Middle grade always takes a big portion of my TBR pile. I love the hopefulness that kids this age have. And for a child reader, a book can be a way to work out big emotions in a place far removed from their own life. I love the function of a portal in taking the reader that much further away from their reality. As a child, the fantasy A Wrinkle in Time got me through a difficult period. This love of fantasy and children’s literature is the reason I started writing in the first place. And why I got an MFA in writing specifically for children and young adults.
This is a “big” book in that it is reminiscent of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series.
It is epic in scope, in action, and in humor—it is laugh-out-loud funny! The portals are many and, to further complicate things, have guardians. I loved the mixture of Hindu mythology with modern-day references (there are a lot!) along with a very modern kid sensibility. A thrill ride of an adventure.
Best-selling author Rick Riordan introduces this fantasy adventure by New York Times best-selling author, Roshani Chokshi, inspired by the great epics she grew up on.
Named one of 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time by Time magazine!
Twelve-year-old Aru Shah has a tendency to stretch the truth in order to fit in at school. While her classmates are jetting off to family vacations in exotic locales, she'll be spending her autumn break at home, in the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture, waiting for her mom to return from her latest archeological trip. Is it any wonder that…
I've always been a gamer, even now that passion burns bright. My favourite genres being FPS, Horror, Fighting, and adventure games. There's nothing like delving into a new game and feeling the adrenaline that comes with slaying beasts and leveling up, or getting emotional during a cinematic movie-like horror game. I've been gaming since I was a child all the way up until today. Gaming has always had my heart, which has led to me writing books inspired by gaming as well as being a gaming content creator, posting reviews on my website and social media. I love the fast-paced feeling you get whilst gaming and wanted to echo that in my storytelling.
One of the first manga books I ever read and one of the reasons I fell in love with the fantasy genre as a whole which then spread into gaming.
Set in Feudal Japan, a school girl named Kagome one day falls in a well and finds herself in a completely different timezone, where there are demons, priestess, and a particular dog eared half demon named Inuyasha...
It's a rollercoaster ride of emotions and heart, and this one I actually wished had been turned into a game as it would have been so much fun.
Rumiko Takahashi's manga epic in its original format - historical action and romance from one of Japan's most beloved creators.
Kagome is a modern Japanese high school girl. Never the type to believe in myths and legends, her world view dramatically changes when, one day, she's pulled out of her own time and into another! There, in Japan's ancient past, Kagome discovers more than a few of those dusty old legends are true, and that her destiny is linked to one legendary creature in particular - he dog like half-demon called Inuyasha! That same trick of fate also ties them…
I have spent my 50-year career as a writer, illustrator, and comic book artist. My comics involve surrealistic situations and alternate realities. I am best known for my strip The Bus, which appeared monthly in Heavy Metal magazine, and Dope Rider, which appeared regularly in High Times magazine. Both series have been collected in books and published internationally. I read the graphic novels of other artists whose work centers on surrealism, alternate realities, and the psychedelic experience for enjoyment and to draw inspiration for my own work. Fans of graphic novels who like trippy stories and art should enjoy the books on my list.
My mind was blown when I encountered the work of Philippe Druillet in the mid-1970s. This French cartoonist is considered one of the greatest of them all, creating alien worlds of startling originality and stupefying grandeur. Fifty years later, his work is as startling and original as it appeared back then.
No one has surpassed his ability to depict scenes of such mind-boggling scale and otherworldliness, as if he had a unique glimpse of some higher realm. As a young cartoonist, I was strongly influenced by Druillet, who inspired me with his demonstration of what it was possible to achieve in the comic book form. His work is not drug-oriented but depicts the sort of visions those who take hallucinogens would hope to experience.
Born from chaos, Prince Yragael, is the last hope for Earth. Gods and demons stroll the land, attempting to enforce their authority on the Last Men once more. He falls prey to the queen of Spharain, and from their union comes a son, Urm - a grotesque fool with the potential to redeem mankind.
I’ve always loved reading young adult fantasy books with forbidden romance and lush worldbuilding and classic fairytale elements like princesses, dancing, pretty clothes, and delicious food spreads. All these books offer fresh takes and twists, and tug at your heartstrings with the angst, the betrayals, the secrets, and the love. These are all immersive stories that transport you far away, to a different time, to a different land, which is exactly what you need sometimes to get away from this world and its craziness.
