Reviews written by Jan Farnworth, Digital Manager/Blog Assistant and Staff Reviewer

If you’ve ever wished you could step back into the Belladonna world to spend a little more time with its characters, Holly is precisely that kind of gift. This festive novella by Adalyn Grace wraps gothic fantasy, gentle mystery, and holiday charm into a cozy seasonal read that feels like...

Magic, mayhem, and the myth you make for yourself. Every once in a while, a book comes along that feels like a big, glittery burst of fun — the kind of story that reminds you why you fell in love with reading in the first...

Every so often, a fantasy book comes along with a premise so deliciously unique that you can’t help but dive in headfirst. Midnight on the Celestial is absolutely one of those books. Dark glamour, magic gone wrong, a luxury cruise ship that turns into a nightmare after dark—Julia Alexandra delivers...

Every once in a while, I stumble on a fantasy book that reminds me why I fell in love with the genre in the first place. A Method for Magic and Misfortune by Craig Kofi Farmer is one of those books—smart, funny, and bursting with heart, all wrapped up in...

Fred Gracely’s Misfit’s Magic: Twisting in Time continues his enchanting middle-grade fantasy series with even more heart, humor, and magical mayhem. This sequel picks up the story of Goffren, the misfit teen wizard whose powers are as unpredictable as his life. Once again, Gracely blends coming-of-age themes with a rich...

Plot in brief: Goff, the protagonist, is trying to leave behind his magical past and settle into an everyday life at Amworth Academy, a boarding school. But magic and danger find him anyway. A secret mission, ominous dreams, witches at his school, and a plot to build a new magical...

Frances Hardinge has long been known for her uncanny ability to weave words into darkly enchanting worlds, and The Forest of a Thousand Eyes is no exception. This novel draws readers deep into a lush, unsettling landscape where every leaf seems to whisper secrets and the line between the living...

Fred Gracely’s Misfit’s Magic: The Last Halloween is a spellbinding middle-grade fantasy that perfectly captures the spirit of being an outsider while weaving in a darkly whimsical adventure full of magic, friendship, and courage. It’s a heartfelt and imaginative story that feels like Harry Potter meets Halloweentown, with a dash...

Robot Island by Cary Fagan is a whimsical and thought-provoking children’s adventure that blends humor, heart, and a touch of science fiction. At its core, it’s a story about discovery—of strange places, unexpected friends, and what it means to be human. The story follows a young boy who...

DasGupta does an excellent job of evoking Paris in the late 19th century—both the glitter and the grime in her debut Middle-Grade novel, Secrets of the Snakestone. The contrast between the social stratification, the underworld of the sewers and catacombs, and the spectacle of circus life creates vivid, immersive environments....

For fans who enjoyed the first book’s battle scenes and fast-moving plot, this sequel delivers. The opening is very action-oriented, and the tension grows as mysteries around Neptune deepen. Incorporating dragons tied to planets and moons in our solar system gives the story a mythic scope. Neptune’s dragons are being...

The Last Dragon on Mars is easily one of the most interesting middle-grade titles I've ever read. It blends sci-fi and fantasy to explore Greek mythology, human greed, resistance, hope, and faith. With dragons being a popular title across the board, from young kids to adults, what could you do...

Set in a darkly shimmering Edwardian Paris where worship of the Roman gods never ended, A Riddle of Thorns drips with Gothic atmosphere, sizzles with romantic tension, and confounds with intricate puzzles and long-buried mysteries. When Sana Gupta turns 18, she heads back to her childhood home, thinking she...

Embrace the Serpent is a swoony story about ambition, love, and monstrosity. It's about everything that can turn our hearts hard, our ability to trust closed, and the pieces of our hearts that can be consumed by power. With jewelsmithing magic, I loved Embrace the Serpent's unique world-building premise. And...

This final book in the Dark Shores series is an epic fantasy with an incredible cast of characters and multiple romances sprinkled throughout. From chapter one, my adrenaline was pumping, and I’m telling you it did not stop until the end! I felt like I held my breath the entire...