Carmen Rose narrates this sapphic horror/romance with a sardonic wit that makes for an immersive listening experience. Shesheshen is a shape-shifting monster who, weary of devouring an endless line of hunters seeking to eradicate her kind, constructs a makeshift human body and infiltrates the human world. What she doesn't expect is to fall for Homily, a human woman who is haunted by a family curse. Romance for Shesheshen's kind often entails egg incubation from a willing partner and the violent hatching of said offspring, but she sees in Homily the possibility of a gentler life. Rose brings each character's traits to life--from Shesheshen's deadpan humor to Homily's earnest compassion--and performs fight scenes with a liveliness that transports listeners into the battle.
Pub Date: April 2, 2024
Duration: 9 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9798855524444
Publisher: Tantor Media
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 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: Nov. 1, 2026
A narration full of heart with plenty of laughs along the way.
Jesse Vilinsky returns to narrate the second installment in the Swordheart series. While transporting rare books and a sheathed sword to another scholar, Edmund is attacked by bandits. When he grabs for the weapon, the Dervish, an impossibly handsome immortal warrior, appears out of the sword and rescues him. Vilinsky gives the Dervish a Scottish accent, and her narration warms as he and Edmund slowly fall in love. The two are joined by Dog Violet, a badgerlike gnole, and Large Francis, a pillbug diplomat who speaks with a mechanical box that translates her speech, which Vilinsky conveys with a modulating lilt.
A narration full of heart with plenty of laughs along the way.Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2026
Duration: 16 hrs, 9 mins
DD ISBN: 9781250446114
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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