Journey to Tomioka

 

Rating: 4  for Studio Ghibli like artwork and supernatural, fantastical power of children

My Thoughts:

If you are a studio Ghibli, Hayao Miyazaki fan and a fan of  Rhoald Dahl, Journey to Tomioka has a similar vibe of tragedy, fantasy and the strength of children. Osamu and his older sister Akiko live with their grandmother. They once lived in Fukushima, but the tsunami hit Fukushima, killing their parents and destroying their home, In addition, the effects of the tsunami started a nuclear meltdown in the area and former residents were displaced. If readers are interested in the real story in Fukushima, direct readers to the graphic novel Meltdown: Six Days of Disaster at the Fukushima Nuclear Plant. 

The small family is as content as they can be even if they can no longer go home. Osamu lives in his own lonely world where he befriends imaginary friends known as yōkai, or spirits. See the connection to Hayao Miyazaki? When Bāchan dies, though, Akiko and Osamu are adamant that they need to return grandmother's ashes to their home

From the Publisher:

For fans of This Was Our Pact and Hayao Miyazaki films comes a breathtaking graphic novel about siblings who risk everything to return their grandmother's ashes to her home inside the Fukushima Exclusion Zone.

Osamu hasn't been the same since that day. When the tsunami hit Fukushima prefecture, it killed his parents, destroyed his home, and triggered one of the world's worst nuclear disasters. Now, all Osamu has left is his grandmother, Bā-chan, and his big sister, Akiko. As he withdraws into his own world, he befriends friends yōkai―spirits only he can see.

Then, tragedy strikes again, and Bā-chan dies. Osamu and Akiko are determined to return her ashes to their family farm in Tomioka, a town within Fukushima's forbidden zone. There, the siblings will face dangerous radiation and yōkai, both friendly and deadly―but they're willing to risk it all to make it home.

Publication Information:

Author: Laurent Galandon

Illustrator: Michael Crouzat

Translators: Owen Smith, Anne Smith

Publisher: First Second (June 9, 2026)

Print length: 112 pages

Grade level: 4-6

Magical Girl Dandelion, Volume I

 

Rating: 3 out of 5| Both creepy and cute?

My Thoughts:

Tampopo (dandelion in Japanese) loses both her parents when they were killed by a fiend. She is raised by her grandfather and her "best friend" Shade, who is himself a fiend. He has always protected Tampopo by killing other fiends, which is both creepy and cute because again, he is a fiend, complete with razor sharp teeth and psychopathic smile. 

As she gets older, she is sought after because she will be a magical girl. Her scores are off the charts. This is not good for Shade. How can he keep her to himself if they are going to make her into a fiend killer? 

Read more volumes as Tampopo learns about her growing "magical girl" powers. 

From the Publisher:

Tanpopo Ohanami’s quiet days are interrupted by a life-changing offer to become a magical girl! But she has one big, bad, serrated-toothed secret: Her best friend, Shade, is a fiend in a world where fiends are villains to humankind.

Shade is none too pleased with the idea of Tanpopo joining the ranks, but there’s more than their friendship at stake when Tanpopo’s grandpa falls victim to fiendhood!

Publication Information:

• Author: Kaeru Mizuho
• Publisher: VIZ Media LLC
• Publication Date: March 3, 2026
• Print Length: 160 pages

High Class Homos, Volume 2

 

Rating: 3 out of 5 - If students read the first one, they are going to need to read this one, obviously. 

My Thoughts:

Princess Sapphia is staying in Phthia until Prince August can finally propose. It is a little early and they are too young, but at least they have fooled their parents and everyone else. But have they? Just because they have the perfect engagement plot (based on Volume 1), they are still pretty clueless on navigating "love."  It is also harder from Prince August and Princess Sapphia because their love interests are not royals. In addition, Prince August still has to be "manly." Poor boy. 

Princess Sapphia gets sent home and given an ultimatum and deadline of one month. I donʻt know what will happen for these friends, but volume 2 is just one series of unfortunate events after another. 

From the Publisher:

Princess Sapphia of Mytilene and Prince August of Phthia return for the next volume in the collection of the hit series, High Class Homos. After crafting the perfect engagement plot (marrying each other to continue pursuing their own romances), things only get more exciting from there! With royal balls to plan, outfits to decide, friendships to make, and enemies to encounter, romantic high jinks are bound to ensue. 

Will Sapphia and August be able to convince their families to agree to the engagement? Will Sapphia continue her relationship with Marla, or will someone else catch her eye? Will August EVER confess his feelings to Percy? Follow these high-class homos as they navigate life, love, and (occasionally) their actual jobs.

