New Reviews: Fantasy

Narrator Helen Day leads a full cast in this immersive audiobook. Young Skera and her sister, Lena, live under the thumb of a cruel priest in their medieval Norwegian village. When something unspeakable occurs, Skera is forced to flee into the woods. She meets the witch Valdalla and demands to learn the Old Ways but soon discovers the lessons could lead to disaster. This... Read More

The named cards in a tarot pack, the Major Arcana, come to life in this romantasy, deftly narrated by Anna Burnett. The illegal power to ink magical tarot cards lands Clara Graysword in a desolate prison cell. But when Prince Kaelis, the man Clara thinks killed her mother and disappeared her sister, shows up, Clara's life sentence turns into admission to the famed Arcana... Read More

Martin Cahill narrates his fantasy novel about a young acolyte and her desperate struggle to find a divine chaperone. Nesi is a child of godly blood, which means she must impress at least one of the 99 animal deities in her temple in order to achieve her potential. After an impulsive prayer to T'sidaan, the Fox of Tricks, Nesi finds herself catapulted 300 years into the past,... 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

Actor Cynthia Erivo narrates this WICKED prequel about future witch Elphaba's childhood. In the land of Oz, Erivo introduces listeners to precocious Elphie and her missionary family as they travel across the swamps and marshes of Quadling country. Elphie's complex relationship with her disabled sister, Nessarose, and curiosity about the world at large are at the center of this... Read More

Sean Patrick Hopkins and Adenrele Ojo narrate a compelling addition to the world created by Stephen King in THE STAND. The anthology collects stories set during, after, and long after the events of the iconic novel. Hopkins's steady, engaging narration captures the essence of each story. With his clear enunciation and varied pacing, the different characters and harrowing... Read More

Dion Graham's lilting West African accent for Boubacar, the down-on-his-luck, trouble-always-finds-him detective in this dark story of broken dreams and third-world intrigue, is nothing short of mesmerizing. Graham's noir-style tone invites the listener into the back alleys, political corruption, and heart-pounding violence of this audiobook's surreal postcolonial dystopia.... Read More

Jennifer Pickens narrates this darkly unique retelling of "Snow White." Anja is an expert on poisons who regularly drinks small doses of them in her quest to find cures. The king is desperate to prevent his daughter, Snow, from dying, and summons Anja to prevent it. Pickens adjusts her approach appropriately for several characters: Anja is depicted with straightforward... Read More

Sophie Amoss's narration elevates an uneven story into a more engaging experience. Struggling graduate student Dorothe Bartleby must pass her final exam in the Magic program, but when she's required to combine digital technology with spells, disaster results. Amoss's performance brings clarity and rhythm to the text, grounding its twee and meandering tone with precise pacing... Read More

Morag Sims and Will Watt provide fittingly erudite performances of this layered audiobook. Cambridge is home to a top-tier academic Magick program. When an esteemed professor is killed, star graduate students Alice and Peter embark on a quest to rescue him from hell. How else to get that coveted recommendation? The underworld is soon revealed to be a university campus of its... Read More

Cecily Bednar Schmidt delivers a captivating performance as listeners are drawn into the isolated village of Mistaken. Warding stones keep its residents inside its borders and the ravenous creatures beyond it, called the Bright-Eyed, at bay. Greer Mackenzie, daughter of a town leader, has always been viewed as "different" by her neighbors. When tragedy strikes, followed by the... Read More

In the second installment of the Echo Archives series, Moira Quirk grounds listeners in the human side of a fantastical adventure. Kembral Thorne is navigating a new relationship with the sly thief Rika Nonesuch. Drawn to a mysterious island, they become embroiled in a locked-room mystery involving the reading of a will and cursed relics. To defeat the creatures responsible,... Read More

Saskia Maarleveld narrates this first installment of a new fantasy trilogy called Kingdom of Oak and Steel. Holt Hawley, an outcast soldier, is sent on a mission to find the last member of the Vigilant order, Enelda Drake. In addition, a boy has been kidnapped from a locked room, and if he's not recovered, a war will ensue. Hawley and Enelda confront corrupt soldiers and... Read More

Magical creatures abound in this audiobook. Tiny flying dragons, a giant golem who gardens, and two young humans--Nyssa, a librarian, and Roan, a wandering adventurer--try to bring the Misty Mountain Library back to life before the Tales and Tomes Festival begins. Narrator Jess Moran portrays Nyssa as a bright, bubbly young woman who is in love with books and the characters... Read More

Narrators Sena Bryer, Lisa Flanagan, and Marisa Calin enliven the characters of Jamie, a young witch, and her mother, Serena, along with the text in a mysterious 300-year-old book that weaves through this queer fantasy audiobook. In the present, Jamie, a New England graduate school student who is studying literature and is secretly a witch, has a lot on her plate. She's also... 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

Eric Mok returns to narrate this sequel to WITCH KING, bringing back all of his wonderfully varied British accents for the large cast. The narrative jumps back and forth between two timelines: In the past, immortal demon Kaiisteron and Prince-heir Bishasha advance against the powerful, subjugating Heirarchs; years later in the present day, long after the war is over, Kai and... Read More

Dive into Celtic mythology with an excellent narration by Siobhan Waring. An acclaimed voice actor, she brings her considerable skills to this captivating story, told from the point of view of Quinn, a selkie whose hide is hidden by a controlling and abusive man. Waring's accents and vocal range are exemplary, with appropriate emotions and pitches to suit each character and... Read More

Narrator Ella Lynch demonstrates her expansive gifts throughout this novel, giving unique and distinct voices to all its characters. Her scintillating delivery reflects Celia and her magical world. Of particular note are Lynch's smooth transitions from female to male voices, each completely natural and believable. After Celia curses her beloved brother, Argent, Lynch uses tone,... 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

This paranormal thriller proves to be a formidable audiobook production. The second volume of Roth's Curse Bearer duology requires the highly skilled quartet of narrators to present concepts based on Slavic folklore, often while speaking in Polish accents and employing foreign terms. Happily, the four narrators clear those hurdles, making for a smooth listening experience. The... Read More

In this clear, conversational, and often humorous retelling of Greek myths, Elizabeth Klett delivers Hera's chapters and Christian Black delivers those of Heracles. Together, they accentuate the intrigue, backstabbing, and good old-fashioned sex and violence in the stories. Hera, wife of Zeus, was one of the most powerful and ill-tempered gods on Mount Olympus. With her... Read More