Fog and Fireflies introduces us to a unique new world, full of magic, mystery, and myth. Our heroine must find her way through a shifting landscape and a shifting timeline as she tries to save the people she loves from the shadows of past legends. While it had a slow beginning, I appreciated the time the author spend to develop the characters and setting in a natural way - there wasn't much exposition to speed the introduction along, instead we learned things as Ogma learned them. This almost lost my interest early on, because even though I liked the premise and the world building, I hadn't been hooked in the story yet. But eventually the momentum of what we were learning swept me up and enveloped me like the fog itself, and I enjoyed the adventure. I would be happy with this as a standalone story, but it doesn't feel done yet. There are still questions and mysteries, and a general feeling of something left unfinished. Either way, I hope to see more from this author in the future!

Firstly, I fell in love with the blurb and the cover of the book. A young girl standing in front of monsters. It really does match the world and characters within this book.

Ogma, is someone who you instantly fall in love with. She is not some weak child. She is brave, responsible, smart, loyal to her village and others. Adults are not the protectors in this story, the children are as they are not as fearful or aware of the darkness, and what it truly is. The children protect the village and keep the fog away.

I was skeptic at first thinking it would not be similar to Studio Ghibli but it absolutely is, even down to the art style, and the description of the many characters, and all of their unique thoughts, and emotions. Every character serves a purpose and is not just thrown in because you need more dialog. Everything pieces together like a puzzle, which is exactly the mystery within this book. You have humans, and inhumans, you get a touch of fantasy but not overbearing and easy to read for non fantasy readers.

Unlike many others the chapters are longer than most, not everything at the end will be answered you are left to come up with your own conclusions. The world building, slang used is unique I think the whole book is on its level all on its own.

Great for middle school age and older, and it is definitely one I will remember and recommend for years and years. Well done.

In a world where the fog is out to get you and the walls are patrolled by children to keep the town safe, a brave girl named Ogma risks it all to protect and save all those she can. Courageous Ogma gets thrown into the adventure of a lifetime beginning with the day she saves a strange boy from beyond the wall.

Immediately, drawn to the cover of this story and how it feels like a dark fairytale. Incredible world building in this imaginative and mysterious yet slightly confusing story. The characters are captivating with a touch of magic as endure obstacle after obstacle. However, I did not enjoy the length of the chapters and how often perspectives alternated within them.

Wonderful, imaginative tale with a timeline that is hard to follow and characters that fade in and out. Ironically, this actually adds more to the story as you fell like you are wandering through the fog with the main character. Definitely a must read for Spirited Away fans.

As someone said earlier, this book truly reads like a Ghibli movie. It was perfectly magical.
The only thing I'd have wanted more of was the Wizards war and how the fog came to be. Also the chapter lengths was a little bit of an issue for me.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this eARC.

4.2 / 5.0

Fog & Fireflies by TH Lehnen is a fantastic, spooky fantasy book. I was drawn to the cover and tucked in for the story in two sittings. The world building is amazing and the story is so entertaining. I only wish it was written for an older audience, but overall this story is a good time.

Until Next Time,
MC

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for access to this ARC to review.

This is a modern classic fantasy story, with traces of ‘The Neverending Story’ and ‘Pan’s Labyrinth.’ I loved the characters, and I loved the way the author explores the themes at the heart of this novel. With compelling characters, recommending this book is a no-brainer!

mazing cover. I was in love in the beginning, with the deadly, creepy fog and the notes of the bells. The kids know the tones of the other kids and they communicate through their bells across the walls they patrol. You fall in love with the well-written characters. And then the big bad thing happens and I struggled with the book until about the last 10%. I did enjoy the world-building and getting to know the different caravaners, but I was restless and focused on the big bad event and I needed to know what happens next in that plot-line.

I'm hoping the next book has a little more interest between Dunkirk and Ogma. I know the audience is young teen and I'm not asking for smut. If he went out of his way to get her a dessert, I would be happy. Bare minimum romance at least, please.

The monsters are delightfully scary.

