New Reviews: Fantasy

As Barrie Kreinik narrates Book 10 in the Wayward Children series, listeners meet Nadya, a one-armed orphan who gets adopted. But even in her new home Nadya feels incomplete and "other." Kreinik gives a stellar performance as a child who is desperate to understand her place. One day, Nadya goes wandering to the river, where she feels at home despite her missing arm. She tumbles... 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

Golden Voice Robin Miles returns to narrate the second audiobook in the duology. The story is set in Sequoia National Park in the spring of 2043. A brother, Romelo, and sister, Syrah, take very different approaches to saving the trees from escalating climate disasters. Much of the story takes place in Rhitza, the subterranean world beneath the trees. Miles portrays Syrah's... 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

Kobna Holdbrook-Smith narrates an immersive fantasy set in post-WWII London. When Dennis Knuckleyard suddenly and violently learns there is a second London alongside the one he knows, it causes his entire worldview to reshape itself. Holdbrook-Smith depicts Dennis as naïve and somewhat feckless, mostly harmless, and truly out of his depth. The vast scope of characters Dennis... 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

Catrin Walker-Booth narrates a fantasy inspired by British myth and legend. Jenny Greenteeth has lived a solitary life in her pond for hundreds of years, just as she likes it. When a witch is tossed in the pond to drown, Jenny has to re-evaluate what is important. Walker-Booth's portrayal of Jenny's emotional journey mirrors the quest she embarks on. It's difficult and at times... 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

Bahni Turpin gives voice to an appealing heroine in this compelling fantasy mystery set in the U.S. during the early 1930s, when Prohibition outlaws both alcohol and some magic. Stunt pilot and former bootlegger Velma Frye also works for a magical rights group. A murder investigation leads her to the existence of magical objects that cause harm, and tracking them down takes... Read More

A new audiobook fantasy series begins with the awakening of a magical race that has been hibernating for hundreds of years. Now they are bent on destroying the mortals who kept evolving while they were sleeping. Narrator Kate Rudd nails the main character, Robinson, who has developed a new way of training sorcerers. Rudd does well with male characters, especially Robinson, a... 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

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

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

Khaya Fraites and Emily Lawrence give spirited performances in this introduction to a rich duology based on Finnish fantasy. Aina and Siiri have been separated by the death gods as they work to survive a very harsh winter. Aina is sent to endure Tuonela, the underworld, and Siiri travels to save her. Both women embark on challenging trials, and Fraites and Lawrence depict them... Read More

This third volume in Yarros's fantasy romance series offers an engaging listening experience. It centers on Violet Sorrengail, who after nearly 18 months at Basgiath War College, embarks on a dangerous quest beyond the crumbling Aretian wards to gather allies against both internal and external threats. With her dragons, family, and love interest, Navarre, at risk, the story is... Read More

Anna Burnett's soft, precise voice is the ideal vehicle for this gothic novel about a young Victorian woman and her sentient garden. Harriet, who was psychologically abused by her uncaring father in the years after her mother's death, has been breathing easier following his disappearance. But when an inspector starts sniffing around, Harriet decides marriage to the seemingly... 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

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

Joel Leslie is back for Book 2 in this slow-burn Seattle-based fantasy series. Reece Davies now knows that corruption is real, and he battles the impulse to transform into one of the violent killers who are on the loose, killing empaths like him. But his love--and, let's be honest, lust--for The Dead Man, Evan Grayson, keep him tethered to the straight and narrow. When more... 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

Susanna Clarke's spellbinding performance of this enhanced audiobook brings out the alluring beauty of this mystical tale. Nineteen-year-old Merowdis Scot is most at home when she's walking in the woods with her dogs and Apple, her pig. Evocative sound effects and music add to Clarke's haunting narration, highlighting Merowdis's deep connection to nature as she engages with the... Read More

Amanda Leigh Cobb delights listeners with the first in the Queens of Villainy series, which is perfect for those who like their romantasy on the lighter side. A case of mistaken identity has Archduke Felix serving as librarian and wizard for the wicked witch, Queen Saskia. The empire thinks Felix is a tyrant bent on conquering all. In reality, he is kept under the thumb of his... Read More