Publication Information:

• Author/Illustrator: Momozerii
• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
• Publication date: May 5, 2026
• Print length: 176 pages

The Tea Dragon Society

 

Rating: 4 for kawaii illustrations that pushes into YA with a gentle queer feel that is refreshing.

My Thoughts:

On the surface, this is a gentle and whimsical story about slow crafting, animal husbandry, gardening and meeting craftspeople. The illustrations feel like if the Welsh designer Laura Ashley suddenly decided to become a chibi-style manga illustrator. The book is divided into seasons, which seems very British, like going into the Secret Garden. I think it just signifies that this relationship is a long, slow reveal.

The cutest part of this is that the tea dragons grow tea leaves on their horns and it is part of their magical gift. Each dragon is named after a familiar tea like Jasmine and Roiboos. It feels like the tea comes from love, patience and the tight relationship between the little dragons and their life partners/caretakers. 

Reading this on a day when there is a cold  front of rain and thunder in Hawaiʻi just means that I am making a large pot of hojicha as I read this book. 

I think this would work for elementary, but I also think that this uses the fantastical elements to also normalize LGBTQIA+ characters so although this looks like an elementary book, I would also put it in a middle school classroom. Someone that needs to find it for the tea element, for the fantasy element, for the ability to honor what comes with slow growth and patience element will come across this and love it. 

From the Publisher:

From the award-winning author of Princess Princess Ever After comes THE TEA DRAGON SOCIETY, the beloved and charming all-ages book that follows the story of Greta, a blacksmith apprentice, and the people she meets as she becomes entwined in the enchanting world of tea dragons. After discovering a lost tea dragon in the marketplace, Greta learns about the dying art form of tea dragon care-taking from the kind tea shop owners, Hesekiel and Erik. As she befriends them and their shy ward, Minette, Greta sees how the craft enriches their lives—and eventually her own.

• Winner of the 2018 Eisner Award for Best Publication for Kids
• Winner of the 2018 Eisner Award for Best Webcomic
• ALA Rainbow List (2018)
• 2018 Dwayne McDuffie Award for Kids Comics Winner
• Amazon.com's Best Comics & Graphic Novels (2017)
• School Library Journal's Top 10 Graphic Novels (2017)

Publication Information:

Author/Ilustrator: K. OʻNeill
Publisher: Oni Press (October 31, 2017); Random House Graphic (June 2, 2026)**

Print length: 72 pages

Grade level suggestion: 2-8

I received a digital ARC from NetGalley and Random House Children's Books, which by practice means that I normally wait until the publication date is a month out before I publish, however this is a republished book so I am publishing this post immediately. After all, this is a 2017 and 2018 book winner, including several Eisner Award wins in 2018. Congratulations to the author/illustrator.

Elatsoe

 

Rating: 4 add this to your classroom library of Native American stories by Native American authors.

My Thoughts:

November is Native American Heritage Month, so start early to find or add books to your classroom for next fall. In 2015, data from the Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) indicated that there were about 20 books written or illustrated by American Indians. In 2018, Indigenous creators made up about 1.4% of all YA authors. In 2023, it rose to 2.4%. In 2024, CCBC counted 102 books by Indigenous authors/creators, aggregated between Canadian First Nation authors/illustrators and Native American authors/illustrators. When the numbers are so small, it is good to read both, but this author, Dr. Darcie Little Badger is a Native American, Lipan Apache writer with her PhD in oceanography.  Ellie's foray into the underworld ancestral sea was a fascinating way for Ellie to really get to know her ancestral gift and the ways that this knowledge might help her later on in the book. 

The fact that Dr. Little Badger is American is significant for middle and secondary teachers looking to diversify their 'literature closets' by replacing of supplementing copies of  Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell. I have been in enough public and private school classrooms in Hawai'i to know that there are still class sets of Island in literature closets.  Books like this and other #ownvoices literature by Native authors might replace or supplement Island. Bringing in something like Elatsoe could balance out, or avoid reinforcing the stereotypes, tropes and historical inaccuracy found in O'Dell's work. If you want to read more about the analysis and critique of Island -- in case you need to answer to school boards, administrators, parents, other stakeholders --  get your fuel from the article "A critical look at O'Dell's Island of the Blue Dolphins" by Dr. Debbie Reese, a Nambé Pueblo scholar and founder of the blog site American Indians In Children's Literature. 

