Uprooted
by Naomi Novik (Del Rey, 2015); audiobook read by Katy Sobey (Macmillan, 2016)
A particularly fine example of standalone epic fantasy, adroitly layered with fairy-tale magic and Eastern European influences. Novik allows every character their due, never taking the easy road of stereotyped good and evil, heroes and villains. Only a few awkward phrasings detract.