A Copycat Conundrum will be released on January 7, 2025. It is the second book in the Misfits series and is preceded by A Royal Conundrum.

Olive and her fellow mystery-solving Misfits have solved their first case and cemented their home at RASCH, the quirky arts academy that acts as cover for a top-secret group of crime fighters solving the most mysterious misdeeds.

But now new oddities are springing up throughout San Fransisco. Olive’s classmate Zeke has started receiving threatening notes as he digs into his family history. A series of unexplained earthquakes have spread across the city. And expensive art pieces are going missing…

It’s up to the Misfits to track down the perpetrator of this new, bigger crime—and put the pieces together before whoever’s responsible gets away for good.

A Copycat Conundrum was such a fun read! I loved the madcap wit and adventure of the first book in the series, and though second books often struggle to live up to that momentum, this one never does. Olive and the other Misfits crack this second mystery with the same humor, heart, and brilliant character relationships that made A Royal Conundrum so much fun. Even more so than book 1, A Copycat Conundrum has a fabulously quirky supporting cast, with a bevy of new characters whose oddities and surprises made the mystery all the more entertaining, and getting to know the Misfits themselves better was so much fun. I’ll definitely want to get my hands on a finished copy once this one comes out to admire all the final illustrations! I highly recommend A Copycat Conundrum who are looking for a fun series in the tradition of Mrs. Smith’s Spy School for Girls and The Mysterious Benedict Society.

​adventure / ages 9+ / ARC / fiction / friends / humorous / illustrated / middle grade / mystery / sequels / series

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own. 

By Nico

Princess Ash is not in for a happy homecoming. After six years away from the capital, she returns to find the country embroiled in political conflicts her brother a stranger, and the court decidedly hostile—and all too ready to question her aptitude because of the cane she uses to get around.

So when Ash meets Splinter, she couldn’t be more excited. Splinter—aspiring knight, determined friend, not quite a girl. Splinter is determined to become a knight like her brother, and Ash has the power to earn her that dream. And if neither is seen as entirely orthodox by the rest of court? Well, at least they have each other.

As their friendship develops, though, Splinter and Ash find themselves uncovering something far more sinister than disapproving squires. And when they discover the lengths the nobility is willing to go to gain power, the two new friends might be their kingdom’s only hope.

If you liked Sir Callie and the Champions of Helston or Alanna the Lioness, Splinter & Ash should be next on your to-read list. This fast-paced, fierce tale was one of my most anticipated reads this year is a reason, and it was a lot of fun to read. Splinter and Ash are both great protagonists, and the almost mystery-like element of the developing understanding of the political conflicts made it a quick read. Though defiant, it lacked much of the emotional intensity of books like Sir Callie, taking a more traditional MG fantasy feel to display Splinter and Ash’s struggles throughout the story. I would’ve loved to see several threads and characters of this story explored more deeply, and I’m hoping that’ll arrive in subsequent books in the series. I recommend Splinter & Ash to readers ages eleven and up looking for a story of friendship, hope, and perseverance set against a fantasy world.
​
fantasy / middle grade / friendship / LGBTQ+ / series / ages 11+

By Nico

Ballister Blackheart is the kingdom’s newest villain—but once, he was its brightest rising star alongside Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin, who he’s still more than a little bit in love with. Nimona is an irrepressible young shapeshifter determined to be his evil sidekick, who poses a far greater threat to the kingdom than Ballister ever could’ve been alone.

Ballister and Nimona set their sights on proving his innocence and taking down the institutions that have branded them both villains. But that means forcing Nimona to trust someone else—and as Ballister gets to know his new sidekick better, he realizes that who—and what—Nimona is might be far more complicated than he’d bargained for.

Nimona is absolutely incredible. It’s a rare book I fall so fully in love with from the very beginning, but Nimona not only managed that, it kept it up for the whole story. This book is for the ones who love villains, who want a different take on a corrupt society, who want a resolution that’s perfect for the book but not exactly a stereotypical happily-ever-after. Featuring brilliantly witty humor, a chaotic cast of characters, and fabulous stylized artwork, do yourself a favor and pick up Nimona as soon as you can.