As far as the story, I found a video of the author that does a much better job in selling this book. The only other two things I want to say are that:

1.  This is book one of a duology.
2. I wish I had the power to be protected by my own ghost dog. 

My childhood dog was a goofy doberman/German shepherd mutt named Squirt who was clumsy and hilarious, but also loyal and kind. 

From the Publisher:

Elatsoe―Ellie for short―lives in an alternate contemporary America shaped by the ancestral magics and knowledge of its Indigenous and immigrant groups. She can raise the spirits of dead animals―most importantly, her ghost dog Kirby. When her beloved cousin dies, all signs point to a car crash, but his ghost tells her otherwise: He was murdered.

Who killed him and how did he die? With the help of her family, her best friend Jay, and the memory great-great-great-great-great-great-grandmother, Elatsoe, must track down the killer and unravel the mystery of this creepy town and its dark past. But will the nefarious townsfolk and a mysterious Doctor stop her before she gets started?

The breathtaking debut novel from Darcie Little Badger features an asexual, Apache teen protagonist―and combines mystery, horror, noir, ancestral knowledge, haunting illustrations, and fantasy elements, in one of the most-talked-about books in years.

Publication Information:

Author                 Darcie Little Badger

Illustrator           Rovina Cai

Publisher            Levine Querido (August 25, 2020)

Print length        368 pages

Grade level         7-12

Ladders and Bridges:

Key First Nation (Canadian) YA Authors:

• Wab Kinew: Walking in Two Worlds
• Cherie Dimaline: The Marrow Thieves, Funeral Songs for Dying Girls
• This Place: 150 Years Retold is a collective of First Nation authors/illustrators who explore the past and future through a native perspective in graphic form. 
• Jen Ferguson: The Summer of Bitter and Sweet

Key American Native YA Authors:

• Cynthia Leitich Smith: Hearts Unbroken founder of the Heartdrum imprint, editor of the fabulous anthology Legendary Frybread Drive-In (includes authors on this list)
• Darcie Little Badger: Sheine Lende (book 2), Snake Falls to Earth 
• Angeline Boulley: Firekeeper's Daughter, Warrior Girl Unearthed
• Byron Graves: Rez Ball
• Andrea L. Rogers: Man Made Monsters (Elatsoe for older readers who are ready for "the horror")

Sheeta's Little Big World 1

 

Rating: 3 for cuteness and nostalgia

My Thoughts: 

In the 1950s and 60s, there was a children's book series called The Borrowers about a family of tiny people who secretly live in the walls and floors of an English house and "borrow" from the big people in order to survive. The book was by Mary Norton and it included some little drawings in the book. That book series became a movie in the 1997 with John Goodman as the big father and owner of the house. I still liked the book better than the movie, but I think that was the trend in the kinds of movies made for kids at that time.

But this book in tone reminds me more of the Ghibli animated film The Secret World of Arrietty (2010). I believe this is Japan's homage to the original Borrowers books because the family is the Clock family, which is the family from the original series. Arrietty is the young teen daughter of the Clock family, and like Sheeta and Nala in this book, they are a bit adventurous and reckless for their own good. 

In this first book in the series, Sheeta and Nala are wandering beyond their tree and quickly get into trouble, but the two boys have set up traps to help them. Unlike the Borrowers, the boys live in a forest so most of their run ins are from predators like rats and weasels. They do get separated, and at the end, while looking for Nala with another little person looking for Sheeta's father, there are large footprints in the mud, so that is for another story. 

Nothing gets settled or found except other groups of little people and lots of problems to conquer so this will keep children entertained. 

From the Publisher:

A charming new adventure manga for readers young and old! The very little Sheeta lives in a town inside a hollowed-out log. His neighbors are friendly, supportive, and above all, careful. But soon, Sheeta's longing to explore is going to bring him face to face with dangers he never imagined…

Taking inspiration from The Borrowers, Studio Ghibli, and children's classics like Treasure Island, Sheeta's Little Big World is a beautifully-illustrated, three-volume story perfect to read alone or with your own little companion.

Sheeta and Nala live happily inside a hollowed-out log with their fellow "littlefolk," who stand no taller than a blade of grass. When Nala runs off one day to investigate a mysterious smoke signal, Sheeta must summon all his courage and wits as he sets off in pursuit. Rats, ants, weasels, giants... The wide world is full of dangers, but the plucky Sheeta will stop at nothing to find his friend.

