Audiobooks Narrated by Jess Nahikian

Renegade Girls (A Graphic Novel): A Queer Tale of Romance and Rabble-Rousing

"A swoonworthy queer romance set against a riveting story of social change in the 1880s, this historical novel reimagines the life of America's first stunt girl-a young undercover reporter-and her whirlwind summer of romance and fighting injustice.  Seventeen-year-old Helena "Nell" Cusack came to New York this summer looking for a story-a real story. She dreams of one day writing hard-hitting articles for the New York Chronicle, but so far she's only managed to land a job as a lowly society reporter. That is, until Alice Austen strolls into her life, an audacious street photographer who encourages Nell to shake up polite society…and maybe also take a chance on love.   When her best friend, Lucia, is injured while working in a garment factory, Nell is determined to crack the story wide open. Posing as a seamstress, she reports on the conditions from the inside, making a name for herself as the Chronicle's first ever stunt girl. But as Nell's reporting gains momentum, so do the objections of those who oppose her. Will Nell continue to seek justice-even if it hurts her in the end?   Based on real-life stunt girl Nell Nelson and photographer Alice Austen, this tenderly drawn narrative is about bringing buried stories to light and the bravery of first love."

Nora Neus (Author), Carol Monda, Gail Shalan, Greg D. Barnett, Jess Nahikian, Jordan Cobb, Mia Hutchinson Shaw, Robert Fass, VyVy Nguyen (Narrator)

Audiobook

Study Break: 11 College Tales from Orientation to Graduation

"Study Break, a collection of interconnected contemporary Young Adult short stories written by Gen Z authors, explores different parts of 'the college experience,' from questioning your major to questioning your identity. College...the best time, the worst time, and something in between. What do you do when orientation isn't going according to your (sister's) detailed plans? Where do you go when you're searching for community in faith? How do you figure out what it means that you're suddenly attracted to your RA? What happens when your partner for your last film project is also your crush and graduation is quickly approaching? Told over the course of one academic year, this collection of stories set on the same fictional campus features students from different cultures, genders, and interests learning more about who they are and who they want to be. From new careers to community to (almost) missed connections ― and more ― these interconnected tales explore the ways university life can be stressful and confusing and exciting and fulfilling. Gen Z contributors include Jake Maia Arlow, Arushi Avachat, Boon Carmen, Ananya Devarajan, Camryn Garrett, Christina Li, Racquel Marie, Oyin, Laila Sabreen, Michael Waters, and Joelle Wellington."

Aashna Avachat (Author), Dominique Franceschi, Jennifer Aquino, Jess Nahikian, Ruthie Bowles, Sharmila Devar (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Totally True Story of Gracie Byrne

"It’s 1987, and sixteen-year-old Gracie Byrne wishes her life were totally different. Shy and awkward, she has trouble fitting in at her new school, she’s still reeling from her parents’ divorce, and her grandmother Katherine’s Alzheimer’s is getting worse. So when Gracie finds a blank journal in Katherine’s vanity drawer, she begins writing stories about herself—a more popular version of herself, that is. But then the hot guy in her art class describes a dream he had about her—the exact scene she wrote about him in her journal—and Gracie realizes that she can create any reality she wants, from acing tests to winning the attention of her previously indifferent classmates. As her ability to change what is into what she wishes it to be grows stronger though, Gracie starts to second-guess what’s real—especially when it comes to a budding relationship with her cute neighbor, Tom. This compelling story deftly blends friendship, family, and romance...and bends the bounds of reality itself."

Shannon Takaoka (Author), Jess Nahikian (Narrator)

Audiobook

Gallows Hill

"Salem, Massachusetts, 1692. Thomas is marked as an outcast the moment he steps off the ship from England. As a Quaker, he’s outnumbered and distrusted by Salem’s Puritans. And as an orphan without any useful skills, he has nowhere to live and no way to earn his keep. In a stroke of luck?perhaps good, perhaps not?he’s taken in by the aged widow Prudence Blevins, who’s rumored to be a witch. Patience has tried all her life to be a good Puritan?obedient to God and to her elders?and all her life, she has come up short. But her orderly world is upended when her younger sister, Abigail, falls victim to a mysterious affliction. The same torments have stricken other Salem girls, who claim they’re being bewitched by servants of the Devil. Soon the girls, including Abigail, begin accusing neighbors of witchcraft. As the community becomes consumed by suspicion and fear, Thomas and Patience search for the truth. To protect those they care about, they will have to question everything they think they know: their faiths, their loyalties, and their places in Salem."

