#middle grade fantasy novel

[checkoutmybookshelf]

I mean...this combination of depth and toilet humor is literally Shakespearean, so A+ for Eoin Colfer.

[tkingfisher]

New book! Coming Friday the 25th! You can pre-order the ebook online starting...well, as soon as it gets approved on the various sites, or get either ebook or hardcopy directly via Argyll Productions!

This is not a horror novel, it’s a middle-grade fantasy, in the same vein as Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking, although shorter and I think lighter, so if you just need something fluffy and cozy to unwind with that will not force you to grapple with trauma or cause you to develop any new phobias, I think this one’s safe! Probably!

(...I’m such a lousy judge of these things...)

[ericlide]

Hello!! If you've been following me for any length of time you might remember that I've been busy working on my debut graphic novel! Today, I can announce the series title: DRAGONFORGED! And Book 1 is Sword of the Champion!

Above are pics from the Advance Reading Copy, which I received from my publisher over the weekend. (The final book will be in full color, but I thought it'd be fun to give you guys a lil taste.)

Dragonforged is set in the kingdom of Draeland, which fell to the evil Fiendlord 100 years before the main story. But the Goddess who watches over this realm has chosen a new hero to banish the darkness...

It's a story that harkens back to some of my favorite stuff growing up including games like The Legend of Zelda, Dragon Quest and old-school Final Fantasy, combined with my love of fight scenes and silly faces, lol.

I hope to share more in the coming months!!!!!!!!!!

[kanerallels]

Do any of my beloved mutuals have any recommendations of books I can read on my spring break trip?

I'm shamelessly tagging some people who I know have excellent or similar taste to me in books: @ghosts-and-blue-sweaters @magpie-trove @fairytale-lights @kazoosandfannypacks @misscrazyfangirl321

[celepom]

Misfit Mansion

By Kay Davault

Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends meets Hilda and the Troll in this spooky and sweet middle grade graphic novel about a monster girl who sneaks out of her foster home and into a human town in search of a forever family but finds more than she bargained for. Despite her monstrous appearance, Iris has never felt like she belongs in a mansion filled with kelpies and gorgons and unicorns. She longs to find a family. Unfortunately, she and her housemates are trapped in a “foster home for horrors” run by former paranormal investigator Mr. Halloway. So, when a human boy named Mathias breaks the house’s sealing spell, Iris and her companions are set free upon the town of Dead End Springs. What Iris doesn’t know is that Mathias is also a paranormal hunter (the kind who seeks to capture and destroy the horrors), or that there are other dangers ahead. As Iris searches for a home, she makes human friends, explores a brand-new world…and stumbles upon a dark secret that Halloway has kept locked in the basement of the house. Will this long-slumbering mystery destroy the family Iris so desperately seeks?

---

A very homey read, about kids in less than ideal situations with their guardians, but when confronted one chooses to change while the other doubles down (luckily, that kid finds a better home away from that toxic guardian).

[gabibookworm]

Happy book birthday to this week‘s new releases! 📚

[oliveoilcorp]

Excerpt from my middle-grade werewolf graphic novel ARTIE AND THE WOLF MOON (2021).

[haveyoureadthistransbook]

The Witch Boy by Molly Knox Ostertag

goodreads

In thirteen-year-old Aster's family, all the girls are raised to be witches, while boys grow up to be shapeshifters. Anyone who dares cross those lines is exiled. Unfortunately for Aster, he still hasn't shifted . . . and he's still fascinated by witchery, no matter how forbidden it might be. When a mysterious danger threatens the other boys, Aster knows he can help -- as a witch. It will take the encouragement of a new friend, the non-magical and non-conforming Charlie, to convince Aster to try practicing his skills. And it will require even more courage to save his family . . . and be truly himself.

Mod opinion: I haven't heard of this book before, but it sounds sweet.

[middlegradeeveryday]

What I’m Reading Right Now:

Love Sugar Magic: A Dash of Trouble by Anna Meriano Past Reads This Year:

The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mats Patel by Sheela Chari (4.5 stars)

Frostheart by Jamie Littler (4.5 stars)

Maybe a Mermaid by Josephine Cameron (4 stars)

Front Desk by Kelly Yang (5 stars)

Almost There (A Twisted Tale) by Farrah Rochon (4 stars)

Emily Windsnap Book 4: The Sirens Secret by Liz Kessler (4.5 Stars)

The Sun and the Star by Rick Riordan (4 Stars)

Emily Windsnap Book 3: The Castle in the Mist by Liz Kessler (4 Stars)

Emily Windsnap Book 2: The Monster in the Deep by Liz Kessler (4 Stars)

