This audiobook starts strong with atmospheric descriptions and compelling characters setting the stage for a dark story. Laurel Early tried to escape her small farming community in rural Kentucky but now finds herself back home on her uncle's farm. That's when the horror begins. Bailey Carr narrates with good pacing. The eerie story involves dark magic, a haunted farm, dead animals, and nightmares from the past. An overarching question is presented: what to do when the place you call home terrifies you? Despite the story getting a bit convoluted toward the end, Carr is spot-on as she voices a wide range of characters and paints vivid depictions for listeners.
(Horror. 13-18)Pub Date: July 12, 2022
Duration: 9 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781250855992
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
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