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Quicksilver by Callie Hart: audiobook vs book, which should you choose?

A thief from a desert city opens a gateway between realms and lands in Yvelia, a frozen Fae land, bound to the warrior Kingfisher. Two narrators share the audiobook, and that makes it the one to pick.

Read vs Listen·First published 4 November 2026·Last edited 5 November 2026·5 min read

What this book actually is

Quicksilver is the first book in Callie Hart’s Fae & Alchemy series. Saeris Fane, a 24-year-old thief from the desert city of Zilvaren, opens a gateway between realms and is pulled into Yvelia, a frozen Fae land, where she is bound to the Fae warrior Kingfisher.

It was first self-published on Kindle in June 2024, then published by Forever in December 2024. Brimstone, book 2, followed in November 2025. Netflix bought the film rights in December 2024. It is for mature readers, with explicit sex and dark content.

The case for reading it

Print has little going for it here. The story stays with Saeris and runs in order, and there’s no map or glossary to consult.

The main reason to read is the slow start: some reviewers say the first five or so chapters are mostly world-building, and you might prefer to take that at your own pace on the page. Choose print, too, if you’d rather imagine every voice yourself.

The case for listening to it

The two narrators are the reason to listen. Stella Bloom and Anthony Palmini share it in duet style, and NPR says Palmini ‘plays the role of the filthy-mouthed Kingfisher, as well as all of the other male characters in the book’, so the men sound distinct from Saeris’s telling.

Fresh Fiction says ‘two great narrators bring the dialogue and the mysterious whisper of QUICKSILVER to life’. At 624 pages it’s a big book, and the 20-hour audiobook lets you get through it on commutes and chores.

The audiobook in detail

Podium Audio’s recording runs 20 hours 41 minutes, unabridged, and is the same on Audible UK and US: about 13 hours 47 minutes at 1.5x or 10 hours 20 minutes at 2x. Listeners rate the performance 4.8 from over 44,000 ratings on Audible US.

Kingfisher’s Bonus Scenes are sold separately. Brimstone, book 2, has the same two narrators and runs 24 hours 30 minutes.

Who should ignore this verdict

Read it if you like to picture every voice yourself, or want to take the world-building opening slowly. Otherwise, the two narrators are what make the audiobook the better choice.

Related verdicts

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Fourth Wing

Another romantasy series opener, better on audio.

Same verdict

A Court of Thorns and Roses

Feyre tells the whole story in the first person, and Elizabeth Evans reads all of it, so one voice carries it naturally. At 432 pages it's a long read, which goes further on audio, and the print map doesn't carry the plot, so you lose little by listening.

Same verdict

The Sweetest Fiend

Two narrators for two leads.

Same verdict

Threshing Day

There are 14 narrators across the 13 stories, so the collection moves between many different voices rather than resting on one reader. The whole audiobook runs to 5h 52m, just under six hours.

Opposite verdict

House of Flame and Shadow

As many as six characters share the story, sometimes switching within one chapter, and Elizabeth Evans reads every one of them, which can be hard to follow over audio. On the page you can see each change as it happens, and the print edition has a map.

Opposite verdict

Throne of Glass

The story switches between four characters, Celaena, Chaol, Dorian and Kaltain, and one narrator reads them all, which can be hard to follow over audio. On the page it’s easier to keep track of whose chapter you’re in.

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