Bodacious Baddies

The Poppy War

A Novel

The Poppy War

By: R. F. Kuang
Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller
Length: 19 hours 27 minutes

“The first in a brilliant trilogy, The Poppy War is easily one of the best books I have ever read. Kuang illuminates the brutal realities of war via a fantasy world which resembles China during the twentieth century. Her characters are morally gray with a host of complex motivations and world views -- and that makes them all the more compelling.... Read more

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

Wayfarers: Book #1

By: Becky Chambers
Narrated by: Rachel Dulude
Length: 14 hours 23 minutes

“This gripping, diverse novel, set well after Earth's residents have scattered to Mars, other planets, and itinerant spacecraft, is as scientifically and sociopolitically plausible as any science fiction I've ever read or listened to. The characters, from a variety of alien species along with AI, have wide-ranging journeys that speak to our... Read more

Hench

A Novel

By: Natalie Zina Walschots
Narrated by: Alex McKenna
Length: 14 hours 14 minutes

“Even supervillains need a good temp, and Anna is just fine at vaguely villainous data entry. On one job she is asked to point some sort of device at the mayor’s kid’s head, putting her directly in the path of the superhero SuperCollider. During her recovery, she begins to tally up the damage, human and monetary, that superheroes cause. Hench... Read more

The Bear and the Nightingale

A Novel

Winternight Trilogy: Book #1

By: Katherine Arden
Narrated by: Kathleen Gati
Length: 11 hours 47 minutes

“The Bear and the Nightingale is an enchanting mix of fairy tale, fantasy, and historical fiction set in medieval Russia. Nestled between the northern wilderness and civilization is a village where old and new traditions live side by side. Vasya, the last daughter of Pyotr and Marina, is born on the howling winds of autumn. Different from the... Read more

Spinning Silver

A Novel

By: Naomi Novik
Narrated by: Lisa Flanagan
Length: 17 hours 56 minutes

“Fans of Uprooted, rejoice! Naomi Novik always delivers rich fantasy, surprising and satisfying. I loved that Uprooted explored Novik’s mother’s side of the family and Polish folklore traditions, and now we have Spinning Silver! This new fantasy draws from Novik’s father’s side and Lithuanian Jewish traditions. With 6 narrative voices, this book... Read more

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing

A Novel

The Carls: Book #1

By: Hank Green
Narrated by: Kristen Sieh & Hank Green
Length: 9 hours 24 minutes

“This book is so much fun. When April May stumbles across the first ‘Carl,’ she initially thinks it’s an art installation. It turns out these giant statues turned up overnight in major cities around the globe. Due to the viral video she made with her friend Andy, April May finds herself in the middle of a worldwide conversation and trying to... Read more

Foundryside

A Novel

The Founders Trilogy: Book #1

By: Robert Jackson Bennett
Narrated by: Tara Sands
Length: 19 hours 34 minutes

“Foundryside is the first book in Robert Jackson Bennett’s The Foundry trilogy. Not only did this book get me out of my reading slump, it was a book that I just couldn’t stop listening to. The cover grabbed my attention and the story surpassed every expectation that I had. Foundryside is about a well-trained thief, Sancia. She’s good at what she... Read more

A Deadly Education

A Novel

The Scholomance: Book #1

By: Naomi Novik
Narrated by: Anisha Dadia
Length: 10 hours 58 minutes

“I loved this so much that I listened to the audiobook twice, back-to-back, the second time to share it with my mother so that we could talk about it. This is the magic school, hella-powered main character, high stakes series we all deserve and I am anxiously awaiting the next book to answer my many questions and give me all new ones!!! Read more

Rabbits

A Novel

By: Terry Miles
Narrated by: Christine Lakin
Length: 14 hours 5 minutes

“What a crazy book! Is Rabbits really a game? Or are all the characters just crazy conspiracies? Eerie and suspenseful, Rabbits is the perfect sci-fi thriller. Read more

Iron Widow (Book 1)

Iron Widow: Book #1

By: Xiran Jay Zhao
Narrated by: Rong Fu
Length: 12 hours 18 minutes

“Iron Widow is addictive, non-stop, and insane! I LOVE this book so much! Take control of your life. Take control of your body. Make the patriarchy pay through blood and vengeance! This alt-reality world mixes Chinese culture and Pacific Rim, with addictive action, complex characters, and an unstoppable fury. Zetian wants revenge and will bring... Read more

An Ember in the Ashes

An Ember in the Ashes: Book #1

By: Sabaa Tahir
Narrated by: Fiona Hardingham & Steve West
Length: 15 hours 22 minutes

Set in a terrifyingly brutal Rome-like world, An Ember in the Ashes is an epic fantasy debut about an orphan fighting for her family and a soldier fighting for his freedom. It’s a story that’s literally burning to be told.

