It may be
the most wonderful time of the year, but is anyone else in serious need of a vacation? Between holiday prep and festivities, end of year projects, and my first semester of grad school coming to an end, I’m ready for a little relaxation. Luckily for me, I planned a winter escape back in the spring, and I’ll be sitting on a beach as you read this, delighting in my TBLT list. It’s a good thing audiobooks don’t take up any space in my suitcase!Before I go, I thought we could delight in a little holiday merriment together. Our Best of 2019 list is officially live! Our pick for the Best Young Adult audiobook of the year is a personal favorite, and I had the privilege of speaking with the author about it earlier this year. Read on to find out the winner, and feel free to share your favorite listens of the year with me @kdobooks.
Happy holidays!
- Katie, Audible editor
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On the Come Up
- De: Angie Thomas
- Narrado por: Bahni Turpin
- Duración: 11 h y 43 m
- Versión completa
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Narración:
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Historia
Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least win her first battle. As the daughter of an underground hip hop legend who died right before he hit big, Bri’s got massive shoes to fill. But it’s hard to get your come up when you’re labeled a hoodlum at school, and your fridge at home is empty after your mom loses her job. So Bri pours her anger and frustration into her first song, which goes viral...for all the wrong reasons. Bri soon finds herself at the center of a controversy, portrayed by the media as more menace than MC.
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Thomas and Turpin are my perfect pairing
- De Katie - Audible en 02-05-19
The Best YA of 2019
2019 showed us yet again how beautifully YA can touch on all genres: fiction, fantasy, LGBTQIA+, and more, and how all people—and all stories—deserve to be heard. Angie Thomas and Bahni Turpin reunited to rap their way to the top of our list with On the Come Up. Thomas’s sophomore novel is every bit as searing and stunning as its predecessor, The Hate U Give, and hearing narrator Bahni Turpin rap Thomas’s lyrics may be one of our favorite listening moments of all time. Thomas doesn’t shy away from hard topics while also masterfully maintaining the careless and sometimes selfish POV of a teenager. The friendships are authentic, the fears and dreams relatable, and the desire to protect your family universal.
Swaggerific
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Little Women
- An Audible Original Drama
- De: Louisa May Alcott
- Narrado por: Emily Bauer, Laura Dern, Lauren Fortgang, y otros
- Duración: 12 h y 15 m
- Grabación Original
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Narración:
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Historia
Hollywood icon Laura Dern breathes new life into Louisa May Alcott’s classic. With their father away at war, Meg, the oldest and prettiest sister, and Jo, the tomboy, take care of Beth, the shy one, and Amy, the artist. When their beloved 'Marmee' must leave to nurse Father, who is badly wounded in the war, the girls sustain themselves by putting to use the lessons of loyalty and patience they had learned from their family.
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Censored
- De Abigail Vance en 01-01-20
I'm a hybrid Jo + Amy
Speaking of holiday merriment, I have something else in store for you this season. If, like me, you’ve had the Little Women trailer on repeat, you *have* to pre-order our new production of Louisa May Alcott’s classic. Laura Dern (yes, the Laura Dern who plays Marmee in the upcoming film) performs along with a full cast, ensuring that this goes to the top of my holiday wish list. Are you a Jo, a Meg, a Beth, or an Amy? Or perhaps, like me, some combination of the four? And the most important question of all: who do you think Laurie should’ve ended up with? Discuss.
Pre-order Now
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Children of Virtue and Vengeance
- Legacy of Orisha, Book 2
- De: Tomi Adeyemi
- Narrado por: Bahni Turpin
- Duración: 13 h y 27 m
- Versión completa
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Historia
After battling the impossible, Zélie and Amari have finally succeeded in bringing magic back to the land of Orïsha. But the ritual was more powerful than they could’ve imagined, reigniting the powers of not only the maji, but of nobles with magic ancestry, too. Now, Zélie struggles to unite the maji in an Orïsha where the enemy is just as powerful as they are. But when the monarchy and military unite to keep control of Orïsha, Zélie must fight to secure Amari's right to the throne and protect the new maji from the monarchy's wrath.
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Constant melodrama ruins a promising story
- De Bryn Stevens-Guill en 12-10-19
A highly anticipated sequel
Few debuts have made as big of a splash as Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. When it first came out last March, editor Abby shared: Building on a uniquely West African mythology, Tomi Adeyemi’s debut conjures up a vibrant, amazing fantasy world in which magic once thrived, a segment of the population is grievously oppressed, and a young woman becomes the leader she was meant to be. Bahni Turpin’s mastery of the accents expertly brings the wide array of characters to life, carrying you with the young rebel and her crew across the physical and emotional landscapes that make this listen so special.
