New Reviews: Fantasy

Los Angeles has its share of local legends and myths. This fact is the basis of a college course taught by a woman known only as the Professor. Tony Award winner Sutton Foster capably portrays grad student Holland St. James, an everywoman who wants to believe in magic--although she has yet to experience it personally. Foster showcases Holland's naïveté despite the fact that she... Read More

Kristin Atherton gives a masterful performance of this historical fantasy. Every first daughter in the Harding family is cursed to bring disaster, and in 1592 Cybil experiences this firsthand. Miriam is a creature of darkness who feeds her immortality with the souls of mortals, and Cybil's soul calls to her more than any other. In exchange for Cybil's soul, Miriam agrees to... Read More

Piper Goodeve narrates this dark academia audiobook set in New Mexico. After five years away, Cella Gibbons returns to her alma mater to help solve a magical mystery involving students and staff. Coming back to campus after dropping out of her master's program dredges up a myriad of feelings for Cella, and Goodeve balances the guilt, shame, and nostalgia she feels. Cella also... Read More

Katie Leung's Scottish accent immediately immerses listeners in the Scottish Highlands in this sapphic vampire audiobook. Rebecca, a vampire hunter, goes undercover at a vampire university to find the Book of Blood and Roses, a compilation of ways to kill vampires. After being attacked, her gorgeous vampire roommate rescues her but accidentally makes Rebecca her familiar in the... Read More

This moody, bookish fantasy centers on Cassandra Fairfax, a disgraced bookseller who is pulled back into a dangerous magical world when she unexpectedly inherits a sentient bookshop after her mentor's mysterious death. As rival booksellers, secret societies, and lethal ink magic close in, Cassandra must confront her past while protecting the fragile magic that binds the... Read More

Travis Baldree successfully narrates Book 3 of this action-packed fantasy series. Fern, a bookseller, moves across the Territory to open a shop next to the Legends & Lattes coffee shop. Shortly after, she has a midlife crisis and runs away. Baldree depicts Fern's anxiety and uncertainty with equal parts charm and compassion. On a journey of self-discovery, Fern travels with... Read More

Anna Burnett narrates an unexpected reimagining of "Cinderella." After having been murdered at 16 by her stepmother, "Ella" now haunts her family home. Burnett deftly handles Ella's transition from a lonely girl to a lonely ghost. Burnett's portrayal of her longing and frustration is heartrending, especially as she confronts hard truths about herself and her family. Add a royal... Read More

C.J. McAllister brings to life the ongoing adventures of a hunter who is navigating a desolate Wasteland. Rod, still healing from his past ordeals, withdraws deeper into the harsh landscape to prepare for a journey into the enigmatic Dark City. McAllister's narration strikes a careful balance, allowing quieter emotional moments to resonate fully. His steady baritone provides a... Read More

Brian Nishii narrates a story built around an ancient weapon, contested power, and a world shaped by long memory and conflict. His calm, authoritative delivery helps listeners track shifting alliances and lore-heavy passages that drive the plot, in which characters are pulled into a struggle that blends destiny with personal choice. Nishii helps to maintain a clear narrative... Read More

This time-bending romantasy, set in a nation called Dominion, is told from the perspectives of Sir Una Everlasting and her admirer and biographer, Owen Mallory. Moira Quirk and Sid Sagar bring these two characters to life, weaving the story with finesse. As Owen travels back in time to discover the true nature of Sir Una, they both discover that legends, songs, and stories... Read More

The first installment of the The Chaos Constellation trilogy is the author's debut, narrated by Alexandra Boulton. As a child, Bataar killed a gryphon. Now an adult, he's conquering countries one by one, seeking to unite them. When he expands his empire to Nohra's homeland, she must decide whether to submit to his rule or lead the Harpy Knights in resistance. Meanwhile, all... Read More

