New Reviews: Young Adult

Emma Galvin's chilling narration will draw listeners into a small town where four people have mysteriously vanished. Teenaged Nora is shocked to discover that her best friend, Becca, is among the missing and has left behind clues for Nora to follow. Galvin is a seasoned narrator with an array of authentically youthful voices that are put to great use as Nora leans on classmates... Read More

Amin El Gamal's winning performance endears Deaf, queer protagonist Jackson Ghasnavi to listeners. Jackson loves being the stage manager for his high school's theater department. When sweet, handsome Liam from the swim team gets the lead role in the musical, he and Jackson grow closer. The only problem? Jackson's older sister, Jasmine, likes Liam, too. Jasmine has had a string... Read More

Alejandro Antonio Ruiz embodies all of the roiling emotions in this compelling queer teen love story. Rafie's intensity comes through clearly in Ruiz's passionate narration. Rafie learned his love of mariachi from his abuelo. He's devastated when his abuelo dies yet is determined to bring home another first-place trophy from the Mariachi Extravaganza. When his family moves to... Read More

Greg Chun and Michelle Lee portray the alliance and the attraction between the two main characters whose alternating chapters tell this 1506 Korean mystery. Lee's narration is suffused with 17-year-old Isuel's desire to free her older sister from cruel King Yeonsan. Lee projects Isuel's willingness to learn sleuthing from Prince Daehyun to achieve her ends. Isuel's hatred of... Read More

Mapuana Makia lends her rich voice to this young adult fantasy. Hanalei, of the island Tamarind, has been living in exile since her father stole a seadragon egg. There she meets Sam, a lost prince, also from Tamarind. Together, they discover they can go home if they find the dragonfruit, a coveted treasure with great power. Makia delivers a balanced cadence and an intrigued... Read More

Narrator Kelli Tager creates a strong sense of place through the Dust Bowl denizens she gives voice to in this fairytale-esque historical drama. Driven by Hollywood dreams and the threat of Depression-era destitution, Stella Fischer operates a small moonshine still in Kansas with her friend Jane and works alongside her aunt and sisters at their boardinghouse. Tager creates... Read More

Malcolm Quinn Silver-Van Meter's measured narration of 16-year-old Ian Gray's first-person story makes for easy listening. The engagement it provides comes from Ian's self-aware candidness and the captivating story he has to tell. While the details include Ian's mother's drug addiction and his family's poverty, listeners will be buoyed by Gather, the dog who adopts him, his... Read More

Maia Kobabe is the clear star of the show in this audio adaptation of eir 2014 graphic memoir. In a voice that's reflective, inviting, and refreshingly frank, e guides listeners through eir personal journey of gender discovery. A full cast helps bring the visual elements to life, voicing Kobabe's family, friends, colleagues, classmates, and others. Music and sound effects help... Read More

A talented trio of narrators explore what it means to be young and misunderstood in this magical YA audio. Rosie, Caro and Zeke have little in common except their frustration at not being seen for who they are. When each discovers a talisman that seemingly allows them to right the wrongs they've experienced, they band together to take control of their futures. Amanda Alcántara... Read More

Winter Fox creates a supernatural mystery for teens and has great fun portraying the main character, Cormac Boisverde, who has returned from the dead to settle unfinished business. At the same time, he helps Grace and her mom solve their problems. Fox gives listeners gruesome details about how Cormac came to be and adds a hungry vampire. Narrator Annie Leonardi captures Grace,... Read More

Three young alchemists comprise the heart--and polyamorous trio--of this YA fantasy: hot-tempered Ash, serious academic Ramsay, and disciplined soldier Callum. In a multifaceted and captivating performance, Wes Haas creates unique vocal personas for each. After Ramsay catches Ash doing unlicensed magic, the two agree to join forces to find the legendary Book of Source that... Read More

Dual narrators Jennie Kwan and Eunice Wong deliver the first-person narrations of the two Chow sisters, who live in L.A.'s Chinatown in 1932. The pair are determined to solve the murder of their friend, film star Lulu Wong. Kwan's narration is more quickly paced, perfectly representing the bold, quick-acting 18-year-old Gemma. Wong's narration, deeper in tone, is equally apt... Read More

Featuring an ensemble cast, this audiobook introduces teenaged female soldiers known as "kindlings." Trained to kill from the age of five by using magic that drains their lifespan, they are now prohibited from using their skills. But violence lingers, and seven kindlings join together for one last fight to save a country village. Despite the use of an individual narrator to... Read More

Two Native Americans narrate this short story collection in the Indigenous horror vein. The titular monsters are both supernatural --vampires, werewolves, ghosts--and all too human--a brutish boyfriend, a predatory medical system. The stories span two centuries and include members of a sprawling Cherokee family. Narrators DeLanna Studi--Cherokee Nation--and Lane Factor... Read More

