At the story’s start, narrator Charlotte Wright expresses 14-year-old Faith Sunderly’s emotional distress. She is cowed and confused as her family leaves Kent because of a scandal kept secret from her. Wright strengthens the sense of Faith’s lonely turmoil through portrayals of her stern father and self-involved mother. Through poignant depictions, Wright captures how Faith’s intelligence and scientific gifts are squelched by the defined gender roles of nineteenth-century society. Eventually, Faith’s need to understand what is going on drives her to explore her father’s papers and to discover a mysterious truth-telling tree. Through shifts in tone, Wright communicates Faith’s increased confidence as well as her horror at the tree’s power. As narrator, Wright dazzles with her character portrayals and propels listeners through this gripping story.
(Historical fantasy/horror. 12 & up)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2016
Duration: 11 hrs, 45 mins
Publisher: Audible, Inc.
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
Winslow’s deep voice and emotional resonance suit an overwhelmed teenager with too much on her plate.
Andia Winslow narrates this witchy YA fantasy. The witches in 17-year-old Mikaela’s coven are having their magic stolen, and as the next Witch Queen, she’s expected to solve this mystery. She also helps out at her family’s occult shop, and when a beautiful new girl in town visits Mikaela for a tarot reading, she is struck by a vision of her own murder at the stranger’s hand. Winslow easily differentiates characters of different genders and ages and seamlessly shifts between African American Vernacular English and Standard American English. She elegantly adjusts her pacing for action scenes and political debates.
Winslow’s deep voice and emotional resonance suit an overwhelmed teenager with too much on her plate. (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: Aug. 11, 2026
Duration: 8 hrs, 38 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217342082
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Aug. 18, 2026
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