New Reviews: Fantasy

Catrin Walker-Booth's performance brings Dr. Greta Helsing to life in this charming novella--part of a series but it can also stand alone. Walker-Booth's skill with pitch, tone, and accents brings each of the characters to life. She beautifully depicts Greta Helsing, a physician who ministers to the undead, with compassion and intelligence. Walker-Booth's vocal range also... Read More

Narrator Jennifer Ikeda reintroduces listeners to power couple Diana and Matthew de Claremont, witch and vampire, and their equally magical children. The couple first appeared in A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES. When a black bird brings Diana a message, she heads to Ravenswood, her Aunt Gwyneth's property in Massachusetts, to uncover the dark side of her magic. Ikeda brings every corner... Read More

The fifth volume of Vo's Singing Hills Cycle, which can be listened to as a stand-alone, would be challenging for any narrator. The fantasy begins as a marriage is arranged in ancient China. Then the story takes a turn toward the paranormal. Narrator Cindy Kay voices protagonist Cleric Chih, as well as secondary characters ranging from haughty royalty to lowly estate workers.... Read More

Nicholas Guy Smith evokes the Arthurian legends of old in this tongue-in-cheek Knights of the Round Table-inspired novel. A young man named Collum dreams of joining King Arthur's Round Table, but by the time he arrives in Camelot, King Arthur is dead. Smith's narration captures the epic qualities of the story as Collum and the knights try to keep the kingdom united after the... Read More

Jessica Threet narrates a cozy fantasy with romantic elements. Reyna has finally left her position in the Queen's Guard and joined her girlfriend, Kianthe, in the far-away town of Tawney to open the tea and bookshop of their dreams. But the sleepy town of Tawney is not as sleepy as it seems. Threet provides Reyna and Kianthe with accents that differentiate their geographic and... Read More

Pete Cross's dramatic performance of this fantasy/noir audiobook enlivens a fascinating story about a missing teenager and her connection to a popular video game and a doomsday cult. Cross's emotional commitment to the protagonist, Sid Catchpenny, showcases the messy, washed-up thief with debilitating depression and the ability to travel through mirrors. He can sense mojo, the... Read More

In this ensemble cast, Tia Shearer takes on the roles of narrator and Calic of No House, who is known as Alli. A brave and bold half-fae/ half-human orphan, she is trained to fight deadly battles against fae and other beasties that live in Underhill, home of the immortals. At the same time that Alli is granted a place in the royal court, Underhill disappears. With Alli in... Read More

Matthew Spencer narrates the story that began in Chupeco's SILVER UNDER NIGHTFALL. Vampire hunter Remy Pendergast has a deep bond with two vampiric royal companions. They travel to the Court of Wanderers to recuperate after a battle with the formidable Night Empress and are thrown into vampire politics. Spencer is a superb storyteller. He keeps the plot moving. His skill at... Read More

As the voice of this audiobook's main character, Penny, narrator Shannon Tyo's gentle, soothing tone proves effective and engaging. Penny lands her dream job at the Dallergut Dream Department Store. Each floor of the store sells different types of dreams. As Penny learns about the importance of sleep and dreams from the store owner, Mr. Dallergut, she and her kooky co-workers... Read More

Charlie Sanderson and Barnaby Edwards narrate a debut fantasy steeped in Slavic folklore, weaving three stories into one tale. Elisya, a naïve noblewoman who is running from an undesirable marriage; Ida, a young woman doing what she must to survive; and Telani, an aged soldier on a mission, cross paths in a castle deep in the woods. The Goddess Morana rules the land, and the... Read More

Keval Shah fully understands the assignment when he narrates this funny, sexy, action-packed story of good vs. evil. Or dim vs. dimmer, as the case might be. It's never a good day when one wakes up with no memory and then learns one is an evil wizard. With all the problems his previous self left him with, Dread Lord Gavrax has picked a fine time to start being "good." Shah's... Read More