Publication Information:

Author, illustrator: Yuki Kamba

Publisher: Kodansha Comics (September 22, 2025)

Print length: 192 pages

High Class Homos Vol 1

 

Rating: 3  for kawaii with a twist

My Thoughts:

This is a "beard" story, but the color wave and the illustrations are so cute, it sounds too masculine to call it a "beard" story with a prince that looks like a kid. Still the two characters are childhood friends. Both are royalty so they are getting a lot of pressure to marry well in order to continue their royal bloodline, but both characters are also gay and know that about each other. What better way to get the parents off their back by being beards for each other. Of course this stays in the cheeky "wink, wink" stage and does not get into the sticky reality of progeny, however, this web toon does not need it. With a witty title High-Class Homos as well as kawaii graphics, this book will just sell itself for what it is -- a fun romp. I mean the character's name is Princess Sapphia for goodness sake. If that is not punny, then this sapphic, homosexual romp is not for you. 

The other part of the story, of course, is if the Princess can actually get the girl. No spoilers here. This is only volume 1 so it is too early for real love. 

From the Publisher:

Princess Sapphia is decidedly not into princes, or any boys for that matter. So when her parents begin to push her to marriage, she quickly enlists her equally gay best friend to organize a sham marriage, navigate life and love, and hopefully get the girl, in High-Class Homos.

Princess Sapphia of Mytilene and Prince August of Phthia have been best friends for years. They’re both royalty in their own right, they both love getting to know the castle staff and knights, and they’re both completely and utterly gay. When Princess Sapphia’s parents begin hinting that she needs to get married, she and August begin to put together a plan: Marry each other, continue pursuing their own romances. Simple!

Will Sapphia and August be able to pull off a successful engagement and eventual marriage? More importantly, will Sapphia ever land a date with the castle maids? Will August get the nerve to confess to the knight he's been pining after? Follow these high class homos as they navigate life, love, and (occasionally) their actual jobs.

Publication Information:

Author: Momozerii
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing (Nov 11, 2025)
Print length: 272 pages

The Demon and the Light (The Floating World Book 2)

 

Rating: 4 for fromance and duology fans

My Thoughts:

This Asian YA is touted as Final Fantasy meets Shadow and Bone. I can see Shadow and Bone, but, in my opinion,  Final Fantasy is not the right book to attach to book two from The Floating World. I think Axie Oh is already established enough to stand on her own. There are also many Asian fantasy writers to tie this book to like books from Sue Lynn Tan,  Kylie Lee Baker, and Amber Chen. I did not like the nod to Final Fantasy by creating a cover that looks like a game with white anime looking androgynous characters. The first book cover on The Floating World is beautiful in the way the characters, looking more Asian are in the front with the floating world and its castles in the background. 

As for the story, it was exciting. Like Heart of the Sun Warrior, the characters, both males and females are often found saving each other. We have gotten away from the "prince" always saving the damsel, thanks to Frozen. What makes this story so worthwhile is that  Ren, celestial maiden and queen of Sareniya, is self confident and her loyalty, love and faith are strong. She knows where she needs to do things alone, and she knows where she needs help. 

The only negative, however, is that the major showdowns at the end with Teacher and the original Sareniya was anticlimactic. However, I did enjoy Ren's journey to gathering her light power.  This was the perfect duology. Any longer would have been too much. 

Final note: this could be tagged at LGBTQIA+ but I am not going to. In Indigenous cultures, like native Hawaiians, males with males, especially warriors, was not an issue. We had a name for it, ʻaikane, but it was not unusual. In this story, it is also not hidden or even scoffed at by the other male and female warriors. I think mentioning it will only link it to a heteronormative world, which I do not live in. Unless a book is specifically for the LGBTQIA+ reader, I will stop labeling is as such. 

From the Publisher:

The battle is over, but the war is just beginning...

With the help of her friends and allies, Ren managed to topple the General's insurrection, but the Floating World and its territories are still under threat of attack from the rival Volmaran Empire. And far worse, she was powerless to save Sunho from being overcome by the monstrous power in his blood. Now he's gone, transformed into a feral, deadly creature that doesn't even recognize her anymore, and her heart aches for the sweet boy she's grown to love.

But the escalating war will not pause for her grief. Seen by some as a heavenly savior and others merely a figurehead to be manipulated, Ren must use all her courage and cunning to survive the royal court's game long enough to find Sunho and bring him home before he loses himself to the Demon forever.

