New Reviews: Fantasy

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

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

The talented Andrew Fallaize reprises his narration of THE TAINTED CUP, the first in this series. Fallaize aptly narrates this imaginative and suspenseful story in which older, experienced Ana and young Din investigate the unsettling murder of a treasury officer. Through Din's perfect memory and Ana's brilliance, they discover a plot that runs deep, threatening the empire's... 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

Narrators Ell Potter and Michael Dodds return in this lively third installment of the Emily Wilde series. Emily embarks on another adventure in her fantastical field of study as she takes on her most ambitious role as faerie queen. Additionally, Emily and her fiancé, Wendell, must also uncover the cure to a deadly curse cast by Wendell's stepmother. This performance is packed... 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

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

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

Golden Voice Grover Gardner is a familiar narrator to listeners of the Penric and Desdemona audiobooks. Using a treasure map, Penric and his demon, Desdemona, are hunting for a long-forsaken monastery that may hold valuable theological documents. They meet Roz, a bandit who has eyes only for the treasure map, and, of course, adventure ensues. This novella set in the World of... 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

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

Narrator Mirai skillfully brings new life to an old classic with this arresting audiobook. Low's story is a reimagining of PETER PAN told from the perspective of Captain Hook. In this case, the woman who would become Hook is Jordan, who was a Lost Boy until puberty struck and she was forced to return to the real world. Since she returned with an addiction to magic dust, adult... 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

Golden Voice narrator Soneela Nankani takes on this paranormal thriller set in an alternative New York City of the mid-1800s. Nankani takes on the role of Miss Radhika Dhingra, a newly minted lawyer of South Indian heritage with a hard shell and the need to overcome racial prejudice. Dhingra's first client is the undead Mr. Evelyn More, a 400-year-old vampire who has been... 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

Aoife McMahon and Aidan Kelly manifest a pantheon of Irish gods in this enchanting story of family and loss. After killing dozens with a never-ending frost, Cailleach is forced to live multiple lives to learn the responsibility of godhood. Newly human and fragile, Cailleach forms unshakable bonds with a small dog, several lovers, and her daughter--only to lose them again and... Read More

British narrator Penelope Rawlins gives her American accents some exercise in voicing FBI Agent Kimberley Reynolds in this Rivers of London urban fantasy series. The Oklahoma native recounts her adventure with a slight twang, which Rawlins smoothes out for the Upper Midwest characters Kimberley encounters in her investigation of strange occurrences in northern Wisconsin.... Read More