Lois Ruby (Author), Jess Nahikian, Michael Crouch (Narrator)

Audiobook

A Little Like Waking

"Zelda is stuck in a dream, a very strange dream where people can fly, bears sneeze money, and her childhood cat, Patches, is somehow alive—despite being run over years ago. Things only get stranger when Zelda meets Langston, a sweet if overly timid guy who feels more real to her than anyone she’s ever met. As Zelda and Langston explore the far reaches of the dreamscape together, they find themselves growing closer and closer. But what they uncover along the way pushes them towards a truth neither of them wants to face. Will it turn out that he's the guy of her dreams, or is she the girl of his? Perfect for fans of Every Day and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, this tender, insightful listen defies time, space, and expectation."

Adam Rex (Author), J. D. Jackson, Jess Nahikian (Narrator)

Audiobook

Funeral Girl

"'With one touch of any body that passes through Richter Funeral Home, Georgia Richter can awaken the spirit of the departed. With one more touch, she makes the spirit disappear to a fate that remains mysterious to her. To cope with her deep anxiety about death, she does her best to fulfill the final wishes of the deceased whose ghosts she briefly revives. Then her classmate Milo's body arrives at Richter?and his spirit wants help with unfinished business, forcing her to reckon with her relationship to grief and mortality.'"

Emma K. Ohland (Author), Jess Nahikian (Narrator)

Audiobook

Crowned A Traitor

"A Young Adult Dark Fantasy from Hell. The hunt for Klara will keep you on the edge of your seat in this fast-paced, suspenseful Epic Fantasy. Heir to Hell and the Dark Forest of Malum, Klara has been called upon to take her place as High Queen of Malum. Though Klara has no intention of ruling, her guardians want her head on a spike. Klara's only option - escape to Kalos, Fae ruled lands free from Dark Magic. To survive the perilous journey, she needs help... A Leprechaun with a talent for smuggling. A mischievous Demon with swaying loyalties The soul of a greying Warlock. Lycaon siblings with a talent for deception. Destiny has an awful habit of catching up with those who run. Editorial Reviews Klara is a multilayered protagonist. She's a total badass, she's recklessly brave and strong-willed, but also compassionate, kind and sometimes fearful. -@readinginpjamasThis book is so unique with so many unexpected actions, intrigues and events that I couldn't put it down. -@bozena_frejich_reviewsYou can picture the dark forest in your head, envision the Creatures that roam the dark shadows, feel the Hounds of Hell at your heals as your pulse races to out run them. -@permanenty bookedThe story was absolutely captivating and the descriptions were breathtaking, maybe a little disturbing haha! - @come_read_with_me"

Kate Callaghan (Author), Jess Nahikian (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Remedy Files: Rebirth

"Book #2 of The Remedy Files Trilogy  In this sequel to The Remedy Files: Illusion, Evangeline finds herself a prisoner in a new community called Revival after her abduction from Rebirth. Equally cold and filled with unfeeling people who don't know life in any other way, Revival sets the direction for The New World. Evangeline's brief encounter with the very-much-alive Gavin has her questioning his integrity and true role in their history together. In Revival, Evangeline learns The New World has determined that people with natural intuition and precognition are of special use to them, the exact abilities identified in Evangeline, Gavin, and most of those in Rebirth who can warn when bad events are about to occur. But after discovering Gavin’s traitorous acts, new alliances must be formed, and Evangeline has a different mission in mind. People deserve to have choices and to feel, and Evangeline won't stop fighting until Revival reinstates basic human rights. It starts with getting everyone in Rebirth on board. Then saving Impetus and the other communities once and for all, regardless of Revival’s—and Gavin’s—attempts to stop her."