Small village surrounded by dangerous and mysterious fog. Only children are immune to it, so they guard the wall of village and protect the adults. Sounds dark and twisted and it is. The main protagonist Ogma is a brave girl, very loyal, strong and lovely, who is making everything she can to fulfill her duty and protect her friends. But the fog hides many secrets.
I liked this book. The cover is magnificent, by the way. The story is surprisingly darker than what I expected. Storytelling is very compelling and complex, building rich world full of small and thoughtful details, which are coming together at the end very nicely. It feels as a fantasy book should feel - like you have a sparkling new gem at your hands. My only complaint would be probably the pacing which felt a little off at the middle of the book. Like the action should have started a bit earlier. Also I felt like it wasn’t the end of the story and discovered this is first of the planned series after finishing it. Keep that in mind if you don’t like to wait for the coming books.
The book is dealing with friendships and found family, growing up and disappointments from adults and almost-adults. A separate point is obviously the parents. Here the most awful creatures are called by the names of Mother and Father, which is by no means accidental.. Well it is not a simple book, there are layers and themes.
I would really recommend it, just with a warning that it is pretty dark at times.
Thank you netgalley for the arc.

A remarkable and innovative fantasy tale that's certain to delight readers of all ages. I'm very proud of Tim and the work that's gone into this and I'm as excited as anyone else to see what he comes up with next.

The author did a nice job with world building. The characters were relateable. However, the first half of the book moved so slowly, I couldn't finish the book. Also this is more of a children's book than young adult.

I appreciate receiving the ARC and thank Netgalley and the publishers.

This is why we watch the fog....

Oh Ogma. What an adventure we went on. I found this book perplexing and wonderful.

Perplexing because I found it really hard to picture the characters and understand the world and I think its because it was just so different to anything else I have read... I think ever. The world is intriguing, fascinating and terrifying and I want to go back.

Wonderful because its such a topsy turvy ride. I was invested from the moment the shadow puppets appeared. I loved how the author left the children as children. Still little and unsure and innocent but also with this monumental weight on their shoulders to keep all the adults safe. It made it so believable, and it made the stakes higher. So well done

There are some issues with pace and character development - Some characters that appear later in the book, you feel you should be more invested in but you just aren't because there isn't enough development to have that connection.

On the whole, a brilliant read and I can't wait to pick up this author's next tale.

Just one thing that bugged me - A LOT - The whole way through the book. At the beginning of the story, we learn Ogma has only ever eaten meat once and its not something that is readily available and a note is made that they are basically vegetarian. IF that is true - Where did the butter and eggs come from? Because they had a bakery...and Pies were mentioned but how? It just really nagged at me all the way through the book. Was it vegan pastry? Did they not use eggs? WHERE did the butter come from. I'd still like to know.....

p.s Thank you T.H Lehen, the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free review copy of this book

3 stars due to world building, enjoyable characters, and descriptions of place.
Missing 2 stars due to:
1. Issues with continuity - I felt the story should have been divided into 2 parts and each of the parts needed more fleshing out.
2. Target age range is 15-18 years although the first half of the book is written for a much younger age level and the second half of the book is really for a slightly younger age range. I would have put the book at more of a 11-14 age range.

A beautifully written novel that takes you to a fantasy world unlike any other you have know before. I really enjoyed branching out from my typical genre to read this work.

Fog & Fireflies is more than it says on the tin: sure, there is fog and there are fireflies, but there are also towns that disappear into said fog, there are legends that may not be just legends and may be closer than they seem, a traveling wonderous colorful band of "caravaners" who trade in goods but keep the truths of the world, a mysterious boy appearing in blood and fog, and threading them all together the teenage Ogma who is just trying to get home.

When blurbs say things similar to Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli vibes, usually it's a bit of a stretch for 'cozy and heartwarming fantasy.' This is not that (mostly!) this actually draws out the more interesting (to me) parts of the Miyazaki/Ghibli vibes -- the horrors of the earth and how Wrong they feel in their landscapes.

There was a lot going on in this book but it does all tie together (even more than expected) and it's definitely part one of a series even if it's not clear on NetGalley and it's fun to see or make the realization/watch Ogma make the realization about these things knitting together to tell a wider story of the world and its histories.

There's still some questions I have (mostly why do there seem to be no parents and the children raise themselves, how exactly did spooky magic fog start, etc) and some minor nitpicking (I think it would have been better if Dunkirk's language would have not been written out as full dialogue every time when no one could understand him, I didn't know how the humans knew the genders of the caravaners unless there was something in the introductions/masks I forgot about so gendering shadow people was strange to my non-binary self, etc) but they are also things that surely could be answered in subsequent books in the series so I'm not really fussed.

And! There's illustrations!

