstanding performance of Selznick's new audiobook about two teens who are finding first love. Telling the story in the first person, Danny is wandering alone in Rome while his mother translates old manuscripts. He soon meets Rome native Angelo. Sanderlin captures their initial shyness, then deftly conveys the wonder felt by naïve Danny and the joy felt... Read More

Narrator Holter Graham transports listeners to a world of gods, demons, and humans. As a young demon, Simi is bound to the Atlantan god, Acheron. When Simi meets the demon Thorn, he makes her laugh even though he's trying to scare her, but over the years Thorn becomes enraged at various times. Simi has a childlike nature, which Graham brings out with a singsong quality. As the... Read More

Listeners unfamiliar with the first titles in the popular and thought-provoking They Both Die At the End series will find that multiple narrators make it easier to follow this installment. Many characters and references to incidents from the earlier books add to the title's complexity. The story opens with an author's note warning about references to self-harm and suicidal... Read More

Listening to this audiobook is like spending a few hours with your favorite teacher. Narrator Andrew Eakett is supported by a full cast who take listeners on a comprehensive journey through a history of trans identities. Eakett's narration is engaging, knowledgeable, and funny as he shares key terminology, historical examples, and compelling stories of people ranging from Roman... Read More

Ell Potter narrates this YA novel, inspired by the legend of the Zikmund bell in Prague. The Strauss family has been tasked for generations with caring for their sentient city's bell towers in order to contain a great evil that lies sleeping within. When teenager Mina's bell rings 13 times on her patrol, it's up to her to prevent the ensuing destruction. Potter's sophisticated... Read More