Category Archives: Fantasy

Review: Witchwood by Kalyn Josephson

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Witchwood by Kalyn Josephson

Witchwood (Ravenfall #3)
Kalyn Josephson
Delacorte Press
Published October 1, 2024

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About Witchwood

The third book in the “spellbinding” (Kirkus Reviews) Ravenfall series follows Anna and Colin, two kids with supernatural powers, into the magical town of Witchwood, where local witches have gone missing—and Anna might be next.

Everything is changing at Ravenfall, the magical inn that best friends Anna Ballinkay and Colin Pierce call home. The leaves are turning golden, the air is as crisp as a harvest apple, and Anna’s older twin sisters are leaving for college… but at least Anna and Colin have finally reunited after a summer apart, just in time for a new magical mission.

When their mission is interrupted by a mysterious attack that forces them to seek shelter, Anna and Colin head to Witchwood, a spooky lakeside town where magic doesn’t have to be hidden. Anna is excited to reunite with her aunt and cousin, who she hopes might teach her more about Jewish magic—except her cousin seems to hate her. Especially once Anna realizes that she’s a witch, just like them.But rude cousins are the least of their problems, because they soon discover that witches are going missing in Witchwood. And if Anna and Colin can’t stop whatever sinister force is making them disappear, Anna could be the next target…

My Review

I’ve had a great time reading this series. Witchwood is the third book in the Ravenfall series, and the first one in which most of the story takes place away from Anna’s sentient house/inn. This time, she and Colin end up visiting Anna’s aunt and cousin who live in an entirely magical town called Witchwood.

Anna has a lot to learn about the traditions and magic from her dad’s side of the family. Learning these things helps her make sense of her identity in a new way, but it doesn’t always come easily. Her relationship with her cousin is especially challenging, and it takes Anna a long time to understand the reasons why.

The story alternates between Anna and Colin’s perspectives, so we also learn more about Colin’s fear of being on his own and his uncertainty about his abilities, especially the life magic that sets him apart from other members of the Ravenguard.

The story emphasizes having confidence in one’s abilities and balancing that with building and depending on a supportive community. I loved the way the story balanced those two elements and the humorous moments between Max (the cat who is not a cat), Anna, and Colin kept things light.

I’m really excited to read the fourth book in the series, Ravenguard, which comes out this September.

Readers who enjoy contemporary fantasy that’s heavy on the fantasy elements will find lots to love here. Bonus if you love books with cats in them.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
It’s clear that two characters have a crush on one another.

Spiritual Content
Anna learns more about her Jewish heritage, including holiday celebrations and traditions. Some characters have the ability to perform magic. Magical creatures, such as jabberwockies and kelpies exist in the story.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Brief battle scenes. Kidnapping of a parent.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I borrowed a copy of this book from the library. All opinions are my own.

Review: Shadow Apprentice by Linda Browne

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Shadow Apprentice (The Garrison Chronicles #1)
Linda Browne
Crooked Mile Media
Published May 8, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Shadow Apprentice

FINALIST, THE WISHING SHELF BOOK AWARDS 2024

13-year-old Ermin is a gifted mechanic and the worst student at St. Anselm’s Training School for Orphans. She’s just failed her exams for the third time—something nobody’s ever done. Worse, Ermin’s been running her own repair business for money, something that’s expressly forbidden. If the headmistress finds out, Ermin will go to prison. Her future will be over before it’s even begun.

But that’s not her only secret.

Her best friends, Colin and Georgie, are wizards in a world where magic is strictly controlled. Ermin worries that her friends will be captured, drained of their power, then banished. When Georgie’s caught aiding the Wizard’s Resistance, Ermin repairs a broken flying carpet so all three of them can escape.

Hesitant to join the Resistance because of her lack of magical power, Ermin steals an experimental device from a wizard hunter that could destroy every wizard in the Creek. She’s faced with a choice: either smash the device or convert it into a different kind of weapon—one that not only helps wizards but just might get her an apprenticeship at the prestigious Guild Academy.

Ermin’s got one chance to get it right. If she fails, she risks losing her two best friends… and her dreams.

My Review

I read this book as a total impulse/mood read. I have a pretty structured review calendar, but I needed a break, so I browsed my Kindle app for something that would grab my attention. Initially, I planned to read the first page of the book and see what happened. The next time I looked up, I had read 25% of the story, and it was past bedtime. Ha!

Shadow Apprentice is a lean fantasy with memorable characters and a fast-paced plot. I loved the steampunk elements in the book. Ermin has a natural ability and intuition for fixing mechanical problems. What she doesn’t have, though, is a gift for working out complex spell equations, something she’ll need to continue with school and have a career fixing things.

The connection between magic and math through spellwork equations was a fascinating one. It made perfect sense in the story, and I’m sure many readers who struggle with math will identify with Ermin’s feelings about it.

Ermin and her two best friends are the central characters, although the story is told from Ermin’s perspective. I loved the way they look out for each other, even when they have different ideas about how to solve a problem they face.

