Category Archives: Fantasy

Review: Grave Flowers by Autumn Krause

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Grave Flowers by Autumn Krause

Grave Flowers
Autumn Krause
Peachtree Teen
Published September 2, 2025

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About Grave Flowers

A twisty, dark royalcore fantasy that takes the courtly intrigue of Hamlet and infuses it with the vicious ambition of the Boleyn family. For readers who love Holly Black and Sarah J. Maas.

“A sumptuously dark tale of revenge and atonement that beautifully explores the ties both duty and family use to claim us. From the first page to the last, I was dazzled.” —Erin A. Craig, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Thirteenth Child

Marry the prince, then kill him.

Princess Madalina and her twin sister, Inessa, were born attached at the hand and separated right after. That’s the only time the sisters ever held hands. The girls’ personalities have been shaped in the Sinet family’s drive to make their kingdom more than what it is: unrespectable and loathsome, a damp place where deceit fills the palace walls like mold.

Madalina is different from her family. She’s considered the weak one and only finds peace in the garden, tending her magical flowers, which are pejoratively called grave flowers because they are ideal for torture and torment. Secretly, she dreams of escape and a new life.

Then Inessa, who was betrothed to the heir of a wealthy kingdom—Prince Aeric—gets trapped in Bide, a terrifying purgatory, and begs Madalina to set her free. Now, not only must Madalina take her sister’s place as Aeric’s bride-to-be, but she also must finish Inessa’s secret mission: Inessa wasn’t just sent to marry Prince Aeric, but to kill him, too, and solidify a profitable pact with his traitorous uncle.

On behalf of her family, Madalina will need to resist the infuriatingly clever prince—as well as her own heart—if she’s to free her sister and finish the job.

My Review

Dangerous plants star in this twisting tale of love and political intrigue. At first, it seems the flowers are simply a quirk of the fantasy world, and Princess Madalina’s passion project. As the story progresses, we learn more about the king’s experiment with them. It takes time for the connection between those experiments and the challenges Madalina faces to become apparent.

I liked the tenuous connection between Madalina and Aeric. They bond over their neglectful childhoods and the loss of parents they were closest to. They both hide big secrets.

I do wish there had been more explanation of Aeric’s behavior, though. Sometimes he would say wildly romantic things about wanting to protect Madalina forever and kissing no one else but her, as his betrothed. But then he would be aloof and remote at other times. I get that in those moments he withdrew on purpose. I think I just wanted a little more connecting of those two disparate parts of his personality, especially at the end.

Madalina and Inessa were born conjoined twins, separated at birth. The fact that they were conjoined is hidden from everyone but their parents. They each bear a scar on their hands from their separation. The scar connects them in strange ways, so the plot depends on conjoined twin magic in some places.

On the whole, the story world is dark and imaginative. I think that will appeal to a lot of readers looking for dark fantasy right now. The romance is tender and stays pretty PG, which makes this accessible to a broad audience.

Readers who enjoyed House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig or A Forgery of Roses by Jessica S. Olson will want to check this one out.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
One instance of mild profanity.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. References to human trafficking.

Spiritual Content
Grave flowers have supernatural abilities. Drinking the nectar of one flower reveals someone’s secrets. Another flower’s roots can devour a human. Madaline sees spirits or ghosts of people who have died. The people generally worship the Primeval Family, a group of powerful deities, who sit in judgment over humanity in the afterlife. One can sidestep facing judgment by being sent to Bide, a purgatory-like place.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Several descriptions of murder. After her death, Inessa visits Madaline, but her body undergoes strange changes, such as decay and a hunger for unusual things, including an insect. Between the chapters of the story, records of experiments with the grave flowers show violent deaths, some at the hands of the plants themselves. References to child abuse and execution. Brief body horror.

Drug Content
Characters drink wine at social events. The prince tricks Madalina into drinking more wine than she intended, so she lowers her guard in conversation with him. The prince is apparently drunk in several scenes.

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 Leaving Room by Amber McBride

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Poetry, Young Adult/Teen 12-18

The Leaving Room
Amber McBride
Feiwel & Friends
Published October 14, 2025

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About The Leaving Room

Gospel is the Keeper of the Leaving Room—a place all young people must phase through when they die. The young are never ready to leave; they need a moment to remember and a Keeper to help their wispy souls along.