Jennifer Jill Araya narrates a novel set partially in Rome. After Aida Reale unexpectedly loses her academic position, she takes a job in Rome that seems too good to be true, leaving her fiancé behind. Araya captures Aida's frustration with her career, as well as the dread she feels at the financial burden of her approaching wedding. The unexpected job opportunity seems like a... Read More

Narrators Hollis McCarthy and Pete Cross form an unlikely duo in this fantasy set in 1920s Carmel-by-the-Sea. Grieving Fayette Wynne heads to Carmel, bringing along her family's healing sourdough starter, which failed to save her late mother. In the middle of a storm she saves Hollywood star Rex Hallstrom from near death. The two find refuge in a sentient house that seems to... Read More

Raquel Beattie voices two characters, Sephre and Yeneris, in this LGBTQ+ fantasy audiobook. While both are fighting in the same war, they face different threats to their missions. Beattie's frustrated tones engender sympathy for Sephre as she must decide whether to give up her present life in a convent and return to the military to fight for her people. Yeneris is a spy who has... Read More

This vibrant account of the mythical Medusa's short but powerful life expands on her origin story. Narrator Tyla Collier illuminates the young woman's vulnerability, warmth, and passion. The teenage Medusa craves life beyond her family's island home. As she strives to establish her place in the world as an acolyte and priestess of the goddess Athena, she is unwillingly... Read More

Shiromi Arserio narrates award-winning novelist Tasha Suri's newest audiobook. Fantasy and romance come together in a Sapphic delight as a witch and a knight navigate their love for each other while also serving their queen. Although Arserio doesn't create distinct voices for each character, only occasionally is it a challenge to recognize who's speaking. Simran, a witch of the... Read More

Natalie Naudus puts listeners under her spell as she delivers this romantasy. Certainty Bulrush longs to become a mage and make her family proud, but her six years as an apprentice haven't revealed any major magical talents--aside from talking to objects. Her unique skill becomes essential, however, when she's assigned to help transport an abundance of magical items to a... Read More

Moira Quirk's narration of this fantasy is outstanding. To avenge her brother's death 13 years ago, Lyssa has been hunting and killing as many fairies as she can find. But the beast that actually killed her brother has been elusive. Then she meets Alderic, who might have what she needs to track it down. Quirk captures Lyssa's persona--all rough edges and traces of... Read More

Immersive and imaginative storytelling is enlivened by narrators Lindsey Dorcus and Mara Wilson. After Charlie's sister dies, her ability to see the dead leads her into a Chicago way station for souls beneath Lake Michigan. There, she becomes caught up in a struggle for humanity between the station's ferryman; his daughter, Nera, a ferryman-in-training; and an imprisoned demon.... Read More

Kevin R. Free's strong narrative voice draws listeners into this absorbing tale of magic and intrigue. Lewis Dixon, a struggling American painter, faces a life-changing crossroads in the aftermath of his mother's death. He's offered a deal by the British Museum: In exchange for locating and destroying his great-grandfather's malevolent paintings, the museum's team of... Read More

Nikki Massoud's strong performance complements this audiobook, which is inspired by the legend of the Golem of Prague. When Malka's mother is falsely accused of murder, Malka embarks on a quest to save her from execution by retrieving the Rayga, a malevolent, bloodthirsty forest creature who preys on Jewish women. In the deadly forest she encounters Nimrah, a golem who is duty... Read More

A detective story set primarily in Incheon, South Korea, finds a vampire preying upon a rehab hospital as an angel of death. Originally written in Korean, this novel, superbly narrated by Rosa Escoda, reflects themes of loneliness relating to old age, addiction, and solitude. A string of apparent suicides at the hospital catches the attention of Suyeon, a young detective. She... Read More

Rosalyn Landor is masterful narrating this debut fantasy. Marta finds herself on a quest to save her world. Together with a band of disparate compatriots, she sets out to find and restore mystical gemstones to bring the Pentark back to life and save the Isle of Sphere from an evil lord and the Prince of Darkness. Marta's principal companions are a badger and a pair of elves but... Read More

