Emily Rankin, who narrated WOLF HOLLOW, also performs the sequel to Annabelle's first-person story. A year after the events of the first book, Annabelle is still dealing with her grief and the difficulties of life during WWII. Then she is struck by lightning, and her heart is restarted by a mysterious stranger. Rankin's matter-of-fact delivery gives listeners room to feel the tenderness of a girl whose heightened senses reach beyond time, her rural environs, and her loving family. A mystery involving missing dogs adds to the tension of this audiobook, as does the discovery of their horrible mistreatment. Both blend well with Rankin's warm tone, which projects the caring that Annabelle and others show for one another.
(Historical fiction. 9-14)Pub Date: 2022
Duration: 7 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780593589137
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Complete with creative production touches, the result is a dark, satisfying listen.
Listeners don't just experience a fascinating historical drama--they also become steeped in a bloody gothic Western. Stellar performances are the center of this compelling listening experience. Narrator Marin Ireland fully embodies the beleaguered humanities professor who, while deep diving into the campus archive, discovers the story of her ancestors. At the same time, she is struggling with her tenure committee. In a deft transition back to 1912, Owen Teale's performance of a Lutheran pastor exhibits gravitas as he slowly unwinds the secrets of his relationship with Good Stab, a Blackfeet Indian who mysteriously appears in his congregation. Shane Ghostkeeper provides Good Stab with a subtle yet ferocious performance as the two face each other's buried truths.
Complete with creative production touches, the result is a dark, satisfying listen.Pub Date: N/A
Duration: N/A
DD ISBN: 9781234567890
Publisher: Troy's Publishing Company for Vicky Test
Review Posted Online: Feb. 4, 2026
It's 1975, and eleven-year-old Gao Sheng, a Hmong girl, is living in the highlands of Laos in a one-room house with her family. Then they are forced to flee. Narrator Robyn Morales lends a soft, feminine huskiness to the protagonist's voice as she describes the family's journey to a refugee camp, to gentle and thoughtful effect. The listener is transported alongside Gao Sheng to a new world as she reflects on memory, gender, and family relations in her culture; the events that change her life; and conditions in the refugee camp. An afterword provides context about the author's family's real-life experience. Morales' narration is comforting, even as she describes the difficult circumstances of refugees.
(Verse historical fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: 2026
Duration: 5 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798217080861
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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