Gospel assumes that there are countless other Leaving Rooms because many children pass, but she suspects they are not like her Leaving Room which is small (like a walk in closet)with shelves full of tiny jars that hold the memories of those who have gone.

When a random door opens and a Keeper named Melody arrives, their souls become entangled. Gospel seriousness melts and Melody’s fear of connection fades, but still—are Keepers allowed to fall in love? Now they must find a way out of the Leaving Room and be unafraid of their love. They must claw their way back to their bodies because there is so much more life to explore—together.

My Review

I think it’s really cool that this story was inspired by a real experience that her dad had. It’s hard to say more without spoiling the plot, but I liked that she pulled something from her family history for the story. The author’s real family recipes also appear throughout the book as the main character makes desserts and drinks for the people who come to her Leaving Room.

Like some of Amber McBride’s other work, this story explores the space between life and death, and the power of human connections. It looks at how we cherish memories and one another.

In some ways, I think this was the most straightforward storytelling that I’ve ever read in a book from this author. I liked the story a lot, and I didn’t mind the straightforward feel to it.

I felt like I knew Gospel right away. The story is broken into short scenes written in verse. We meet several people who come through Gospel’s room. Eventually Gospel discovers the connection between the stories and realizes she must make a critical choice. The whole story takes place over the course of four minutes. It’s a quick read that had me putting pieces together along the way and finally reveals itself at the very end.

If you’ve read Amber McBride’s books before, I feel like you’ll already know what to expect from this one. If you like ethereal novels in verse that explore spiritual spaces, put this one on your reading list!

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
Gospel and Melodee are Keepers of spaces called Leaving Rooms, a space between life and death. There, they help souls prepare for what comes next.

Violent Content
References to an accident. Brief, vague references to homophobic behavior.

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.

Review: The Labyrinth of Souls by Leslie Vedder

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The Labyrinth of Souls (The Labyrinth of Souls #1)
Leslie Vedder
G. P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Published February 11, 2025

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About The Labyrinth of Souls

A darkly inventive fantasy for fans of Tim Burton, about a girl who can see Nightmare creatures from the forbidden Labyrinth of Souls.

In the Kingdom of Spinar, there are seven rules for safeguarding your soul from the Sorrows and Nightmare creatures—most importantly: never, ever enter the Labyrinth of Souls.

Ix Tatterfall has always been an outcast with big secrets: She can cross into the Labyrinth, home to the powerful Sorrows, and she can see strange Nightmare beasts when no one else can. Some, like the shadowy Inklings or bothersome Stubbed Toads, are merely a nuisance. Many more—like the Jimber-Jawed Hounds—are dangerous. Even deadly.

But something is very wrong in the Labyrinth. A terrible new Nightmare—a raggedy scarecrow called Jack—has been ravaging the misty maze, gobbling up wraiths and lost souls and allowing Nightmares to seep into the Waking World.

On one forbidden trip, Ix comes face to face with Jack. Worse, she’s apprehended by Candle Corps, an elite magical group that protects the kingdom against Nightmares. Instead of exile, Ix is allowed to enter the mysterious Candle Corps Academy. For the first time, she’s surrounded by others who can see what she sees: Morrigan Bea, a hot-tempered girl who might be a monster; Ollie Pembrooke, a shy boy who loves books and Dreamchaser dogs; and Hanky the Inkling, Ix’s faithful Nightmare companion.

But more and more Nightmares are bleeding into Spinar. Raggedy Jack is on the hunt for something—someone—from the Waking World.

Ix Tatterfall herself.

My Review

This book has such a creative story world. I loved all the names of the nightmare creatures, like Weighty Sloths, Teasel Weasels, and Sleepless Mice. The book description has it right– this feels like the kind of story world that Tim Burton would bring to the screen. Whereas I sometimes find Burton to drift into darkly gross storytelling, this book is more in the vein of darkly charming.

The characters are phenomenal, too. Ix has never had a friend besides the Nightmares before coming to Candle Corps Academy, but she soon warms up to the intrepid Ollie and moody Morrigan. Those three make a great team, and the story hints at the beginnings of a found family with Captain Kel and his husband. It’s super sweet.