Publication Information:

Author: Axie Oh

Publisher: Feiwel and Friends (October 21, 2025)

Print length: 400 pages

Girls of Paper and Fire

 

Rating: 3 for potential and social justice fantasy

My Thoughts:

This book has the potential to be something I am interested in: non-white author, social injustice, class system (Paper Caste - humans:  then a couple other castes of demons - Moon Caste, Steel Caste), sexual exploitation, violence, oh my. However, as I got further in, the sapphic relationship was awkward. There was more heat with the Moon Caste wolf demon, Kenzo. When Kenzo carries a broken Lei back, say that is not more passion than any other actual relationship encounter. 

I did make it through to the end, and I am reading book 2, but if you want a really good read with similar themes, I would try Saara El-Arifi's The Final Strife. She has similar problems with her book 2, but the love triangle is so much more interesting.  I have also decided that I am not reading book 3, and when I looked up El-Arifi's trilogy, I realize that I did not read her third book either. 

From the Publisher:

In this richly developed fantasy, Lei is a member of the Paper caste, the lowest and most persecuted class of people in Ikhara. She lives in a remote village with her father, where the decade-old trauma of watching her mother snatched by royal guards for an unknown fate still haunts her. Now, the guards are back and this time it's Lei they're after: the girl with the golden eyes whose rumored beauty has piqued the king's interest.

Over weeks of training in the opulent but oppressive palace, Lei and eight other girls learns the skills and charm that befit a king's consort. There, she does the unthinkable: she falls in love. Her forbidden romance becomes enmeshed with an explosive plot that threatens her world's entire way of life. Lei, still the wide-eyed country girl at heart, must decide how far she's willing to go for justice and revenge.

Publication Information:

Author: Natasha Ngan

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (Nov 6, 2018)

Print length: 401 pages

Heart of the Sun Warrior, book 2

 

Rating:  4 stars for a fantasy, romance that does not play into the happy ending, "riding into the sunset" trope. 

My Thoughts:

This is the sequel to Daughter of the Moon Goddess. Xingyin is back on the moon, and after all the excitement, love triangle, and betrayal, the moon life is a bit dull and irritating for her even though her mother is no longer a prisoner. The new plot threads and battles are unexpected and very complex, so I was afraid that this would end in a lame way just to get to the end, however, Tan takes her time to unravel each plot line to the end, and the letting go of one path to love ends in a way that as a reader I was satisfied, even if she did not get her happy ending, per se. 

The only negative was that at 472 pages, this was a hefty read, and the stubborn, uncompromising voice of Xingyin is a lot to take for almost 500 pages until she starts getting to know herself more. Through these two books, she makes so many mistkes and needs to be saved by others, and yet she does not seem to learn or be able to humble herself until it is too late. I think in book one, I called her petulant, and yes, she still is. However, I still think that fantasy readers will want to get to the end and just stick it out. 

From the Publishers:

After winning her mother’s freedom from the Celestial Emperor, Xingyin thrives in the enchanting tranquility of her home. But her fragile peace is threatened by the discovery of a strange magic on the moon and the unsettling changes in the Celestial Kingdom as the emperor tightens his grip on power. While Xingyin is determined to keep clear of the rising danger, the discovery of a shocking truth spurs her into a perilous confrontation.

Forced to flee her home once more, Xingyin and her companions venture to unexplored lands of the Immortal Realm, encountering legendary creatures and shrewd monarchs, beloved friends and bitter adversaries. With alliances shifting quicker than the tides, Xingyin has to overcome past grudges and enmities to forge a new path forward, seeking aid where she never imagined she would. As an unspeakable terror sweeps across the realm, Xingyin must uncover the truth of her heart and claw her way through devastation—to rise against this evil before it destroys everything she holds dear, and the worlds she has grown to love . . . even if doing so demands the greatest price of all.

Publication Information:

Author: Suelynn Tann

Publisher: Harper Voyager (November 15, 2022)

Print length: 472 pages

Daughter of the Moon Goddess

 

Rating: 3 for soap opera type of adventure that is a little like watching a car crash. One cannot help but keep watching, or listening in this case.

My Thoughts:

Xingyin leaves her home on the moon and finds herself in the Jade Palace. This story  is about court intrigue, betrayal, finding one's powers and a big old love triangle to boot. At 15 hours for the audiobook, this is a packed book. I'm not sure if I can handle the protagonist for another 15 hours, as she is quite petulant, but it is just two books and I do want to know how the three of them can continue to work together. Who will she choose? None at the end of this. Keep reading. 

From the Publisher:

Growing up on the moon, Xingyin is accustomed to solitude, unaware that she is being hidden from the feared Celestial Emperor who exiled her mother for stealing his elixir of immortality. But when Xingyin’s magic flares and her existence is discovered, she is forced to flee her home, leaving her mother behind.