Ramón de Ocampo's narrative momentum captures the dramatic 72 hours experienced by 17-year-old Antonio after he is released from a youth detention center. As Antonio reunites with friends and family, de Ocampo captures his anger at his wrongful arrest for robbery and the painful relationships that led to it. De Ocampo also expresses Antonio's remorse and desire to follow the... Read More

This enchanting audiobook about a spirit on the run and the skeptical human that rescues him features a stellar ensemble cast. Em Grosland portrays Ellery, whose belief in the supernatural waned after a brutal five-years-and-counting winter struck their family farm. Knox, portrayed by Kevin R. Free, is a magical assistant who hasn't heard from his queen in the same amount of... Read More

Jeremy Carlisle Parker's lively performance and emotional connection bring a teen fan fiction writer and her favorite fictional character to life. Ivy wakes up to find Weston, the gorgeous magical boy from her favorite show, in her bedroom. With the help of her ex-best friend and crush, along with a new friend, she investigates what brought Weston to life and how he's able to... Read More

Narrator Lynnette R. Freeman's creative voice work pulls listeners deep into a world in which witchers, people with magical abilities, are systematically oppressed. Eighteen-year-old Venus, a witcher and potion brewer, joins a dangerous plot to stop a witcher registration law. Freeman deploys a plethora of voices as Venus infiltrates political circles with help from her family.... Read More

Narrator Rainy Fields portrays Rain Berghoff in this audiobook for young listeners. Fourteen-year-old Rain is facing the challenges that typically come at that age, as well as significant additional struggles related to her family, her Native American identity, and a devastating personal loss. Fields is convincing as young Rain. Her tone is earnest, and her timbre is distinctly... Read More

Sophie Amoss narrates this young adult novel about the Price family, whose matriarch, Rachel, mysteriously disappeared 16 years ago. During the making of a documentary about the disappearance, Rachel just as mysteriously reappears, looking haggard and telling an unbelievable story. Her 18-year-old daughter, Bel, bitter and detached, with no memory of her mother, has questions... Read More

Shannon Tyo is the principal narrator of this novel, with Greta Jung and Jeena Yi providing additional narration. Two centuries from now, the world has an average temperature of 50 degrees below zero. Snowglobe, a climate-controlled city, is populated by directors and actors who are producing reality shows 24 hours a day. Outside Snowglobe, most people have a bleak existence.... Read More

Max Meyers and Lee Osorio are a dynamic duo in this YA tale of queer love, heartbreak, and revenge. High school student Phil Reyno is the class bad boy, while his former best friend and first love, Jackson Pasternack, is class president. When the attention-hungry Cameron Ellis outs Phil and breaks his heart, Phil and Jackson team up to bring him down. But re-forming the bonds... Read More

Maya Saroya gives an expressive performance in this thrilling historical fantasy filled with vampires, action, romance, and tea. Saroya portrays Arthie Casimir in a smooth, deadly tone that highlights her fierce determination. Arthie's an outsider in Ettenia, but she's created a safe haven in her tearoom, Spindrift, where her crew serves the best tea to high society by day and... Read More

In a dual narration, Sophie Amoss and Robb Moreira perform this engrossing thriller. A teenage girl is found by police on the side of the road. Then a man arrives, claiming that she is his daughter, and he has ample evidence to prove it. Due to the girl's amnesia, she has no choice but to believe him and hope for the best. Elsewhere, teenaged Drew's girlfriend, Lola, is... Read More

Meredith Zietlin narrates this WWII story. Seventeen-year-old Eleanor strives to hide her advanced math skills, but she's discovered and recruited to join other women who contribute to the war effort by solving equations. When her ability is determined to be unique, she is sent to a California air base and then to Pearl Harbor to calibrate a new weapon that could help the U.S.... Read More

Lindsey Dorcus depicts a teen romance between a newspaper nerd and a volleyball jock. When Jordan Elliott is given the volleyball beat for her school newspaper, she's devastated--not least because her nemesis, Mackenzie West, is captain of the volleyball team. Dorcus captures all the conflicting feelings that Jordan has about her unwanted assignment and about working closely... Read More

Isabella Star LaBlanc maintains a steady, direct approach in her narration of this audiobook, which blends mystery, suspense, and family drama. She takes listeners to Backravel, Arizona, a mysterious place that once held sway over Beck's late mother. Now Beck and her sister, Riley, go there seeking answers about their mom. LaBlanc's measured approach is not as effective as it... Read More

A talented trio of narrators, Zac Aleman, Andre Bellido, and Alejandra Reynoso, bring this story of transformative change to life. Unhoused 17-year-old Ana and her mother live in a car in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. One night, she meets 17-year-old Leandro and his service dog, Cielo. The story is told from the alternating points of view of Ana, Leandro, and Cielo.... Read More

Four narrators deliver a YA epistolary novel set at the end of the nineteenth century. Sophia, Polly, and Tirzah were friends at school but have now gone their separate ways: Sophia to London, Polly to Liverpool, and Tirzah to Scotland. The narrators imbue the characters' ensuing letters with the emotions of each girl as she overcomes her personal difficulties. Dowd gives voice... Read More