The story world has a lot going on. At the beginning, Ermin is a student at a boarding school. Wizards, people with natural magical ability, are hunted, arrested, and stripped of their magic. Street gangs (made up mostly of kids) recruit other unhoused kids and press them into working for them. A resistance group opposes the treatment of wizards and fights against their unjust treatment.

Ermin and her friends find themselves caught between these warring factions. Figuring out who wants her help versus who plans to take advantage of her or her friends isn’t easy.

Conclusion

The plot gripped me all the way until the final pages of the book. I would absolutely read more of this series. I think fans of magic school type stories will like this one. It reminds me a little bit of The Hunt for the Hollower by Callie C. Miller.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 9 to 14.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
A few references to characters having crushes on other characters.

Spiritual Content
Some characters have the ability to perform magic.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Ermin and her friends face threats from street gangs who would press them into working for them or banishment for those found to have magical ability.

Drug Content
Passing reference to pubs.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I purchased a copy of this book and enjoyed it so much I wanted to share my review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Guardians of Dawn: Yuli by S. Jae-Jones

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Guardians of Dawn: Yuli (Guardians of Dawn #3)
S. Jae-Jones
Wednesday Books
Published August 19, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Guardians of Dawn: Yuli

Princess Yulana has a few problems. Her late grandfather has died without naming an heir, civil war threatens to tear the Morning Realms apart, a strange waking dreamer sickness is sweeping through the land, and a plague of hungry ghosts roam the steppes. On top of all of that, Kho, her former best friend turned rival, is getting under her skin. A struggle for power divides the north, and the outcome rests on the winner of the Grand Game―a competition that will determine not just the future of her people, but the course of the entire empire.

When the world is out of balance, the Guardians of Dawn are reborn.

As the Guardian of Wind, it is Yuli’s responsibility to bring order to chaos, along with the Guardian of Fire and the Guardian of Wood. But can she restore balance to the Morning Realms when she can’t even win the political games being played at home? The fate of the Morning Realms depends on the Guardians of Dawn, and whether Yuli can manage both the demonic and political chaos at once.

My Review

I had a feeling that this would not be the last book in the series, since each book follows a different Guardian of Dawn, and there are four of them. Sure enough, though this book contains its own satisfying plot, it sets up the fourth story and the stakes for the guardians and their allies.

Like the others in the series, this one has a large cast and the narrative follows more than one point of view. This book stuck more closely with the three guardians and a love interest, so it felt more compact to me than the first two books. I enjoyed each viewpoint. Zhara, Ami, Yuli, and Kho are all so different from one another. It was always pretty easy to remember who was telling the story at any given moment.

The plot moved at a nice pace. Of all the books so far, I think I read this one the fastest. I really enjoyed the fairy tale story elements. There’s a great balance between the original story and the fairy tale-inspired themes.

I’d still recommend this series to readers transitioning to young adult from middle grade fiction. The action can be a little intense, but the writing and other components keep this feeling like a perfect read for a younger YA audience.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
A few instances of profanity.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
Some characters have the ability to perform magic. A few characters are Guardians of Dawn, specific magic-wielders tasked with protecting the world. One character has the ability to compel others to do things. The narrative includes references to reincarnation. The characters pay close attention to the ki of others and the world around them. An evil force which some refer to as anti-ki, or demonic energy, causes harm. Demons emerge from a tear between worlds and can possess people and objects.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Brief battle violence.

Drug Content
Yuli assumes people acting strange are drunk until she realizes something more nefarious is going on.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: The Legendary Frybread Drive-In edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith

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The Legendary Frybread Drive-In
Edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Heartdrum
Published August 26, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Legendary Frybread Drive-In

Featuring the voices of both new and acclaimed Indigenous writers and edited by bestselling Muscogee author Cynthia Leitich Smith, this collection of interconnected stories serves up laughter, love, Native pride, and the world’s best frybread.

The road to Sandy June’s Legendary Frybread Drive-In slips through every rez and alongside every urban Native hangout. The menu offers a rotating feast, including traditional eats and tasty snacks. But Sandy June’s serves up more than it hosts live music, movie nights, unexpected family reunions, love long lost, and love found again.

That big green-and-gold neon sign beckons to teens of every tribal Nation, often when they need it most.

Featuring stories and poems Kaua Mahoe Adams, Marcella Bell, Angeline Boulley, K. A. Cobell, A. J. Eversole, Jen Ferguson, Eric Gansworth, Byron Graves, Kate Hart, Christine Hartman Derr, Karina Iceberg, Cheryl Isaacs, Darcie Little Badger, David A. Robertson, Andrea L. Rogers, Cynthia Leitich Smith, and Brian Young.

In partnership with We Need Diverse Books.

My Review

This collection was so much fun to read. My favorite was the short story by Jen Ferguson. As soon as I saw that the main character’s name was Berlin, I got so excited. It’s a continuation of the story and characters from Those Pink Mountain Nights, which is my favorite of her books that I’ve read so far. I also loved Angeline Boulley’s short story– if I’d missed her name, I would have spotted her writing immediately.

