This well-deserved winner of the 2014 Odyssey Award is not for the faint of heart. Kirby Heyborne begins with precise pronunciations that illuminate the alliterative, imagistic writing. Immediately his dolorous tones establish the setting, a dying 1981 midwestern farm, as well as the vulnerability of 19-year-old Ry, who fears for his family. Heyborne’s voice is low and guttural as he portrays a stranger who tells Ry’s family of a prison break. Heyborne shifts from a tone of longing to one of menace when the stranger warns Ry that his sadistic father is coming for him. As Ry remembers his escape from horrific past abuses, Heyborne’s reading makes his feelings palpable. These amp up even more viscerally when the monstrous father reappears and Ry, and the listener, descends further into a nightmare.
(Horror. 14 & up)Pub Date: March 12, 2013
Duration: 11 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9780385368360
Publisher: Listening Library
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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