Audiobooks Like Children of Blood and Bone

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Bahni Turpin narrates Tomi Adeyemi's fantasy with a full-voiced intensity that never confuses volume for emotion — she finds the fear and the ferocity in equal measure and keeps them distinct. At 18 hours across a large cast, Turpin's character differentiation does real narrative work. Five of the recommendations also feature Turpin as narrator, and eight are highly rated — a list assembled around her voice and the same current of anger and hope that runs through this novel's vision of a world where power is taken, not granted.

10 audiobooks for fans of Children of Blood and Bone

  1. 1
    The Darkest Child cover

    The Darkest Child

    by Delores Phillips

    Narrated by Bahni Turpin

    4.56 ABR Score (24.3K ratings)
    ★ 4.38 Goodreads (17.8K) ★ 4.76 Audible (6.5K)
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    Set in 1958 Georgia, this devastating story follows thirteen-year-old Tangy Mae as she endures her violent, colorist mother's abuse while fighting for education and escape.

  2. 2
    The Hate U Give cover

    The Hate U Give

    The Hate U Give • Book 1

    by Angie Thomas

    Narrated by Bahni Turpin

    4.80 ABR Score (1.1M ratings)
    ★ 4.45 Goodreads (1.0M) ★ 4.78 Audible (45.9K)
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    Bahni Turpin's narration gives each character a distinct, lived-in voice that makes Starr's internal conflict feel devastatingly real. This is essential listening for anyone who wants to understand why this book became a cultural phenomenon.

  3. 3
    Deathless Divide cover

    Deathless Divide

    Dread Nation • Book 2

    by Justina Ireland

    Narrated by Bahni Turpin, Jordan Cobb

    4.31 ABR Score (13.8K ratings)
    ★ 4.15 Goodreads (12.6K) ★ 4.7 Audible (1.1K)
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    Bahni Turpin and Jordan Cobb elevate this revenge Western with dual narration that captures Jane's fractured psyche as she spirals into vengeance across post-Civil War America.

  4. 4
    Because We Are cover

    Because We Are

    by Ted Oswald

    Narrated by Bahni Turpin

    3.82 ABR Score (1.1K ratings)
    ★ 4.06 Goodreads (640) ★ 4.29 Audible (411)
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    When murder strikes Haiti's most dangerous slum, ten-year-old Libète and her brilliant friend Jak become unlikely detectives in a world where gangs and peacekeepers battle for control. Bahni Turpin authentically voices this powerful story of resilience amid violence.

  5. 5
    Demon Copperhead cover

    Demon Copperhead

    by Barbara Kingsolver

    Narrated by Charlie Thurston

    4.78 ABR Score (858.9K ratings)
    ★ 4.46 Goodreads (824.6K) ★ 4.77 Audible (34.3K)
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    A David Copperfield retelling set in Appalachian poverty, following a boy through foster care and opioid addiction. Charlie Thurston's authentic narration captures Demon's resilient voice and mountain dialect beautifully.

  6. 6
    The Great Alone cover

    The Great Alone

    by Kristin Hannah

    Narrated by Julia Whelan

    4.76 ABR Score (1.3M ratings)
    ★ 4.46 Goodreads (1.2M) ★ 4.7 Audible (58.5K)
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    Julia Whelan captures both Alaska's brutal beauty and a family's desperate struggle when a volatile Vietnam vet moves them off-grid in 1974.

  7. 7
    Small Great Things cover

    Small Great Things

    Ruth Jefferson • Book 1

    by Jodi Picoult

    Narrated by Audra McDonald, Cassandra Campbell, Ari Fliakos

    4.71 ABR Score (478.4K ratings)
    ★ 4.36 Goodreads (444.3K) ★ 4.75 Audible (34.1K)
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    Three stellar narrators handle this explosive story of a Black nurse forbidden from touching a white supremacist couple's newborn with devastating emotional precision.

  8. 8
    The Storyteller cover

    The Storyteller

    by Jodi Picoult

    Narrated by Mozhan Marno, Jennifer Ikeda, Edoardo Ballerini, Suzanne Toren, Fred Berman

    4.54 ABR Score (299.1K ratings)
    ★ 4.3 Goodreads (278.1K) ★ 4.61 Audible (21.0K)
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    When an elderly man asks baker Sage to help him die as penance for his Nazi past, she must confront family history and impossible moral choices. Multiple narrators handle the interconnected timelines skillfully, from modern grief support groups to Holocaust survival stories.

  9. 9
    Dandelion Summer cover

    Dandelion Summer

    Blue Sky Hill Series • Book 4

    by Lisa Wingate

    Narrated by Jason Culp, Bahni Turpin

    4.49 ABR Score (5.7K ratings)
    ★ 4.39 Goodreads (4.3K) ★ 4.88 Audible (1.4K)
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    Culp and Turpin's dual narration captures the generational divide between a grieving widower and a rootless teen, making their unlikely friendship feel earned rather than sentimental.

  10. 10
    The River cover

    The River

    by Wally Lamb

    Narrated by Jeremy Sisto

    4.45 ABR Score (159.0K ratings)
    ★ 4.3 Goodreads (155.0K) ★ 4.61 Audible (4.0K)
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    Jeremy Sisto voices Corby Ledbetter's journey from addiction and tragedy through prison brutality toward possible redemption in Lamb's latest.

How We Rank Audiobooks

Rankings are driven by listener ratings and review counts from Audible and Goodreads. Books with high ratings across a large number of listeners rank higher — a 4.5 with 50,000 ratings says more than a 4.8 with 200.

Unlike most book lists, we weight audiobook-specific factors: narrator performance, production quality, and how well a story translates to audio. A great book with a poor narration isn't a great audiobook.

We don't accept paid placements or prioritize new releases. These rankings reflect what listeners actually enjoy, not what's being promoted.

Rankings update periodically as new ratings come in and new titles are added to the collection.

Read our full ranking methodology →