I’m less familiar with the other authors in the collection, but I enjoyed getting to read their work. A couple of the stories are told in verse, and both were wonderful. I also loved that Darcy Little Badger used direct messages and a tabletop game to tell her story.

Gathering at Sandy June’s Legendary Frybread Drive-In unites all the stories together. Sometimes characters from one story encounter characters from another story while they’re there. Sometimes they speak with an elder or grandparent who imparts wisdom.

The collection celebrates food, intergenerational relationships, and having a safe space to be oneself. It also highlights the unique experiences of different tribes while honoring the commonalities. This would be a great collection for a classroom or home library. Readers looking to find new Indigenous authors to read will easily find new favorites here, too.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
References to Creator and Indigenous traditions.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
One character’s brother used drugs (not shown in-scene).

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: The Tea Dragon Society by Kay O’Neill

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The Tea Dragon Society (The Tea Dragon Society #1)
Kay O’Neill
Oni Press
Published October 31, 2017

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Tea Dragon Society

From the award-winning author of Princess Princess Ever After comes The Tea Dragon Society, a charming all-ages book that follows the story of Greta, a blacksmith apprentice, and the people she meets as she becomes entwined in the enchanting world of tea dragons.

After discovering a lost tea dragon in the marketplace, Greta learns about the dying art form of tea dragon care-taking from the kind tea shop owners, Hesekiel and Erik. As she befriends them and their shy ward, Minette, Greta sees how the craft enriches their lives—and eventually her own.

My Review

I can’t believe it took me so long to read this book! It’s been on my reading list for years. At first, I didn’t think I would like the size of the book (it’s very tall, about 8.5″ by almost 12″), but the way that the panels are drawn, the book needed to be larger. So, the size makes sense.

The pages are pure K. O’Neill magic. Adorable illustrations and sweet storytelling fill the pages. We follow Greta, a girl learning blacksmithing from her mom, who becomes friends with a couple who keep tea dragons. The tea dragons each grow a different kind of tea on their heads or backs. They’re shy and so cute!

The book is divided into four parts, one for each season of the year. Greta and Minette, another girl learning about tea dragons, become friends, too. The whole vibe is cozy and sweet, which is absolutely perfect if you have a young reader just beginning to journey into middle grade graphic novels or an older reader who just needs a cozy fantasy read.

My daughter and I read this one together and are very much looking forward to the next book in the trilogy.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
One image shows a couple leaning their foreheads against one another. Another image shows one character kissing the other on the cheek.

Spiritual Content
The story contains mythical creatures, such as dragons who grow tea leaves on their bodies.

Violent Content
A few images show a person armed with a sword facing down a foe.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. All opinions are my own.

Review: Phantom Academy by Christine Virnig

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Phantom Academy
Christine Virnig
Aladdin
Published August 26, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Phantom Academy

Lindsay Currie’s Scritch Scratch meets The School for Invisible Boys in this fun romp of a middle grade novel about a newly dead boy who faces a spooky new school hiding an unearthly mystery.

After an unlucky collision between a coconut and the top of his head, twelve-year-old Finn joins the ranks of the recently deceased…and of the students at Phantom Academy. The academy is a spectral boarding school for underage ghosts finding their footing in the afterlife, and Finn is the new kid at school.

He doesn’t understand why ghosts have to take tests and do homework. Or why making friends doesn’t get any easier even when all the students have a very big thing in common. As the new class of middle schoolers get to know each other, it becomes clear something is happening behind the scenes of their new academy.

Can Finn and his classmates figure out their afterlife and crack the mystery?

My Review

I remember enjoying Virnig’s debut middle grade book, A Bite Above the Rest, so I was excited to read this one. The opening scene surprised me. I feel like I’m not supposed to laugh at the main character’s death, but I did. In the first few lines, we learn Finn is killed by a falling coconut. The ridiculousness of the situation got me, which I can only assume was the point, since otherwise, it’s a tragic beginning.

Finn soon reaches the Phantom Academy, where he’s sentenced to– I mean, directed to spend– the next five years in ghost school. As he’s learning the ropes of Phantom Academy, he meets other young ghosts and makes friends. He discovers a controversial talent but doesn’t understand whether it’s an asset or a liability.

The ghostly landscape is fun and imaginative. Some things are never explained, though. The ghosts eat, but the food is particularly gross. Apparently they also pass the waste as well. The process is revisited several times throughout the story, but we never learn why (beyond the apparent humor).

I tend to enjoy stories about building a community and getting to know someone different rather than leaping to conclusions about them, and those themes shine here. At first, Finn has some adversarial feelings about his teachers and the others at the Phantom Academy. As he actually begins to listen, he learns there’s usually an explanation for why people behave the way they do. And some of the people he mistook for villains turn out to be valuable parts of his team.

If you’re looking for a creepy story for the fall season that’s more goofy than scary, check this one out.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Characters are ghosts.

Violent Content
The opening line describes the main character dying after getting hit on the head with a coconut.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.