New Reviews: Fantasy

Los Angeles has its share of local legends and myths. This fact is the basis of a college course taught by a woman known only as the Professor. Tony Award winner Sutton Foster capably portrays grad student Holland St. James, an everywoman who wants to believe in magic--although she has yet to experience it personally. Foster showcases Holland's naïveté despite the fact that she... Read More

Piper Goodeve narrates this dark academia audiobook set in New Mexico. After five years away, Cella Gibbons returns to her alma mater to help solve a magical mystery involving students and staff. Coming back to campus after dropping out of her master's program dredges up a myriad of feelings for Cella, and Goodeve balances the guilt, shame, and nostalgia she feels. Cella also... Read More

Katie Leung's Scottish accent immediately immerses listeners in the Scottish Highlands in this sapphic vampire audiobook. Rebecca, a vampire hunter, goes undercover at a vampire university to find the Book of Blood and Roses, a compilation of ways to kill vampires. After being attacked, her gorgeous vampire roommate rescues her but accidentally makes Rebecca her familiar in the... Read More

This moody, bookish fantasy centers on Cassandra Fairfax, a disgraced bookseller who is pulled back into a dangerous magical world when she unexpectedly inherits a sentient bookshop after her mentor's mysterious death. As rival booksellers, secret societies, and lethal ink magic close in, Cassandra must confront her past while protecting the fragile magic that binds the... Read More

C.J. McAllister brings to life the ongoing adventures of a hunter who is navigating a desolate Wasteland. Rod, still healing from his past ordeals, withdraws deeper into the harsh landscape to prepare for a journey into the enigmatic Dark City. McAllister's narration strikes a careful balance, allowing quieter emotional moments to resonate fully. His steady baritone provides a... Read More

Brian Nishii narrates a story built around an ancient weapon, contested power, and a world shaped by long memory and conflict. His calm, authoritative delivery helps listeners track shifting alliances and lore-heavy passages that drive the plot, in which characters are pulled into a struggle that blends destiny with personal choice. Nishii helps to maintain a clear narrative... Read More

Jennifer Jill Araya narrates a novel set partially in Rome. After Aida Reale unexpectedly loses her academic position, she takes a job in Rome that seems too good to be true, leaving her fiancé behind. Araya captures Aida's frustration with her career, as well as the dread she feels at the financial burden of her approaching wedding. The unexpected job opportunity seems like a... Read More

Raquel Beattie voices two characters, Sephre and Yeneris, in this LGBTQ+ fantasy audiobook. While both are fighting in the same war, they face different threats to their missions. Beattie's frustrated tones engender sympathy for Sephre as she must decide whether to give up her present life in a convent and return to the military to fight for her people. Yeneris is a spy who has... Read More

Kevin R. Free's strong narrative voice draws listeners into this absorbing tale of magic and intrigue. Lewis Dixon, a struggling American painter, faces a life-changing crossroads in the aftermath of his mother's death. He's offered a deal by the British Museum: In exchange for locating and destroying his great-grandfather's malevolent paintings, the museum's team of... Read More

Nikki Massoud's strong performance complements this audiobook, which is inspired by the legend of the Golem of Prague. When Malka's mother is falsely accused of murder, Malka embarks on a quest to save her from execution by retrieving the Rayga, a malevolent, bloodthirsty forest creature who preys on Jewish women. In the deadly forest she encounters Nimrah, a golem who is duty... Read More

A detective story set primarily in Incheon, South Korea, finds a vampire preying upon a rehab hospital as an angel of death. Originally written in Korean, this novel, superbly narrated by Rosa Escoda, reflects themes of loneliness relating to old age, addiction, and solitude. A string of apparent suicides at the hospital catches the attention of Suyeon, a young detective. She... Read More

Rosalyn Landor is masterful narrating this debut fantasy. Marta finds herself on a quest to save her world. Together with a band of disparate compatriots, she sets out to find and restore mystical gemstones to bring the Pentark back to life and save the Isle of Sphere from an evil lord and the Prince of Darkness. Marta's principal companions are a badger and a pair of elves but... Read More

Listeners' interest is immediately piqued by Lou, a begrudging medium whose encounters with the dead are as normal as taking out the trash. As the Veil that separates the living from the dead things and a cult of necromancers descends upon Lou's adopted town of Magnolia Grove, listeners fully experience her mounting tension through Cat Protano's narration. Protano's vivid,... Read More

An outstanding ensemble of narrators delivers six short stories, all involving time travel. Jonathan Davis' narration of "For a Limited Time Only," about a time-traveling salesman who is denied a job transfer, is made particularly poignant by his strong, emotionally charged delivery, especially as the main character learns the reason for his transfer denial. "A Visit to the... Read More

James Marsters' weary delivery perfectly captures Harry Dresden's fractured psyche as he navigates a year of mandatory mourning and political maneuvering in Chicago. Marsters doesn't just read; he inhabits Harry's exhaustion, using deliberate pacing and a somber tonal palette that underscores the protagonist's post-traumatic stress. Marsters' gift for distinct vocal... Read More

Annie Wildwood uses magic to present herself as the perfect baker, fashionista, friend, witch, and conversationalist in order to appease everyone around her. Unexpectedly becoming a mentor to a chaotic teen witch forces Annie to face her insecurities and to reconsider what is really important in her life. Narrator Evie Hargreaves' northern English accent accentuates the... Read More

Su Ling Chan narrates a dark historical fantasy set in 1970s Singapore. It centers on a secret society capable of channeling ancestral gods and a schoolgirl swept up into it. After Adeline's mother dies in a mysterious fire, she tracks down a girl emblazoned with the same butterfly symbol that marked the fire. Chan maintains a fantastic narration that is bright, clear, and... Read More

Mei Mei MacLeod narrates a magical romance that spans decades. Art appraiser Eve Shaw goes on a remarkable journey after a chance encounter in 2015 sends her to the White Octopus Hotel. MacLeod's portrayal of the relentless psychological suffering modern-day Eve experiences due to a tragic childhood accident is heartbreaking. When Eve goes back in time and visits the same hotel... Read More