Tag: young adult fantasy

ALC Book Review: Deathly Fates by Tesia Tsai

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Fantasy Romance
Length: 368 pages
Author: Tesia Tsai
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Release Date: April 14th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A sweeping debut inspired by the Chinese folk practice of necromancy, Deathly Fates is perfect for fans of Descendant of the Crane, The Bone Shard Daughter, and A Magic Steeped in Poison.

As a corpse-driving priestess, a holy servant paid to guide the deceased home, Kang Siying has never feared death. But when her beloved father collapses due to his declining health, Siying realizes that even she is not free from the cruel grasp of mortality. Desperate to provide her father with the medical aid he needs, Siying accepts a dangerous job that promises a generous commission, and travels to a hostile state to retrieve the corpse of a missing prince.

But the moment Siying places her reanimation talisman on the dead prince’s head, rather than make the corpse obedient to Siying’s commands, the talisman brings the prince back to life. Worse, he won’t stay alive for long―not unless he absorbs enough qi, or life force, to keep his soul anchored to his body.

In return for a reward worth twice her original commission, Siying agrees to aid the frustratingly handsome prince in finding and purifying evil spirits for their qi. But as they journey across the countryside, encountering vengeful ghosts and enemy spies alike, they gradually uncover dark secrets about the prince’s death―secrets that could endanger both Siying’s father and their entire kingdom.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the gifted audiobook.

GREAT DEBUT.

I had a good time with this one! I feel like it’s hard to find fantasy standalones that work well and this is an exception. I loved the audiobook narrator and it made for an easy listen.

I loved the soft romance between Slying and Ren was just right and I appreciated it was young adult appropriate. It’s more so in the background and just right for the plot. I liked the unlikely allies aspect and how they learned to work together while Ren removed the wool from his eyes about his situation.

It wrapped up well for me and I think it closed the loop on enough storylines to not have any major issues. There wee some tender family moments and heightened action that were balanced well. I will be keeping an eye out for Tsai’s next book!

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: moderate
  • Content warnings: murder, attempted murder, loss of a loved one

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Book Review: The Otherwhere Post by Emily J. Taylor

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Fantasy Romance
Length: 400 pages
Author: Emily J. Taylor
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s
Release Date: February 25th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The New York Times bestselling author of Hotel Magnifique returns with another glittering dark fantasy about a deadly mystery that spans worlds and a teenage girl who must risk everything to uncover the truth.

Seven years ago, Maeve Abenthy lost her world, her father, even her name. Desperate to escape the stain of her father’s crimes, she lives under a fake name, never staying in one place long enough to put down roots.

Then she receives a mysterious letter with four impossible words Your father was innocent.

To uncover the truth, she poses as an apprentice for the Otherwhere Post, where she’ll be trained in the art of scriptomancy—the dangerous magic that allows couriers to enchant letters and deliver them to other worlds. But looking into her father’s past draws more attention than she’d planned.

Her secretive, infuriatingly handsome mentor knows she’s lying about her identity, and time is running out to convince him to trust her. Worse, she begins to receive threatening letters, warning her to drop her investigation—or else. For Maeve to unravel the mystery of what happened seven years ago, she may have to forfeit her life.

COLOR ME SURPRISED.

This was not on my radar until I had multiple friends reach out and say that I needed to go check it out. THEY DID NOT LET ME DOWN. I enjoyed this one a lot. It had some Divine Rivals vibes that I could get behind but felt like its own story.

I thought the magic system was interesting (if not, slightly confusing, I’m not sure I still 100% understand). All of the script writing and enchantments were intriguing to see and watch at how that progressed the story.

I liked Maeve as the FMC though she also drove me up a wall with the amount of times she spent running away or saying she was going to run away. There was a repetitive nature to her monologue that took me out of the story.

The romance was sweet though. I enjoyed Maeve and Tristan. They had my favorite kind of banter filled scenes but also a lot of moments where they could be closer and let each other in. It’s not the main focus of the story but I thought genuinely enhanced it. The mystery mostly kept my attention too which was nice.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy + Romance
  • Language: very low
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low

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ARC/ALC Book Review: The Faraway Inn by Sarah Beth Durst

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Cozy Fantasy
Length: 384 pages
Author: Sarah Beth Durst
Publisher: Delacorte
Release Date: March 31st, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

After a devastating heartbreak, a teen girl decides to spend her summer helping her eccentric great aunt manage her quaint Vermont inn–but this fixer-upper is hiding a magical secret–in this cozy and irresistable new fantasy from the New York Times bestselling author of The Spellshop.