Listeners' interest is immediately piqued by Lou, a begrudging medium whose encounters with the dead are as normal as taking out the trash. As the Veil that separates the living from the dead things and a cult of necromancers descends upon Lou's adopted town of Magnolia Grove, listeners fully experience her mounting tension through Cat Protano's narration. Protano's vivid,... Read More

Mary Robinette Kowal's narration of the newest installment of the award-winning October Daye series shines with her characterizations and delightful timing. When Sir October "Toby" Daye, Knight errant and Hero of the Realm, is called upon to investigate the looting of the royal vaults, she answers the call despite being late in her pregnancy. Kowal's voices and accents bring... Read More

Narrator Elena Rey gives a solid performance of this story in which animal and plant spirits reign over an isolated desert town. Selena is still settling in, having just fled the city. It's a beautiful town, she thinks--except that she frequently feels she's being watched. Rey conveys the voices and emotions of all the characters, each easily distinguishable from the next. The... Read More

English actor Kristin Atherton's spectacular performance is perfect for this fantasy, a spin on the fairy tale "Sleeping Beauty." The long awaited heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Bavaugh, a princess, is born with both a blessing and a curse. Three women--the queen, her lady-in-waiting, and a master's apprentice--try their best to alter the curse but encounter difficulties.... Read More

Sara Amini returns to narrate the majority of the second book in the Charlatan Duology. Charlie's lover, the powerful shadow Vince, lost his memories of their time together after becoming tethered to her. Amini's narration captures Charlie's trademark cynicism, as well as her heartbreak and feelings of vulnerability as she struggles with having a shadow that doesn't care about... Read More

An outstanding ensemble of narrators delivers six short stories, all involving time travel. Jonathan Davis' narration of "For a Limited Time Only," about a time-traveling salesman who is denied a job transfer, is made particularly poignant by his strong, emotionally charged delivery, especially as the main character learns the reason for his transfer denial. "A Visit to the... Read More

Jesse Vilinsky narrates an episodic urban fantasy with strong elements of a police procedural. Over the course of a year, Detective Beth Fahey interacts with both the humans of Penwych and the Arcane of Wyrd. In doing so, she also learns more about herself and her mysterious past. Central to the island of Wyrd is the maxim: "Words have power; intentions matter." Vilinsky... Read More

Annie Wildwood uses magic to present herself as the perfect baker, fashionista, friend, witch, and conversationalist in order to appease everyone around her. Unexpectedly becoming a mentor to a chaotic teen witch forces Annie to face her insecurities and to reconsider what is really important in her life. Narrator Evie Hargreaves' northern English accent accentuates the... Read More

Krysta Gonzales' energy propels listeners through a vivid urban-fantasy world. As Joan Greenwood returns to New York City and becomes entangled in a supernatural power struggle, Gonzales' narration keeps the momentum strong and the characters engaging. Her delivery captures Joan's insecurity about her limited magic skills while allowing listeners to observe her determination... Read More

The third installment of Kingfisher's Sworn Soldier series is once again masterfully performed by Avi Roque. When Alex receives an urgent telegram from their friend, Dr. James Denton, begging them to come to America immediately, they jump on a ship bound for Boston. Denton's missing cousin, Oscar, was last seen in a West Virginia mine that is rumored to be haunted. Roque adds... Read More

Su Ling Chan narrates a dark historical fantasy set in 1970s Singapore. It centers on a secret society capable of channeling ancestral gods and a schoolgirl swept up into it. After Adeline's mother dies in a mysterious fire, she tracks down a girl emblazoned with the same butterfly symbol that marked the fire. Chan maintains a fantastic narration that is bright, clear, and... Read More

Mei Mei MacLeod narrates a magical romance that spans decades. Art appraiser Eve Shaw goes on a remarkable journey after a chance encounter in 2015 sends her to the White Octopus Hotel. MacLeod's portrayal of the relentless psychological suffering modern-day Eve experiences due to a tragic childhood accident is heartbreaking. When Eve goes back in time and visits the same hotel... Read More