Fairy Tales & Folklore Audiobooks | Fiction & Literature

In this dark and enchanting stand-alone fantasy from debut author Lynn Buchanan, discover a world centered around destructive, all-consuming monsters; the magical dolls designed to fight this force; and the artisans tasked with creating demon-slaying dolls. A touch cozy fantasy and a touch horror, The Dollmakers is perfect for fans of Studio Ghibli films, the works of TJ Klune and Travis Baldree, and readers of Juniper & Thorn and The Goblin Emperor. In the country called One, dollmakers are vital members of the community. An artisan’s doll is the height of society’s accomplishments, while a guard’s doll is the only thing standing between the people of One and the Shod: vicious, cobbled monstrosities that will tear apart any structure—living or dead, inanimate or otherwise—to add to their horde. Apprentice Shean of Pearl is a brilliant dollmaker. With her clever dolls, she intends to outsmart and destroy the Shod, once and for all—a destiny she’s worked her whole life toward accomplishing. But when the time comes for her dolls to be licensed, she’s told her work is too beautiful and delicate to fight. A statement that wounds and infuriates her; the Shod killed everyone she loved. How could her fate be anything but fighting them? In an attempt to help her see a new path for herself, Shean’s mentor sends her on a journey to the remote village called Web, urging her to glean some wisdom from Ikiisa, a reclusive and well-respected guard dollmaker. But Shean has another plan: if she can convince the village of Web of her talents, the Licensor Guild will have to reconsider and grant her a guard’s license. And what better way to convince them than challenging Ikiisa and instating herself as the official dollmaker of Web? Once she’s done that, proving her dolls’ worth in the fight against the Shod will be simple. As simple, that is, as calling the Shod to Web...

Lynn Buchanan (Author), TBD (Narrator)

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The Fall of Waterstone

An elemental witch and her shieldmaiden navigate a dangerous world of forgotten myth and deep magic in the second volume of New York Times bestselling author Lilith Saintcrow's sweeping Norse-inspired epic fantasy series. Solveig and her shieldmaiden have finally made it to Waterstone, a fabled city hidden in a world of frost by ancient magic. Shrouded from the Enemy's gaze, they are safe to rest and regroup-or so they think. Sol suspects their hosts are not as benevolent as they seem. Whispers race through the halls, hinting at self-serving agendas and secret plots. So, as Sol attempts to harness her awakened magic, she must fight for her voice to be heard or risk being used like a pawn in the greater game. But the Enemy always watching and nowhere is truly safe. Before the darkness finds a way in, Sol must decide if she will take up the mantle of power to save not just the home she's left behind, but the future of the world. Black Land's Bane A Flame in the North

Lilith Saintcrow (Author), Saskia Maarleveld, TBD (Narrator)

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Wake Me Most Wickedly

Felicia Grossman (Author), Justine Eyre, TBD (Narrator)

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The Book of Thorns

Hester Fox (Author), Ell Potter, Fiona Hardingham (Narrator)

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Cassandra in Reverse: The unforgettable Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick

Brought to you by Penguin. If you had the power to change the past. . . where would you start? Cassie has never really fitted in. She remembers everything. Understands nothing. And consistently says the wrong thing. So when she gets dumped, fired AND her local café runs out of banana muffins - all in one day - it feels like the end of the world. But then Cassie discovers she has the power to go back and change things. With endless chances to get it right, can she stop it all from going wrong? As featured on Woman's Hour, BBC Radio 2 Book Club, The Times & Daily Mail 'A time-twisting delight' REESE WITHERSPOON 'Utterly brilliant!' ZOE BALL 'Everyone should read it and everyone will love it' LINDSEY KELK First published in the UK as The Cassandra Complex. ©2024 Holly Smale (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Holly Smale (Author), TBD (Narrator)

