Category Archives: Fantasy

Review: The Blessing by Lyla Stone

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The Blessing by Lyla Stone

The Blessing
Lyla Stone
And She Was Publishing
Published May 24, 2024

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About The Blessing

It’s a fine line between a blessing and a curse.

When ancient Water Spirits seek revenge against the Forest Witch who imprisoned them thousands of years earlier for the crime of blessing one ancestral line while cursing another, they each enlist modern-day descendants as their champions in a fight to the death.

Margot comes from the blessed line. Jessica from the cursed one. Neither wants to fight someone else’s war.

As their town is pulled into a battle between land and sea, the distinction between good and evil … Continue reading →

Review: Mind Over Monsters by Betsy Uhrig

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Mind Over Monsters by Betsy Uhrig

Mind Over Monsters
Betsy Uhrig
Margaret K. McElderry Books
Published July 16, 2024

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About Mind Over Monsters

Gordon Korman meets Scooby-Doo when anxiety-prone middle schoolers try a mindfulness app that has them face their fears all-too-literally in this spooky and humorous middle grade adventure.

FACE YOUR FEARS! That’s what the meditation app with the cheesy name De-stress-o-rama is telling Lena to do. She’s one of seven always-worried middle schoolers trying out this new app to see if it can help students handle stress. But something is going wrong—very, very wrong.

The group’s fears are becoming all too real, first lurking … Continue reading →

Review: The Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher

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The Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher

The Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking
T. Kingfisher
Argyll Productions
Published July 21, 2020

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About The Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking

Fourteen-year-old Mona isn’t like the wizards charged with defending the city. She can’t control lightning or speak to water. Her familiar is a sourdough starter and her magic only works on bread. She has a comfortable life in her aunt’s bakery making gingerbread men dance.

But Mona’s life is turned upside down when she finds a dead body on the bakery floor. An assassin is stalking the streets of Mona’s city, … Continue reading →

Review: Of Jade and Dragons by Amber Chen

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Of Jade and Dragons by Amber Chen

Of Jade and Dragons (Fall of the Dragons #1)
Amber Chen
Viking Books for Young Readers
Published June 18, 2024

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About Of Jade and Dragons

Eighteen-year-old Aihui Ying dreams of becoming a brilliant engineer just like her beloved father – but her life is torn apart when she arrives a moment too late to stop his murder, and worse, lets the killer slip out of reach. Left with only a journal containing his greatest engineering secrets and a jade pendant snatched from the assassin, Ying vows to take revenge into her own hands.

Disguised as her brother, Ying … Continue reading →

Review: Goblin 2: The Wolf and the Well by Eric Grissom and Will Perkins

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Goblin, the Wolf, and the Well by Eric Grissom and Will Perkins

Goblin 2: The Wolf and the Well (Goblin #2)
Eric Grissom
Illustrated by Will Perkins
Dark Horse Books
Published July 16, 2024

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About Goblin 2: The Wolf and the Well

What would you give up to protect the one you loved? Uncover the mystery in the thrilling sequel to the fantasy adventure graphic novel Goblin.

One dark and stormy night, Rikt meets a mysterious fortune teller in the woods. Looking into his future, she foresees that his best friend and only companion, a wolf named Fish-breath, is in mortal danger. Overcome with the … Continue reading →

Review: A Magic Fierce and Bright by Hemant Nayat

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A Magic Fierce and Bright by Hemant Nayat

A Magic Fierce and Bright
Hemant Nayat
Simon & Schuster
Published July 9, 2024

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About A Magic Fierce and Bright

A young technomancer teams up with a handsome thief to save her sister in this propulsive, magic-filled young adult fantasy that is perfect for fans of Gearbreakers and Iron Widow.

Adya wants nothing more than to be left alone. Content to be loyal to no one but herself in the isolated jungles of South India, she dreams only of finding her lost sister, Priya, and making enough money to take care of their family. It’s too bad … Continue reading →