A talented duo brings this action-packed historical fantasy set in 79 CE, right before the destruction of Pompeii, to its explosive end. Amin El Gamal portrays Loren, an earnest attendant at the Temple of Isis. Loren has prophetic visions featuring cynical thief Felix, who is depicted in a deep voice by Max Meyers. The two team up when Felix appears at the temple with a magical helmet. As they embroil themselves in politics with haughty aristocrats and conniving senators, a romance ensues between them, complete with frustration, playfulness, and breathy passion. Lazy drawling, bratty children, and sobbing from several characters help set the pace and mood, especially when trauma is unpacked. A gut-wrenching performance of a queer love story.
(Historical fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: June 10, 2025
Duration: 14 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217157464
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Both narrators express the story’s mounting tension, contributing to the gothic horror of this historical fantasy.
This audiobook opens from the perspective of Ygnacio, portrayed by narrator Omar Leyva. His attention is on 16-year-old Minerva, who has left a broken home. It’s only later that listeners learn Ygnacio’s distant voice belongs to a ghost seeking revenge. Leyva’s accent gives a strong sense of the novel’s Latin American setting. Minerva becomes a maid for wealthy Señora Encarnación in a crumbling, haunted home whilecivil war rages around them. Krysta Gonzales performs Minerva’s chapters with a mix of youthful exuberance and lack of confidence that reflect Minerva’s age and her tragic past. As Miranda’s courage and resolve strengthen, we hear it in Gonzales’ voice.
Both narrators express the story’s mounting tension, contributing to the gothic horror of this historical fantasy. (Paranormal. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2026
Duration: 8 hrs, 19 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217349845
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: today
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2026
Themes of inheritance, identity, sacrifice, and belonging resonate through three voices.
This multigenerational family story comes to life through an ensemble performance. After high schooler Dawn receives an assignment to interview her grandmother, she begins uncovering a family history that stretches from 19th-century China to Taiwan and then New York. Eunice Wong, Katharine Chin, and Kenneth Lee shift among generations with careful attention to rhythm, pitch, and emotional texture, making the transitions easy to follow. Their performances capture the family's guardedness over its old secretsas well as Dawn's curiosity as a young woman seeking answers. As the layers of the Chin family history emerge, the narrators maintain a strong sense of continuity across time.
Themes of inheritance, identity, sacrifice, and belonging resonate through three voices. (Fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Sept. 22, 2026
Duration: 11 hrs, 42 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063238039
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Sept. 1, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2026
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