To begin with, the characters are brilliant. Nimona’s brash, action-focused personality, Ballister’s measured caution, and Ambrosius’s almost tortured idealism create a fantastic combination of characters whose clashes, disagreements, and, slowly, trust, are both entirely natural and so much fun to read. But they’re also all deeper than they appear on the surface, and as I better understood each of them, I couldn’t help but be blown away by the depth and complexity Stevenson manages to impart in a medium that sometimes makes it tricky to truly get into character’s heads.

And while crafting these incredible characters, Stevenson makes it impossible for me to stop laughing. This book is simply funny—chaotic, outlandish, and weird in the best possible way. Humor is often one of the hardest things for a book to maintain from the first page to the ending, particularly when also weighing in on heavier topics, but Stevenson does so with such deftness he makes it look easy. Nimona never falls even slightly flat, and it has a truly fantastic ending—one that I went into certain there was no way the book could wrap up that would feel satisfying, and yet entirely manages to do exactly that.

Nimona also includes a variety of both explicit and implicit queer characters and themes, and the author has spoken publicly about how he created Nimona as a subtle reflection of his own trans experiences. (For anyone who also enjoys movie adaptations, these threads are explored more fully in the animated adaptation, which is also fabulous!) However, it’s also a dissection of classic villain/outsider narratives of all kinds, questioning villainy, heroism, and how we treat those we determine to be ‘other’, and I truly believe it can connect with a profound range of experiences.

​I highly recommend Nimona to readers ages ten and up who want a quirky, action-packed whirlwind of a book that will make you think and feel and laugh and finish it wanting more than anything just to read it all over again. 

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions expressed here are my own.

Mallory in Full Color will be released on November 19, 2024.

Mallory is an expert on pretending. She’s so used to becoming whoever the people around her need her to be—the perfect daughter, the agreeing friend, the responsible older sister—that it’s no wonder she finds it so easy to put herself in the shoes of completely different characters in her anonymous online webcomic.

But it’s also exhausting—and when she starts skipping swim practice to attend the local library’s comic club, she can’t figure out how to be herself, especially when confronted with her new friend Noa, an effortlessly confident enby who Mallory can’t help but develop a crush on. If she’s as outgoing and self-assured as Noa, surely they’ll like her, too.

But when her webcomic goes viral and her classmates start guessing who its author is—and Mallory finds herself increasingly uncomfortable as the drag queen story hour she and Noa are planning is faced with mounting backlash—Mallory must decide: keep pretending to be someone she’s not to please everyone, or face the consequences for her lies and discover who she really is.

Despite a strong concept and story elements I typically enjoy—queer self-discovery, developing friendships, standing up against library bans, artsy protagonist—I failed to truly connect with the characters, storyline, and writing voice of Mallory in Full Color. Although I understood Mallory’s struggles with expressing herself around different people, it didn’t altogether ring true.

I think this was partially because the aspects of the setup which made me believe that Mallory acting in this way were truly necessary were virtually debunked by the end. For example, the conflict between her friends made me believe some of their friendships would fall apart if Mallory was authentic, and the anger they felt upon discovering Mallory’s comics about them was legit. However, the ease with which all of them accepted Mallory felt almost anticlimactic, making Mallory’s anxiety appear misplaced rather than legitimate. I appreciated the happy ending, but the book’s execution made it feel like a middle-grade friendship version of the infamous miscommunication trope.

That said, I think middle schoolers who are struggling with the same need to people please as Mallory will connect with her and find the ending reassuring rather than flat. Her introduction to Noa, who is nonbinary, and the backlash over drag queen story hours and other public library events also provided a thoughtful and realistic introduction to gender diversity and homophobic/transphobic attitudes.

In short, although I don’t think Mallory in Full Color will become a favorite of most outside of its target audience, I think it’ll both be enjoyed by and helpful for the middle schoolers it’s written for.

3.5 stars

By Nico

Amari and the Despicable Wonders is the third book in the ongoing Supernatural Investigations series. It is preceded by Amari and the Night Brothers (#1) and Amari and the Great Game (#2).

