YA Fantasy | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Crop Burner by Gavin Black

Author Gavin Black plunges readers into a rich new fantasy world with Crop Burner: The Tale Of Fearn & The Deamhon, a stirring coming-of-age adventure.

Born into the world as something to be feared, Fearn is faced with a childhood filled with grief. However, as his nascent powers grow, more hands and minds seek to guide him, including those of a mysterious and widely feared Crop Burner. Fearn’s destiny lies far beyond his fiery origins, and as he learns to harness the energy of Dainua, he finds his place in a broken world not made for him.

Although there […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-01-25T09:12:24+02:00December 9th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy, YA Fantasy|

Review: Verónica: A Musketeer’s Story by Jody Studdard

A rip-roaring adventure about the life and times of the first female Musketeer, Jody Studdard’s middle-grade novel Verónica: A Musketeer’s Story is sure to enchant and inspire readers of all ages.

Eighteen-year-old Verónica Espinosa hails from a family of top-notch male matador champions, so she has a lot to prove as a young woman in the ring. After a poor showing during a bullfight, she flees her home in shame and disgrace, fearing that she has dishonored her relatives. She wanders from place to place, meeting nasty banditos, exploring ancient pyramids, conversing with fortune tellers and spirits, and trying her […]

Michelle Hogmire2021-12-14T03:41:21+02:00November 2nd, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Middle Grade Fiction, YA Fantasy|

The Night Sky by C.A. Cordova

A delightful and heartwarming adventure into a bitter winter world of precious narwhals, evil antagonists, missing grandfathers, and sacred duties, The Night Sky by C.A. Cordova is an innovative work of YA visionary fiction.

In a dystopian future, one young girl embarks on a journey to discover her birthright as she searches for someone she loves after he mysteriously disappeared in a vicious blizzard. However, she won’t be alone in her search – not after learning that her grandmother was once a legendary protector of the narwhals, just like her missing grandfather. As Nadia’s heroic young eyes are opened to […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-10-11T05:56:54+02:00October 11th, 2021|Categories: New Releases|Tags: YA Fantasy, Young Adult|

Starlight Legend by Alana Lee

An emotional allegory with flairs of Greek mythology, romance, and sci-fi, Starlight Legend by Alana Lee is a heartfelt novel about growing up, finding love, and staying true to yourself.

Elliana is just a high school senior trying to end her romantic drought with a dreamy date to the spring formal, but destiny has other plans for this heartbroken heroine. Born as an “old soul in a new world,” it isn’t long before Elliana summons herself to the fantasy realm that has filled her dreams.

After passing through the Tree Portal into the Seeking Realm, she embarks on an existential […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-09-27T08:20:40+02:00September 27th, 2021|Categories: New Releases|Tags: YA Fantasy, Young Adult|

Review: Fever Dreams and the End of All Things by A.J. Massey

A tireless and tremendously creative adventure, Fever Dreams and the End of All Things by A.J. Massey is a strong sequel in a deeply fascinating realm.

The trio of young heroes from the first book is summoned back to the magical land of Meridia after receiving a dire warning from The Creator – the “other side” of the Sovereign they defeated to stop The Fading. He cryptically warns them that three evil beings plague the lands they had all risked their lives to protect, and that they must return. Even though the adolescent trials of the real world are forefront […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-11-03T03:04:54+02:00September 27th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: A.J. Massey, Fantasy, YA Fantasy, Young Adult|

Review: Kelly is Unbreakable by Jackson Keller

A surprisingly deep musing on trust, power, truth, and friendship, Kelly is Unbreakable by Jackson Keller is a unique and suspenseful YA thrill. Exploring personal boundaries, and perhaps even finding the edge, this super-powered debut novel takes adolescent exploration to an inventive new level.

Kelly has grown up in the shadow of what’s “wrong” with her, and while age has taught her discretion, her superhuman strength is starting to show, just as it did a decade earlier, when her only friend Chris discovered her dangerous secret. After a lifetime of hiding, Kelly may finally be forced to come into the […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-09-29T02:51:26+02:00August 17th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: YA Fantasy, Young Adult|

Review: The Lost Princess of Story by Suzanne de Planque

Author Suzanne de Planque weaves a marvelous new world for fairy tale and high-fantasy lovers alike in The Lost Princess of Story (The Chronicles of Story: Volume One). Blurring the lines between the hard and charming streets of Brooklyn and the mythology of Story, the place where all our fairy tales are true, this endlessly creative novel is an immersive new chapter to the tales we’ve known for generations.

Following a youthful band of unsuspecting heroes as they discover what a true adventure means, the Doors to Story begin to open, and these unsuspecting children are pulled back into […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-03-16T04:31:59+02:00July 5th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy, Suzanne de Planque, YA Fantasy, Young Adult|

Review: This Was Always About Basketball by Craig Leener

Author Craig Leener hits nothing but net in the third and final installment of his Zeke Archer Trilogy with This Was Always About Basketball. Perfectly balancing young adult drama with time-traveling fantasy, this novel is a thrilling, heartwrenching, and mind-bending read.

Diving back into the strange science of the 7th Dimension, and with help from his unusual and darkly humorous sidekick Lawrence, Zeke Archer once again finds himself facing impossible odds. After his archenemy Brock Decker finds a way to travel back in time and change the history of basketball, Zeke must tap into sacred geometry and the secrets […]