Alone, powerless, and afraid, she makes her way to the Celestial Kingdom, a land of wonder and secrets. Disguising her identity, she seizes an opportunity to learn alongside the emperor’s son, mastering archery and magic, even as passion flames between her and the prince.

To save her mother, Xingyin embarks on a perilous quest, confronting legendary creatures and vicious enemies. But when treachery looms and forbidden magic threatens the kingdom, she must challenge the ruthless Celestial Emperor for her dream—striking a dangerous bargain in which she is torn between losing all she loves or plunging the realm into chaos.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess begins an enchanting duology which weaves ancient Chinese mythology into a sweeping adventure of immortals and magic, of loss and sacrifice—where love vies with honor, dreams are fraught with betrayal, and hope emerges triumphant.

Publication Information:

Author: Sue Lynn Tan

Narrator: Natalie Naudus

Listening length: 15 hours 1 minute

Publisher: HarperAudio (Jan 11, 2022)

The Floating World

 

Rating: 4 for high octane fantasy and world building plus a fabulous cover.

My Thoughts:

At the end of this book, the protagonist, Ren asks her friends Yurhee and Tag, "will you join me?" One half of the adventure is over, true, but the other one is still out there. We have not reached the end, but yes I will join you -- in October. GAH! The problem with this kind of fantasy novel is that we start on the precipice and we end on the precipice. In between, though, Ren takes us on a multiple world wild ride to save Little Uncle and run away from the General, his armies and the assassins who are trying to kill her because of her light magic. In between she links up with Sunho, who was also hired to find her. 

She is masked and gives a fake name, so that by the time he realizes that she is Ren, he is already invested in saving her.  It is much more complicated than that, but take my word for it, this is a worthwhile summer read, even if the next book does not come out for four more months.

I want to talk about the ending, and the big "reveal," but I cannot, so if you read this and want more fantasy from Axie Oh, try her novel The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea. The Girl is a modern retelling of the Korean folktale, "The Tale of Shim Cheong." Her other books are more contemporary K-pop, bubblegum romance versus the action packed, world building of this series, but if that is what you want to read, you will like her other books: XOXO and ASAP.

Like the Scarlet Alchemist, the action and storyline were too hard to put down. The chapters mostly alternate between Sunho and Ren, so keeping up is crucial, but so is babysitting for me. Therefore, I both read the book and listened to the audiobook, not simultaneously, but to continue "reading." I'm not sure why some people think the audiobook means that you are not reading. If the narrator is good, it is just a way to continue reading without seeing the words. The images are still in your mind. You are still creating pictures out of text and transacting with that text. That is still reading. 

From the Publisher:

Sunho lives in the Under World, a land of perpetual darkness. An ex-soldier, he can remember little of his life from before two years ago, when he woke up alone with only his name and his sword. Now he does odd-jobs to scrape by, until he comes across the score of a lifetime—a chest of coins for any mercenary who can hunt down a girl who wields silver light.

Meanwhile, far to the east, Ren is a cheerful and spirited acrobat traveling with her adoptive family and performing at villages. But everything changes during one of their festival performances when the village is attacked by a horrific humanlike demon. In a moment of fear and rage, Ren releases a blast of silver light—a power she has kept hidden since childhood—and kills the monster. But her efforts are not in time to prevent her adoptive family from suffering a devastating loss, or to save her beloved uncle from being grievously wounded.

Determined to save him from succumbing to the poisoned wound, Ren sets off over the mountains, where the creature came from—and from where Ren herself fled ten years ago. Her path sets her on a collision course with Sunho, but he doesn't realize she's the girl that he—and a hundred other swords-for-hire—is looking for. As the two grow closer through their travels, they come to realize that their pasts—and destinies—are far more entwined than either of them could have imagined...

Publication Information:

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends (April 29, 2025)
Author: Axie Oh
Print length: 358 pages
Narrator: Eden Jun (Dreamscape Media)

The Dallergut Dream Department Store

 

Rating: 3 for such an unusual and creative premise. It almost has to be Korean. Translated from the original Korean bestseller by Miye Lee.

My Thoughts:

This is like shopping at the Wonka store (imagine the movie with Timothy Chalamet) except it is broken up onto department stores and you are shopping for dreams. Even the trauma dreams are fascinating. Half of the clients return their trauma dreams, but if they stick it out, it really is a novel reflection on the power of all of our dreams. 

