Fantasy

Soul of Shadow

by Emma Noyes

coming July 29, 2025

(4 / 5)

Review updated: February 16, 2026

*Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Young Listeners, and NetGalley for the free review copies of this book and audiobook. All opinions are completely my own.*

Soul of Shadow is the first book in a new series that brings us to a town in Michigan where teens are mysteriously disappearing. Our main character, Charlie finds herself drawn to a new boy in town who has some very dark secrets.

This book drew me in right from the start with its mysterious, eerie feel and detailed descriptions. It ends up diving into a lot of Norse mythology, which I was only somewhat familiar with before. I enjoyed the magical beings and hidden world that were revealed. Elias, the new boy, was an intriguing character with a magnetic pull, especially when it came to him and Charlie. He was one of those characters who you wanted to love and hate at the same time. The story took some unexpected turns a few times. Sometimes I started to piece things together a bit before they were revealed, but other times I didn’t see it coming at all. I enjoy it when things are unpredictable. The book ends without feeling completely finished, or at least with a feeling that there are mysteries that we can dive deeper into. It definitely left me wanting to continue with the series – I look forward to continuing when the next book becomes available.

For my 2nd time reading the book, I was able to listen to the audiobook version. I really enjoyed the audiobook and think that the narrator did a fantastic job. I’m really happy that the next book will have the same narrator!

The Last Wizards’ Ball

Gunnie Rose #6

by Charlaine Harris

coming July 22, 2025

(3.5 / 5)

Thank you to Saga Press and NetGalley for the free review copy of this book! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

The Last Wizards’ Ball is the 6th (and I believe final) book in the Gunnie Rose series, so you’ll want to be sure to read the previous books before this one. I’ve generally loved this series, though the last two books seem to be my least favorite.

This book kept my interest well enough. Like the other books in the series, there’s plenty of drama and mystery, though it felt less adventurous than some of the other books. Since the story centers around the Wizards’ Ball, a lot of new characters from around the world are introduced, and sometimes I had a little trouble keeping track of who was who. We get to see many returning characters as well, though I felt much less of a connection to Felicia than I had before. A major plot-point of this story was the lead-up to World War II. In some ways it was interesting to see how those events might play out in this alternate history, but sometimes it also felt a bit forced. Honestly I wasn’t thrilled with how things ended after the long journey with these characters, but I also wasn’t completely surprised. All in all I’m glad to have followed this series all the way through.

June 18, 2025 by danimae1981 Fantasy Fiction Kindle 0

A Longer Fall

Gunnie Rose #2

by Charlaine Harris

Review originally written in 2020.

(5 / 5)

A Longer Fall is the 2nd book in the Gunnie Rose series and continues to build on the alternate history world that the first book started. I highly recommend reading the books in order, as a lot of character/world building and background was established in An Easy Death.

A Longer Fall begins shortly after the first book leaves off. Lizbeth has found a new crew, and is on her first job since the events in An Easy Death. They are traveling by train, transporting a crate to Dixie, a nation made up of the southern states of the former United States. It doesn’t take long for things to take a turn for the worse, and soon there is a trainwreck and the cargo disappears. The story is filled with action and mystery as we follow Lizbeth on her quest to track down the cargo.

I was thrilled to see that the character Eli, a wizard from the Holy Russian Empire, returned in the story. He was one of my favorite characters from the first book, and I liked the relationship that had started to build between Eli and Lizbeth. Their relationship is complicated for sure, and neither seems to know where they stand with each other, but there’s lots of hints of how they each really feel. The romance isn’t the main theme of the story, but there are some non-graphic descriptions of adult relations.

While the book takes place in a fictional world, the racism and sexism that are portrayed aren’t so different from actual events, especially in that part of the country. It gives a lot of insight about how those people were treated and must have felt.

This series feels like a wonderful blend of many genres: alternate history, fantasy, romance, western, adventure, thriller. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I would like this series since I don’t usually read some of those genres, but it’s done well and I love it. I literally devoured these books, especially A Longer Fall. A few things are left unresolved at the end of the book, so I’m really looking forward to seeing where this series takes us next!