I’m always a fan of a book with a cat-who-is-not-a-cat, so I loved Smiles, the mistcat who befriends Ix and helps her while she’s in the Labyrinth. The Labyrinth was an interesting landscape, too. I liked that it responded to people’s emotions, and that Ix, who felt weak and lost in the real world, had power and confidence in the Labyrinth.

If you’re looking for a spooky read that gives lots of Halloween vibes paired with a charming story world, this will be a perfect pick for the season. It’s also a really fun series opener about kids at a magic school, so reach for this next time you have a craving for something like that.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Reference to romantic relationships between adults.

Spiritual Content
Contains fantasy creatures made of shadows. Some are harmless while others intend harm. The creatures live in the Labyrinth, a realm between life and death. An elite magical group called the Candle Corps protect people by capturing nightmare creatures. If someone’s soul becomes separated from their body, they will die.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Monsters attack or trick the characters. Someone threatens to kill one character unless others do what they want. Some members of Candle Corps bully Ix and another character or say prejudicial things to them.

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.

Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday

I’m sharing this post as a part of a weekly round-up of middle-grade posts called Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday. Check out other blogs with posts about middle-grade books today on Marvelous Middle-Grade Mondays at Always in the Middle.

MMGM Review: The Song of Orphan’s Garden by Nicole M. Hewitt

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The Song of Orphan’s Garden
Nicole M. Hewitt
Feiwel & Friends
Published January 21, 2025

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About The Song of Orphan’s Garden

Combining the gentleness of Miyazaki, the wintry wonderland of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and the whimsicality of Newbery winner The Girl Who Drank the Moon, Nicole M. Hewitt’s debut middle-grade novel, The Song of Orphan’s Garden, is an enchanting fantasy tale with all the makings of a new classic.

In an arctic world that’s getting colder every day, Lyriana’s only hope of survival is to get her little brother Zave and herself to the fabled Orphan’s Garden. It’s rumored to be the one place in the world not controlled by deadly Winter Spirits or ruled by the tyrant Giant king. In Orphan’s Garden, healing trees will melt away Winter’s pains, and Lyriana and Zave can live safely in the warmth of Spring. If the garden exists, they must find it. They won’t live much longer without it.

Brob, a Giant boy, also needs sanctuary. When the Giant king banishes his family to the Winter Blight, it’s a death sentence. Orphan’s Garden is his family’s only hope, and as far as Brob’s concerned, it belongs to him. After all, he was the one who accidentally used an ancient magic to grow the garden years ago. He has no intention of sharing his haven with pesky humans, who will just use up its magic and ruin it.

When it becomes clear that Orphan’s Garden is in danger of being destroyed, Lyriana and Brob are the only ones who can save it—but only if they can put the ages-old battle between Humans and Giants aside and find a way to work together.

My Review

I’ve heard so much about this book this year that I couldn’t wait to finally get my hands on a copy. I read this whole book in less than 24 hours. It’s written in verse, and alternates back and forth mainly between Lyriana and Brob’s perspectives. The lines in Lyriana’s scenes are very short compared to Brob’s scenes, which was cool. It kind of reflected their different sizes.

I kind of figured out what was missing from the magic very early in the book, but I loved watching the characters coming to those realizations. The way that the author uses music in connection with magic is also really cool.

I do wish there had been another young female character besides Lyriana. I think the group of kids has other girls in it, but they don’t contribute much individually. Several female characters sacrifice themselves to save the people they love, too. I think it would have been cool to have that not restricted to a role that women in the story played.

On the whole, though, this story captivated me from the first chapter to the last. I love that the author wrote this fantasy novel in verse and still created what feels like a rich story world and unforgettable characters.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Contains characters who are giants. Each season has spirits who help or harm depending on their natures. References to a deity called The Composer. Songs draw forth magic called Fermata. Some giants can use Fermata to make plants grow. A special tree has the power to heal those who climb into its branches.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. References to battles between humans and giants. Death of a parent. Appearance of death of a sibling.

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.

Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday

I’m sharing this post as a part of a weekly round-up of middle-grade posts called Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday. Check out other blogs with posts about middle-grade books today on Marvelous Middle-Grade Mondays at Always in the Middle.

