Fierce Kingdom Audiobook By Gin Phillips cover art

Fierce Kingdom

A Novel

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for $0.00
Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.

Fierce Kingdom

By: Gin Phillips
Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
Try for $0.00

$0.00/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $18.00

Buy for $18.00

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

An electrifying novel about the primal and unyielding bond between a mother and her son, and the lengths she'll go to protect him.

The zoo is nearly empty as Joan and her four-year-old son soak up the last few moments of playtime. They are happy, and the day has been close to perfect. But what Joan sees as she hustles her son toward the exit gate minutes before closing time sends her sprinting back into the zoo, her child in her arms. And for the next three hours - the entire scope of the novel - she keeps on running.

Suddenly, mother and son are as trapped as the animals. Joan's intimate knowledge of this place that filled early motherhood with happy diversions - the hidden pathways and under-renovation exhibits, the best spots on the carousel and overstocked snack machines - is all that keeps them a step ahead of danger.

A masterful thrill ride and an exploration of motherhood itself - from its tender moments of grace to its savage power - Fierce Kingdom asks where the boundary is between our animal instinct to survive and our human duty to protect one another. For whom should a mother risk her life?

©2017 Gin Phillips (P)2017 Penguin Audio Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Suspense Thriller & Suspense Women's Fiction Exciting Scary

Critic reviews

"A heart-thumping thriller.... The story flies by like a gazelle being chased by a lion and is easily consumed in a single sitting." (The New York Times Book Review)

"Heart-stopping.... A stunning novel you'll be talking about all summer long." (Bustle)

"A shot of pure adrenaline. But it’s not just the action that will keep you turning pages: Fierce Kingdom is a moving story too." (Entertainment Weekly)
All stars
Most relevant  
I love the story and concept. I wish we could have spent more time with the other characters and their perspectives. plus now I don't know really how it ends.

what kind of ending was that? love the story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Great narration for a great story here. There were a few questions I have that didn't get answered in the end, which frustrates me. Still, a great story that has a very realistic feel to it.

Full of suspense and twists

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Fierce Kingdom was such a fantastic book, I literally could not stop listening to it. Of course, I listened to the audiobook version, narrated by Cassandra Campbell.

Gin Philips writing is truly remarkable and her prose is so eloquent, defined, and masterful. She grabs your attention in the first chapter and has the ability to make you experience a rollercoaster of emotions. One minute, I'm thinking Joan and Lincoln are safe, the next minute I'm praying for their luck to turn around.

Another positive aspect about this book is the powerful way Ms. Philips can write a scene and have the reader stop and think, "what would I do in this situation?" There were so many moments that I found myself asking that question. I LOVED Joan as a main character. She's the queen of calm--even though I knew her character was freaking out, she never displayed that in front of Lincoln or the others.

Let's talk about the audiobook. Cassandra's narration was clear, crisp, and thrilling to listen to. She had me on the edge of my seat the entire time and I loved it!!! Her voices for each character was flawless. If she had to be an old lady, she did it. If she had to be a little boy, she did it. If she had to be teen girl, she did it. And if she had to be a creepy sadistic gun loving psychopath---she did it. The production of this audiobook was amazing.

The only problem I had were the animal deaths. Not sure I wanted to imagine an elephant getting shot down. Another aspect that I'm disappointed with was the fact that Joan and her son didn't really interact with many animals. I was hoping for an intense "Joan vs. Lion" scene. Or "Monkey swoops up Lincoln to protect him" scene. There wasn't any of that. The gunman was the scariest part. I think that was the point of the novel is that humans and what society is becoming are the real animals, but I was still hoping for some vicious literal animal drama! This negative wasn't enough to keep me from enjoying the book, though. Still an amazing book!!! Loved every minute of it!!

Society is becoming a bunch of Animals!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
When I saw that the entire book takes place in about three hours I knew it was going to be a page turner. My cousin finished it in one night, and it took me just over one day to finish it. I had to know what happens.

You won’t put it down once you start reading

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I rarely go to movies, but I look forward to seeing this story on screen. Hope they leave the storyline alone.

Intense and Insightful

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
this book kept me mesmerised and wanting to read more. The author does an excellent job of reaching out and pulling and describing the truest of emotions.

excellent story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I really, really liked this book...until the last chapter. The moments of suspense were great and there were multiple times I was holding my breath with Joan. The way the author speaks of the bond between a mother and son is amazing and heartwarming. I wished the ending was clearer. I like my books to be wrapped in a pretty bow at the end and this ending was very ambiguous. I wish it had been different. Fantastic narration!

Great suspense & narration! Ending just okay.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Not only a fast-paced thriller, but also an incredibly good portrayal of motherhood. Put into words things I never could have about being a mom.

Fantastic

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Although the story was awesome, I found it really hard to relate to the main character and Lincoln was sooooo whiny it made me want to stop listening at multiple times. Definitely more of a book about motherhood than a thriller.

A book about motherhood

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Loved the book...exciting and intriguing all the way to the end...had a hard time putting it down.

Good read

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews