KINDLING

Featuring an ensemble cast, this audiobook introduces teenaged female soldiers known as "kindlings." Trained to kill from the age of five by using magic that drains their lifespan, they are now prohibited from using their skills. But violence lingers, and seven kindlings join together for one last fight to save a country village. Despite the use of an individual narrator to deliver each character's perspective, the second-person point of view makes it difficult to differentiate characters. Furthermore, the slight differences in each narrator's portrayal of other characters may confuse listeners. However, each narrator completely commits to their assigned role, embodying the collective trauma of the past and present and vividly bringing these haunted characters to life. A.K.R. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2024]