LAIA is a Scholar living under the iron-fisted rule of the Martial Empire. When her brother is arrested for treason, Laia... Read more

Ninth House

Ninth House Series: Book #1

By: Leigh Bardugo
Narrated by: Lauren Fortgang & Michael David Axtell
Length: 16 hours 22 minutes

“I loved the narrators and Leigh Bardugo did an amazing job! A great story about the paranormal with twists and turns! Read more

Girl, Serpent, Thorn

By: Melissa Bashardoust
Narrated by: Nikki Massoud
Length: 10 hours 6 minutes

“Not just another gratifying powerful girl story: an intensely imagined, emotionally realistic, absorbing adventure, packed with rich realizations about a woman's anger, a mother's love, a young person's desire to change the world. The author has tapped the Shanameh and Zoroastrian beliefs to build a unique fantasy world in which the main... Read more

A Song Below Water

A Novel

A Song Below Water: Book #1

By: Bethany C. Morrow
Narrated by: Andrea Laing & Jennifer Haralson
Length: 9 hours 23 minutes

“Tavia and her sister, Effie, are struggling with being themselves in a world where some people are born as mythological beings, like Sirens, Eloko and Gargoyles. Tavia is a Siren, a being that is feared because her Siren voice can be used to control others. In addition, she is Black, adding an additional layer of silencing. She lives in hiding... Read more

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars

Fractalverse

By: Christopher Paolini
Narrated by: Jennifer Hale
Length: 32 hours 29 minutes

“Eragon was the book that got me into fantasy (and reading as a whole), and now To Sleep in a Sea of Stars is the book to get me into sci-fi and audiobooks! And wow, this was such a great audiobook, narrated by voice acting powerhouse Jennifer Hale. Follow a gripping first contact story featuring a symbiotic relationship with a suit and some... Read more

Certain Dark Things

A Novel

By: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Narrated by: Aida Reluzco
Length: 8 hours 46 minutes

“What an engrossing, vibrant, new take on vampires. Part forbidden love story, part revenge caper, part bloodbath, this is easily one of my favorite vampire stories now. I love how Moreno-Garcia creates complex social structures and vampire-specific physical attributes to heighten tensions. This divide between vampires, as well as the... Read more

Mistborn

The Final Empire

The Mistborn Saga: Book #1

By: Brandon Sanderson
Narrated by: Michael Kramer
Length: 24 hours 39 minutes

“The Final Empire is the most well-thought-out and interesting world of any book I’ve read. Brandon Sanderson is lauded for his fantastic world-building, and Mistborn is no exception. The magic system in The Final Empire is my favorite part of the book; it’s complex and incredibly unique, and integral to the worldbuilding. The characters are well... Read more

Children of Blood and Bone

Legacy of Orisha: Book #1

By: Tomi Adeyemi
Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
Length: 17 hours 44 minutes

“Children of Blood & Bone, is a story told in a world where magic no longer exists. Years ago, this was not the case. Once, magic and the Gods were celebrated. Now, Diviners (those with Maji blood, but no magic) are treated poorly, and all the Maji have been killed. One of those including our main protagonist, Zélie’s, mother. Determined to... Read more

Uglies

Uglies: Book #1

By: Scott Westerfeld
Narrated by: Emily Tremaine
Length: 10 hours 12 minutes

Now a major motion picture streaming on Netflix!

The first installment of Scott Westerfeld’s New York Times bestselling and award-winning Uglies series—a global phenomenon that started the dystopian trend.

Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can’t wait. In just a few weeks she’ll have the operation that will turn her from a repellent ugly... Read more

A Court of Thorns and Roses

Court of Thorns and Roses: Book #1

By: Sarah J. Maas
Narrated by: Jennifer Ikeda
Length: 16 hours 7 minutes

“Listening to this book via audio is a journey through a fantastical world full of fairies, beasts and humans. It has a definite Beauty and the Beast feeling about it. Sarah J Maas' writing style could be described as melodramatic and repetitive and at times it was but I also found it immersive and evocative and audio makes it all the more... Read more