Sixteen-year-old Calisa is desperate for a change of scenery after her lying ex ruins her perfect Brooklyn summer. When her parents suggest she head to rural Vermont to help her great-aunt run her cozy bed and breakfast for a few months, she jumps at the chance.

But when Calisa arrives at the B&B, she’s shocked to find a rundown inn with only a handful of guests. And to make matters worse, upon meeting with her great-aunt it quickly becomes clear that Calisa was not invited. Auntie Zee is determined to keep anyone from messing with her beloved inn…even if it is clear she needs the help.

To earn her keep, Calisa sets to work fixing up the inn, enlisting extra help from the groundskeeper’s (handsome) son. But the longer she stays, the more it becomes evident that there is something strange about the B&B—and its residents. Something almost…otherworldly.

The inn is keeping a magical secret—but to protect the place she’s come to love, Calisa must unravel the truth of it, and her aunt, before it’s too late.

Thank you PRH Audio for the gifted audiobook and Get Underlined for the gifted copy.

NICE AND COZY.

One of these days I might give a five star to a cozy fantasy but at least I’m still overall liking them. I’m continuing to enjoy SBD’s writing style and the themes she adds to her stories.

The pacing was my only issue here. I think I just really like an edge to my fantasy books. But if you’re someone who’s all in with cozies, don’t miss this one. I appreciate that it is good for a young adult audience and kept themes in the same tone. I liked seeing Calisa work hard and be open to the ideas and world around her. She’s caring and well-meaning and found an escape by staying at the Inn.

I liked the soft romance and personality of Jack was just right. He’s so dang sweet and I adored watching them figure things out together. I’m glad that Jack got his moments for his character arc too. The family dynamics worked for me and I think the push and pull between Calisa and Auntie Zee made sense. They had to butt heads a lot to break down some walls and find a way to reconnect.

All of the characters who stayed at the inn were charming and added a delightful little touch throughout. I loved the idea of the different realms converging at the inn and the importance of having a place to rest.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Cozy Fantasy
  • Language: low
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: mild

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Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: March 2026

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Oh it’s so nice to be outside more before it gets way too hot to do so. I read many books, check them out!

  • The Sun and the Starmaker by Rachel Griffin
  • [ALC] In Time with You by Kristin Dwyer
  • The Mirror Game (The Blood and Water Saga #5) by Cassidy Clarke
  • An Accidental Marriage (The Gentlemen’s Gamble) by Deborah M. Hathaway
  • Dungeon Crawler Carl (Dungeon Crawler Carl #1) by Matt Dinniman
  • Her Hidden Fire (Her Hidden Fire #1) by Cliodhna O’Sullivan
  • In Her Own League by Liz Tomforde
  • The Determined by Rachel Rueckert
  • Meet Me Under the Lights by Cassie Miller
  • Heart of Mischief (Soul of Shadows #2) by Emma Noyes
  • We Danced Among Shadows (Meadowbrook Ranch #2) by Ashley Dill
  • First Down and Forever to Go (River Foxes #1) by Leah Dobrinska
  • [ARC/ALC] This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me (Maggie the Undying #1) by Ilona Andrews
  • [ARC] Change of Plans by Sarah Dessen
  • Carl’s Doomsday Scenario (Dungeon Crawler Carl #2) by Matt Dinniman
  • [Reread] Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1) by Sarah J. Maas
  • [ARC] Could’ve Fooled Me (Georgia Jaguars #1) by Jenny Proctor
  • Heir of Illusion (Verran Isles #1) by Madeline Taylor
  • [Novella] Everybody’s Favorite Guy by Katherine Center
  • The Housemaid (The Housemaid #1) by Freida McFadden
  • [Non-Fiction] Spark by John J. Ratey, MD
  • Dawn of the North (The Ashen #3) by Demi Winters
  • What Echoes in the Dark (What Bloom from Death #2) by S.M. Gaither
  • [ARC/ALC] The Faraway Inn by Sarah Beth Durst
  • [Reread] Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2) by Sarah J. Maas
  • [ARC] We Are Never Getting Together by Janette Rallison
  • Drive Me Crazy by Lizzy Dent
  • [Novella] When Fate is Cruel by LJ Andrews
  • The Night We Met (Say You’ll Remember Me #2) by Abby Jimenez
  • Drop Shot (The Off Court #1) by Vai Denton
  • Scars Beneath a Serpent’s Scales (The Fatesworn Saga #1) by Nicole Platania
  • How to Write a Love Story by Catherine Walsh
  • [ARC] Until Next Summer by Allison Ashley

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