Review: Descent to Azakmar by Michael R. Fletcher
Julia Kitvaria Sarene
An excellent blend of action, world-building, humor, and heart.
middle grade
SPFBO Finalist Review: The Tenacious Tale of Tanna the Tendersword by Dewey Conway & Bill Adams
This is a traditional quest fantasy with some cool original ideas, plenty of action, strong characters and humour. In other words, something most fantasy-loving kids are going to enjoy.
Peasprout Chen, Future Legend of Skate and Sword by Henry Lien
JC Kang
Mean Girls meets Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon…on ice! (or I, Tonya meets Jin Yong) As an wuxia film aficionado, and the parent of two competitive ice skaters (word of caution…
Warriors by Erin Hunter – Series Review
A. M. Justice
When I hear my twelve-year-old weeping, I know one of two things is happening: a) she’s reached the climax of another Warriors book, or b) there’s been another tragic death…
Frances Hardinge Interview – A Skinful of Shadows
Jonathan Thornton
Frances Hardinge is one of the finest fantasy authors around. Her inventive and beautifully written YA novels, the most recent of which is A Skinful of Shadows (2017), are widely…
Candy by Lavie Tidhar
“A long buffet table on the other side was laden with sweet pastries, chocolate and cream, in flagrant violation of Prohibition. They must have been brought in from out of…
Dragonwatch by Brandon Mull
Joie
If you have not read the Fablehaven series that preceded this book, you are missing out. I will even come right out and say that I think it is better…
Deep Wizardry by Diane Duane
Jo Niederhoff
The second book in Diane Duane’s Young Wizards series, Deep Wizardry, is just as good as the first, I’m happy to say. Nita and Kit, the young wizards who thwarted…
So You Want To Be A Wizard by Diane Duane
I think it’s a safe bet that most people who visit this site have wanted to be a wizard at some point (and a safe bet that some of us…
J. K. Rowling is Better than Shakespeare
Max Freeman
Tell me if you’ve ever read these stories before: – A young male sociopath disapproves of everyone and everything around him, including any of his romantic interests. He changes nothing,…
Hereville: How Mirka Caught a Fish by Barry Deutsch
Mirka of Hereville has defeated a troll in a knitting contest and won her home back from a meteorite that tried to take her place in her family, but now…
Hereville: How Mirka Met a Meteorite by Barry Deutsch
I’ve done a post on sequels before, and on the difficulty of making them both true to the original book while still building on the world and the characters. I…