Martyr

I’ll admit, I rolled my eyes at first. *Another* tragic love story with war trauma and memory loss? But *Martyr* disarmed me within twenty minutes—literally. The opening scene, where Saint (voiced by Teddy Hamilton with the kind of exhaustion that feels like a physical weight) stares at the protagonist like she’s a stranger, is one of the most chilling depictions of emotional whiplash I’ve heard in an audiobook. Chloe Ryan’s performance as the narrator is a masterclass in restrained desperation; she makes you *feel* the effort it takes not to scream at someone who’s forgotten your entire world. The real standout, though, is how the narration team handles the story’s duality. Connor Crais’s sections (the "before" timeline) are lush and intoxicated, all honeyed promises and gunpowder, while the "after" sections—led by Hamilton and Shedlock—are so stark they feel like they’ve been scraped clean with a blade. My only critique? The pacing stumbles in the middle, where the war flashbacks start to blur together, and I found myself craving more of the present-day tension. And while the horror elements are effective, they occasionally feel like seasoning rather than the main course. That said, the final act is *brutal* in the best way, with a twist that doesn’t just rely on shock but on the slow, sickening realization of what love demands. If you like your Gothic fiction with more teeth than lace, this one’s for you—just maybe not before bed.