Amari Peterson is running out of time. The supernatural world teeters on the verge of war, and both sides have declared her the number one enemy. One of her closest friends is beyond Amari’s reach. She can’t trust anyone—not even Quinton, who insists that keeping her out of trouble is the only way to keep her safe.

But when Amari learns that Dylan Van Hesling, new leader of the League of Magicians, is after a series of destructive artifacts called the Despicable Wonders, she knows it’s up to her and her friends to stop him first—even if it means risking the ultimate sacrifice.

I’ve adored every book in the Amari series, and this third installment was no exception. Alston has an incredible ability to craft the kinds of books that make me fall in love with middle grade all over again, with the deft writing, fast pace, and incredible characters that make his stories consistently some of the best I read in a year. It’s not often I come across a series that maintains such a high level of excellence across multiple books – but Alston makes it look easy with the Supernatural Investigations series.

​Three aspects of this series consistently stand out to me: the plot, the characters, and the worldbuilding. Each book is filled with quick twists and plot changes whose only consistency is my inability to predict where the story is headed next. Amari inhabits what’s truly one of the most distinct and real worlds I’ve had the pleasure to recently come across, with the perfect balance of quirkiness and realism. And the characters are truly incredible—at turns irritating and relatable, hilarious and heartbreaking, I truly would follow them wherever they choose to go next. I can’t describe how happy I am to know there will be two more Amari books to enjoy! I highly recommend Amari and the Despicable Wonders (and the entire series) to readers ages eleven and up searching for an absorbing, magical world that you won’t want to leave. 

Sir Callie and the Witch’s War is the third book in the ongoing Sir Callie series by Esme Symes-Smith. The previous books are Sir Callie and the Champions of Helston (book 1) and Sir Callie and the Dragon’s Roost (book 2).

As war comes to Helston and Dumoor becomes an uncertain haven, Callie, Willow, Elowen, and Edwyn must forge new paths if they ever want to see each other again—let alone the future they’ve all dreamed of. But doing that will mean facing their worst fears without the support, friendship, and camaraderie they’ve come to rely on from one another. And their failure will leave Helston and Dumoor alike bound for an even more terrible future than they could’ve imagined.

The Sir Callie series is truly one of the best middle-grade series I’ve ever come across, and this latest installment is no exception. Thoughtful, emotionally deep, and queer- and nonbinary-focused MG fantasy books are hard enough to come across on their own, but to find not just a standalone but an ongoing series that is all this and more is truly remarkable—and Sir Callie is exactly that. This third book in the ongoing series left me satisfied, validated, and wishing the fourth book was already out!

For me, the emotional heart of this book lies with Edwyn. He’s one of the most striking and real characters throughout the series (which is a hard distinction to make when every character is so incredible!), and seeing him come into his own during Sir Callie and the Witch’s War was truly wonderful. Anger, betrayal, love, hate, self-doubt—every one of his emotions jumps clearly off the page and makes me care about and sympathize with him even more.

Symes-Smith juggles the plotlines of Edwyn, Elowen, and Willow/Callie with flawless skill. Many middle grade books ignore the traumatic realities of young people, but this series never does, and instead of skirting around painful topics it faces them head-on and authentically portrays the challenge of loving and accepting yourself after struggling all your life to believe you deserve to be loved exactly for who you are. As someone whose own life has elements of these characters’ experiences, the validation and comfort in finding this reflected in a middle grade novel was incredibly healing, and I just want to reread it immediately now that I’m done.

This series truly keeps getting more and more incredible, and I can’t wait to read more about these characters and from this author! Highly recommended! 

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions expressed here are my own.

Like a Curse will be released on October 22, 2024. It is the sequel to Like a Charm, and closes the Like a Charm duology.

Now that Ramya Knox has discovered that there’s a whole world of Hidden Folk existing under her nose in Edinburgh—and that she’s a witch—she’s determined to defeat the sirens and learn what her newly discovered family is like without their looming threat. And, with the siren Portia’s influence rapidly spreading over the human and magical worlds, Ramya knows she has to act fast. The only problem is that she has to master her magical abilities first…and that turns out to be much harder than she’s bargained for.

