Audiobooks Like Shadow of Night

Jennifer Ikeda's voice has an intelligence and control that serves Deborah Harkness's Elizabethan time-travel romance exceptionally well — she keeps the paranormal elements grounded by playing the emotional stakes with complete seriousness. At 24 hours the historical immersion is genuine, and Ikeda makes the research feel lived-in rather than displayed. Ten of the recommendations are highly rated, and Ikeda herself narrates another title on the list — all of them sharing this novel's interest in romance that operates at the intersection of magic, history, and danger.

10 audiobooks for fans of Shadow of Night

  1. 1
    A Court of Mist and Fury cover

    A Court of Mist and Fury

    A Court of Thorns and Roses • Book 2

    by Sarah J. Maas

    Narrated by Jennifer Ikeda

    4.89 ABR Score (3.3M ratings)
    ★ 4.63 Goodreads (3.3M) ★ 4.85 Audible (60.0K)
    23h 16m listening time • Released 2016

    Jennifer Ikeda's narration transforms this dark fantasy sequel into something genuinely unputdownable—her voice work captures both the vulnerability and lethal power that makes this book such a phenomenon.

  2. 2
    The Butcher's Masquerade cover

    The Butcher's Masquerade

    Dungeon Crawler Carl • Book 5

    by Matt Dinniman

    Narrated by Jeff Hays

    4.88 ABR Score (135.3K ratings)
    ★ 4.69 Goodreads (108.1K) ★ 4.94 Audible (27.2K)
    23h 33m listening time • Released 2022

    Jeff Hays transforms this jungle-survival escalation into pure narrative adrenaline—his distinct voices for Carl, Donut, and the new threats make the chaos feel genuinely dangerous and darkly funny.

  3. 3
    Empire of Storms cover

    Empire of Storms

    Throne of Glass • Book 5

    by Sarah J. Maas

    Narrated by Elizabeth Evans

    4.84 ABR Score (1.3M ratings)
    ★ 4.63 Goodreads (1.3M) ★ 4.84 Audible (33.1K)
    25h 18m listening time • Released 2016

    Elizabeth Evans transforms this sprawling fantasy epic into something genuinely unputdownable, matching her vocal intensity to Aelin's rage and vulnerability across 25 hours of pure immersion.

  4. 4
    The Hero of Ages cover

    The Hero of Ages

    The Mistborn Saga • Book 3

    by Brandon Sanderson

    Narrated by Michael Kramer

    4.83 ABR Score (680.8K ratings)
    ★ 4.56 Goodreads (606.0K) ★ 4.85 Audible (74.8K)
    27h 25m listening time • Released 2008

    Michael Kramer's narration elevates this finale into something transcendent—his command of Vin's internal devastation and the apocalyptic scope makes the 27-hour journey feel essential, not exhausting.

  5. 5
    The Eye of the Bedlam Bride cover

    The Eye of the Bedlam Bride

    Dungeon Crawler Carl • Book 6

    by Matt Dinniman

    Narrated by Jeff Hays, Patrick Warburton, Travis Baldree, Annie Ellicott

    4.83 ABR Score (110.3K ratings)
    ★ 4.66 Goodreads (91.7K) ★ 4.92 Audible (18.5K)
    26h 46m listening time • Released 2023

    The ensemble narration transforms this sixth book into pure audio theater—Warburton's deadpan delivery against the chaos of a collapsing dungeon level makes it impossible to pause.

  6. 6
    Queen of Shadows cover

    Queen of Shadows

    Throne of Glass • Book 4

    by Sarah J. Maas

    Narrated by Elizabeth Evans

    4.79 ABR Score (1.5M ratings)
    ★ 4.62 Goodreads (1.4M) ★ 4.81 Audible (21.4K)
    20h 43m listening time • Released 2015

    Elizabeth Evans elevates this dark fantasy revenge arc with a performance that captures both the queen's ruthlessness and her raw vulnerability. If you've been waiting for the series to fully ignite, this is where it does.

  7. 7
    The Final Empire cover

    The Final Empire

    The Mistborn Saga • Book 1

    by Brandon Sanderson

    Narrated by Michael Kramer

    4.78 ABR Score (1.1M ratings)
    ★ 4.49 Goodreads (999.3K) ★ 4.79 Audible (97.4K)
    24h 39m listening time • Released 2008

    The best entry point into Sanderson — a heist story set in a world where the Dark Lord won, with one of the cleverest magic systems ever devised.

  8. 8
    He Who Fights with Monsters 2 cover

    He Who Fights with Monsters 2

    He Who Fights with Monsters • Book 2

    by Shirtaloon

    Narrated by Heath Miller

    4.73 ABR Score (61.3K ratings)
    ★ 4.53 Goodreads (28.6K) ★ 4.87 Audible (32.7K)
    22h 1m listening time • Released 2021
  9. 9
    The Name of the Wind cover

    The Name of the Wind

    Kingkiller Chronicle • Book 1

    by Patrick Rothfuss

    Narrated by Nick Podehl

    4.72 ABR Score (1.2M ratings)
    ★ 4.52 Goodreads (1.1M) ★ 4.7 Audible (109.1K)
    27h 55m listening time • Released 2009

    Rothfuss's debut is arguably the most beautifully written fantasy of the 21st century — the story of a legend telling the truth about his own myth.

  10. 10
    House of Sky and Breath cover

    House of Sky and Breath

    Crescent City • Book 2

    by Sarah J. Maas

    Narrated by Elizabeth Evans

    4.72 ABR Score (874.7K ratings)
    ★ 4.42 Goodreads (845.5K) ★ 4.82 Audible (29.2K)
    27h 42m listening time • Released 2022

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 →