Ann Marie Lee's emotional narration allows listeners to engage further with this audiobook's characters. The story's principals have connections to each other through shared experiences, bereavement, memories, and their concepts of time. After Helen Clapp, a pragmatic MIT physicist, learns of her college roommate Charlie Boyce's death, she begins receiving mysterious text messages and emails on her phone. In spite of their disparate lives on opposite coasts, the bond between them deepens in death as the past becomes ever present. Lee varies her tone and pitch as she reveals the deep emotions experienced by people integral to Charlie's life. Helen's first-person perspective of her professional trajectory and family life with her young son provides additional intimacy with listeners.
Pub Date: April 2, 2019
Duration: 13 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781984840097
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Kowal’s performance enhances this gothic horror audiobook.
Mary Robinette Kowal narrates this historical horror audiobook about a woman tasked with illustrating parasitic insects. Sonia, a scientific illustrator in 1899 North Carolina, has taken the job of assisting entomologist Dr. Halder in completing his book. Several mysteries surround her new assignment—the local woods are rumored to be full of “blood thieves,” and the animals around Halder’s estate act strangely. Plus, Halder’s previous illustrator was also his wife, whose current whereabouts are unknown. Kowal’s mature voice and precise pacing maintain a creepy atmosphere as Sonia slowly unravels the doctor’s secrets and how they connect to the insects he’s studying. She skillfully uses an American Southern accent and adjusts her cadence to enliven portrayals of the estate’s other workers.
Kowal’s performance enhances this gothic horror audiobook.Pub Date: March 24, 2026
Duration: 9 hrs, 14 mins
DD ISBN: 9781250436153
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: April 21, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2026
This ensemble performance conveys the bittersweet surprises that unfold when past and present meet.
There’s warmth and mystery in Tsujimura’s sequel to Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon (2025), about Ayumi, a go-between who arranges meetings under the full moon between the living and the dead. As Kuzuru Kamiya, a famous actor, confronts his absentee father, Kenichiro Thomson’s deep, resonant voice provides a contrast to the other two narrators. Although Hanako Footman and Ami Okumura Jones’ voices are occasionally hard to distinguish from one another, both narrators convey the novel’s magic and tenderness. Jones’ credible German accent also adds to her sensitive portrayal of two mothers reuniting with their deceased daughters. Footman’s heartfelt narration of Ayumi's own story provides a solid foundation for the interconnected stories.
This ensemble performance conveys the bittersweet surprises that unfold when past and present meet.Pub Date: March 17, 2026
Duration: 5 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668164983
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: May 5, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