June 8, 2025 by danimae1981 Fantasy Fiction Kindle 0

Verse Book 1: The Broken Half

by Sam Beck

(4.5 / 5)

The art in this comic is just gorgeous. It really sets an atmosphere that gives it a magical feel. I thought that the Verse, which is their magical language, was especially cool. While at first it looks mysterious, it actually is close enough to English letters that I don’t even need to look at the reference to be able to translate it most of the time. You don’t need to read the Verse if you don’t want to, but I found it fun to look for the hidden messages within it. The story is intriguing, and I enjoyed following the characters’ journeys. We’re already starting to see them grow from where they started, but there’s obviously much more this can go from here. This was my second time reading this comic, but I could see myself reading it again.

May 28, 2025 by danimae1981 Comics/Graphic Novels Fantasy Fiction Kindle Young Adult 0

The Demon and the Light

The Floating World #2

by Axie Oh

coming October 21, 2025

(4.5 / 5)

Thank you to MacMillan Children’s Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends, and NetGalley for the free review copy of this book. All opinions are completely my own.

The Demon and the Light is the 2nd book in The Floating World duology and picks up shortly after the first book ends. I really enjoyed reading this book and continuing the story. Our main characters had some tough challenges to overcome, and I liked how they grew and evolved through it all. Ren and Sunho felt very relatable, and I loved the dynamic between them. It was great to see the return of many of the side characters, and I think I especially enjoyed getting to know Wook better. The story had a lot of action and excitement throughout it. I managed to find myself pretty surprised about things a few times too. My only complaint is that the ending seemed to happen very quickly and maybe not quite as dramatically as I thought it would. I think I would have liked to know a little more about what happens to the characters in the epilogue, but I’m happy enough with the way things ended and feel like most of my questions were answered. Maybe I just wasn’t quite ready to say goodbye to these characters after enjoying the series so much. I really like the author’s writing and vivid descriptions, and I look forward to reading more of her books!

April 27, 2025 by danimae1981 Fantasy Fiction Kindle Young Adult 0

The Floating World

by Axie Oh

coming April 29, 2025

(4.5 / 5)

The Floating World is the first book in a new young adult fantasy series. It brings us to a unique world where a land mass is floating above an entire city that is left in darkness.

At first I was a little unsure about this book. There’s a lot going on in the beginning, with getting introduced to this strange world and learning about various characters. But the more I read, the more invested I became in the story. It was amazing how many things ended up being interconnected, almost like pieces of a puzzle coming together. This world definitely had some dystopian vibes to it too.

Our main characters are Ren and Sunho, who each have something they are searching for and end up finding each other. I loved these characters and felt like they had a lot of depth to them. Their interactions with each other were something I really enjoyed. Some chapters also follow a 3rd character, which gave us another angle to see things.

The book brings up a variety emotions. There’s action and excitement, friendships built, and some really sad parts too. I especially enjoyed the mysterious feel it had. The book ends a bit dramatically with some questions still left unanswered and issues unresolved. I’m looking forward to the next book coming later this year, because I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Thank you to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends, and NetGalley for the free ARC copy of The Floating World! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

February 21, 2025 by danimae1981 Fantasy Fiction Kindle Young Adult 0

The Encanto’s Curse

The Encanto’s Daughter #2

By Melissa de la Cruz

Coming March 4, 2025

(4 / 5)

The Encanto’s Curse is the 2nd book in the The Encanto’s Daughter duology and takes place a few months after the first book left off. I found this story had a similar feel to the first one, though it had more romance involved. I’m not sure if I was completely a fan of the love triangle aspect, but it added a bit of mystery about how who she would end up with (though I had a pretty good idea of how that would go). I thought the ties to Filipino folklore were interesting, with the manananggal sounding downright terrifying. The book definitely didn’t lack in action and excitement, so it kept me engaged and interested in the story. I was happy with how this series ended and liked that there were some directions the plot went that I didn’t see coming.