Nyx will do anything to save her people, including marrying the terrible Ignifex, the evil ruler of her kingdom. But there is more to Ignifex than she initially imagined, and as Nyx falls in love with him, she fights to find a way to save both her people and her love. This book portrays such fun banter between Nyx and Ignifex and poses a truly difficult riddle that is bound to break your heart.
If you're excited about the upcoming Disney film Beauty and the Beast, starring Emma Watson, don't miss Cruel Beauty. The romance of Beauty and the Beast meets the adventure of Graceling in this dazzling fantasy novel about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny. Perfect for fans of bestselling An Ember in the Ashes and A Court of Thorns and Roses, this gorgeously written debut infuses the classic fairy tale with glittering magic, a feisty heroine, and a romance sure to take your breath away. Betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom, Nyx has always known…
I've been a guest lecturer and featured presenter at colleges and conferences, served on the Board of Directors for ICON6, and authored eight published books on illustration and design. I'm a retired college art professor and freelance illustrator and still teach fine art, design, and cartoon classes for kids and adults; I’m also an English Dept. writing tutor at a local college. Right now, I am exploring the medium of cardboard. Cardboard taps into a material that is so ubiquitous and common, it’s often maligned as being inconsequential, but I’m positively tickled to be working in a material that was wonderfully simple and presents a simply wonderful challenge.
There are some artists who are so talented they are, simultaneously, incredibly inspirational anddiscouraging.
Mike Mignola is one of those guys. Mignola is the commander of figure/ground. His beautiful sense of shape and form and utter control of black and white is just amazing. He builds story beautifully and constructs his pages cinematically.
When I looked for people to grace the pages of my book, I shot for consummate talent like that, and, if I can blow my own horn just a bit, the book succeeds along those lines. When I grow up, I want to be able to draw like that.
A murder in a New York wax museum and a missing corpse lead Hellboy into ancient Romanian castles on the trail of a sleeping legend: the original nobleman vampire. Nazi scientists prepare for the return of their occult master and the end of the world, and Hellboy confronts his purpose on earth.
Before writing cozy mysteries, I was a ladies’ apparel sales exec. To be a successful, humorous, cozy mystery author, character development is the key. Fortunately for my writing gig, salespeople are also students of human nature. I've been fascinated by what makes people tick all my life and have taken all I have learned and applied it to my writing. How characters react in life and death situations makes my casts imperfect but believable, accents their individuality, and lets their personalities come alive so that readers can’t help but invest in them.
I gave a standing ovation to this lesson in being careful about what one wishes for and facing the consequences when one’s wishes come true in a heart-pounding fight of good versus evil. This gem is one of the most imaginative and descriptively written tales I ever read.
I could almost feel the heat from the sinister, demonic Ifrit breathing fire and the slash of its tail across the protagonist’s face. If you start out reading this book doubting the existence of djinns and parallel universes, you’ll be questioning your beliefs when you get to the end.
Bax always fantasized something remarkable would happen in his life. So when a decrepit man with glowing purple eyes offers him a ring intended for his estranged father, Bax accepts.
The ring speaks to Bax in a dream, tempting him with a vision of a powerful djinn. Desperate to make his fantasies a reality, Bax unleashes a creature called Ifrit, but soon learns this djinn isn't what the ring led him to believe. Feeding off the depths of his subconscious, the sinister demon fulfills what he thinks Bax wants by manipulating, threatening, and murdering. With everyone he loves in danger…
Dorohedoro is an odd fish. It’s a
manga about two parallel worlds.
One is full of sorcerers, where magic is
biological. It can be supplemented with drugs or by making a pact with one of
the devils who rule that world. The other world is much more like ours, except
the sorcerers visit so often to practice on the people there (with horrible but
funny results), that even the rain has a magical residue that can corrupt a
human body.
Into this already strange scenario, Hayashida throws an amnesiac,
lizard-headed man trying to discover his true identity and his best friend, a genius
martial artist and dumpling chef. Brilliant, bizarre, and funny.
