New Reviews: Fantasy

Moira Quirk brings her signature emotive and immersive talent to this fast-paced fantasy debut, keeping listeners on edge at every step. Anji has just slain a king--and now her story begins. She's quickly captured by the Hawk, a member of the infamous bounty hunting gang known as the Menagerie. With supernatural abilities, a deadly addiction, and a grumpy personality, the Hawk... Read More

Jennifer Jill Araya and Jarman Day share the narration of this poignant fantasy-romance. Jean is a young man in a family portrait painted in 1917 by his father, Henri Matisse, and Claire is a present-day museum custodian with a troubled past. Day delivers the chapters from Jean's point of view in a low, cultured voice filled with underlying youthful passion. Araya's alternating... Read More

Jen Zhao narrates an urban fantasy inspired by Chinese mythology, First Nations traditions, and European folklore. The story is set in modern-day Canada. Tam has struggled with her dual human/tiger nature for years. Now that both her father and aunt are dead, an ancient power is chasing her. While Tam seems to be passive, Zhao's performance shows the wide range of emotions that... Read More

Nancy Wu is the beating heart of this queer Asian-inspired fantasy. As a masked dragon-hunting knight, Yeva is a powerful mystery to most. Her deep distrust of the great beasts keeps her aligned with her guild's mission to destroy them and expand the empire. When she's tasked with traveling to Quanbao, however, Yeva is confronted by people who worship dragons. When she falls in... Read More

This audiobook is a story of vampires from different times whose immortal lives converge. In 16th-century Spain, María is hungry for more than her restricted life. Taking on a new name, Sabine, she learns to satiate her hunger by exacting revenge and playing games. Julia Whelan skillfully narrates Sabine's story of bloodlust and decay. In the 20th century, Alice is changed... Read More

In this follow-up to THE DALLERGUT DREAM DEPARTMENT STORE, narrator Shannon Tyo expands on the whimsical world-building of the bestselling predecessor. Penny returns after a year of selling dreams at the department store and embarks on new endeavors: delving into the intricacies of dream production, tackling customer complaints, and winning back lost regulars. Tyo's exuberant... Read More

Steven Pacey's range of voices perfectly serves this fantasy audiobook with a large cast of characters. Brother Diaz is tasked by the pope to escort the newfound princess across the continent, along with a protective force composed of murderers and monsters. As the story shifts perspectives, Pacey adjusts his tone, cadence, and pacing. Alex was a gutter thief before becoming a... Read More

Subterfuge is the theme of this production, which is based on an earlier novella of Vo's titled THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE CHOSEN. That 2021 novel was a reimagining of THE GREAT GATSBY. Now narrator Greg Barnett again faces the challenge of bringing Nick Carraway to life, but he's actually a poser who's been pretending to be straight and even human for the past two decades.... Read More

It's up to listeners to decide if they need a deep dive into the early childhood of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, who is the protagonist of the international phenomenon WICKED: THE MUSICAL. For those who do, Edoardo Ballerini's storytelling is grand and decisive as he wades through this dark addition to the canon. Elphaba is born to a father who is a pious missionary... Read More

This feel-good audiobook is the sequel to THE SPELLSHOP. Narrator Caitlin Davies delivers a warm, emotionally rich performance, capturing Terlu's vulnerability and Yarrow's gruff charm with heart and nuance. Davies's character voices, especially that of the lively sentient rose, Lotti, bring the magical world to life. After being turned into a statue for practicing illegal... Read More

PR executive Gwendolyn has a lucrative career, but when disturbing supernatural episodes derail her work events, she reconnects with her estranged cousin, Fonsi, a queer Panamanian American who owns a botanica and communes with the dead. Together, they must confront their pasts and harness their power to protect the living from the dead. Expressive narrations by Brittany... Read More

Jen Jayden takes listeners on a quest driven by two determined women who fall in love along the way. Aleya, a noble-born soldier, must travel to the famed city of Nivela to secure a legendary item that will win the hearts of her family and the people of the country she hopes to rule. Kirby heads toward Nivela to break an ancient curse that has left the townspeople of Wall's End... Read More

