Avi Roque gives an earnest and authentic, if inexperienced, performance of this supernatural mystery/magical love story. Sixteen-year-old Yadriel is trans and is desperate for his family to accept him as a brujo who has the power to summon and release the spirits of the dead. When he accidentally summons the spirit of a boy he knows from school a few days before the Día de Muertos festivities, Yadriel and his friend Maritza embark on a quest--with Julian's spirit in tow--to find out what happened to him. Roque brings the book's diverse East Los Angeles Latinx community to life, and their narration for the endearingly impulsive Julian is especially effective. The more time Yadriel and Julian spend together, the closer they become, but can their journey have a happy ending?
(Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
Duration: 13 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781250619129
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Watson’s conversational style will delight listeners of all ages.
Marli Watson narrates this first installment of a YA mystery series. Ellen is a prep-school scholarship student who knows how to follow the rules. But her life takes a turn when she moves into her aunt’s Edgar Allan Poe-themed B&B and starts having nightmares about a family who died—including Gus, a new student at school. When Ellen finds a journal that she believes was written by Poe, she meets the ghost of her long-dead relative, who calls himself Eddie. Watson makes the characters believable from the start. She portrays Ellen as feisty, and Gus as a vulnerable charmer. Aunt Marie is sweet, but not too sweet.
Watson’s conversational style will delight listeners of all ages. (Paranormal mystery. 12-18)Pub Date: April 7, 2026
Duration: 7 hrs, 19 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668654774
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: June 23, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2026
Layered performances transform an academy thriller into a tense supernatural investigation.
A dual narration brings this Norse mythology-infused mystery to pulse-pounding life. Distinct vocal performances highlight the story's shifting perspectives. Daniel Henning's portrayal of Amund carries the weight of a seasoned hunter, his delivery capturing the character's underlying complexity as he tracks potential “berserkir" criminals across Skallagrim Academy's shadowy campus. Jade Wheeler gives Edith a voice that evolves throughout the listening experience—her early chapters convey the carefully controlled anger and fear of her own nature, while later scenes crackle with ferocity as Edith embraces newfound abilities. Both narrators handle the murder-mystery framework with appropriate tension. Their chemistry during confrontational exchanges heightens the cat-and-mouse dynamic between suspect and hunter, making the audiobook's dual-POV structure feel theatrical and intense.
Layered performances transform an academy thriller into a tense supernatural investigation. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: March 3, 2026
Duration: 14 hrs, 32 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668162057
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: June 2, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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