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

Author and narrator A.E. Osworth wonderfully delivers this magical audiobook about trangender witches who must confront a rogue AI. Wilder wakes up one morning able to comprehend every language in the world. Soon, they are invited to join a coven of witches with similarly awakened powers. But just when they find comfort in their new family and magic, an evil AI threatens to... 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

Narrators Lauren O'Leary and Barry McStay deliver a chilling performance of this horror audiobook about a possessive orchid and the humans it wants to consume. Shell's life has fallen off the rails, and a job helping at a local flower shop, owned by the beautiful florist Neve, is exactly the change of pace she wants. O'Leary seamlessly delivers Irish and American accents,... 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

This audiobook follows three magically gifted siblings who reunite after the death of their father, a tech mogul. Each is vying for control of the family legacy. Meredith is a brilliant yet fraudulent biotech mogul, Arthur is a young congressman facing political and personal collapse, and Eilidh is a former ballerina working a forgettable job at their father's company. As old... 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

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

Sanya Simmons narrates this debut audiobook set in a coal mining community in southwestern Virginia. Bennie is trying to find out what happened to her best friends and other mine workers who have disappeared inside the mountain. When Bennie rescues a half-drowned white woman named Motheater in a stream near a borehole, she soon discovers that Motheater possesses a strange form... 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

This captivating fantasy-romance audiobook is delivered with emotional depth. After the mysterious death of her husband, Queen Calla must marry by season's end or lose her crown. To avoid another heartbreak, she hosts a series of deadly trials to choose a new king, only to be confronted by her former love, General Matthias. At that point, Calla must decide between love and duty... 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

Aasiya Shah and Kishore Walker bring the ancient Mauryan Empire, 321-185 BCE, in what is now India, into our current moment in the first installment of the Obsidian Throne trilogy. Shakti, a pacifist witch, seeks to avenge her aunt's murder, while Prince Ashoka advocates for his tyrannical family to stop ruthlessly killing the witches. Voicing Shakti as she infiltrates the... Read More

Narrator Daphne Kouma wows in this epic fantasy/murder mystery/political thriller. In a society built around eight powerful animal spirits, a new emperor is chosen every 24 years when those vying for the throne compete in a series of trials. When the Raven palace's contender is found dead, scholar Neema Kraa finds herself simultaneously taking her place in the trials and... 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

Erifyli Gigante's voice captures the mounting dread that fills this updated gothic fantasy. The story opens with a mother recounting a fairy tale to her son. The story soon turns dark as listeners are treated to a bloody account of Bluebeard, a man who marries--then murders--many women. Gigante delivers the audiobook's creepy mood effectively. Ghosts appear to the wives,... Read More

Saskia Maarleveld brings magic and warmth to her narration of this contemporary fantasy-romance. Calliope Petredi and her sisters are witches who are bound to protect their town from sinister magic, but they must sacrifice memories to perform their spells. Maarleveld crafts distinct voices for each of the sisters--bright-voiced Calliope, the only sister who is willing to... 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

Liam Gerrard narrates the final book in the fantasy series featuring Thara Celehar, former Witness for the Dead of Amalo. Contemplating what to do now that he has lost his life-defining skill, Celehar learns there is more than one way to fulfill a calling. Gerrard deftly navigates Celehar's pain, anger, and grief at the loss of his professional identity, creating a thread in... Read More

The year is 1756; the French and English are at war. Esther Wane narrates this fantasy, which combines elements of "The Little Mermaid" and "Cinderella" with some pirate lore. Luce is the youngest daughter of a rich Frenchman who is discovering many things about herself, including her origins and her ability to do magic. Luce begins this tale as a naïve girl, and Wane guides... Read More

Sophie McKnight, portrayed by Karenna Foley and Lachlan Campbell, portrayed by Nathaniel Priestley, alternate narrating this knightly tale set in Loren Brae in the Scottish Highlands. Having inherited Loren Brae, its castle, and a knighthood in the Magickal Order of Caledonia, Sophie travels to the Highlands. Lachlan, a prickly Scot who is the castle's manager, is surprised,... Read More