Also let me say, in a world where AI ""art"" (not art) is encroaching into books it's so nice to have this GORGEOUS cover with a very clearly credited artist! Bless.

Thank you to Netgalley and Aspen & Thorn Press for the eARC in exchange for review!

The beginning of this book took me awhile to get into. I had not much of an idea of what was going on. However, it quickly turned into a fairytale that felt reminiscent of The Labyrinth and The Neverending Story. There is so much found family and so much growth for Ogma. I loved her and I will always carry her with me. I loved that this was filled with stories that the characters told for world building. It didn't feel like it was dumping information, but like you were a child being told a story. It was great. I would love to read more from this author.

Unfortunately DNF’ed at 60%. I think this concept had so much potential. There were some great moments both with the relationships between the kids and the tension built by the presence of the fog. I felt like by 60% in I was still lacking a through line in the story and I just wasn’t invested because I still had no clue where the story was going. There were a lot of interesting vignettes and I’m certain eventually the payoff would have gotten there in connecting some of them but as a reader I need some breadcrumbs to keep me going to get to that point.

I absolutely love this story!! Such a good slow burn with the much needed worldbuilding. If the pace moved any faster in the world building it wouldn't have made sense.

I loved all the characters, especially the caravaners! The description of each of the characters was fantastic! I would like character art prints for literally every character please!!

The way the villages worked was very cool, I can't describe any more or else it'll potentially turn into a spoiler.

The way the fog throughout the book was perfect! I could picture it and it was like it was an actual being with a mind of its own.

I love the bits regarding the fireflies and the ermine moths. I love both of those insects <3

I also loved that Dunkirk spoke Norwegian! It was fun translating what he was saying.

I learned so many new words in this book that I finally almost ran out of a color of tabs just tanning new words! :D

I also loved that there was an epigraph and the chapters had titles. I love reading a chapter and then realizing what the chapter title meant.

Only thing at the end I couldn't figure out was if that was the end end or if there might be a book two. If it was the end, it left me wanting a little more.

Overall, this is a 4.5 star read and I'm recommending to young adults and adults everywhere. Thank you for writing this amazing story L.H. Lehnen and sharing it with the world!

Absolutely loved the cover and the story. Well-written and original. A joy to read. So glad I was given the opportunity!

Ogma patrols the walls of her village to help keep the deadly fog away and to ensure they are safe from breaches. One evening, a bell is frantically rang when a figure is seen in the fog on the ground. Ogma rescues the boy, but he’s badly injured. The boy lives, but…he speaks a different language and does not own a bell. Everyone has a bell. As they try to help him learn their town’s ways, Caravaners come to their town. Everything is bright and happy and everyone is having fun, until one evening, their town is attacked by more Caravaners who start taking their children. Ogma is trying to save them with Wheeler, until Ogma gets lost in the fog and has to find her way back home.

This story is hauntingly atmospheric. It’s eerie, with whimsy and spookiness. It’s also about family, love, loyalty, and even betrayal and forgiveness.

It compared the story style to a Miyazaki story, and I would say yes, it absolutely reminded me of an anime movie that you get lost in, even if you don’t quite fully understand what’s happening.

I certainly got lost in this book, in the fog, with these characters. Ogma is this feisty FMC. She’s 14, but she’s tough, resilient, and yet, like a typical young teen, cries at times and I appreciated that about her that she showed vulnerability. She cared and loved a lot too. She cared and loved her found family so much and you could feel it, especially when she’s lost in the fog still trying to find and help the family she lost. She reminded me of Chihiro from Spirited Away at times because Chihiro I grew to be a feisty gal who only wanted to save those she loved. Ogma is definitely the star of this book.

There’s a lot of other unique characters, such as Dunkirk who you’re just trying to figure who he is, Wheeler who is the oldest and loves and cares for the children and yet is terrified of the fog, Nod and his Caravaners who were such a unique cast of strangeness and whimsy. There’s talk of Gods and Wizards and other strange mythical creatures in the fog. It made for a unique world that I want to explore more. And with the way it ended, I think there could be more!

I will say that the detail was a bit lacking in the book. I honestly have no idea what any of the characters look like except for the Caravaners 😅 I also was confused with some of the pacing. It seemed to start very strong and then turned into another story into another story. It definitely made for an interesting and trippy plot and story, and I wish there was a bit more detail or plot-building, but it still made for a wonderful book!

I highly recommend this one if you enjoy darker atmospheric fantasies!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the gifted arc!