New Reviews: Young Adult

Greta Jung's narration quickly establishes the reasons for 17-year-old Korean American Winter Moon's sarcasm. Her tone becomes understandable when Winter's selfish, caustic mother comes into the picture. Jung also depicts Winter's tenderness toward her loving grandmother, Halmoni, and her heartbreak at Halmoni's death. These are only some of Jung's portrayals of complex... Read More

Join spirited narrator Caitlin Kinnunen for a coming-of-age story filled with quirky adventures. Amelia is panicking after asking her celebrity crush, famous YouTuber Walter Holland, to her prom online. Then she takes her dream a step further and plans a road trip with friends to see him in person. Surely, he'll then notice her, and her romantic fantasies will come true!... Read More

Will Watt's warm, empathetic performance makes this stand-alone fantasy set in the world of SERAPHINA a must-listen. In a story in which past crimes and present troubles converge, Watt flawlessly moves from character to character, giving each one a distinct and instantly recognizable voice and keeping listeners spellbound as the action unfolds. Charl's unassuming town of St.... Read More

Barrett Leddy lends his youthful-sounding voice to this YA sci-fi set in the near future when the climate crisis and pandemics have worsened. Xavier Oaks reluctantly spends the night at the lake house with his father and his pregnant stepmom. When he wakes up, he finds their cabin has been transplanted to a farm inside a dome. Three years later, another family arrives, raising... Read More

Erin Tripp narrates this brief and interesting history highlighting scientists, events, and discoveries that led to our modern science of biology. From the Islamic Golden Age of the 8th century through the Renaissance, the field of biology lurched forward in fits and starts until the scientific method firmly took hold and erased millennia of superstition and philosophical... Read More

This romantasy unfolds through alternating chapters featuring Brenda, portrayed by Elyse Dinh, and Kat, portrayed by Emily Woo Zeller. The two meet when Brenda is desperate to find a working internet to use to submit her scholarship application before the deadline and wanders into a coffee shop owned by Kat's family. The shop, it turns out, is in an alternate universe that is... Read More

Mia Hutchinson-Shaw delivers a heartfelt performance of this quirky YA romance. Evie is tired of being the nice girl. At her new boarding school she asks her dorm mate, Salem, an easygoing slacker, to help her become cool. In exchange, Evie will help Salem become a model student. They grow closer, but Evie is harboring a secret relating to why she's enrolled at this school.... Read More

Zeno Robinson's lively narration anchors the third installment in Flake's series about Black teenagers who are navigating tricky relationships with each other, their parents, and the world at large. John-John thinks he knows what kind of son his father wants, and it's definitely not the kind he is. A little shy and nerdy, he'd rather practice archery than shoot hoops.... Read More

Narrator Ali Stroker introduces teen listeners to Bliss, a high school influencer who is tackling misconceptions about wheelchair users. Stroker ensures that Bliss is seen beyond her disability through her exuberant broadcasts to her many social media followers. Lainey, voiced by Nora Hunter, is one of them. Hunter chronicles Lainey's increasing isolation as her brother moves... Read More

Sophie Amoss's gripping narration propels listeners through Alice Springer's memories. As the 19-year-old waits in an 1886 Dodge City jail cell, her hanging imminent, the abusive husband she admits she killed reappears to add further torment. Amoss's Southern accent reflects Alice's Kentucky birthplace, but rather than sounding gentle, her voice has a bitter tone. Amoss's... Read More

This audiobook was inspired by the forbidden love of the authors' grandparents in early-twentieth-century Korea amid its colonization by Japan. Their story, told in alternating chapters, combines history, folklore, romance, and magic. Julia Riew delivers the chapters of Eunji, a Korean girl who is trapped in her wealthy life. Joshua Hyunho Lee portrays Seung, who is trapped by... Read More

This debut novel based on the author's German immigrant heritage takes listeners back to Pittsburgh as the country faces involvement in WWI and the devastating Spanish flu. Narrator Heidi Housh brings personalities to life, distinguishing individuals in the large cast. Madga is frustrated when she's forced to leave school before her senior year to care for her baby brother and... Read More

Isabella Star LaBlanc skillfully narrates this YA audiobook set in prehistoric Spain. From the time of her birth, Nahia has been expected to lead the Sea People. But when invaders threaten their hunter-gatherer way of life, she challenges the Headwoman, her mother, to move their people inland for safety. Nahia is punished for her audacity: stripped of her rank; apprenticed to... Read More

This engaging fantasy-romance audiobook features the deadly, fast-paced sport of phoenix racing. Seventeen-year-old Kel Varra is the leader of the underdogs, the Crimson Howlers. Forced to team up with her rival, Warren Coupers, Kel becomes caught in a high-stakes conspiracy involving a powerful tech mogul and her phoenix, Savita. The story mixes action, political intrigue, and... Read More

Jennifer Aquino and James Fouhey take turns swapping the mic in this story of crush at first sight. It begins in the school nurse's office and continues when bullheaded Pacy and anxiety-ridden Cecil find themselves working together on the planning committee for the freshman dance. In alternating chapters, Aquino and Fouhey voice each teen's first-person account of the blooming... Read More

Isabella Star LaBlanc provides a superior narration of Boulley's third YA novel, this one featuring eighteen-year-old Lucy Smith. First-person chapters taking place in the past are interspersed with those in the present, moving forward chronologically until time is synced. LaBlanc portrays young, openhearted Lucy, who responds lovingly to her father's protective care. Later,... Read More

Narrators Joshua Quinn and Christopher Hampton portray two Black teenagers in this queer romance novel. After his best friend unexpectedly leaves for the summer, hopeless romantic Kai, portrayed by Joshua Quinn, attends a sold-out concert by himself. Christopher Hampton's character, Elias, who has been sent to spend the summer with his uncle, decides to attend the same concert... Read More

Listeners unfamiliar with the first titles in the popular and thought-provoking They Both Die At the End series will find that multiple narrators make it easier to follow this installment. Many characters and references to incidents from the earlier books add to the title's complexity. The story opens with an author's note warning about references to self-harm and suicidal... Read More

With meticulous diction and heartfelt passion, Ruffin Prentiss narrates a timely story that brings multiple critical social issues together in a riveting presentation. Just as he's about to get a coveted basketball scholarship for college, Ossie Brown's life is upended when he falls on the court and tears his ACL. As he tries to reinvent himself as a writer and scholar, the... Read More

Amalia Vitale's thoughtful and well-paced narration captures this darkly enchanted and emotional interpretation of SWAN LAKE. Odile has been raised by her father to steal the king's crown as an act of revenge. But neither of them planned on her growing connection to Lady Marie--or the king's murder. Vitale's quiet intensity suits Odile's guarded nature and allows moments of... Read More

A talented duo brings this action-packed historical fantasy set in 79 CE, right before the destruction of Pompeii, to its explosive end. Amin El Gamal portrays Loren, an earnest attendant at the Temple of Isis. Loren has prophetic visions featuring cynical thief Felix, who is depicted in a deep voice by Max Meyers. The two team up when Felix appears at the temple with a magical... Read More