In this queer dark academia fantasy, narrator Zara Ramm is so committed that it's hard to know where she ends and Chetwood Academy's Director of Magic, Dr. Walden, begins. Walden is a magician in her late 30s, a powerful demon wrangler, and an excellent teacher. She's equally responsible for managing teenage angst in the classroom and keeping the demons that infiltrate campus... Read More

Amusing, quirky characters and talking animals and plants are narrated well by author Oliver Darkshire in this debut novel. His fast-paced cadence and strong British accent provide an entertaining listening experience. When Isabella decides to try some magic from a stolen spell book, mayhem ensues. Darkshire handles voices well, using pitch and pace variations. His inventive... Read More

Ralph Lister narrates this first installment in The Scriver Archives. Jack, the sole survivor of the Scriver Trials, is on a mission to document the monsters who are plaguing every continent on earth and discover how to kill them. Jack has been recruited to kill the High Stryga, in particular, before she uses stolen magic to enslave all humans. But he can't do it alone, so he... Read More

Aida Reluzco narrates a postapocalyptic tale of knights, shape-shifting demons, and a woman who is willing to do anything to protect her wife. Reluzco conveys Shrike's grim determination when she discovers that the knight who has come to slay the demon plaguing her village is none other than Sir John of Cincinnati, a legendary demon killer. Shrike knows she must act fast to... Read More

Narrator Meghan Kelly delivers this audiobook in a rapid and breathless voice. Emma remembers nothing before she came to Mist Glen. Now she works at Pages & Potions Bookshop because the witches who own it like her; furthermore, they helped her recover from a botched C-section. Also, Emma can see and talk to ghosts. Jody Haversham, a regular customer who is now a ghost, asks for... Read More

Joe Jameson guides listeners through a dark yet hopeful fable of a boy who is reborn at a terrible cost. From the moment Willem awakens--neither fully alive nor wholly revenant--Jameson's gruff tone and English accent suggest a rugged, intimately human presence. Jameson's storytelling strikes a deft balance between eerie surrealism and heartfelt warmth, drawing listeners into... Read More

Yetide Badaki returns to narrate the next audiobook in the She Who Knows series. Najeeba, now in her 40s, has lost her daughter, Onyesonwu, after the events of the author's novel WHO FEARS DEATH. Onyesonwu saved the world, erasing a history of genocide but also erasing her own existence. Only Najeeba remembers this forgotten history. Badaki's portrayal of Najeeba features a... Read More

Fiona Hardingham and Christian Coulson's performances bring swoon-worthy tension to this epic fantasy sequel. Kel's role as bodyguard, spy, and confidante to Prince Conor unfolds against a backdrop of whispered conspiracies and royal betrayals. Coulson anchors the narrative with a measured cadence. His subtle shifts in pitch and restrained character voices demand rapt... Read More

This futuristic thriller features aliens, genetically modified humans, and The Midnight Project, an evil military dark-ops organization. The team leader is the magick-wielding sorcerer Jessica Shine, portrayed by Marissa Clay. She and her team--vampire Ephram, voiced by Robb Moreira, and slavic shape-shifter Nikolai, portrayed by RJ Bayley--are ordered to eliminate an extremely... Read More

Chan Woo Lim narrates this debut audiobook inspired by Malaysian Chinese mythology. Lythlet and Desil are lifelong friends scraping by in the slums of the sprawling city of Setgad. Desperate to pay off a vicious debt collector, the pair volunteer as conquessors--those who fight otherworldly beasts in the hope of winning a massive payout. But soon they're drawn into a web of... Read More

Olivia Dowd narrates this first installment in a series based on 16th-century England--with the added feature of dragons and magic. King Henry is desperate for a male heir from at least one of his six wives who are ensconced in castles throughout his kingdom. The relationship between Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour is the main focus. In alternating chapters, Dowd draws... Read More

Barrie Kreinik gently guides listeners through this dark fantasy audiobook. Residents trapped inside the besieged Aymar Castle have nearly run out of food when they're rescued by the divine Constant Lady and her Saints. Kreinik, speaking with a British accent, narrates the desperate, starving people's descent into madness and ecstasy when they refuse to see the horrifying truth... Read More