Review: If Looks Could Kill by Julie Berry

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If Looks Could Kill
Julie Berry
Simon & Schuster
Published September 16, 2025

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About If Looks Could Kill

From Printz Honor–winning and New York Times bestselling author Julie Berry, a true-crime-nailbiter-turned-mythic-odyssey pitting Jack the Ripper against Medusa. A defiant love song to sisterhood, a survivors’ battle cry, and a romantic literary tour de force laced with humor.

It’s autumn 1888, and Jack the Ripper is on the run. As London police close in, he flees England for New York City seeking new victims. But a primal force of female vengeance has had enough. With serpents for hair and a fearsome gaze, an awakened Medusa is hunting for one Jack.

And other dangers lurk in Manhattan’s Bowery. Salvation Army volunteers Tabitha and Pearl discover that a girl they once helped has been forced to work in a local brothel. Tabitha’s an upstate city girl with a wry humor and a thirst for adventure, while farmgirl Pearl takes everything with stone-cold seriousness. Their brittle partnership is tested as they team up with an aspiring girl reporter and a handsome Irish bartender to mount a rescue effort, only to find their fates entwine with Medusa’s and Jack’s.

My Review

What a cleverly told story. I love that the book centers the female characters and their role in helping others, especially those threatened by a serial killer and those forced into human trafficking. The story includes a lot of real people, which I always find fascinating. Detailed notes in the back of the book clarify what was real versus where the author took artistic license.

Most of the story is told from Tabitha’s perspective, and I absolutely loved her voice. She’s spunky and speaks directly to the narrator, sometimes noting her reaction to the way that people around her behave. At first, she and Pearl don’t see eye to eye or get along. But it’s not long before they realize they have a shared interest in helping another girl escape from a local brothel.

A sweet romance develops between Tabitha and someone she meets while working with the Salvation Army. The romance develops slowly, partly because Tabitha at first assumes her hopeful beau is interested in the lovely Pearl rather than her. The two eventually recognize one another’s feelings, and that added a some warmth to the story.

As someone who grew up watching the movie version of Guys and Dolls, I really appreciated the descriptions of the Salvation Army and their efforts to preach the Gospel on the streets. I had to laugh at Pearl’s relentless boldness in a few moments.

The story pulls together a lot of separate elements, from the work of the Salvation Army to the poverty and abuse of girls within widely known trafficking ring to the murders of Jack the Ripper to a reimagining of the mythical Medusa. The disparate parts fit together so nicely. I love that the author also creates space to celebrate faith in the midst of this tale as well.

Fans of historical fiction with a bit of magical realism will not want to miss If Looks Could Kill.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 15 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. References to girls being forced into sex trafficking. It’s implied that one character was assaulted by a family member.

Spiritual Content
Tabitha and Pearl are both members of the Salvation Army and take their faith seriously. Both girls have spiritual experiences in which they pray for direction and receive answers. Some characters transform into Medusas, with snakes for hair and a gaze that stuns or petrifies their victims.

Violent Content
Brief graphic descriptions of murder and dismemberment. One character uses slivers of human organs to try to make a potion that will cure illness. See sexual content for more information.

Drug Content
Some scenes take place in a saloon or pub and show (adult) characters drinking alcohol or smoking.

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 Essential Christmas Classics by Charles Dickens, ETA Hoffman, et al

Anthology or Collection, Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , ,

The Essential Christmas Classics Boxed Set by
Charles Dickens, E. T. A. Hoffman et al
Aladdin
Published October 7, 2025

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About The Essential Christmas Classics Collection (Boxed Set)

Celebrate the holidays with this collection of Christmas classics, including A Christmas Carol, The Nutcracker, and a collection of holiday short stories—together in one hardcover boxed set!

Celebrate the season with this collection of popular holiday stories from Christmases past. This set includes E. T. A. Hoffmann’s The Nutcracker, the story of a girl’s Christmas gift coming to life and battling the sinister mouse king, which later inspired Tchaikovsky’s popular holiday ballet. Next is A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens’s renowned novella about the miserly Ebeneezer Scrooge being confronted with his greed and learning the meaning of Christmas.

Rounding out the set is TheTwelve Classics of Christmas, a collection of twelve holiday short stories. From favorites like Clement C. Moore’s “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” and O. Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi” to lesser-known tales from beloved authors like Louisa May Alcott, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and the Brothers Grimm, this anthology is the perfect way to count down to Christmas.