I enjoyed so much about this strange book, but especially the dream makers as legitimate artists as well as the way that dreams are paid for after the dream and not at the store. The idea that different dreams are paid in different ways was just a small bit of world making that I would not have thought of, but once it was explained, makes perfect sense.

I think the biggest recommendation I can make about this book is that it brings back the world building and social commentary that readers get from reading Roald Dahl, who by the way is also not American.

From the Publisher:

For fans of magical realism and the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series by Toshikazu Kawaguchi comes this cozy fantasy debut.

What if there was a store that sold dreams? Which would you buy? And who might you become when you wake up?

In a mysterious town hidden in our collective subconscious there's a department store that sells dreams. Day and night, visitors both human and animal shuffle in to purchase their latest adventure. Each floor specializes in a specific type of dream: childhood memories, food dreams, ice skating, dreams of stardom. Flying dreams are almost always sold out. Some seek dreams of loved ones who have died.

For Penny, an enthusiastic new hire, working at Dallergut is the opportunity of a lifetime. As she uncovers the workings of this whimsical world, she bonds with a cast of unforgettable characters, including Dallergut, the flamboyant and wise owner, Babynap Rockabye, a famous dream designer, Maxim, a nightmare producer, and the many customers who dream to heal, dream to grow, and dream to flourish.

Publication Information:

Author: Miye Lee

Translator: Sandy Joosun Lee

Publisher : Hanover Square Press (July 9, 2024)

The Blood Phoenix (Of Jade and Dragons, Book 2)

 

Rating: 4 stars for a fabulous Chinese-fantasy book 2 that leaves you searching for another read that is up to par.

My Thoughts:

Of Jade and Dragons left me heartbroken at the end. I HAD to read this second book before it came out. Thank you Net Galley for making that happen.  Here is one spoiler, though. The second book starts with heartbreak and also ends with heartbreak. Perhaps that is a trope with C-drama (versus K-drama). 

In a way, this brings me back to watching Kung Fu movies with subtitles (never dubbed) at the local theatre in Chinatown with my mom. The women in these movies were fierce and would sacrifice themselves and go "down with the ship" to protect what was theirs. Ying reminds me of that. Perhaps the idea of riding off into the sunset with your soulmate is so western and so anti Asian. I actually think that is what I love about this new diverse fantasy --drama, heartbreak, ferocity, verve, martydom. So Asian. It is like looking at my matriarchs in my own family. 

If your students are clamoring for more, there is a short list of next reads on the first book in this duology, Of Jade and Dragons.  And if you are an English teacher and you go to an NCTE conference, go to the AAPI get together. It is like a support group for these young Asian American authors and they love talking about their newest books. The giveaways are fabulous and the camaraderie is great to see. 

From the Publisher:

Two years after Ying leaves the Engineer’s Guild and the ghost of her father’s unjust death behind, life seems to regain a semblance of normalcy. But the winds of unrest continue to stir within the Nine Isles, and the aftermath of a horrific pirate attack by the mysterious Blood Phoenix fleet forces Ying back into the tense political world of the new High Commander, Ye-yang. And soon, Ying, Ye-yang and her former friends from the guild must work together to find a way to outsmart the cunning pirates who terrorise the straits—and the elusive mastermind who’s controlling them.  

Meanwhile, Ying’s sister, Nian, now lives in the capital, awaiting the day she will finally marry the High Commander. While her relationship with Ye-yang remains distant, she finds company in her friendship with the fourteenth prince, Ye-kan, and discovers her unexpected affinity for governance and strategy. But the capital is more dangerous than she expects, and when a dark conspiracy arises, Nian and Ye-kan must unravel the mystery in time to prevent the High Command from collapsing from within. 

New dangers arise at every moment, threatening to tear the Nine Isles apart. In order to sail through this storm, Ying and her loved ones must make difficult choices amidst terrible betrayals. With the world on the brink of destruction, will they find a way to defeat their enemies and survive? And will it be worth the cost?

Publication Information:

Author: Amber Chen

Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers (June 17, 2025)

Print length: 464 pages

A Forgery of Fate

 

Rating: 4 stars for Asian Romantasy

My Thoughts:

I read so many Asian romantasy YA books that I actually thought this was the second book in Wesley Chu's War Arts books -- The Art of Prophecy being book 1 of the duology. Seriously, look at the art work and it is not so farfetched that I thought I was reading The Art of Destiny which is his book 2. I know I have it on my Kindle TBR list which is miles long, so I was ready to get back to the multiple characters in Chuʻs Game of Thrones type of story. 

