THE 2025 HUGO AND NEBULA AWARD NOMINEE FOR BEST NOVEL From New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award-winning author T. Kingfisher comes a dark retelling of the Brothers Grimm's Goose Girl, rife with secrets, murder, and forbidden magic. Perfect for fans of Naomi Novic, Alix E. Harrow and Nettle & Bone. Cordelia knows her mother is unusual. Their house doesn't have any doors between rooms—there are no secrets in this house! Cordelia isn't allowed to have a single friend. The only time she feels truly free is on her daily rides with her mother's beautiful white horse, Falada. But more than a few quirks set her mother apart. Other parents can't force their daughters to be silent and motionless—obedient—for hours or days on end. Other mothers aren't . . . sorcerers. After a suspicious death in their small town, Cordelia's mother insists they leave in the middle of the night, leaving behind all Cordelia has ever known. They arrive at the remote country manor of a wealthy older man, the Squire, and his unwed sister, Hester. Cordelia's mother intends to lure the Squire into marriage. Cordelia knows this can only be bad news for the bumbling gentleman and his kind, intelligent sister. Hester sees the way Cordelia shrinks away from her mother. How the young girl sits eerily still at dinner every night. She knows that to save her brother from bewitchment and to rescue the terrified Cordelia, she will have to face down a wicked witch of the worst kind.
Female · Middle-Aged · Narration · Character-Voice · Entertainment · Dark · +7 more
“This voice's mysterious and breathy texture, coupled with its slow and measured delivery, perfectly captures the gothic, suspenseful atmosphere needed for the narration.”
“The deep, dark quality of this voice, along with its measured storytelling style, will enhance the overall sense of gothic mystery and dramatic tension.”
American · Middle Aged · Female · Narrative Story · Serious
“For a narrator drawing listeners into dark stories, this voice's smooth, intense tone is ideal for building intrigue and conveying a sense of underlying unease.”
For listeners: use the Best Narrator voice above in ElevenReader or Fish Audio. Character casting is for authors producing audiobooks with studio tools.
Cordelia
protagonist
A young girl, initially quiet and terrified, but growing in awareness. Her voice should convey a sense of suppression and fear, with glimmers of her inner spirit.
1
Manon Bannerman
Editor’s Pick
Manon Bannerman
Editor’s PickFish Audio
Fish Audio
Female · Young · Conversational · Character-Voice · Social-Media · Educational · +47 more
“Her soft, breathy quality perfectly captures Cordelia's initial terrified and suppressed demeanor, allowing glimmers of her inner spirit to emerge.”