This sweeping historical fiction inspired by the Four Beauties of Ancient China is in Natalie Naudus's more-than-capable hands. Xishi is the most beautiful woman in Yue--perhaps in the world. In military advisor Fanli's eyes, Xishi's beauty has the power to overturn King Fuchai's quest to colonize Yue. When Xishi begins her mission to seduce, spy on, and sabotage the king, she's torn between her love for Fanli and her duty. Like Xishi, Naudus has an enchanting power: the ability to immerse listeners in an emotionally nuanced tale. Her talent is on full display here--and listeners will be as enthralled with it as Fuchai's royal court is with Xishi's great beauty.
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
Duration: 10 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781250366269
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Sanderson’s rich performance enriches the text.
Narrator Charlie Sanderson immerses listeners in the coastal Cornish village of Portscatho from the first sentence of this gothic fairy tale. Sanderson draws listeners into a world of feminine rage, empowerment, and ancient magic. Her vocal characterizations ground the story's folkloric atmosphere. Sanderson voices characters from curious children to elderly witches, each rendered with playful energy and distinct regional British accents that bring the superstitious fishing village to life. Heroine Kensa is being manipulated, putting her community in danger. Kensa's shifting emotions, from loneliness to mounting dread, land with weight, and Sanderson makes a sea god's menacing presence feel genuinely unsettling.
Sanderson’s rich performance enriches the text.Pub Date: Jan. 27, 2026
Duration: 11 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798347956852
Publisher: Spotify Audiobooks
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2026
Hembrough ratchets up the tension while leading listeners through this exploration of belief.
Oliver Hembrough voices an array of fascinating characters in this fantasy audiobook, the first in a planned trilogy. Sister Svangerd, a nun/assassin, and Brother Desiderius, an expert forger/atheist monk, are sent to the Ecumenical Council to assassinate a princess with troublesome views. What follows? The hunters become the hunted; the undead "walkers" formulate their own assassination plans; many deaths ensue. Hembrough’s performance is true to the characters he portrays, from steel-spined nuns and questioning clerics to rage-filled walkers; his narration is replete with dry humor, sarcasm, and a penchant for scoffs and growls in bringing these characters to life.
Hembrough ratchets up the tension while leading listeners through this exploration of belief.Pub Date: Jan. 27, 2026
Duration: 11 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668642269
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: April 11, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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