Alongside old and new friends alike, Ramya must rally her magic and her determination if she wants to defeat Portia before she suffers a defeat she won’t be able to recover from.

I’ve rarely read an incredibly satisfying, self-contained book followed by an equally brilliant sequel. Like a Curse, though, is exactly that. I truly loved Like a Charm, blending fantasy and realism into something I couldn’t help but adore, and the sequel fully lived up to my expectations.

Once more, I unabashedly adore Ramya. Her determination, anxiety, and struggle to prove herself made it difficult to put down her story, and her relationships (especially with Opal) truly gave the book shine with new depth. Although I don’t want to spoil the book, I will say that I particularly loved the ending. McNicoll manages to bring together this duology’s many threads—friendship, magic, neurodiversity, forgiveness, understanding, secrets—and create an incredibly satisfying conclusion that put a spin on fantasy unlike anything I’ve ever read.

I highly recommend Like a Curse (and the Like a Charm duology) to readers ages nine and up who enjoy middle-grade fantasy and are looking for a book that puts a twist on the genre.

An e-ARC of this book was provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions expressed here are my own.

The Night Mother will be released on October 8, 2024.

Night cloaks Madeline Tock’s small town. She spends her days with her father on their graveyard island across the river, where she listens to the whispers of the dead as they journey beyond. They whisper a warning, too: to fear the creator of the constant night.

The Night Mother: half a myth, who crosses the sky with her lantern to harvest the souls of the dead. Only she’s gained a taste for power and the freedom that eternal night allows her—and the living souls it enables her to harvest.

When the Night Mother comes for Madeline’s village and her father, she’s determined to prevent her from stealing them all away. But the Night Mother wants something from Madeline too, and Madeline soon realizes that she can bring back the sun—if only she can defeat the Night Mother first.

The Night Mother delivers a dark fairytale of a story accompanied by gorgeous, detailed illustrations. The art is absolutely beautiful – Sharpe’s layered images are full of color and precision and fully absorbed me. Perhaps best of all, the art perfectly matches the feel of the story, crafting an immersive experience that I absolutely loved. At times, I felt it could be a little text-heavy, reading more like an illustrated book than a graphic novel, but especially past the opening scenes there was a better balance between text and art – and I think that might’ve been partially because I just loved the art so much that I wanted to see more of it!

​I really enjoyed the story as well. The Night Mother truly feels like a fairytale – but rather than the sanitized versions commonly found today, it harkens back to the dark roots of the Grimm Brothers, where a happily-ever-after was far from guaranteed. Although a relatively simple story, it unfolds with smooth precision, introducing in a relatively short page count a variety of compelling, fascinating characters, most of all so Madeline and the Night Mother. I hope to read future volumes of this story! I recommend The Night Mother to lovers of older middle-grade, original fairytales, and dark fantasy ages eleven and up. 

Never Thirteen is the sequel to Forever Twelve by Stacy McAnulty, and finishes out the series.
It will be released on October 1, 2024. 

After a near-death mistake and becoming an Ever—cursed to stay forever twelve—Ivy struggles to find her footing among her new family of Evers, and leave behind the future dreams that she’s imagined for so long.

Fellow Ever Abigail is determined to make Ivy’s life normal again, but the sacrifice is too great to reverse what she’s done. Unless there’s another way…?

Ronan’s a psychic, and it turns out that Evers and psychics are supposed to be mortal enemies—at least, that’s how his family views the situation. But he cares too much about Ivy to simply leave her behind…

Ivy, Abigail, and Ronan will have to work together to unravel the real secrets behind remaining forever twelve if they want their lives to have a chance of becoming normal again.