Caiman was not lucky. A sorcerer cursed him with a reptile head and left him with no memory of his life before the transformation. Adding to the mystery, there's a spectre of a man living inside him. But Caiman has one key advantage: he's now completely immune to magic. Along with his best friend, Nikaido, Caiman is hunting down sorcerers in the Hole, searching for the one who can undo his curse and killing the rest. But when En, the head Sorcerer, of the sorcerers, gets word of a lizard-man slaughtering sorcerers, he sends a crew of "cleaners" into the…
The Twice-Sold Soul brings a fresh and inclusive take on all the 90s urban fantasy shows I loved so much: Buffy, Charmed, and Supernatural. It made me nostalgic and I adored the more modern twist to it.
McKenna was a fun protagonist to follow and it was a joy to watch her grow throughout the story and take responsibility for her actions. I especially loved the themes of friendships and family and how important they were to not only the plot, but to our protagonist. I was thinking about this one for awhile, and am looking forward to the second book in the series!
Fans ofBuffy and Charmed will love this queer fantasy romance set in a magical high school reunion!
What's a witch to do when her demon ex comes to call?
McKenna Ellerbeck has been running from literal demons for ten years, including her ex-girlfriend, the Archdemon of Desire Remiel Blake. When Remi finally tracks her down and demands she return to her fantastical hometown of Arcadia Commons to attend her high school reunion, McKenna wants to refuse. But she's bound by a deep debt, so like it or not, it's time to stop running.
As McKenna begrudgingly reconnects with old classmates,…
I'm Lyra R. Saenz. I'm an off-the-clock goth, a steampunk romantic, and a loyal adopter of lonely books. I'm a writer of genre-breakers and witchy makeovers. I've spent my life with either my nose in a book or my heart on the stage, and my passion for art is my drive every day. I grew up watching Star Wars, which is probably the apex of all magic merged with science settings, and I've always wondered why people don't make more of that: a super advanced society where witches and wizards are respected parts of the world.
First of all, the main character, Laytham, gets my little bi-sexual heart leaping with excitement. He’s sexy and dark and mysterious. He’s got some serious issues but handles it all with a healthy dose of cynicism and magic.
I love how gritty this book is. It’s the stench of the city mixed with the sweat and arousal of a dance club. I’ve never seen magic done this way, where one of the characters uses the computer to access his own magical network.
I read this book at a time in my life when things just were not going in the direction I wanted them to. It inspired me to take back control of my life. In a lot of ways, it is very cyberpunk, rooted in urban fantasy.
In the more shadowy corners of the world, frequented by angels and demons and everything in- between, Laytham Ballard is a legend. It's said he raised the dead at the age of ten, stole the Philosopher's Stone in Vegas back in 1999, and survived the bloodsucking kiss of the Mosquito Queen. Wise in the hidden ways of the night, he's also a cynical bastard who stopped thinking of himself as the good guy a long time ago. Now a promise to a dying friend has Ballard on the trail of an escaped Serbian war criminal with friends in both high…
I'm passionate about ghost stories, classic gothic literature, and horror comics, and I have always felt that October is too short to contain the atmospheric chills and versatility of horror stories. I am also passionate about graphic novels and have worked as a professional illustrator, comic artist, and colorist for 7 years. I love the camp, the fun, and the macabre invoked by Summerween. Now that I have written and published my own cozy, spooky graphic novel, which made both the American Book Association's Indies Introduce List for Summer 2024 and People Magazine's Summerween 2024 Book List, I want to shine the spotlight on other comics with the feeling of October.
This book surprised me a lot. I was expecting a gory, grimdark, good-for-her revenge story—and it is that—but this book is also darkly funny! It gives What We Do in the Shadows vibes, but with demons.
The comic follows a duo of hapless twin siblings who are way over their heads, coming to terms with their demonic heritage, coping with emotionally unavailable parents, and running the family restaurant. I feel it perfectly balances dark comedy and gripping horror in its themes. (CW: gore)
The Night Eaters: She Eats the Nights is the first volume in a graphic novel horror trilogy from author Marjorie Liu and illustrator Sana Takeda—the creative team behind the New York Times bestselling series Monstress.
NAMED A BEST GRAPHIC NOVEL OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST NAMED A BOOK WE LOVED BY NPR
Chinese American twins Milly and Billy are having a tough time. On top of the multiple failures in their personal and professional lives, they’re struggling to keep their restaurant afloat. Luckily their parents, Ipo and Keon, are in town for their annual visit. Having immigrated from…
