Audiobooks Like Ruin and Rising

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Lauren Fortgang has narrated the entire Shadow and Bone trilogy, and in this concluding volume her command of Alina's emotional arc — the exhaustion of someone who has sacrificed everything and may have to sacrifice more — gives the 11-hour conclusion a genuine weight. Five more Fortgang narrations appear in the recommendations, and the list draws from Bardugo's broader Grishaverse, where the same dark-fantasy atmosphere and the same narrator carry readers from one corner of the world to another.

10 audiobooks for fans of Ruin and Rising

  1. 1
    Crooked Kingdom cover

    Crooked Kingdom

    Six of Crows • Book 2

    by Leigh Bardugo

    Narrated by Roger Clark, Jay Snyder, Elizabeth Evans, Fred Berman, Brandon Rubin, Kevin T. Collins, Lauren Fortgang, Peter Ganim

    4.68 ABR Score (797.9K ratings)
    ★ 4.57 Goodreads (779.9K) ★ 4.73 Audible (18.0K)
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    Kaz and his Dregs crew fight for survival in Ketterdam after their Ice Court heist goes sideways. The full ensemble cast returns to handle this action-packed conclusion to the Six of Crows duology.

  2. 2
    Six of Crows cover

    Six of Crows

    Six of Crows • Book 1

    by Leigh Bardugo

    Narrated by Jay Snyder, Brandon Rubin, Fred Berman, Lauren Fortgang, Roger Clark, Elizabeth Evans, Tristan Morris

    4.50 ABR Score (1.2M ratings)
    ★ 4.46 Goodreads (1.2M) ★ 4.55 Audible (22.8K)
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    Criminal mastermind Kaz Brekker assembles a crew for an impossible heist in this fantasy Ocean's Eleven, brought to life by a full cast capturing each character's distinct voice.

  3. 3
    Hell Bent cover

    Hell Bent

    Alex Stern • Book 2

    by Leigh Bardugo

    Narrated by Lauren Fortgang, Michael David Axtell

    4.30 ABR Score (187.5K ratings)
    ★ 4.1 Goodreads (183.8K) ★ 4.64 Audible (3.6K)
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    Galaxy Stern attempts to break her mentor out of hell using Yale's occult societies and forbidden magic. Lauren Fortgang returns to capture Alex's gritty determination in this darker sequel to Ninth House.

  4. 4
    Ninth House cover

    Ninth House

    Alex Stern • Book 1

    by Leigh Bardugo

    Narrated by Lauren Fortgang, Michael David Axtell

    4.15 ABR Score (413.3K ratings)
    ★ 4 Goodreads (407.3K) ★ 4.45 Audible (6.0K)
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    Yale's secret societies practice actual occult rituals, and Alex Stern monitors them after surviving a multiple homicide. Lauren Fortgang captures Alex's gritty voice perfectly while Michael David Axtell handles the male perspectives with menacing precision.

  5. 5
    Demon in the Wood cover

    Demon in the Wood

    Grishaverse

    by Leigh Bardugo, Dani Pendergast

    Narrated by Ben Barnes, Benjamin Valic, Cassandra Morris, Eason Rytter, James Fouhey, Mary McCartney, Matt Leisy, Salli Saffioti, Sean Gormley, Tom Bromhead

    4.12 ABR Score (52.0K ratings)
    ★ 4.09 Goodreads (51.7K) ★ 4.57 Audible (362)
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    Young Eryk's dangerous life on the run comes alive through an exceptional ensemble cast led by Ben Barnes, bringing depth to this brief but crucial Grishaverse prequel.

  6. 6
    Buried Deep and Other Stories cover

    Buried Deep and Other Stories

    by Naomi Novik

    Narrated by Frankie Corzo, Nicholas Guy Smith, Imani Jade Powers, Simon Vance, Elizabeth Knowelden, Saskia Maarleveld, Lauren Fortgang, Ell Potter, Billie Fulford-Brown, Steve West, Lisa Flanagan, Bronwen Price, Anisha Dadia, Naomi Novik

    3.99 ABR Score (6.9K ratings)
    ★ 4.02 Goodreads (6.8K) ★ 4.58 Audible (98)
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    Fourteen different narrators bring Novik's multiverse to life, from Temeraire's dragons to Scholomance's gothic halls, each voice suited to their fantastical realm.

  7. 7
    Knaves: A Blackguards Anthology (3) cover

    Knaves: A Blackguards Anthology (3)

    Tales of the Otori #4.9 - Wine, Knife, Sword

    by Melanie R. Meadors, Alana Joli Abbott, Maurice Broaddus, Cullen Bunn, Toiya Kristen Finley, Shanna Germain, Lian Hearn, Walidah Imarisha, Mercedes Lackey, Dennis Lee, Cat Rambo, Linda Robertson, Clay Sanger, Anna Smith Spark, Kenny Soward, Anton Strout, Sabrina Vourvoulias, Howard Tayler, Linda Robertson Reinhardt

    Narrated by Scott Aiello, Joniece Abbott-Pratt, Raphael Corkhill, Jonathan Davis, Victor Bevine, Lauren Fortgang, Ryan Vincent Anderson, Kyla Garcia, Barrie Kreinik

    3.66 ABR Score (32 ratings)
    ★ 3.5 Goodreads (30) ★ 3.5 Audible (2)
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    Nine narrators tackle tales of medieval swindlers, AI heists gone wrong, and legendary bodyguards whose protection comes with deadly strings attached.

  8. 8
    Carl's Doomsday Scenario cover

    Carl's Doomsday Scenario

    Dungeon Crawler Carl • Book 2

    by Matt Dinniman

    Narrated by Jeff Hays

    4.78 ABR Score (217.5K ratings)
    ★ 4.51 Goodreads (187.5K) ★ 4.89 Audible (30.0K)
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    Carl and his magic cat Princess Donut navigate the second level of an alien game show designed to kill humans for entertainment. Jeff Hays perfectly captures the absurd humor of this death-trap RPG scenario.

  9. 9
    Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets cover

    Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

    Harry Potter (Full-Cast Editions) • Book 2

    by J.K. Rowling

    Narrated by Hugh Laurie, Matthew Macfadyen, Kit Harington, Riz Ahmed, Michelle Gomez, Daniel Mays, Mark Addy, Simon Pegg, Cush Jumbo, Alex Hassell, Gemma Whelan, Indira Varma, Frankie Treadaway, Max Lester, Arabella Stanton

    4.74 ABR Score (4.5M ratings)
    ★ 4.43 Goodreads (4.5M) ★ 4.9 Audible (5.0K)
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    Kit Harington joins the returning cast as Hogwarts faces an ancient monster that petrifies students and threatens the school's very existence.

  10. 10
    The Hobbit cover

    The Hobbit

    Middle-earth • Book 1

    by J.R.R. Tolkien, Douglas A. Anderson, Michael Hague, Jemima Catlin

    Narrated by Rob Inglis

    4.69 ABR Score (4.6M ratings)
    ★ 4.3 Goodreads (4.5M) ★ 4.76 Audible (66.8K)
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    Rob Inglis becomes the definitive voice of Middle-earth, creating distinct personalities for dwarves, elves, and one unforgettable dragon named Smaug.

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 →