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The Song of the Huntress

FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF SISTERSONG 'Lucy Holland's lyrical prose and powerful storytelling will lure you in' Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne A must-listen for fans of Circe, Song of the Huntress recasts the folklore behind the Wild Hunt into a dark, feminist fantasy set amidst the legends and beauty of ancient Britain. Britain, 60AD. Hoping to save her lover, land and her people from the Romans, Herla makes a desperate pact with the king of the Otherworld. But years pass unheeded in his realm, and she escapes to find everyone she loved long dead. Cursed to wield his blade, she becomes Lord of the Hunt. And for centuries, she rides, reaping wanderers' souls. Until the night she meets a woman on a bloody battlefield - a Saxon queen with ice-blue eyes. Queen Æthelburg of Wessex is a proven fighter. But when she leads her forces to disaster in battle, her husband's court turns against her. Yet King Ine needs Æthel more than ever: the dead kings of Wessex are waking, and his own brother seeks to usurp him. Ine's only hope is to master the magic that's lain dormant in his bloodline since ancient days. When their paths cross, Herla knows it's no coincidence. Something dark and dangerous is at work in the Wessex court. The Otherworld seeks to rise, to bring the people of Britain under its dominion. As she and Æthel grow closer, Herla must find her humanity - and a way to break the curse - before it's too late. 'A brilliantly assured storyteller' - Molly Flatt

Lucy Holland (Author), Kristin Atherton, TBD (Narrator)

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Bunyan and Henry; Or, the Beautiful Destiny: A Novel

A large-hearted reimagining of beloved all-American legends, this epic debut novel brings men of myth Paul Bunyan and John Henry alive like never before, teaming up for an adventure quest with deeper interrogations of race, class, and industrialization. Paul Bunyan-legendary larger-than-life American lumberjack-is a man down on his luck. With a load of family debts on his broad back, he ekes out a miserable miner's life in Lump Town, a bleak hamlet controlled by famed industrialist El Boffo. When Bunyan's wife Lucette falls ill with a disease caused by the toxic mineral Lump, he embarks on a quest to save her. His only guide: the Chilali-a mysterious creature who speaks only in questions. Bunyan's path leads to The Windy City-and to John Henry. Henry is not yet the "steel-drivin'" man known to folklore, but a fugitive on the run from a rigged, racist prison system. As Bunyan and Henry strive to reunite with the families they love, they must work together to solve riddles, forge weapons, brawl with a behemoth, and confront at every turn the relentless, duplicitous El Boffo. A richly imaginative reinvention of myth, Bunyan and Henry is at once a timeless quest, a fresh origin story, and an urgent modern fable that wrestles with the two sides of the American dream-its wild idealism and cruel underbelly-to inspire the awakening of the folk hero in us all.

Mark Cecil (Author), Ari Fliakos, Jd Jackson, TBD, Tanis Parenteau (Narrator)

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Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White

The epic sequel to Song of Silver, Flame Like Night. A fast-paced, riveting YA fantasy inspired by the mythology and folklore of ancient China. Years ago, the Elantian colonizers invaded Lan's homeland and killed her mother in their search to uncover the Last Kingdom's greatest the location of its legendary four Demon Gods. Lan's mother devoted her life to destroying the Demon Gods, and Lan is determined to finish her mission. Yet, there are others searching for the gods, too. Zen knew his soul was forfeit the moment he made a deal with the Demon God known as the Black Tortoise, but he's willing to lose himself if it means saving the Kingdom–and the girl–he loves. But to crush the colonizers who have invaded his land he needs more power than even a single Demon God can provide. He needs an army. And he knows exactly where he can find it–in the undead army his great grandfather lead decades ago. The Elantians may have stolen their throne, but the battle for the Last Kingdom has only begun.

Amélie Wen Zhao (Author), Annie Q (Narrator)

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Medea: A brand-new spellbinding and gripping mythical retelling for 2024

Brought to you by Penguin. From an unmissable new voice comes the powerful and epic story of mythology's darkest heroine. Shunned. Persecuted. Tormented. Medea longs for a different life. Since childhood, she has been separated from her sister, shunned by her mother, and persecuted and tormented by her brother and father. All because of a unique and dangerous talent: witchcraft. Fierce. Powerful. Sorceress. But when a dashing young hero, Jason, arrives to claim the famed Golden Fleece that her father fiercely protects, Medea sees her opportunity for escape. Her offer to help Jason overcome the trials set by her father sets in motion a journey that will test every ounce of her strength, magic and loyalty; a journey that will see her battle monsters, dethrone kings and fall in love. When faced with the ultimate betrayal, Medea is driven to an act of desperation so brutal it rips apart the lives of everyone involved... ©2024 Rosie Hewlett (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Rosie Hewlett (Author), Kristin Atherton, TBD (Narrator)