As you’ll see on our Best of 2019 list, this was quite a year for sophomore efforts in YA literature, and Adeyemi builds on that momentum with her brand new installment in the series, Children of Virtue and Vengeance.
Journey Back to Orïsha
Coming in 2020
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The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
- A Hunger Games Novel
- De: Suzanne Collins
- Narrado por: Santino Fontana
- Duración: 16 h y 16 m
- Versión completa
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General
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Narración:
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Historia
It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the 10th annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to out charm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute. The odds are against him. He’s been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low.
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Bad part
- De Edgars Dumins en 05-19-20
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Of Curses and Kisses
- St. Rosetta's Academy, Book 1
- De: Sandhya Menon
- Narrado por: Shiromi Arserio, Jason Carpenter
- Duración: 10 h y 49 m
- Versión completa
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General
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Narración:
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Historia
From the New York Times best-selling author of When Dimple Met Rishi comes the first novel in a brand-new series set at an elite international boarding school, that’s a contemporary spin on Beauty and the Beast.
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Of curses and Kisses
- De Hannah Paley en 10-23-20
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Infinity Son
- De: Adam Silvera
- Narrado por: Robbie Daymond, Kirby Heyborne, Maria Liatis, y otros
- Duración: 8 h y 39 m
- Versión completa
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General
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Narración:
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Historia
Balancing epic and intensely personal stakes, best-selling author Adam Silvera’s Infinity Son is a gritty, fast-paced adventure about two brothers caught up in a magical war generations in the making.
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Not a fan
- De Ryan A Markitell en 10-31-20
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The Betrothed
- De: Kiera Cass
- Narrado por: Jasika Nicole
- Duración: 8 h y 18 m
- Versión completa
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General
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Narración:
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Historia
When King Jameson declares his love for Lady Hollis Brite, Hollis is shocked - and thrilled. After all, she's grown up at Keresken Castle, vying for the king's attention alongside other daughters of the nobility. Capturing his heart is a dream come true. But Hollis soon realizes that falling in love with a king and being crowned queen may not be the happily ever after she thought it would be. And when she meets a commoner with the mysterious power to see right into her heart, she finds that the future she really wants is one that she never thought to imagine.
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Sadly Disappointing
- De Lindsey en 05-06-20
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The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
- A Hunger Games Novel
- De: Suzanne Collins
- Narrado por: Santino Fontana
- Duración: 16 h y 16 m
- Versión completa
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General
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Narración:
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Historia
It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the 10th annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to out charm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute. The odds are against him. He’s been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low.
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Bad part
- De Edgars Dumins en 05-19-20
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Of Curses and Kisses
- St. Rosetta's Academy, Book 1
- De: Sandhya Menon
- Narrado por: Shiromi Arserio, Jason Carpenter
- Duración: 10 h y 49 m
- Versión completa
-
General
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Narración:
-
Historia
From the New York Times best-selling author of When Dimple Met Rishi comes the first novel in a brand-new series set at an elite international boarding school, that’s a contemporary spin on Beauty and the Beast.
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Of curses and Kisses
- De Hannah Paley en 10-23-20
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Infinity Son
- De: Adam Silvera
- Narrado por: Robbie Daymond, Kirby Heyborne, Maria Liatis, y otros
- Duración: 8 h y 39 m
- Versión completa
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General
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Narración:
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Historia
Balancing epic and intensely personal stakes, best-selling author Adam Silvera’s Infinity Son is a gritty, fast-paced adventure about two brothers caught up in a magical war generations in the making.
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Not a fan
- De Ryan A Markitell en 10-31-20
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The Betrothed
- De: Kiera Cass
- Narrado por: Jasika Nicole
- Duración: 8 h y 18 m
- Versión completa
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General
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Narración:
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Historia
When King Jameson declares his love for Lady Hollis Brite, Hollis is shocked - and thrilled. After all, she's grown up at Keresken Castle, vying for the king's attention alongside other daughters of the nobility. Capturing his heart is a dream come true. But Hollis soon realizes that falling in love with a king and being crowned queen may not be the happily ever after she thought it would be. And when she meets a commoner with the mysterious power to see right into her heart, she finds that the future she really wants is one that she never thought to imagine.
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Sadly Disappointing
- De Lindsey en 05-06-20

About the Editor
Katie is drawn to stories with high stakes, strong female leads, and happily ever afters. When she’s not talking too much about her kiddos or The Bachelor, she’s writing. Follow her on Twitter @kdobooks.
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