With keen attention to emotional details and deft control of pacing, narrator Fiona Hardingham makes this fantasy-adventure something to savor. The disgrace of her elite magical family, the apparently non-magical Anna Arden is exiled to her grandmother in Hungary. But as revolution begins to foment, Anna realizes her true talents are not only precious but also fearsomely powerful. Hardingham's elegant tones don't prevent her from conveying Anna's initial turmoil or her developing self-assurance as she takes on the emotional weight she is eventually forced to bear. Navigating the numerous accents, genders, and ages of the varied characters with apparent ease, Hardingham also makes each of Anna's exchanges, particularly those with her enigmatic ally, Romani Gábor, tense and memorable. Her skill ensures that listeners will be rapt throughout this romantic and action-packed trilogy opening.
(Fantasy. 13-15)Pub Date: March 28, 2017
Duration: 11 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780735207127
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Listeners follow Merry, the longbow girl, one of the best archers in her town. When she finds a magical portal in the forest that takes her back to sixteenth-century Wales, she must use her skills to win an archery contest in order to help her ancestors keep their land. While narrator Emily Wilden brings protagonist Merry to life with a rich Welsh accent, her narration seems uneven at times. All the period characters have accents that reflect the setting of the story and transport listeners to Wales. Listeners who enjoy historical fiction and a bit of fantasy will be charmed by this tale of determination, hope, and family.
Young AdultPub Date: N/A
Duration: 11 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781501916793
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
In 1832 thirteen-year-old Charlotte Doyle is sailing from Liverpool to Rhode Island to rejoin her family. Shocked to discover that the families who were to have been both guardians and companions will not accompany her, Charlotte embarks on a journey filled with terror and swashbuckling adventure. The first-person narrative makes this Newbery Honor book a wonderful choice for recording. O'Karma's reading, with its hint of cross-gender differentiation, allows the listener to feel as if Charlotte Doyle herself were relating the tale. This story should be particularly alluring to adolescent girls although the fast-paced action and the nautical setting will also appeal to male listeners. Ages 12-adult.
Ages 12+Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 6 hrs
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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