Rose McPhilemy's stellar performance underscores the dual sides of magic--delight and danger--in this immersive historical fantasy. Having lived her whole life on the hidden island of Hy-Brasil, Biddy is eager to explore the world beyond. But when her caretakers, the mage Rowan and his rabbit familiar Hutchincroft, open up a decades-old magical battle, Biddy gets more than she hoped for. She encounters mysterious creatures, finds power in unlikely places, and learns that the key to everything lies in her heart. Biddy must decide whom to trust and whether restoring magic to the world is worth the costs. McPhilemy blends Rowan's rough Irish accent with Hutchincroft's clear British lilt to create a unique voice just for Biddy. It's this nuanced combination that makes McPhilemy's performance truly unforgettable.
Pub Date: Feb. 28, 2023
Duration: 15 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781668621950
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
It all makes for absorbing listening.
Narrator Ciaran Saward brings excitement and heart to this compelling fantasy. In a world where powerful entities move castles from one location to another like they’re playing a giant game of chess, it’s the everyday people who suffer the consequences. After 15-year-old Burr’s father is executed by the lord of one of the castles, Burr and two of his sisters, along with a ragtag group of villagers, find themselves inside the castle as it's relocating. Can they claim the castle as their own, and can they survive as rebels? With a variety of mostly British accents, Saward keeps the many characters, both children and adults, distinct, always taking care to make the emotional threads between them clear.
It all makes for absorbing listening. (Fantasy. 13-adult)Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2026
Duration: 13 hrs, 16 mins
DD ISBN: 9798898840914
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Oct. 20, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2026
This highly satisfying quest brims with humor and friendship courtesy of Church.
During a magical adventure set in a traveling bookshop, narrator Imogen Church ensures that each conversation is a dramatic experience. Listeners meet failed book witch Louella Twig, whose strident tones mask her loneliness. She encounters former thief Everett Sharp who, intrigued, parries Louella's defenses with his deep, rolling voice. When Louella's former mentor, Feralorn, asks for her help finding pages from his grimoire, Louella accepts the quest. Church's voice for Feralorn is that of a creaky trumpet—highly distinctive, occasionally overwhelming. Church gives each character their own voice and mannerisms, including gnomes and a European wizard. Pacing, phrasing, and inflection are deployed skillfully to denote emotion, especially between Louella and Everett.
This highly satisfying quest brims with humor and friendship courtesy of Church.Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2026
Duration: 12 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9798898856663
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Sept. 22, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: today
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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