Straight on till Morning (A Twisted Tale) by Liz Braswell (4.5 Stars)

The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities by Rick Riordan Presents (4.5 Stars)

The Tail of Emily Windsnap by Liz Kessler (4 Stars)

Stars Above: A Lunar Chronicles Quintet by Marissa Meyer (4.5 Stars)

When Life Gives You Mangos by Keeren Getten (5 Stars)

The Tea Dragon Society by Kay O’Neill (4 Stars)

Magical Boy: Volume 1 by The Kao (4.5 Stars)

Jujistsu Kaisen 0 by Gege Akutami (5 Stars)

Jessi’s Secret Language (Graphic Novel) by Ann M. Martin (4 Stars)

Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi (4.5 Stars)

Goldilocks: Wanted Dead or Alive by Chris Colfer (3.5 Stars)

[haveyoureadthismgyabook]

Series info:

Book 1 of Tea Dragons

Book 2: The Tea Dragon Festival

Book 3: The Tea Dragon Tapestry

[checkoutmybookshelf]

From Criminial Mastermind to Fairy Tale Hero: The End of Artemis Fowl

Here we are, everyone: The final Artemis Fowl book. It has been a journey revisiting the first series I was old enough to follow and fandom, and it's wild to me that we're finally at the end. Especially since I picked up the first Artemis Fowl book in late elementary school (I'm genuinely not sure when though, because the first book came out in April of 2001, when I was in fifth grade and it's very possible I didn't pick the book up until sixth grade, which would have put me at 11, same age as Artemis in that first book) and the final book came out in 2012, when I was in my junior year of undergrad. So at that point, Artemis, Holly, and Butler had been part of my life for a long time. And now here we are, to say goodbye to them again after this leisurely re-listen/read. Let's talk Artemis Fowl: The Last Guardian.

Artemis grew and changed so much across eight books, which makes sense because holy cow do kids change a LOT between 11 and 15. We get so busy living life in those years that we don't really think about how much we truly learn and grown between prepubescence and full-on teenagerhood, but that is a time of massive change, and I think that more than anything else really justifies how Artemis goes from a chillingly vampiric child to a teenager with enough compassion and empathy to understand that sometimes the right choice is a heroic self-sacrifice for the people that your people (both humans and the people, in this case) love. Artemis also did a really interesting version of that thing so many teenagers do where they hit a point where they can't just phone in their abilities anymore and have to actually put effort in, but for Artemis it was emotional rather than intelligence. And yet even when making said heroic sacrifice, we have the absolutely beautiful callback to the end of book one, where Artemis drugs his mother, Butler, and Juliet to keep them from being harmed by the bio-bomb. To stop Holly from preventing him from stopping Opal, Artemis sedates her. The more things change, the more they stay the same...

Except where best villain ever Opal Koboi is concerned. By this book, Opal is so disconnected from reality that she is willing to risk literally going nuclear to escape captivity, and then just...casually sparks off the apocalypse because if there is one thing our girl wants, it's to be Empress of the World, and if that means using spirit zombies and an ancient fairy doomsday device, then I guess it's a good thing she's already versed in black magic. Or something. Opal is fully and completely off the rails at this point, and if you catch yourself referring to yourself as "Mommy" in reference to the spirits of several scores of ancient elven berserkers who would--barring a geas--murder you for it, you might want to stop and take a long, hard look at your life choices. And maybe don't forget that you've cloned yourself, because that's the kind of little detail that can completely ruin your chances of being Empress of the World.

Holly quite possibly deserves every medal that exists for managing to drag Artemis's extremely out-of-shape butt through increasingly dangerous and high-stakes missions while navigating fairy politics and *checks notes* breaking up with her commanding officer after a disastrous date where they both got kicked out of a crunchball match. (And once again...HOW DARE Colfer leave this in exposition and not show us this amazing disaster of a date!?!?) Holly has also just been through the emotional wringer with Artemis and every time he decided to double-cross or lie by omission to bring off a plan and every time he does something infuriatingly human that drives up her blood pressure and yet makes the mission succeed. And then she has to sit there and watch him die to save humans and fairies. Seriously, the fact that Holly Short is a functional being rather than a hot mess is nothing short of a miracle.

