Edoardo Ballerini narrates this tale of two kingdoms that were set to enforce an arranged marriage in order to save the princess's kingdom. But right before the wedding, the princess fell in love with a lowly scribe. Anatole, once a prestigious magician, was ordered to create a potion to make the princess acquiesce to the arrogant prince. But Anatole felt fatherly towards the princess and struggled with that plan. What follows is a journey that includes betrayal, true love, family love, and a magician who is more than 500 years old. Ballerini's perfect characterizations range from imperious queens to arrogant princes and from hopeful scribes to murderous kings and spirited princesses. Ballerini's voice paints vivid pictures of characters, plots, struggles, and scenery.
Pub Date: Aug. 5, 2025
Duration: 7 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217074792
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
James Marsters' weary delivery perfectly captures Harry Dresden's fractured psyche as he navigates a year of mandatory mourning and political maneuvering in Chicago. Marsters doesn't just read; he inhabits Harry's exhaustion, using deliberate pacing and a somber tonal palette that underscores the protagonist's post-traumatic stress. Marsters' gift for distinct vocal characterizations remains sharp, effortlessly pivoting from the ethereal, detached elegance of the Sidhe to the grounded warmth of Harry's remaining allies. By leaning into the book's quieter, more introspective moments, Marsters elevates this urban fantasy's emotional stakes, transforming a year of Dresden's life into a poignant study of grief. It's an immersive performance that makes the wizard's vulnerability feel hauntingly real. Marsters' soulful performance makes this a compelling entry in the Harry Dresden series.
Pub Date: Jan. 20, 2026
Duration: 17 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798217176021
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Samuel Barnett delivers a fresh interpretation of the St. George and the Dragon legend. George, whom Barnett portrays in a snide, harried tone that makes him bitingly funny, becomes increasingly hysterical as his contemporary London life falls apart. After he inexplicably time travels to the medieval era, his neuroses are subsumed into the immediacy of survival and the sweetness of romance. But things change when he's saddled with a dangerous quest. Barnett's voice for George's first-person narration, while consistent, subtly transforms to reflect the character's growth. Well-rendered secondary characters range from a laddish 21st-century city worker to a spoiled medieval prince. Barnett expertly renders a story that is part sci-fi, part gay romance, and part historical fiction.
Pub Date: Jan. 20, 2026
Duration: 8 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063424715
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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