New Reviews: Fantasy

Tracie Frank pulls listeners into this dark academic romantasy, in which those with an enhanced power of persuasion reign supreme. Just when Lennon Carter feels like her life is over, she gets a mysterious acceptance to Drayton College, a school for an elite group of persuasionists. There, she meets Dante, her intriguing advisor, and fellow students who can change memories and... Read More

Soneela Nankani and Neil Shah narrate an epic race among three rivals to find a hidden cache of magic in a dying city where the sky literally rains blood. The blood is an unusual caustic chemical known as "calor," which becomes a valuable but dwindling resource. Nankani and Shah take turns narrating the perspectives of a thief, a slumlord, and an heiress as they seek a means of... Read More

Amber Benson performs a fun paranormal adventure in which a librarian attempts to escape from a book-loving vampire. Anushka, better known as Noosh, has trouble filtering her thoughts, especially around a mysterious but charming stranger. The stranger, who turns out to be Vlad Dracula--Sandu in the present day--sweeps Noosh off her feet in a whirlwind romance. But she soon... Read More

Ell Potter makes 1st century CE come alive as she narrates this tale about the warrior queen who tried to drive the Romans from Britain. The Roman tax collector--having no respect for any woman, let alone a queen--attacks Boudicca's stronghold and flogs her when she refuses to bend the knee to Rome and orders soldiers to rape her young daughters. Barely surviving and believing... Read More

This challenging audiobook manages to be two genres at once, both a historical novel and a fantasy. Brooks's narrative delightfully captures the misadventures of the crew and passengers of the Trans-Siberian Express as it crosses the eerie Russian "wastelands" around the turn of the twentieth century. Only one thing detracts from this enjoyable ride: The narrators' choice of... Read More

Susan Dalian narrates this two-arc story about love between a demon and an angel, and between a demon and her city. The demon, Vitrine, has guarded Azril and its citizens for centuries. Dalian does an outstanding job portraying this love: Vitrine is narrated as a caring mother. When angels destroy the city, Dalian captures both Vitrine's heartbreak and anger. She curses one of... Read More

Brittany Pressley's low-voiced narration of Bristol Keats's visit to the fae realms shows her versatility as a narrator. She progresses from Bristol's tentative observations of King Tyghan's kingdom to her impatience over court protocol and magical deceptions. Bristol's perilous deal with Tyghan and search for her missing father have her emotions simmering, and Pressley... Read More

An ensemble cast dramatizes the story of Poppy, destined to be the Maiden, who struggles against a life of restrictions while secretly training to fight. Her world unravels when Hawke, a charismatic guard, questions her beliefs and ignites forbidden desires. Amid political intrigue, deadly Craven, and rising rebellion, Poppy must confront the truth about her kingdom and... Read More

Frankie Corzo narrates a sprawling audiobook inspired by Belgium's long-running Tomorrowland music festival. Multiple storylines come together in a fantasy that spans several realities as the forces of good and evil clash. Corzo does an admirable job with the many characters and entities she is called upon to voice, and, ultimately, she pulls together a somewhat disjointed and... Read More

Avast, me hearties, what could be more fun for a seasoned narrator than to talk like a pirate for 12 hours? In this happy mash-up of Jules Verne, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Doctor Who, Colby Elliott gives distinctive voices to a number of landlubbers and the crew of the mighty, magical pirate ship THE ARK DE TRIOMPHE. After a close encounter with a Martian space fleet that... Read More

Narrator Amanda Lee Cobb begins her portrayal of Zo Grey's many troubles in a depressed tone. Zo can't hold a job because she's taking care of her dying mother, a situation that adds to her financial struggles. But when a fire kills her mother, Zo's given a life-changing inheritance with some otherworldly strings. Cobb's performance matches Zo's anxiety and cautiousness as she... Read More

Imani Jade Powers performs a cozy fantasy about a grieving witch who finds solace at a magical home under the watchful eye of a mythical beast named Frank. Saika lost her magical powers in the same series of events that took her beloved sister. She journeys to put her sister to rest and arrives at the famous Ash Gardens, where she's quickly taken in by Frank and then discovers... Read More

Josie Charles narrates a not-quite-fairytale told from the perspective of an "evil" stepsister. After her stepsister Beatrice marries the prince and has her happily-ever-after, Lady Theodosia Balfour--Theo to her friends--is determined to secure a similar fate for herself. Sadly, it's a lot harder than it seems. Charles does not soften Theo's unlikable personality but does... Read More

Richard Armitage narrates the 20th Anniversary Edition of this sprawling fantasy with elegance. In 1806, the slightly pompous and painstakingly precise Mr. Norrell emerges from rural obscurity to proclaim himself the last true magician in England. As an epic story of the Napoleonic Wars and wizardry unfolds, audacious Jonathan Strange becomes, first, Norrell's pupil and, then,... Read More

