This romantasy unfolds through alternating chapters featuring Brenda, portrayed by Elyse Dinh, and Kat, portrayed by Emily Woo Zeller. The two meet when Brenda is desperate to find a working internet to use to submit her scholarship application before the deadline and wanders into a coffee shop owned by Kat's family. The shop, it turns out, is in an alternate universe that is on a collision path with Earth. Dinh captures Brenda's can-do personality as befits a girl who is determined to make a difference in the world. Woo Zeller, likewise, expresses the essence of Kat, who is destined for great things--although she doesn't know it yet. Both narrators deftly convey the growth of their characters.
(Fantasy romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2025
Duration: 13 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781511351416
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Listeners follow Merry, the longbow girl, one of the best archers in her town. When she finds a magical portal in the forest that takes her back to sixteenth-century Wales, she must use her skills to win an archery contest in order to help her ancestors keep their land. While narrator Emily Wilden brings protagonist Merry to life with a rich Welsh accent, her narration seems uneven at times. All the period characters have accents that reflect the setting of the story and transport listeners to Wales. Listeners who enjoy historical fiction and a bit of fantasy will be charmed by this tale of determination, hope, and family.
Young AdultPub Date: N/A
Duration: 11 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781501916793
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
An exceptional and authentic listening experience.
Three narrators—the author and his real-life wife and brother—each tell this heartfelt and witty story with their own approach. Carter is stuck in a loop. Every year on his birthday, he turns 16 again and forgets the previous year, while everyone else, including his younger brother, Lincoln, ages normally. But loop six seems different, and Carter, supported by his family and former girlfriend, Maggie, will do anything to end the cycle. As the three narrators introduce each character’s perspective and deliver their experiences with emotional depth, the dynamic between Carter, Lincoln, and Maggie sounds natural and complex.
An exceptional and authentic listening experience.Pub Date: Jan. 6, 2026
Duration: 9 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063330405
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Feb. 9, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