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Island Witch

'Every once in a while, a book comes along that drops you into another world and takes you places you never could imagine. This is that book. An astounding accomplishment!' -R. L. Stine, author of Goosebumps Set in 19th century Sri Lanka and inspired by local folklore, the daughter of a traditional demon-priest-relentlessly bullied by peers and accused of witchcraft herself-tries to solve the mysterious attacks that have been terrorizing her coastal village. Being the daughter of the village Capuwa, or demon-priest, Amara is used to keeping mostly to herself. Influenced by the new religious practices brought in by the British Colonizers, the villagers who once respected her father's craft have turned on the family. Yet, they all still seem to call on him whenever supernatural disturbances arise. Now someone-or something-is viciously seizing upon men in the jungle. But instead of enlisting Amara's father's help, the villages have accused him of carrying out the attacks himself. As she tries to clear her father's name, Amara finds herself haunted by dreams that eerily predict the dark forces on her island. And she can't shake the feeling that it's all connected to the night she was recovering from a strange illness, and woke up, scared and confused, to hear her mother's frantic cries: No one can find out what happened.

Amanda Jayatissa (Author), Isuri Wijesundara, TBD (Narrator)

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Fifty Beasts to Break Your Heart: And Other Stories

From the author of the breakout novel Thistlefoot: a collection of dark fairytales and fractured folklore exploring how our passions can save us-or go monstrously wrong. The stories in Fifty Beasts to Break Your Heart are about the abomination that resides within us all. That churning, clawing, ravenous yearning: the hunger to be held, and seen, and known. And the terror, too: to be loved too well, or not enough, or for long enough. To be laid bare before your sweetheart, to their horror. To be recognized as the monstrous thing you are. Two teenage girls working at a sinister roadside attraction called the Eternal Staircase explore its secrets-and their own doomed summer love. A zombie rooster plays detective in a missing persons case. A woman moves into a new house with her acclaimed artist boyfriend-and finds her body slowly shifting into something specially constructed to accommodate his needs and whims. A pack of middle schoolers turn to the occult to rid themselves of a hated new classmate. And a pair of outcasts, a vampire and a goat woman, find solace in each other, even as the world's lack of understanding might bring about its own end. In these lush, strange, beautifully written stories, GennaRose Nethercott explores human longing in all its diamond-dark facets to create a collection that will redefine what you see as a beast, and make you beg to have your heart broken.

Gennarose Nethercott (Author), Elena Rey, Gabra Zackman, Gennarose Nethercott, January Lavoy, Max Meyers, TBD (Narrator)

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A Flame in the North

An elemental witch and her shieldmaiden journey into a world of ancient myth and unexpected destiny in this sweeping Norse-inspired epic fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Lilith Saintcrow. The Black Land is spent myth. Centuries have passed since the Great Enemy was slain. Yet old fears linger, and on the longest night of the year, every village still lights a ritual fire to banish the dark. That is Solveig's duty. Favored by the gods with powerful magic, Sol calls forth flame to keep her home safe. But when her brother accidentally kills a northern lord's son, she is sent away as weregild-part hostage, part guest-for a year and a day. The further north Sol travels, the clearer it becomes the Black Land is no myth. The forests teem with foul beasts. Her travel companions are not what they seem, and their plans for her and her magic are shrouded in secrecy. With only her loyal shieldmaid and her own wits to reply upon, Sol must master power beyond her imagination to wrest control of her fate. For the Black Land's army stirs, ready to cover the world in darkness-unless Sol can find the courage to stop it. They thought the old ways were dead. But now, the Enemy awakens…

Lilith Saintcrow (Author), Saskia Maarleveld, TBD (Narrator)

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Fairy Tales & Folklore Audiobooks in Fiction & Literature