Allyson Johnson narrates a fantasy romance with dual storylines. While there are a great many characters and a complicated plot, she capably navigates them. Kyara is an assassin who longs to escape; Johnson steeps her portrayal with melancholy. Darvyn has been a member of the Keepers of the Promise for years and chafes at the hierarchy in the group; Johnson highlights the tension simmering in him. Zeli is a servant of a rich man's daughter who knows her luck can vanish in an instant; Johnson balances optimism and pragmatism in her depiction. Numerous secondary characters are well developed. The plot is somewhat overlong, and the story ends on a cliff-hanger, but Johnson's strong narration overcomes these slight flaws.
Pub Date: Nov. 19, 2019
Duration: 13 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781250241993
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Suvari’s strong performance commits to the drama, increasing the stakes of a plot that has more atmospherics than...
This audiobook’s plot satisfyingly deploys familiar motifs of retro New England academia and of witchery as metaphor for the stigmatization of women’s power. Ava and Lauren, in their first year at the elite women’s Radcliffe College in the 1950s, are recruited into the secret Lilith Society of witches. When Mena Suvari is portraying adult Ava and Lauren and their Radcliffe milieu, her narration is delivered as seriously as the women take themselves, in defiance of a sexist era that belittles them. Memories of Ava’s childhood in small-town Maine sound guileless and open, bright with the child’s sparkling potential and curiosity, even as her family cruelly attempts to suppress her magical destiny.
Suvari’s strong performance commits to the drama, increasing the stakes of a plot that has more atmospherics than action.Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2026
Duration: 12 hrs, 50 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668117026
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Sept. 8, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2026
There’s sweet magic in this comforting tale of a coffee shop run by insightful cats.
Susan Momoko Hingley’s gentle performance suits the themes of introspection and healing as three people confront change and seek their authentic selves. Satsuki, a young actress, almost lost her career after an affair with a married man. Her mother, Fujiko, has also lived outside societal norms as a single mother. Fujiko’s childhood friend and one-time romantic interest, Wataru, is grappling with his own struggles. Though the characters’ voices are not always distinct, Hingley brings sensitivity and emotion to her performance, including her portrayals of the quirky and endearing cats whose astrological interpretations guide the cafe’s customers toward greater self-understanding.
There’s sweet magic in this comforting tale of a coffee shop run by insightful cats.Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2026
Duration: 4 hrs, 34 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217404551
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Sept. 1, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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