The lackluster performance of narrator Jill Tanner fails to breathe life into this fantasy romance novel. Characters are seldom distinguishable, regardless of their gender or age. The pacing of the narration is often slow, not as a stylistic choice to increase the drama but simply as a quirk of the storytelling. Both of these characteristics distract rather than engage the listener. Characters whose accents are described in the text as lilting instead sound whiny and grating, rendering them unlikable. Furthermore, Tanner's bland narration serves to highlight the author's overuse of certain words and phrases (for example, "grimace"--and "special gift"). Overall, this is a weak production.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2017
Duration: 16 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781501945533
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
You’ll never think about fungus the same way again.
Andrew Fallaize’s committed performance makes this twisty, creepy fantasy-mystery hard to turn off. Imperial investigators Din and Ana have traveled to the agricultural center of the Khanum Empire to dig into a disturbing death. It lands them in the middle of a feud between two powerful families, and Fallaize puts listeners squarely in Din’s point of view as he uses his biological enhancements to perfectly commit every suspect and clue to memory while managing the eccentric Ana. Fallaize breaks out a wide variety of British accents to believably portray each character, and he expertly enhances every moment of suspense, danger, and horror in this satisfying third installment in the series.
You’ll never think about fungus the same way again.Pub Date: Aug. 4, 2026
Duration: 14 hrs, 7 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217279296
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Aug. 9, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2026
An intoxicating, genre-bending tale that asks artists and writers: What are the costs of greatness and fame?
An isolated family farm in rural Vermont anchors, then unmoors, an idyllic turned traumatic childhood. In a story revealed via flashbacks that flirt with horror, 30-something Guinevere Sharpe attempts to uncover the reason she and her beloved brother, Ennis, no longer speak. Rebecca Lowman’s narration remains distinct as the story moves back and forth in time. The slow, suspenseful pace delivers a thrilling answer to what really happened to the siblings’ celebrated mother, who wrote a bestselling fantasy series starring both of their likenesses. Lowman masterfully brings each of Guin’s singular family members to life in an absorbing performance that wholly transports the listener.
An intoxicating, genre-bending tale that asks artists and writers: What are the costs of greatness and fame?Pub Date: June 2, 2026
Duration: 14 hrs, 43 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063487406
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Aug. 9, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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