I was a fan of the first book in this duology, Forever Twelve, and the sequel didn’t disappoint. The strong cast of characters, unusual magic system, and tight writing propel this story forward to a satisfying conclusion. The entire cast—but especially Ronan, Ivy, Abigail, and Este—feel authentic and multifaceted, and the character relationships are also excellent, providing the perfect balance of genuine caring and antagonism to become completely real. I particularly loved the increasingly detailed understanding of the Evers and psychics, and how these worldbuilding aspects that were only broadly painted in the first book were given more attention and unraveling. That said, I struggled a little with the ending, and though I truly can’t think of a better resolution, I would’ve loved a slightly more satisfying conclusion.

I recommend Never Thirteen (and the first book) to readers ages ten and up looking for a quirky, character-driven fantasy series. 

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions expressed here are my own. 

By Nico

When Zach and his friends get attacked by a monster from another world, it’s hard not to panic. After all, even his worst problems—like his struggles in school and grandmother’s illness—are firmly grounded in modern, normal Australia.

Then Zach and his friends are introduced to the Tower, a secret organization spanning the globe that detects magical interlopers like the one they encountered and banishes them before they can wreak havoc. They’re given the choice to simply remain silent about what they’ve seen or become full members of the Tower—where they can defeat the otherworldly creatures and learn to harness the magical currents that flow between the worlds to perform spells themselves.

Zach’s life seems to be looking up. He’s literally learning magic—and, with his newfound healing abilities, he might even be able to save his grandmother. But keeping half of his life secret is more complicated than he could’ve imagined, and Zach must decide whether he’s willing to do what it takes to become the mage his friends, and the Tower, needs him to be.

The Tower Between is a fun, fast-paced middle-grade series opener for fans of world-within-our-world stories and ensemble casts. The very idea of the Tower grabbed me immediately, and loved digging into what truly felt like how such an organization would exist within our modern world—with all the associated complications, practicalities, and sci-fi edge! The threads of folklore, science fiction, and more found in the other worlds accessed through the Tower were very strong, and lent those worlds a lot of personality.

​I would’ve loved to get to know Zach and his personal conflicts/life a little better—the subplot with his grandmother lent his character a lot of dimensionality, and I would’ve loved to see more of that with the rest of his family. That said, I feel like the relationships and characters within the primary cast were extremely well fleshed out. I often find it hard to keep track of large casts, but I didn’t have that problem with this book, as they all had a distinct flair and personality. I particularly loved the magic system here—although different schools or categories of magic can easily feel cliché, their execution here makes them truly come alive and feel different from others I’ve read. I recommend The Tower Between to readers ages ten and up who love fantasy adventures with big casts of characters.

Thank you to the author for providing an e-copy in exchange for an honest review! All opinions expressed here are my own. 

Greta will be released on September 10, 2024.

The world around Greta is changing far too quickly for her to keep up. Between an upcoming move, entering middle school, and her longtime best friend, Lotti, getting distracted by boys, Greta feels left behind by the fierce, never-ending changes around her that she doesn’t feel part of. When a boy finally takes notice of her, she thinks maybe this is her chance to become part of this incomprehensible new world. But instead, she’s left shattered, scared, and even more lost than before.

As she struggles to put words to what’s happened to her, even to Lotti, Greta starts to change, in ways utterly different than everyone around her. But while her newfound differences are looked at askance by those around her, for Greta, they’re a way to become herself at last: to find beauty, and freedom, with a kind of change that finally feels right.

If you like straightforward, predictable stories with familiar characters and beats to provide escapism and a quick laugh, Greta is absolutely not something you’ll want to read. But if you’re more like me—someone who enjoys deep, thoughtful, and fundamentally unexpected stories—I highly recommend this book.

I finished this book a week ago now, and I’m not exaggerating when I say I’ve thought about Greta every day during that time period. I’ve read hundreds, maybe thousands, of middle-grade books, and I can think of few others that possess the same combination of incredible oddity and incredible humanity.

It took me several chapters to get into the story, as the uncanny, almost surreal aspects of it only begin appearing once Greta’s normal life is established. However, I was so interested in the premise that I didn’t even consider stopping reading, and it definitely lived up to that. The whole story has a dreamlike quality overlayed on a fundamentally realistic portrayal of middle school which gave it a truly unique atmosphere, and I particularly loved how the characters, including Greta, responded to the changes in her life.