An interconnected story set during three separate timelines is narrated by Dylan J. Locke, Will Dao, and Telly Leung. In 4 BCE, courtier Dong Xian is undone by court machinations; in 1740, innkeeper He Shican unintentionally lets a calamity loose; and in modern-day Los Angeles, college student River is sure he has met a brand-new acquaintance before. Locke portrays Dong Xian as... Read More

Lucy Rivers and Will Thorne energize each other as dual narrators of this steamy fantasy-romance blending pirates, fae, and Vikings. Erik rules Ever Kingdom, but that rule is compromised by the man who murdered his father and trapped Erik in the underwater world called the Ever Realm. When Livia, the daughter of the man responsible for trapping Erik, accidentally breaks the... Read More

Oscar Reyes is the voice of this messy threesome-secret-male-occult society-urban-fantasy-novel. Rich-boy David is a high-powered attorney by day and a medium by night. When an ancestral curse comes to fruition, he must reach out to Rhys, his ex-boyfriend and rival in magic, and Moira, Rhys's wife. Reyes makes a valiant attempt at narration but does little more than read aloud,... Read More

Narrator Lauren Fortgang channels the currents of magic and intrigue running throughout Bardugo's layered historical fantasy. Scullery maid Luzia Cotado hopes to remain unnoticed, but when she uses a spell to restore burned bread and fix a torn dress, her ability to cast "little miracles" comes to light. Forced to compete in a dangerous magic competition, she is tutored by the... Read More

Emily Woo Zeller invites listeners to the bustling semi-submerged city of Tiankawi. Mira, a border guard captain, has been working toward reform her entire career when Nami, an anti-human activist, is exiled to Tiankawi. Meanwhile, Cordelia, a sea witch, will stop at nothing to increase her family's power. Now she's ready to collect on her deal with a Siren to exchange her song... Read More

Heather O'Sullivan narrates a romantic fantasy inspired by Irish mythology. Fia is a changeling in the human world who is trained as a weapon and a spy. When an opportunity to free a stolen human princess arises, Fia is sent on the mission. O'Sullivan's portrayal of Fia's long and, at times, painful journey of self-discovery is emotionally resonant but doesn't shy away from... Read More

The author is joined by an ensemble of four narrators to deliver this collection of 14 short stories. The works are a bit bizarre, but all share the theme of human longing. January LaVoy conveys poignancy in a story about a vampire and a goat woman who find solace in friendship. Gabra Zackman is able to make a woman who transforms into a house to better serve her boyfriend's... Read More

Helen McAlpine narrates a simple yet powerful story of a lady knight who is seeking to reclaim her honor. To restore her title, Maddileh must retrieve the fireborne blade from a legendary dragon called the White Lady. She also navigates other challenges such as sexism, because she's a female knight, and confusion over whom she can trust. McAlpine's wispy narration is a great... Read More

Saskia Maarleveld unfolds the gripping tale of Solveig, a girl endowed with extraordinary fire magic. After her brother tragically kills a man, Solveig is sent to the north as weregild--compensation for the loss to prevent retaliation. There she unravels the sinister realities of the mythical Black Land. Maarleveld's narration is captivating, echoing the story's atmospheric... Read More

Greta Jung presents the point of view of Kim Hani, a gumiho (shape-shifter) known as the Silver Fox. Intae Kim presents Seokga the Fallen's story of seeking redemption in order to return to the immortal realm. Together, the narrators recount the search for a powerful demon who has escaped from the underworld and threatens to destroy the world. Hani inveigles her way into being... Read More

Mia Hutchinson-Shaw uses posh accents to portray the people of the nineteenth-century English village of Bardshire. Twenty-one-year-old Marigold Claude is approaching spinsterhood and is just fine with it since society never suited her anyway. Luckily, there is a place where she belongs: among the bees on the remote island of Innisfree. Her estranged grandmother reveals that... Read More

Emily Gray and Stewart Crank take turns narrating the third book in The Horses Know trilogy. More than 20 years after the events of the first book, in which horses bonded telepathically with people to ensure survival, Amarilla and her nephew, Will, are needed. Outsiders who fear that being "horse-bonded" will make them lose their individuality must be convinced of the benefits.... Read More

