Seventeen-year-old Briony Larkin believes she’s a witch who has destroyed her twin sister Rose’s mind and killed her stepmother. Her ability to commune with the mystical Old Ones of the Swampsea fills her with self-hatred. When handsome London bad boy Eldric arrives on the scene, Briony must reexamine what she has for so long assumed to be true. Billingsley’s richly atmospheric landscape and opulent language are well served by Susan Duerden’s lush vocal interpretation. The eerie voices of the Old Ones are as believable as the voices of the townsfolk. Each character has a uniquely perfect voice—from the sardonic Briony to her whiny suitor, Cecil. Rose’s mental disorder is obvious but never exaggerated. A tour-de-force performance of this elegant, mysterious novel.
Ages 12+Pub Date: March 22, 2011
Duration: 10 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780307915207
Publisher: Listening Library
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
Soler's spellbinding voice turns a melancholic fable into an intimate experience listeners will feel long after it ends.
Rebecca Soler narrates this haunting audiobook with a lyrical quality that draws listeners deep into its magical realism and its many-layered story. Her emotional control serves the narrative well, allowing the story's quietest moments to land with weight. Soler voices Lexie and Chester, two teens with heavy pasts and dark secrets who are drawn to each other by an undeniable cosmic pull. On a freezing winter morning, five people, including Chester, go for a swim and wake the next day transformed into birds, their lives forever altered. Measured pacing and tender characterizations give each teen a distinct inner life.
Soler's spellbinding voice turns a melancholic fable into an intimate experience listeners will feel long after it ends. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2026
Duration: 4 hrs, 56 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217351152
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Oct. 13, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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