Thank you to Penguin Young Readers Group, G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, and NetGalley for the free review copy of The Encanto’s Curse! All opinions are completely my own and voluntary.

February 7, 2025 by danimae1981 Fantasy Fiction Kindle Young Adult 0

His Mortal Demise

The Last Bloodcarver #2

By Vanessa Le

Coming March 18, 2025

(5 / 5)

His Mortal Demise is the 2nd book in The Last Bloodcarver duology, and you definitely want to read these books in order. I’ll apologize in advance that my review will be a bit on the vague side, but I want to avoid spoilers for those who haven’t read the first book yet.

This book follows the perspectives of two different characters in different points in time. From the start we know that something miraculous has happened, and while one character tries to figure out what happened, we follow the other character through the months leading up to it. This all gave the story a mysterious feel, and it sometimes took directions that I wasn’t expecting at all. I’m not going to lie, there could be a very dark feel to this story at times, with grief, war, sacrifice, and questioning morals along the way. But there was also substantial character growth that was beautiful to watch. I’m glad that we were able to see many of the characters from the first book again and explore even more of this interesting fictional world. The last chunk of the book was especially packed with action and almost had a cinematic feel to it. And let’s not forget the absolute rollercoaster of emotions I experienced along the way. I thoroughly enjoyed both books in this duology, and I look forward to seeing more from author Vanessa Le in the future.

Thank you to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, Roaring Brook Press, and NetGalley for the free review copy of His Mortal Demise! All opinions expressed in my review are completely my own.

January 11, 2025 by danimae1981 Fantasy Fiction Kindle Young Adult 0

Our Infinite Fates

By Laura Steven

Coming March 4, 2025

(3.5 / 5)

Our Infinite Fates had an interesting premise: two people, originally known as Evelyn and Arden, are fated to be reincarnated and find each other in every lifetime for hundreds of years, but each time one ends up killing the other before they turn 18. In present day Wales, Evelyn is determined to break the curse this time so she can save her ill sister.

From the beginning, I was drawn to the beautiful descriptions the book provided. Much of the story is set in the present day, but every couple chapters we visit a previous lifetime of Evelyn and Arden’s, gradually going farther back in time. It was interesting to see how their lives changed through different times, genders, and parts of the world yet other aspects of them stayed very similar. At times the book did feel a bit long and tedious – present-day Evelyn is repeatedly trying to understand why both of them must die before they turn 18, and while the past lives provide more variety, we know how it’s always going to end. Things do pick up a lot toward the end, and I was actually surprised how it all originated. As expected, this book had a lot of sad moments, though I was happy with the way it ended.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for the free review copy of Our Infinite Fates! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

December 31, 2024 by danimae1981 Fantasy Fiction Kindle Young Adult 0

The Beasts We Bury

By D. L. Taylor

Coming February 4, 2025

(4 / 5)

The Beasts We Bury is a young adult fantasy story that follows Mancella, an heir to the throne who has the magical ability to summon animals, but only after she has killed them. We also follow Silver, a thief who has been tasked with infiltrating the castle and deceiving Mancella. Things become complicated as the two get to know each other better.

I really enjoyed this book and thought both of the main characters were likable. They each had distinct personalities that were relatable. There were some interesting side characters, and Mancella’s father was a special kind of evil that made him quite a villain. I thought the magic in this world felt different and unique from other books I’ve read. Mancella’s magic could definitely be hard to read about at times since it involves killing animals, but I could also feel her despair about it all. I liked the relationship between Mancella and Silver, feeling it was believable and enough to create tension without being the focus of the story. I’m not sure if this book is the beginning of a series, but I’d definitely like to dive back into this world if it were.

I was able to listen to the audiobook version, which I thought was done very well. There were two narrators to represent the two main characters. I thought both narrators did a great job at representing the emotions and personalities of both characters.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Young Listeners, and NetGalley for the free audiobook copy of The Beasts We Bury! All opinions in my review are completely my own.