January LaVoy pulls listeners into a world in which motives are unclear. Jordyn, a first-year student at a historically Black college, finds her roommate's brother--just out of prison--sleeping on their couch. While he soon wows their friends with his outgoing personality, Jordyn senses that something about him is off, big-time. LaVoy's ability to shift seamlessly between cool confidence, vulnerable self-doubt, and simmering menace adds layers of complexity to the central character, keeping the listener guessing where the truth ends and manipulation begins. LaVoy's nuanced timing heightens moments of suspense, while her emotional depth grounds the narrative in authenticity. The result is an immersive audio experience that amplifies the tension and intrigue.
(Thriller. 15-adult)Pub Date: 2025
Duration: 9 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063271302
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Amanda Stribling's Southern accent evokes the Ozarks background of 17-year-old Dove Warner. Stribling also captures the horror Dove faces when she--like others affected by her family's curse--hears the bones of murdered people calling out for her to discover their burial places. Stribling's tone becomes calmer when Dove spends time with her best friend, Lo, until he expresses his own feelings of being haunted by those who have been killed. Dove manages to disregard the lurid tales of townsfolk until the killing increases. Stribling adds tension as Dove and Lo become more determined to learn who--or what--is responsible. Stribling's narration maximizes the atmospheric setting, lyrical writing, and many twists and turns of this audiobook.
(Paranormal thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: 2025
Duration: 10 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798217017010
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
A trio of narrators portray teens from different eras and settings. January LaVoy transitions smoothly from the accented dialogue of Hanna and Sophie, two Polish teens, to an unstressed voicing of their risk-taking amid Hitler's threats in 1939. Jeremy Carlisle Parker transitions listeners to 1980 West Berlin, where Jenny adjusts to her family's move from Dallas. Parker also portrays passionate, German-accented Lena, a queer punk rocker, whom Jenny comes to love. In addition, Parker delivers the softer storytelling tones of an older German woman. Major Curda communicates the growth of Brooklynite Miles, who solves the mysterious disappearances of two girls sixty years earlier. The trio heighten their narrations as the story's tension increases and connections become clear. Libba Bray cheerily reads her Author Note.
(Historical mystery. 13-18)Pub Date: 2025
Duration: 16 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781250353993
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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