It quickly became apparent that this was not the same story. Tru, the blue haired artist captured my imagination so quickly that I did not care that I chose the wrong book. I was already hooked. Truyan is feisty. She uses her art skills to forge artwork and take care of her sisters and mother, but she has a gift in her hands and her paint brush to paint the future. However, with Baba lost at sea and believed dead, Truyan is the main caretaker of her family until she falls into the garden of the masked demon Elang. Elang is a half dragon/half beautiful boy who is cursed to live on land until he can destroy his grandfather, the dragon king under the sea who has stolen Elang's pearl.

This is a Chinese Beauty and the Beast but the beauty, Truyan is much more powerful and pivotal to this story than just the love interest. This book has enough fighting, twists and betrayals to make this more C-drama, less Disney.

Back to the cover mix up - the beautiful cover is done by Vietnamese artist Tran Nguyen who is the artist behind what seems like ALL of the Elizabeth Lim YA books, the Wesley Chu War Arts books and my favorite cover this year Dragonfruit by Makiia Lucier. Go to the artist blog linked here. The murals are just as stunning and an appropriately large canvas for her work. 

As far as Asian romantasy, this one is fabulous. It has all the highs and lows of an Asian romantasy without the super goopy cheeseball ending. Yes, it has a positive ending, but not without the heartbreak and worry of a Chinese drama. That is what makes Asian romantasy so much better!

From the Publisher:

Truyan Saigas didn't choose to become a con artist, but after her father is lost at sea, it’s up to her to support her mother and two younger sisters. A gifted art forger, Tru has the unique ability to paint the future, but even such magic is not enough to put her family back together again, or stave off the gangsters demanding payment in blood for her mother’s gambling debts.

Left with few options, Tru agrees to a marriage contract with a mysterious dragon lord. He offers a fresh start for her mother and sisters and elusive answers about her father's disappearance, but in exchange, she must join him in his desolate undersea palace. And she must assist him in a plot to infiltrate the tyrannical Dragon King's inner circle, painting a future so treasonous, it could upend both the mortal and immortal realms. . . .

Publication Information:

Author: Elizabeth Lim

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (June 3, 2025)

Celestial Monsters (The Sunbearer Duology Book 2)

 

Rating: 4 for diverse, queer normative fantasy duology

My Thoughts:

As a pushback to the 4+ fantasy series trend, more authors, especially divers fantasy authors are leaning into the duology. I am so here for that. I feel like as a long time YA fantasy reader, the second book in a duology is more crave worthy because I know that the story will come to an end at book 2. It makes the anticipation between book 1 and 2 even more luscious. I remember the characters more when I just need to wait a year and then say goodbye. If it is a longer series, I sometimes will wait until the final one comes out before going to book 2. 

But back to this particular book. Teo, our Jade semidiose hero, his sassy best friend and Gold semidiose strong girl Niya, as well as huge crush and hottie Aurelio must literally save the world from darkness and monsters brought on by Teo's act of humanity and compassion. 

As they work together to try and save the other gold semidioses being held captive by the Obsidians, we readers are also hopeful that Xio will remember the love and friendship shown to them by their family and new friends Teo and Niya. 

Besides seeing the more humane side of the captured gold semidioses, this second book also gets into the social justice aspect of the role of the gods, the adults in charge, to actually break a system that is wrong. The gods must learn from their own children that they have the power to change an unjust system. Teo also calls them out on the idea of what protecting humans versus just lording over them actually means.

Finally, this is a queer normative series. What that means is that we do not have to talk about it. It just is. Enjoy the story as a story full of drama, fighting, romance, sacrifice and love.

From the Publisher:

Teo never thought he could be a Hero. Now, he doesn’t have a choice.

The sun is gone, the Obsidian gods have been released from their prison, and chaos and destruction are wreaking havoc on Reino del Sol. All because Teo refused to sacrifice a fellow semidiós during the Sunbearer Trials.

With the world plunged into perpetual night, Teo, his crush Aurelio, and his best friend Niya must journey to the dark wilderness of Los Restos, battling vicious monsters while dealing with guilt, trauma, and a (very distracting) burgeoning romance between Teo and Aurelio. Determined to rescue the captured semidioses and retrieve the Sol Stone, the trio races against the clock to return Sol and their protective light. With it, order can be restored.

The future of the whole world is in their hands.

Publication Information:

Author: Aiden Thomas

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends (September 3, 2024)

Print length: 415 pages