Narrator Catherine Ho delivers a stellar performance of this layered urban fantasy set in contemporary Malaysia. Jess’s college degree and secret girlfriend are not enough to keep her in the U.S. when her parents return to their homeland. She soon discovers that the gods and spirits are very real there: Her grandmother’s ghost and the god Black Water Sister try to inhabit her body, each seeking revenge, no matter the cost to Jess. Ho’s seamless transitions between characters and accents keep listeners rooted in the story’s Southeast Asian setting. Her tempo and tone add excitement to the action and underscore the humor. The audiobook addresses a number of sociocultural topics, including sexual identity, religion, and family obligations.
Pub Date: May 11, 2021
Duration: 11 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781980036036
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Vacker’s precise pacing and authentically depicted terror elevate this chilling audiobook.
Karissa Vacker skillfully narrates this dystopian horror audiobook about a mysterious painting. Tilly receives the once-in-a-lifetime task of restoring The Mother, the rumored fourth painting of a macabre artist with a tragic story. Then Tilly discovers she’s pregnant, which triggers Motherwise, an incentivized program that supports families in a society experiencing extreme population decline, to closely monitor her health. Vacker easily conveys a wide range of characters using accents and tonal adjustments. She captures a variety of emotions as Tilly desperately tries to complete her work despite the unsettling and sinister happenings that seem to be connected to the painting and to Motherwise’s invasive pregnancy tracking.
Vacker’s precise pacing and authentically depicted terror elevate this chilling audiobook.Pub Date: March 17, 2026
Duration: 9 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798217285402
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: April 11, 2026
Eerie and atmospheric, Wong’s performance makes for an unsettling, hard-to-forget listening experience.
Eunice Wong narrates with a precision that captures the surreal line between sanity and grief in this hypnotic and disquieting novel. After her mother’s death, Eleanor, an online therapist, uses her inheritance to buy a home worthy of her mother’s memory. The bright, modern, stark home is located in an isolated, deserted valley stripped bare of trees, with only one other model home nearby. Wong’s controlled portrayal brings out Eleanor’s increasing instability and depression. She performs the characters who inhabit Eleanor’s world with unnerving voices that are at times hollow and mechanical, at times menacing, adding tension to the descriptions of the all-consuming landscape.
Eerie and atmospheric, Wong’s performance makes for an unsettling, hard-to-forget listening experience.Pub Date: March 3, 2026
Duration: 7 hrs, 52 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217409631
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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