What happens after the fairy tale is not always a happy ending. Esther Wane narrates this bewitching extension to the tale of Hansel and Gretel, set in seventeenth-century Germany. Wane's range of character accents brings a magical essence to the story. Fifteen years after they escaped the witch in the gingerbread house, Hans and Greta are having a hard time surviving. Villagers are suspicious of Greta's addictive baked goods, Hans's ceaseless gambling is attracting violent debt collectors, their father and stepmother have passed, and the countryside is left in ruins in the aftermath of war. Above all else, dark magic is returning. Wane's beautiful narration brings it all to life.
Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2023
Duration: 14 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781250291790
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
A heartfelt story about the importance of libraries in everyone's life.
Anyone who has ever had a beloved local library will love this fantastical story about saving one. When the Foxhollow Bay town council questions the library's relevance, head librarian Claire must find a way to prove its worth. She discovers a hidden door, behind which are books made up of patrons' memories. One contains the memories of an artist sketching various images of a bridge. Will this room help Claire save the library? Charithra Chandran’s performance adds emotion and depth. Villains sound squeaky or rough, while friends sound rich and rounded. Chandran brings extra texture to her narration with derisive snorts and incredulous chuckles.
A heartfelt story about the importance of libraries in everyone's life.Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2026
Duration: 9 hrs, 44 mins
DD ISBN: 9781464297250
Publisher: Sourcebooks Audio
Review Posted Online: Nov. 18, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2027
Intricate, textured weirdness rewards listeners throughout this sprawling, gloriously strange epic.
Colin Mace and Emma Spurgin Hussey narrate a generations-spanning tale of grief, conspiracy, and horror that takes its haunting premise deadly seriously. Hussey voices Maur, desolate after her son's mysterious death and desperate for answers, with a restrained intimacy, tracking her slide from mourning into obsession through shifts in pace and breath. Mace brings weathered gravel to Allerdyce, a veteran undeterred by the grim, often gross underbelly of those answers, letting long silences land before revelations. The author's interjections add an eerie texture. Both narrators keep the dense, allusive prose clear across a century of violence, building dread without tipping into melodrama.
Intricate, textured weirdness rewards listeners throughout this sprawling, gloriously strange epic.Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2026
Duration: 40 hrs, 43 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217020959
Publisher: Random House 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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