Talented Colleen Delany narrates this thrilling full-cast installment of the Crescent City fantasy series. Party girl and investigator Bryce Quinlan, who is half-human, half-fae, is portrayed by smoky-voiced Kit Swann. Bryce joins forces with Ruhn Dannan, voiced by Nick Russo, and the ultra-deadly assassin Archangel Hunt Athalar, played by Danny Montooth, to locate and destroy... Read More

David Lee Huynh narrates a wild and entertaining fantasy inspired by Thai mythology. Ex, the youngest member of the illustrious Phi Hunters Order, seeks to prove himself with a near impossible task: slaying the demon of nightmares, Shar-Ala. His plans go awry when he's forced to escort a pregnant runaway through a dangerous forest filled with spirits, demons, and assassins.... Read More

Twists and turns, flashbacks, and surprising revelations are handled deftly by the four excellent narrators of this epistolary novel, Cathrall's debut. While it's a work of speculative fiction, there is also mystery, light romance, fascinating underwater world-building, and magical academia. The four narrators bring the letters to life in the voices of their 15 writers. Kit... Read More

Shape-shifting lion Curran, voiced by Michael Glenn, growls and purrs, while sword-wielding, magic-imbued Kate Daniels, performed by Nora Sofyan, sounds as gruff and determined as any warrior. Someone or something is destroying magical wards, making them vanish into thin air. Kate; her best friend, Andrea, portrayed by Emlyn McFarland; and 19-year-old shape-shifter and... Read More

January LaVoy and Robert Petkoff narrate a historical drama full of magic. From a young age, Pamela Colman Smith has had the gift of seeing magic around her. Her skills eventually bring her to the attention of the Order of the Golden Dawn, a secret society based in London, and through them an exciting opportunity arises. Both narrators expertly balance the magical happenings... Read More

The Meridian's clans are at war, and alliances are shifting dangerously in this dramatic conclusion to Roanhorse's trilogy, brought to life by an ensemble cast. Serapio, the Crow God Reborn, rules Tova from his eerie shadow palace. Shaun Taylor-Corbett skillfully portrays Serapio as he navigates prophecies and plots against him. Nicole Lewis voices Xiala, the Teek sea captain... Read More

Elyse Dinh delivers a performance that brings the glamorous world of 1950s L.A. to life. She captures Cordelia Mai Yin's grit as she tries to launch a career in fashion as a Vietnamese designer. Dinh will have listeners glued to their earbuds as Cordi attempts to navigate a city darker and more complex than she ever imagined. Eventually, Cordi discovers a stranger with the... Read More

Narrators Ferdelle Capistrano and Will Damron breathe life into this fanciful romantic story. Exes Camille and Ward reunite when they bump into each other in London. Then they accept jobs in separate magical antique shops before realizing that they're trapped and that they must use the antiques around them to solve several puzzles and riddles to escape. A limitation: They can... Read More

Tymika Tafari narrates an urban fantasy set in Toronto that is infused with Jamaican history, mythology, and religion. Sent on a quest by the goddess River Mumma to retrieve a stolen object, Alicia and her friends, Heaven and Mars, race against an impossible deadline. Tafari portrays River Mumma as haughty and capricious, but her deep and lasting connection to Alicia and her... Read More

This raucous story's unabashedly lusty queer pirates--particularly the eccentric Avra Helvaçi--are brought to life in Casey Jones's committed narration. Avra isn't exactly welcomed by Captain Teveri az-Haffar's crew, but he brings stolen government secrets and a string of good luck with him that the crew is glad to take aboard. When they set sail to sell the secrets, they... Read More

Matt Haynes provides two distinct voices for the main characters in this eclectic audiobook. Set in 1934, the story combines mystery, Egyptology, paranormal occurrences (fake and real), as well as romance and queer representation. Dashiel Quicke is a false medium who travels the country debunking other mystics' tricks. Hermann Goschalk is a college professor/Egyptologist who... Read More