Greta is the rare book that truly leaves you with more questions and answers, and yet imparts such a fundamental sense of peace and well-being that you can’t help but feel satisfied after finishing it. I highly recommend Greta to readers ages eleven and up, particularly those who enjoy unique and thought-provoking stories.

​An e-ARC of this book was provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Impossible Creatures will be released in the US on September 10, 2024.

When Christopher fishes a griffin out of a mysterious lake, he hardly expects an even more remarkable girl to follow it. But Mal does just that—and she needs his help.

Mal and the griffin are from the Archipelago, a hidden pocket of magic in the modern world where creatures out of storybooks thrive. Despite its glorious possibilities, though, not all is well in the Archipelago; magic is vanishing, and the creatures that rely on it to survive are vanishing too. Mal is determined to uncover what’s going wrong, and to do that, she needs Christopher.

Together, they traverse the islands in search of an answer to the waning magic, which will require not just human allies but aid from the Archipelago’s hidden creatures to uncover. But when the cost to cure the islands is revealed to be one Mal and Christopher may not be willing to pay, they must rely upon all their wits—and their friendship with one another—to save the Archipelago, and the world, before the damage becomes irreversible.

Impossible Creatures effortlessly calls to mind the character-driven, worldbuilding portal fantasies that made me fall in love with middle-grade fantasy to begin with, while balancing a plot original enough that I never was even tempted to roll my eyes at a cliché turn of phrase or twist. Recalling elements of, at turns, The Neverending Story, The Book of Three, and The Dark is Rising, all accompanied by a set of gorgeous illustrations that made me think of Greenwild, I’ll definitely be recommending this beautiful, timeless story.

To be honest, I was a bit skeptical of reviews that heralded Impossible Creatures as a modern classic, but within a few pages I understood immediately what they meant. Rundell’s writing is absorbing and immersive, with the kind of open, uncomplicated prose that makes it easy to get lost in without even realizing it. I really loved the cast, particularly Mal and Nighthand, whose dimensionality helped make the whole world feel more believable. I was a bit startled by the ending, but the promise of a series makes me believe that my initial reaction will be thoroughly resolved in later books.

Overall, I highly recommend Impossible Creatures to readers ages ten and up who are looking for a new fantasy series to obsess themselves with, or anyone who loves a good fantasy story with well-thought-out characters and twists.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions expressed here are my own.

By Nico

The Night Compass is the fourth book in the ongoing Wilderlore series; it is preceded by The Accidental Apprentice (book 1), The Weeping Tide (book 2), and The Ever Storms (book 3).

After the death—or murder—of the Tundra’s Keeper, Barclay and his friends head straight there to investigate. But it’s soon clear that far more is afoot: Audrian Keyes is on track to find Navrashtya, the missing Legendary Beast of the Tundra, and the only way to stop him is to find her before he does.

Alongside a team of talented Lore Keepers, Barclay and his friends set out for the unmapped northern regions of the Tundra, searching for any hint of Navrashtya. But Barclay soon finds his own way to track the Beast—a mysterious wild lore that no one else can feel…no one else, that is, except Audrian Keyes.

As they draw closer to Navrashtya and Barclay struggles to control the wild lore, he and his friends must stop Keyes before he deals irreversible damage to the Tundra—and shakes their confidence in the world they’re all determined to protect.

I’ve loved every book in the Wilderlore series, and The Night Compass was no exception. The halfway point is where too many series falter, but Wilderlore does the opposite here; it feels as though Foody has hit her stride in this series and with these characters, and I can’t wait to see where it goes next. Fast-paced, multifaceted, and with Foody’s trademark incredible worldbuilding, I sped through this book and was left wishing book five—and books six and seven, for that matter—had already been released.

The characters, as always, are awesome. At this point in the series I feel like I know all of them so well, which gives each of them the opportunity to grow and change and connect with each other in unexpected ways. In particular, I need to give a shout-out to Yasha and Keyes, and the developing relationships between both of them and Barclay. The twist with the wild lore is truly brilliant, and not only does it add extra depth to Barclay’s character, it gives Yasha and Keyes so much more complexity—and dangerousness.