My Reviews

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

This isn’t the first time I’ve read this classic Christmas tale, but it’s the first time I’ve read it in print in a while. Some of the language in this edition is updated to make it a little more modern, but the story still resonates with its powerful themes about charity, kindness, and caring for others.

One element from the story that I can’t unsee is its antisemitic tropes in the setup of the characters of Ebenezer Scrooge and Jacob Marley. Both are miserly men who worked as moneylenders and refused to offer charity to others.

Another icky component is the writing about the famous disabled character. Dickens uses the overly angelic and wise beyond his years Tiny Tim to emphasize the poor and disabled as in need of pity.

I like the message about giving charitably, lifting others up, and offering kindness to those around us as central to the Christmas spirit. It’s strange to think that when I grew up, no one considered this novel as antithetical to the Christian message about Christmas. I’m not sure that is still true.

Certainly anyone believing empathy is a sin would find Scrooge facing eternally punished for refusing to give his wealth to the poor mightily uncomfortable at least. Which is absolutely wild. If you went back in time to my most fervent evangelical days and told me that many of the church leaders I so looked up to would reject empathy and charity as wicked, I wouldn’t have believed you.

Nevertheless, I think that with some additional discussion about the ableism and harmful stereotypes, this book still serves as a reminder of the central values of the Christmas holiday. A lesson far too many of us need to remember.

Content Notes

Recommended for ages 10 up. Ableism surrounding a disabled character. Racist Jewish stereotypes. A total of four ghosts (including his former partner) appear to Scrooge, spiriting him through Christmases of the past, present, and future.

The Nutcracker by E. T. A. Hoffman

This is the original story that inspired the famous ballet by the same title. It’s easy to see how the ballet emerged from the book, but a lot of things happen in these pages that didn’t make it to the stage. Drosselmeier, the clever Godfather who fixes the family’s clocks and makes incredible mechanical toys, appears more morally gray than his ballet counterpart. He makes fun of the main character (named Maria, not Clara) for liking the Nutcracker, whom he intended as a gift for the family, not specifically for her. At one point, he tells a long story to Maria and her brother that spans several chapter and involves a conflict between a king and a mouse queen. This story reveals the identities of the two sides battling in Maria’s playroom.

One thing that I found strange is that Maria is only seven years old when the story takes place. Yet at the end, she gets married to an adult man. It’s also super weird that Maria’s Godfather appears to know the (human) identity of the Nutcracker, but he gave him to Maria’s family as a Christmas gift.

It was interesting to read the original story and see how the ballet was inspired by the elements of the tale. I’m not sure I would have read this book on my own. I think today’s young readers will need some additional context for some moments in the text. Readers curious about the origins of the Nutcracker ballet may find this book appealing.

Content Notes

Recommended for ages 10 up. Situations of peril. A battle between toys and mice leaves toys broken and some mice dead. Descriptions of capturing and killing mice. A mouse torments a girl at night.

Twelve Classics of Christmas by Various Authors

This collection of short Christmas stories features some familiar tales, such as the famous poem about the night before Christmas, the Grimm Brothers’ story of “The Elves and the Shoemaker”, and “The Gift of the Magi” by O’Henry. Other stories might be less familiar than their authors. Short stories by L. Frank Baum, L. M. Montgomery, Louisa May Alcott, Charles Dickens, and F. Scott Fitzgerald appear in the collection.

The stories by Alcott and Montgomery were my favorites. Both centered on the idea of charity being a central value of the Christmas holiday. They reminded me of the kinds of characters in their novels, so I enjoyed that. Other stories were a little darker, including “A Kidnapped Santa Claus” in which a team of demons who live near Santa’s workshop kidnap the jolly old elf in order to sow chaos among the children on earth. Dickens offers a predictably eerie story about a cruel gravedigger’s encounter with goblins that makes him change his ways.

Content Notes

Recommended for ages 10 up. Some stories contain magical or spiritual creatures such as demons, goblins, etc. The elves appearing in one story at first have no clothes. (There are no illustrations in the collection.) Some stories contain mentions of going to church. Two stories mention the birth of Jesus and contain characters searching for him.

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