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The Sleepless

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The Sleepless

By: Jen Williams
Narrated by: Esme Lonsdale, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith
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About this listen

Welcome to a world where gods and monsters roam the earth . . .
"Incredible heroines... incredible fantasy... Escapism at its finest" - Stylist on The Bitter Twins

"One of the great original voices of fantasy" - Adrian Tchaikovsky on Talonsister


Get ready to fall in love with The Sleepless, the first in an epic slow-burn YA fantasy duology from multi-award-winning author Jen Williams.
Elver is the guardian of the wild and dangerous monster forest. Saved from the brink of death by a god, her skin will poison anyone she touches.
Artair is on a mission - one that takes him face-to-face with Elver at her most ruthless. But her defenses are useless when she discovers he's the only human impervious to her deadly gift. For Artair isn't human: he's one of the Sleepless, cursed to share his body with an evil spirit. Lucian inhabits their body while Artair sleeps, and he is hell-bent on manipulating Elver for his dark purposes. But Elver is harbouring secrets too, and she has her own reasons for feigning an alliance with these two souls.

Caught in the crossfire of gods, monsters, and a dangerous magic they can barely understand, it is only a matter of time before the paths the three of them choose to take will set alight the very foundations of their world.

©2025 Jen Williams (P)2025 Macmillan Publishers International Limited
Fantasy Science Fiction & Fantasy Fiction

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Critic reviews

The hallmarks of a Jen Williams novel: a fast pace, humour, slick and sure worldbuilding, but most importantly it's driven by characters you immediately adore (Lucy Holland, author of Sistersong on Talonsister)

The worldbuilding is top-notch, the plot is gripping and the characters just get better and better. A sublime read (SFX on The Ninth Rain)

Incredible heroines... incredible fantasy... Escapism at its finest (Stylist on The Bitter Twins)

Williams’ monstrously enjoyable imagination is on full show here. An enormously entertaining and original work of fantasy. (Adrian Tchaikovsky, award-winning author of Children of Time)

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