Narrators Yenni Ann and Yasmin Tuazon keep two storylines separate in this audiobook. The two main characters are the snarky, dead-broke ghost whisperer Alexis, portrayed by Yenni Ann, and the obnoxious, all-powerful demigod Kieran, portrayed by Alex Hill Knight. As Alexis struggles to care for her wards, the plucky human, Daisy, portrayed by Lena Lee, and the preteen ailing... Read More

What's better than an action-packed, gender-bent account of a wild huntress fighting underworld creatures? This one is grounded by Kristin Atherton's energetic and deeply emotional performance. While Queen thelburg commands the Wessex army, her husband, Ine, struggles to play the political game. Meanwhile, Herla and her sisters, cursed by the thrill of the wild hunt, fight an... Read More

Eliza Foss and Jennifer Pickens narrate a haunting reimagining of the fairy tale "The Goose Girl." Cordelia lives with her mother, an enchantress, in a house with no doors. When her mother decides to marry the local squire, Cordelia and his sister, Hester, form an unlikely alliance. Pickens's portrayal of Cordelia's developing independence is breathtaking. A victim of both... Read More

Fans of Studio Ghibli's animated films will enjoy the way Caitlin Davies performs this enchanting story. For the past decade, academic librarian Kiela has hidden herself away in the Empire with only a sentient spider plant for company. When the fires of the Revolution burn down the Great Library of Alyssium, she escapes to her secluded childhood home with a few crates of... Read More

Victoria Villarreal performs impressive vocal acrobatics as she narrates this reimagined tale of Zorro. Leonora, the illegitimate mestiza daughter of the Viceroy of Mexico, has a reputation to uphold. But she cannot look away and do nothing as Spanish conquerors subjugate the various Indigenous people of Mexico. Harnessing the power of the sun and the Indigenous gods, she... Read More

Kit Griffiths transports listeners back to Middren for more battles with power-hungry gods and kings in this second installment of the Fallen Gods series. Still reeling from his brush with death, Elogast reckons with his new position as rebellion leader against Arren, the king who is marching through Middren in search of worshippers. At the same time, Inara struggles to find... Read More

Natalie Naudus narrates a fantasy novel loosely inspired by Chinese history. Ruying lives in an occupied city, and her righteous fury at the occupiers knows no bounds. Naudus captures all the rage and hopelessness that Ruying feels at her situation: She is the granddaughter of a general who lost the city and the daughter of a father who failed to care for his children. As... Read More

A full cast portrays the brave rebels, alliance-switching nobles, and determined anarchists who vie for control of a war-torn community called The Hollows. Nick J. Russo portrays Michael Kingman, who works for the deep-voiced head of Orbis Mercenary Company, portrayed by Keith Richards. The other talented performers add dry humor, charm, and conspiratorial tones, though the... Read More

Nicol Zanzarella brings heaps of charm to her narration of this engaging fantasy romance. Twyla and Frank have been neighbors, then best friends, then partners in the Marshals, where they spent eight years patrolling the dangerous Tanrian world together. Now peril, dragons, and a handsome dracologist with eyes for Twyla have them examining their friendship in a new light.... Read More

Helen Laser, James Fouhey, and Tim Campbell narrate a dark fantasy novella about a trio seeking an audience with the legendary witch Baba Jaga. Dymitr offers to cure Ala--a zmora suffering from a fatal curse--in exchange for help entreating Baba Jaja, who famously doesn't take kindly to humans. Laser, Fouhey, and Campbell breathe life into the three who are hoping to talk to... Read More

The point of view in this latest Secret Projects installment switches between Yumi, portrayed by Kate Reading, and Painter, portrayed by Michael Kramer. The shifts ask listeners to try to figure out the rules in their separate worlds. Yumi's exalted job is to artfully stack rocks to appease the spirits, while Painter's job is to transform corporeal nightmares into harmless... Read More