Witch Hat Atelier and the Fantasy Big Three – Manga/Anime Review
Colleen McMillan
Witch Hat is the newest anime in a string of fantasy hits. Alongside Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End (2023 – present) and Delicious in Dungeon (2024 – present), it becomes the…
June 2026
Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off #11: Finalist Announcement!
Julia Kitvaria Sarene
It has been quite a journey through our thirty books, and we have loved (almost) every minute of it. Four books earned their place as semi-finalists, each one getting their…
Of Magic and Empire by Shay Yates Roberts – Review
Epic fantasy that is expansive and adventurous without being punishing or dark.
The Artificer’s Knot by Eric Lewis – SPFBO #11 Semi-Finals Review
Reading this book was like riding a zip line above the crowds on a fairground midway. Everywhere you looked, something was happening. Danger, love, plotting, plots foiled, steam trains, steam…
Physical Magic by William C. Tracy – SPFBO #11 Semi-Finals Review
A thoughtful, inclusive fantasy with a strong emotional core, a distinctive setting, and a protagonist whose struggle with self-worth feels honest and earned.
Of Mages and Makers by Rel Carroll – SPFBO #11 Semi-Finals Review
Steampunk, chicanery, and robbery all collude to deliver a romance that is lighthearted, but which emphasizes a lesson in consent.
City of Stone by K. T. Holder – SPFBO #11 Semi-Finals Review
Overall, this is a book with a solid foundation, a lot of heart, and characters I genuinely enjoyed spending time with.
Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off #11: The Seventh and Final Fall
And that is it for our cut posts! Thank you once more to every author who entered and had the courage to put their work in front of us. We…
Try This Instead: Children’s and YA Lit Recommendations
Aly Noel
A lot of readers carry a “magical orphan child who goes to school and defeats the evil villain with help from their found family, as the prophecy foretold” shaped hole…
Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off #11: The Sixth Fall
We are nearing the end of the cut posts for this year's Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off (SPFBO)! Today we say goodbye to three more books in our Sixth Fall.
Breath of the Dragon by Shannon Lee and Fonda Lee – Review
Summer Hanford
Sixteen-year-old Jun dreams of proving his worth as a warrior in the elite Guardian’s Tournament, held every six years to entrust the magical Scroll of Earth to a new protector.…
Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off #11: The Fifth Fall
We are deeper into June and deep into the cuts for this year's Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off (SPFBO)! Today we bid farewell to three more books in our Fifth Fall.