In outer space, two spaceships are dueling for their own fates as well as the fate of New Earth. Likewise, dual narration brings drama to the adventures of the EMPYREAN and the NEW HORIZON. Matt Brown has excellent pacing in the narration of Kieran’s point of view as the EMPYREAN crew attempts to save the young girls who were kidnapped from their ship. Ilyana Kadushin narrates Waverley’s point of view as she and the other kidnapped girls try to figure out who can be trusted. The NEW HORIZON adults have made them question everything they thought they knew. Kadushin is a great fit for the voice of Waverley, a strong, independent thinker who assumes the role of leader as the oldest girl aboard the EMPYREAN.
(Science fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: Sept. 27, 2011
Duration: 10 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781427212580
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Soler's spellbinding voice turns a melancholic fable into an intimate experience listeners will feel long after it ends.
Rebecca Soler narrates this haunting audiobook with a lyrical quality that draws listeners deep into its magical realism and its many-layered story. Her emotional control serves the narrative well, allowing the story's quietest moments to land with weight. Soler voices Lexie and Chester, two teens with heavy pasts and dark secrets who are drawn to each other by an undeniable cosmic pull. On a freezing winter morning, five people, including Chester, go for a swim and wake the next day transformed into birds, their lives forever altered. Measured pacing and tender characterizations give each teen a distinct inner life.
Soler's spellbinding voice turns a melancholic fable into an intimate experience listeners will feel long after it ends. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2026
Duration: 4 hrs, 56 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217351152
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Oct. 13, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2026
Creative and thoughtful with a touch of magic, this audiobook will keep listeners engaged.
Sixteen-year-old Caspen Coolsby is going through it. His father has been missing for six months, his family's candle store is preparing for the annual Red Fest celebration, his mother has started renting out the apartment upstairs, and he’s struggling to adapt to all the changes. As Caspen gets to know the new tenants, he discovers he can enter their memories through certain candle scents, and he hopes his new power will provide clues to his dad's disappearance. Narrator Matt Pittenger perfectly captures Caspen's confusion, resilience, and determination as he tries to connect the memories he has witnessed with real life and figure out his feelings for Lars, the cute guy who keeps showing up in the memories.
Creative and thoughtful with a touch of magic, this audiobook will keep listeners engaged. (Speculative romance. 12-18)Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2026
Duration: 5 hrs, 46 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668160060
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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