Piper Goodeve narrates this dark academia audiobook set in New Mexico. After five years away, Cella Gibbons returns to her alma mater to help solve a magical mystery involving students and staff. Coming back to campus after dropping out of her master's program dredges up a myriad of feelings for Cella, and Goodeve balances the guilt, shame, and nostalgia she feels. Cella also carries multiple personal traumas from her own time as a student, which Goodeve highlights in her portrayal. But Goodeve's handling of accents, such as Cella's ex-boyfriend Max's drawl, is inconsistent. Additionally, the production choice to have the same narrator read both the main text and the footnotes and other ephemera makes it difficult to keep the structural integrity and flow of the story intact. Overall, a mixed production.
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 2025
Duration: 13 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798895947333
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
This is the bizarre story of an earnest young man who is a magnet for serious trouble. Arthur Oakes is a walking disaster who meets up with an ancient evil he can't comprehend. The narrators, including "Star Trek" actor Kate Mulgrew, beautifully deliver the ugly story. Oakes is forced to steal rare books from the college library where he works to prevent criminals from hurting his mother, who is serving time in prison. Desperate to save her, Oakes makes a series of bad decisions that ultimately lead them all to the gates of hell. This audiobook has few heroes and more than enough monsters. As the narrators keep listeners on the edge of their seats, the 26-hour runtime passes quickly.
Pub Date: Oct. 21, 2025
Duration: 26 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780063437319
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Janina Edwards narrates this homage to the eldritch horror of Lovecraft and King. A diverse group of people become stranded on an island off the coast of Antarctica after an unspecified cataclysm. Throughout the story, breaks in the narrative are represented by white noise. While their purpose is to simulate the memory lapses of the protagonist, the jarring results initially sound like production flaws. An additional distraction is the inconsistent quality of Edwards' accents; her New Zealand and Russian voices often fall within the realm of caricature, especially at the beginning of the production. Edwards, a talented narrator, struggles to maintain the tension of cosmic dread--though the confusing plot does her no favors.
Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2025
Duration: 10 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668151655
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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