I also loved this chance to dig more deeply into the world of Wilderlore. The journey through the Tundra puts Barclay and his friends closely in touch with the wilderland even without the addition of wild lore, and I can’t wait to learn more about this world in the next few books. I highly recommend The Night Compass (and the entire Wilderlore series) to readers ages ten and up, particularly anyone who loves multi-part fantasy series and fast-paced narratives. 

By Nico

For Ty, getting through the day means standing up to a couple of middle school bullies, not defeating a magical dictator. But that’s before he follows a crow through a portal that leads him to Arcania—a parallel world where magic is not just real, but expected.

At first, it seems a dream come true, but there's a catch: for years now, Arcania has been ruled by Emperor Blackthorn, whose army of sorcerers and crows keeps down any dissent. An emperor who, as soon as he learns of Ty's presence in Arcania, will hunt him down.

Alongside Ayslenne, a girl from his school whose constant talk of magic makes much more sense now that he knows she's Arcanian, Ty sets off to find a way to get home—and save Ayslenne's brother, who was abducted by Blackthorn's crows. But as he learns more about Arcania, and his place within it, Ty finds himself questioning whether he can turn his back on this world so easily, and if he might be the one who can change everything.

River of Crows is a great read for fantasy lovers who are just beginning to fall in love with the genre. Though set primarily in another world, the story felt very accessible to readers less used to complex fantasy worlds. Following along with many familiar tropes—tyrannical ruler, Chosen One prophecy, portal fantasy—allows the details of Arcania to stand out without becoming confusing or convoluted, and helps keep readers engaged. That said, because of these tropes I believe people who frequently read fantasy might find it a little harder to get into. I particularly enjoyed the character relationships in River of Crows; the conflict between Ayslenne and Ty, as well as the supporting cast, made everyone feel more realistic. I recommend River of Crows to readers eight and up who are looking for a fast-paced, accessible fantasy series starter. 

Thank you to N P Thompson for sending an e-copy in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own. 

By Nico

The Last Ice Phoenix is the second book in the ongoing Heroes of Havensong series by Megan Reyes, which began with Dragonboy.

After a face-off with Chancellor Cudek that nearly destroyed the Meraki’s island, the four friends heralded as the Heroes of Havensong should be ready to face whatever comes next. Instead, with Blue stuck in a deep slumber, Wren on the verge of exile, River dreaming of her lost home, and Shenli struggling to come to terms with his new life, the four are more fractured than ever.

But Chancelor Cudek isn’t interested in giving them time to regroup, and events have already been set in motion. Back on the mainland under Cudek’s thumb, Shenli must grapple with his own history—and his priorities—to choose a path that will alter the course of the future. After exile by the Meraki elders, Wren finds herself among strangers whose secrets might be the key to unlocking Cudek’s weakness. And when an unexpected sickness sweeps across Meraki Island, Blue and River must seek out the last ice phoenix to provide a crucial piece of the remedy—even if neither is quite sure that they’re heroes after all.

There’s nothing I love more than a fabulous sequel that lives up entirely to the expectations set by the first book. The Last Ice Phoenix does this exactly. Although it took me a bit to dig into this story, probably because it’s been close to a year since I read the first book, before long I truly couldn’t put it down. A fast-paced plot, fascinating worldbuilding, and great characters have made this series one I’ll keep highly recommending, especially to fans of series like Wilderlore or Septimus Heap.

It’s often hard to get to know all the characters when a book is told from multiple points of view, but especially in this book I felt like I was able to connect with Blue, Wren, River and Shenli all so deeply. I particularly love how the characters—particularly Shenli—have some of the most developed and thoughtful character arcs I’ve read in this genre lately. Although this book often stepped into more intense territory, placing it solidly in upper middle-grade, I felt that it was essential to turning what easily could’ve been a predictable story into one with so many unique twists and characters that I can’t believe I’ll have to wait another year for book 3! I highly recommend the Heroes of Havensong series to readers ages eleven and up.