And then we come to Butler. Long-suffering, super fucking over it, broken-hearted Domovoi Butler. Artemis got DAMN lucky that the whole "put my spirit in a clone of me" plan panned out, because if it hadn't, Holly was entirely correct: Butler would never have recovered. Butler and Opal might be my two favorite characters in the entire series at this point. That's not where I started--for a very long time, Holly was my favorite character, and Commander Root still gets an honorable mention--but as a grown-ass adult (I'm not doing that math for you, if you want to know that I'm old, you do the math), I cannot escape how dedicated, competent, kind, and just AWESOME Butler is. I feel like the vibe here is very similar to the thing that happens when you watch Sound of Music as a kid and either Maria or one of the kids is your favorite character, but when you come back to it as an adult, Captain Von Trapp is EVERYTHING (RIP Christopher Plummer, we loved you). Butler has a similar vibe but in a different genre.

So, I was an adult and had enough experience of watching fandoms to see the mixed reactions to this book being released. People were sad the series was ending, people were disappointed because the series had seemingly drifted, and people loved it. My reaction was pretty mixed, because I had a lot going on, I knew there were good things here but I was also kind of missing the heisty, criminal mastermind vibes, but also OPAL KOBOI. So I was pretty unsure how to feel about this book when it came out, and then I didn't reread it for literal years because I went to grad school.

Returning to this book now, I have suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuch respect for how Colfer tied up the series and how he pulled off a new Irish mythological cycle, but updated for the twenty-first century. I have enough life on me to appreciate the changes Artemis goes through, and enough literature degrees to have a new and deeply fulfilling perspective on the series structure. Last Guardian is not my favorite book of the series--it's not even in the top three--but I think that what it does is genuinely impressive and I love how you can finish this book and go instantly back into the OG Artemis Fowl. The story does not, strictly speaking, have to end. And that is a vibe I can 100% get behind.

I deeply love the Artemis Fowl books, and I cannot recommend the series enough. They have so many strengths, are incredibly well-written, and they live rent-free in my head even now as an adult.

[haveyoureadthispoll]

Azula continues her destabilizing campaign against the Fire Nation and her brother, Fire Lord Zuko. But after a failed attack on her latest target, Azula finds herself in a mysterious forest temple inhabited by a solitary monk…or is it something more mysterious? Azula must confront her past, and finally face her chance at redemption.

[ericlide]

A panel from my upcoming graphic novel DRAGONFORGED: SWORD OF THE CHAMPION. Available February 2025 I think!!!!!!!!!!!

[studiolemonboy]

Cherry Creek Town Map for my new YA cosmic horror comic set in 1990s New England. Trying to go for the vintage style maps that a middle school cryptid hunter would have on their case wall with whole spools of red yarn connecting newspaper cutouts and blurry photos of dark figures in the forest

Let me know what you think

[banorawhite]

Right back at you lol—top 6 fav books?

NOOOOOO DON'T ASK THE LIBRARIAN THISSSSS *stares blankly at my shelves* i love you all......

ok to answer this, i've had to narrow down my options to only young adult fiction. if i included all the middle grade, adult, graphic novels, comics, manga and poetry i have read, i would truly not know how to start (and this still felt impossible)

with that let's begin!

six of crows duology by leigh bardugo - this will always be my #1. my ultimate comfort read. these fantastic characters pulled me rough a really rough time in my life, where constantly reread these books to keep me grounded. inej ghafa the character you are. i love my crime found family

the other side of perfect by mariko turk - this book fully revitalised a love of reading for me after uni. i sat down one day and basically finished it in one sitting, just could not put it down

legendborn series by tracey deonn - worldbuilding! character development! the magic!!! all TOP NOTCH. so incredibly excited for book three, i might have to reread the first two to prepare

the lesbiana's guide to catholic school + the luis ortega surival club by sonora reyes - holyyyy shit. um basically after tlgtcs, which became my favourite read that year, i decided i would read whatever sonora reyes ever wrote. both books are FANTASTIC, cannot recommend them enough.

the gilded wolves trilogy by roshani chokshi - divine. i love fantasy heist novels and these were phenomenal. the ending absolutely got to me

cannot separate last night at the telegraph club by malinda lo or i feed her to the beast (and the beast is me) by jamison shea. both books changed me and made me stare into the distance when i finished.

some honorable mentions because i love so many books (beneath the cut this gets long)

A Clash of Steel by C.B. Lee

Cemetery Boys and The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas

Confessions of an Alleged Good Girl by Joya Goffney

Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram

Euphoria Kids by Alison Evans

Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust

Gwen and Art are Not in Love by Lex Croucher

Off the Record by Camryn Garrett

I'll Be the One by Lyla Lee

Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera

The History of Mischief by Rebecca Higgie

The Killing Code by Ellie Marney

Two Can Play That Game by Leanne Yong (bonus: my coworkers had to listen to me complain on friday that this book didn't get any awards for children's book week!!! I WAS MAD)

there are more but i'll leave it here <3

[gabibookworm]

Here's some beautiful covers of upcoming books! 📚