Eric Yang's gentle narration perfectly suits this slow-paced fantasy audiobook. Sai can see the red threads of fate that link people to their soulmates. Through this skill he earns enough to care for his sick mother and keep his family's teahouse running. After a miracle medicine made of dragon scales heals her, the emperor orders him to find the dragon they belonged to. But... Read More

Tamika Katon-Donegal narrates this fantasy, the first in a series. From the moment Kai wakes up in the woods with amnesia and discovers her belongings have been looted, life becomes a struggle. With the help of a gorgeous man who, suspiciously, seems too skilled at swordplay to be stuck in such a remote town, Kai hopes to regain her memories. Narrating quickly, Katon-Donegal... Read More

Johnathan McClain narrates his irreverent fantasy about an author who is pulled into the world he created. Despite being one of the most popular fantasy writers of all time, Bruce finds himself dissatisfied. Eager to shake things up, he decides to kill off his beloved hero--only to discover himself in his own fantasy world, having replaced the former hero. McClain shifts from... Read More

Vico Ortiz narrates this fantasy audiobook with an intensity that fully embodies Marney Honeycutt's vow of vengeance. Yann Chauncy, the sole person responsible for the extraction of ichorite, a new valuable metal, responds to his striking manufacturing workers by massacring them all. Only Marney survives, and a decade later, she disguises herself as an aristocrat, infiltrates... Read More

Joanne Harris narrates this fairy tale set in London. Tom is a young photographer who has a special talent for capturing surprising effects in his photos. When he becomes enamored with Vanessa, he is drawn into the magical world of the midnight folk and the daylight folk, where memories are currency. Harris does an outstanding job of making this world come alive. She imparts... Read More

In this first part of a duology, Nneka Okoye narrates a story that begins when 9-year old Princess Viella loses her mother in a violent coup. When she flees, along with Luka, her young bodyguard, they barely keep ahead of sinister forces. In their flight, they meet a wide range of characters who give Okoye an opportunity to show her skill at differentiating characters. A pdf... Read More

Narrator Stephanie Bentley initially presents Aila as shy and geeky; later, she captures Aila's professional and romantic growth. At a zoo full of magical creatures, Aila anxiously tends endangered Silimalo phoenixes and seeks a new bird for mating. Her charming crush, Connor, offers to help with the preparations. Still feeling overwhelmed, Aila enlists the aid of her outgoing... Read More

Rosa Escoda's performance captures the essence of this magical and emotional story. Serin is a lonely young woman who enters a magical market where she must choose her perfect life within a week--or risk vanishing forever. Escoda's voice draws listeners into this enchanting world, skillfully rendering each character in their own distinct tone, making their interactions feel... Read More

Danice Cabanela and Dante Basco narrate the first in the Filipino inspired Stormbringer Saga. Lunurin, voiced by Cabanela, has the power to call forth storms capable of enormous destruction. Cabanela authentically depicts Lunurin's complicated emotions as she hides her powers from those colonizing her people and ignores her goddess's calls. Alon, voiced by Basco, has been in... Read More

Ciaran Saward gives an appealing narration of this fantasy, told from rakish Leovander Loveage's point of view. Leo, a scriver from a privileged gentry family, and Sebastian Grimm, a studious caster whose parents are farmers, are rivals in their fifth year at the Fount, a school of magic. Saward keeps all of the characters distinct, and he gives Grimm a Northern England accent... Read More

Listeners who can suspend their disbelief will appreciate this historical fantasy, which takes place in plague-ridden Florence in 1348. The author, a gemologist, fashions her story around a kind witch named Ginevra who uses the healing power of gemstones to cure plague victims. Golden Voice narrator Soneela Nankani tells this tale of sorcery, superstition, and sophistry with... Read More

Phyllis Ho narrates this gentle fantasy audiobook. Tao, an immigrant woman who stands out wherever she goes, travels the country as a fortune teller. When she meets an ex-mercenary who is searching desperately for his kidnapped daughter and the reformed (mostly) thief who joins him, they team up for the search. They are later joined by a talented baker whose delectable pastries... Read More

Cindy Kay sweeps listeners away with this memorable otherworldly story. On the day Hana is due to inherit her family's pawnshop, where people from our world can trade away their greatest choices and regrets, she wakes to find it ransacked. Also, her father is missing, and one of their precious choices is gone. Kay's narration balances a story that alternates between being... Read More

The endearing husband-and-wife team of Kate Reading and Michael Kramer continue their stunning narration of the Stormlight Archive series. Reading and Kramer switch off narrating--with both bringing special touches to their performances. Their narration is equal parts emotive and emphatic, gliding through accents and inflections with aplomb. The story is nuanced with... Read More

This captivating audiobook proves to be an unlikely but winning blend of humor and terror. Thank author Henry Neff for creating such an exotic cast of bizarre characters. But it's up to narrator Ramiz Monsef to bring those characters to life. This Monsef accomplishes magnificently with characters who range from Laszlo, a snarky 800-year-old demon, to Maggie, an earnest young... Read More