Humphrey Bower is simply sensational as 20-year-old Anwell, confined to bed, bitter, and dying horribly. As a terrified 7-year-old charged with keeping his handicapped brother quiet, Anwell accidentally suffocated him. Neither his cold, distant father nor his emotionally disturbed mother can forgive him. His comfort comes from a pact made with his friend, Finnigan. Finnigan does the "bad things," so Anwell won't have to. Bower's artistry keeps listeners wondering about Finnigan. Is he the perpetrator of a series of arsons in isolated Mulyan, "a town of abominable secrets and myth"? Is he real, or merely Anwell's shadow made substance? In Sonya Hartnett's beautifully written, unflinching look at guilt, mental illness, and death, Bower's voicing is a small miracle of subtlety and insight.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2006
Duration: 6 hrs
Publisher: Bolinda Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
A powerful journey toward authenticity.
Shannon Tyo’s narration fully embodies the prideful spirit of Elena Ok, a 17-year-old Korean American influencer who lives in luxury thanks to her brand and her family’s clothing business. But when the Oks lose everything, the family moves to a remote farm town and into a rundown house with no Wi-Fi or furniture. Tyo perfectly captures Elena’s misery; she’s undone not just by the lack of reception but also the feeling that she’s being left out of her family’s efforts to unite and move forward. Listeners understand Elena’s pain and feelings of loss through dialogue that sparks with sarcasm. Tyo marks Elena’s gradual understanding that true connection is with family and community, not the empty superficiality that dominated her past.
A powerful journey toward authenticity. (Fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: March 3, 2026
Duration: 10 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217280834
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2026
A roller coaster of a young adult thriller.
Daniel Henning’s narration grabs hold of listeners and leads them through this tale of escaping from cruelty into the hands of a murderer. Desperate not to return to his religious parents and the horrors of a conversion camp, an unnamed gay teenager takes on the identity of Nate Beaumont, a boy who has been missing for 10 years. As he settles in with a family who seem to genuinely believe he is their son, he soon learns that the original Nate might have died at the hands of one of the family members. With a vocal flexibility that, like a real teenager, shifts quickly between emotions of relief, fear, and confusion, Henning captures Nate with youthful vigor.
A roller coaster of a young adult thriller. (Thriller. 15-18)Pub Date: Jan. 20, 2026
Duration: 11 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780063338357
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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