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
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
Story magic by Laurel Gale Genre: Fantasy Age category: Middle Grade Release Date: August 3, 2020 Review Story Magic by Laurel Gale has one of the more unique magical systems I’ve read about in a long while. In this world, spells are cast by calling upon invisible creatures known as “listeners” and enticing them to … Continue reading
Lobizona by Romina Garber Genre: Paranormal/Urban Fantasy Age category: Young Adult Release Date: August 2, 2020 Review The concept of this book drew me into it right away. Often realistic, contemporary problems are reserved for realistic, contemporary books. “Supernatural” tends to invoke images of escapism. But Lobizona by Romina Garber deals with a real, heart-wrenching … Continue reading
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 … Continue reading
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 … Continue reading
The Shrike and the Shadows by A.M. Wright and Chantal Gadoury Genre: Dark Fantasy/Horror Age category: Young Adult Release Date: March 3rd, 2020 Review To start off, a quick content warning: Although I have seen this shelved with YA, the content is very mature. A parent with a precocious tween would probably want to steer … Continue reading
A Violet Fire by Kelsey Quick Genre: Fantasy Age category: Young Adult Release Date: December 9th, 2019 Kelsey Quick is a novelist, artist, and businesswoman who loves her husband, huskies, and video games. Since the age of two, Kelsey has been bound and determined to create. From traditional impressionist paintings, to digital comic creation; from … Continue reading
Fighter Fred and the Dungeon of Doom by Jason A. Holt Genre: Fantasy, Humor Age category: Adult Release Date: August 1, 2019 Review This book left me feeling…conflicted. Amused, but conflicted. On one hand, it made me laugh out loud quite a few times. On the other hand, I feel if the book were stronger, … Continue reading