Lauren Eckhardt (Author), Jess Nahikian (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Remedy Files: Illusion

"Would you sacrifice your life to feel? For eighteen years, Evangeline has been raised without physical or emotional feelings. All decisions are made by Impetus, the only remaining community in a barren and destroyed world, that has repopulated humankind with their strict system. But her life isn't as it appears. A forbidden friendship with a boy surviving on the outskirts of Impetus teaches Evangeline a dangerous choice she didn't think she had. When Evangeline defies Impetus's plans for her future on her eighteen birthday, she awakens from a dark punishment to a divided world, power clashes, and senseless murders masked by lies of goodwill. With her life and the lives of those she loves on the line, Evangeline must discern the truth from the illusion while fighting the injustices forced on humankind. Is life worth living if you live without feelings? The Remedy Files Trilogy Book #1: Illusion Book #2: Rebirth Book #3: Divided"

Lauren Eckhardt (Author), Jess Nahikian (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Life and Medieval Times of Kit Sweetly

"Working as a Wench—i.e. waitress—at a cheesy medieval-themed restaurant in the Chicago suburbs, Kit Sweetly dreams of being a Knight like her brother. She has the moves, is capable on a horse, and desperately needs the raise that comes with knighthood so she can help her mom pay the mortgage and hold a spot at her dream college. Company policy allows only guys to be Knights. So when Kit takes her brother’s place, clobbers the Green Knight, and reveals her identity at the end of the show, she rockets into internet fame and a whole lot of trouble with the management. But this Girl Knight won’t go down without a fight. As other Wenches and cast members join her quest, a protest forms. In a joust before Castle executives, they’ll prove that gender restrictions should stay medieval—if they don’t get fired first."

Jamie Pacton (Author), Jess Nahikian (Narrator)

Audiobook

Mermaid Moon

"An award-winning author tells of a mermaid who leaves the sea in search of her landish mother in a captivating tale spun with beautiful prose, lush descriptions, empathy, and keen wit. Blood calls to blood; charm calls to charm. It is the way of the world. Come close and tell us your dreams. Sanna is a mermaid — but she is only half seavish. The night of her birth, a sea-witch cast a spell that made Sanna’s people, including her landish mother, forget how and where she was born. Now Sanna is sixteen and an outsider in the seavish matriarchy, and she is determined to find her mother and learn who she is. She apprentices herself to the witch to learn the magic of making and unmaking, and with a new pair of legs and a quest to complete for her teacher, she follows a clue that leads her ashore on the Thirty-Seven Dark Islands. There, as her fellow mermaids wait in the sea, Sanna stumbles into a wall of white roses thirsty for blood, a hardscrabble people hungry for miracles, and a baroness who will do anything to live forever. From the author of the Michael L. Printz Honor Book The Kingdom of Little Wounds comes a gorgeously told tale of belonging, sacrifice, fear, hope, and mortality."

Susann Cokal (Author), Jess Nahikian, Stina Nielsen (Narrator)

Audiobook

We Are All His Creatures: Tales of P. T. Barnum, the Greatest Showman

"In a series of interwoven fictionalized stories, Deborah Noyes gives voice to the marginalized women in P. T. Barnum’s family — and the talented entertainers he built his entertainment empire on. Much has been written about P. T. Barnum — legendary showman, entrepreneur, marketing genius, and one of the most famous nineteenth-century personalities. For those who lived in Barnum’s shadow, however, life was complex. P. T. Barnum’s two families — his family at home, including his two wives and his daughters, and his family at work, including Little People, a giantess, an opera singer, and many sideshow entertainers — suffered greatly from his cruelty and exploitation. Yet, at the same time, some of his performers, such as General Tom Thumb (Charles Stratton), became wealthy celebrities who were admired and feted by presidents and royalty. In this collection of interlinked stories, Deborah Noyes digs deep into what is known about the people in Barnum’s orbit and imagines their personal lives, putting front and center the complicated joy and pain of what it meant to be one of Barnum’s “creatures.”"

Deborah Noyes (Author), Andrew Eiden, Carly Robins, Jess Nahikian, Lauren Ezzo, Sarah Zimmerman, Will Ropp (Narrator)

Audiobook