AudioFile Magazine highlights their sff audiobook recommendations for June 2025.
DOWN IN THE SEA OF ANGELS
- by Khan Wong | Read by Eunice Wong
- AudioFile Earphones Award
- [Dreamscape | 11.25 hrs.]
Eunice Wong does an outstanding job of narrating this combination of dystopian fantasy, historical fiction, and sci-fi. First, the listener meets Maida in 2106; she has the ability to perceive the history of objects. Second, the listener is introduced to Li Nuan, a sex-trafficked 16-year-old girl from 1906. Third, there is Nathan, a tech designer who is living the good life in 2006. All are connected through a jade teacup. Wong captures the atmosphere of each of the three timelines, and the result is an intimate, thought-provoking performance.
THE RAVEN SCHOLAR: Eternal Path Trilogy, Book 1
- by Antonia Hodgson | Read by Daphne Kouma
- AudioFile Earphones Award
- [Hachette Audio | 24 hrs.]
Narrator Daphne Kouma wows in this epic fantasy/murder mystery/political thriller. In a society built around eight powerful animal spirits, a new emperor is chosen every 24 years when those vying for the throne compete in a series of trials. When the Raven palace’s contender is found dead, scholar Neema Kraa finds herself simultaneously taking her place in the trials and investigating her murder. Kouma expertly leads listeners through the lush world-building and the twisting, action-packed plot.
A DROP OF CORRUPTION: Shadow of the Leviathan, Book 2
- by Robert Jackson Bennett | Read by Andrew Fallaize
- AudioFile Earphones Award
- [Random House Audio | 16 hrs.]
The talented Andrew Fallaize reprises his narration of THE TAINTED CUP, the first in this series. Fallaize aptly narrates this imaginative and suspenseful story in which older, experienced Ana and young Din investigate the unsettling murder of a treasury officer. Through Din’s perfect memory and Ana’s brilliance, they discover a plot that runs deep, threatening the empire’s future. A wonderful, satisfying listening experience for lovers of mysteries and fantasy.
SUNRISE ON THE REAPING: The Hunger Games
- by Suzanne Collins | Read by Jefferson White
- AudioFile Earphones Award
- [Scholastic Audiobooks | 12.75 hrs.]
Jefferson White shows remarkable skill balancing a youthful cast with the sobering reality they must face. Twenty-four years before Katniss’s games, Haymitch, from District 12, must compete in the Hunger Games—with twice the tributes. White’s perfect pacing adds intensity to the brutality of the games and lingering melancholy as Haymitch struggles to maintain his integrity as the people around him keep dying.
THE RIVER HAS ROOTS
- by Amal El-Mohtar | Read by Gem Carmella
- AudioFile Earphones Award
- [Macmillan Audio | 4 hrs.]
Gem Carmella narrates a magical novella inspired by traditional ballads. Sisters Esther and Ysabel use their musical talents to tend the enchanted willow their family has honored for generations. When an unwanted suitor appears, everything they love is suddenly at risk. Carmella’s narration perfectly blends the fantastical elements of fairy tales with the macabre elements of traditional murder ballads. A stunning performance.
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