Darin Kennedy is the author of over twenty books, including one of my favorite recent reads, The Mussorgsky Riddle. The novel is the first of his Fugue & Fable trilogy. I confess, most of the fiction I’ve been consuming lately has been either in the form of an audiobook or helpfully read to me by …
The Ghost Collector by Allison Mills Genre: Paranormal Age category: Middle Grade Release Date: September 10th, 2019 Review There’s lots of kidlit out there about extraordinary children–children who have magical powers or are secret saviors of hidden worlds or just prodigies of some kind. It’s empowering with a sort of general understanding from readers that …
The Last Atlantian by Mikki Noble Genre: Urban Fantasy Age category: Young Adult Release Date: December 13, 2019 Spencer did not plan to work on her birthday. She didn’t plan a lot of things, but they happened anyway. Like, when she touched a guy and he turned into a gold statue, or when some stranger …
The Hidden Girl and Other Stories by Ken Liu Genre: Speculative Fiction/Short Fiction Age category: Adult Release Date: February 25th, 2020 Review Happy 2020! We’re starting the new year with our first (but definitely not last) review of a short story collection. Although I’m quite familiar with Ken Liu’s name, this book was my first …
What is Urban Fantasy Magazine? The original UFM was a magazine of short fiction, book reviews, interviews, and discussion of the genre. It was put on indefinite hiatus in 2016, and the domain UrbanFantasyMagazine.com expired in 2018. I was the editor for the latter half of its life and re-purchased the domain when it became …
A list of books by previous Urban Fantasy Magazine authors and staff: Emily C. Skaftun Michael T. Banker H.L. Fullerton Samuel Marzioli L. D. Colter Rati Mehrotra Jonathan Maberry Wendy Hammer Eleanor R. Wood David Tallerman Daniel J. Davis Emily B Cataneo Rhiannon Held Mike Resnick Katrina S. Forest Jordan Ellinger & Frances Silversmith
Slippers and Thieves by Christina Bauer Genre: Modern Fantasy/Fairy Tale Re-telling Age category: Young Adult Release Date: November 26, 2019 Review Slippers and Thieves is the fourth book in the Fairy Tales of the Magicorum series. In this world, certain individuals are born with a life template–a specific fairy tale will apply its rhythm and … Continue reading
It’s that time of year, so here is a list of suggested gifts for the fantasy fan/general nerd in your life. (Amazon Affiliate links) For reviews of home design software, see this list from CreativeBloq.com For Writers For Kids For Budding Board Game Fans And, finally, For Those Who Like Dragons…and Dungeons Continue reading
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster Genre: Portal Fantasy Age category: Middle Grade Release Date: September 1961 Review The Phantom Tollbooth holds a special place in my reader’s journey as a kid. It was read aloud to me in fifth grade–a grade when most kids think they’re too old to still listen to read-alouds. It’s … Continue reading
Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer Genre: Paranormal Romance Age category: Young Adult Release Date: August 4, 2020 Review At the time I first read Twilight, the book hadn’t quite exploded yet. A friend at my Bible study handed it to me when she found out I liked fantasy. And I have to confess, I would … Continue reading
A Neon Darkness by Lauren Shippen Genre: Urban Fantasy Age category: Young Adult Release Date: September 29, 2020 Review A Neon Darkness is actually my first visit to Lauren Shippen’s world. I was impressed with how easily I was able to step into it, even without the benefit of having read her first book, The … Continue reading
Sarah Lampkin is a New Adult/Young Adult fiction author from Southern Virginia. She currently resides in Northern Virginia with her cat, Fox (who is practically a dog). When she’s not writing, she’s playing video games, rock climbing, or getting ready for hunting season. Sarah began writing over a decade ago with her first novella called … Continue reading
Legend of Akikumo by Dani Hoots Genre: Fantasy Age category: Young Adult Release Date: September 15, 2020 Review Confession time: I’m an otaku. For the uninitiated, that’s a die-hard fan of Japanese animation (aka anime). I haven’t been following the latest series as much as I used to, but the enthusiasm is still there. So … Continue reading
The Second-Best Haunted Hotel on Mercer Street by Cory Putman Oakes Genre: Paranormal, Humor Age category: Middle Grade Release Date: August 18, 2020 The Second-Best Haunted Hotel on Mercer Street is a fun book that isn’t afraid to make its characters fight hard for their goals. At the crux of the story is a competition … Continue reading
Child of Destiny The Rising Saga Book 1 by M.K. Adams Genre: YA Fantasy A young orphan on the run from the King. A warlock with the power to protect her. And, the fighter holding them together. The Rive, a realm ruled by the iron grip of a war-hungry King, is on the brink of … Continue reading
Dungeon Critters by Natalie Riess and Sara Goetter Genre: Fantasy/Graphic Novel Age category: Middle Grade Release Date: September 29, 2020 Review Dungeon Critters is a fun-filled graphic novel that may take its inspiration from the standard tabletop RPG but ultimately creates into a fun and original world that stands on its own as well as … Continue reading
The Little Dog Laughed by Jackie Sonnenberg Genre: Horror Age category: New Adult (Listed in both adult and YA categories) Release Date: February 26, 2020 Review The Little Dog Laughed by Jackie Sonnenberg was one of those books where I understood what it was trying to do, but it couldn’t quite pull off the execution … Continue reading
No Ordinary Boy by Tracey Mayhew Genre: Fantasy Age category: Chapter book Release Date: October 1, 2020 Review This is UFM’s first review of a book younger than middle grade. I’ve been reading a lot in this age category lately, both for my own research as I attempt to write a book in it and … Continue reading