Narrator Marisa Calin dives enthusiastically into Book 2 of Geir's time-travel trilogy, launched with RUBY RED. Calin portrays the bewilderment of Gwyneth Shepherd, who is designated the final member in the Circle of Twelve, even though her perfectionist cousin, Charlotte, has been groomed for the role for years. Calin delivers an accurate British accent but sometimes misses period and class distinctions. She does capture the teen characters in their rivalry and their pursuit of mysteries. Especially fun is Calin's presentation of the time-traveling teens' karaoke performance in an eighteenth-century salon and her on-again, off-again romantic adventures through the ages with Gideon. Calin also imparts a good deal of character to Gwyneth's wise-guy gargolyle campanion, Xemerius, and revels in the cliff-hanger ending.
. (Fantasy. 12 & up)Pub Date: Oct. 30, 2012
Duration: 9 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781427222213
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
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
The satisfying, cozy resolution affirms the magic of romance, the power of loving a place, and the rewards of taking risks.
Soneela Nankani’s quiet narration carries a wish and a promise, setting the tone for high school junior Calisa’s escape from Brooklyn to her estranged great-aunt’s B&B in Vermont. Calisa, hurt from a breakup, receives a caustic welcome from her Auntie Zee and discovers an inn in disrepair. Nankani gives voice to the inn’s strange guests, who have puzzling manners, and gradually the odd occurrences Calisa notices begin to point in a distinctly enchanted direction. As Calisa travels through the inn’s portals to magical lands, Nankani’s narration helps listeners experience the richness Calisa finds. Tension builds as Auntie Zee goes missing, the inn’s future is threatened, and Calisa must decipher family secrets.
The satisfying, cozy resolution affirms the magic of romance, the power of loving a place, and the rewards of taking risks. (Fantasy. 12-18)Pub Date: March 31, 2026
Duration: 11 hrs, 2 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217171934
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: May 5, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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