Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This was an interesting world to read about.

Thanks to NetGalley & G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

An excellent story that's just too dang hard to put down! Ix was a compelling protagonist with her mysterious backstory. The worldbuilding was fast-paced but delivered in a stylish way so it didn't feel as confusing as it could've been. I also especially like that we didn't spend that much time in the boring human world, ha!

I really loved the Sorrows, they were all fascinating characters, especially "Smiles". I can't wait to see them more in the next one!

I loved how dark it was but it may not be for everyone, it was dark in a...Nightmare Before Christmas kind of way. Super gothic but still kid-friendly.

Definitely recommend this for fans of Morrigan Crow, Coraline, and really any spooky fantasy fans.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book!

Ix leapt off the page from the very beginning. I loved her character arc and found her troubles so relatable to my own when I was her age. (Obviously, I too could speak to nightmare creatures and open portals into labyrinths, definitely not referring too struggling to fit in).

The world building was so immersive and I loved all of the different nightmares and the Sorrows. But especially Smiles and Hanky, they were the best. It was so heartwarming to see Ix make friends, the ride or die friendships are what draws me to middle grade time after time.

I’m so excited to get my hands on a finished copy so that I can see all the artwork. While this story is complete, I would love a chance to come back to this world on another adventure with Ix and her friends!

I was super excited for this because The Bone Spindle is my favorite YA fantasy series, Labyrinths are fascinating, and I love darker portal middle grade books like The Nevermoor series by Jessica Townsend and The Books of Elsewhere series by Jacqueline West.

And it did NOT disappoint! The world building in this was outstanding. I loved the sorrows, all the different kinds of nightmare critters, and Ix’s ability to travel via mist. Ix was very lovable and relatable, and I enjoyed her sunshine/grumpy dynamic with her roommate Morrigan. Ollie was the perfect kind and bookish introvert to finish their friend trio. But it was the adorable inkling Hanky who stole my heart the most. Rounding out the found family, husbands Captain Kel and Captain Ito were fantastic mentors and wonderful queer rep.

While Raggedy Jack’s identity was fairly easy to figure out, there were a couple of other very cool twists I didn’t see coming. I hope this series continues and eagerly await returning to that world. I recommend this to fans of Tim Burton, Coraline, Alice in Wonderland, and any of the other series I mentioned at the start of the review.

I received an advanced copy from the publisher and am voluntarily leaving this review.

The Labyrinth of Souls is stunning and spooky and sad and wistful in a deep-down, gorgeous way. I'm captivated by all the little Nightmare creatures, by the Labyrinth and its terrifyingly charming Sorrows. I would love to have gone to school at Covenant Keep, with plenty of cats and Nightmares to keep me company. The villains, particularly Scarecrow Jack, are downright creepy, but there's a lot more to this book than just a magical school adventure story. It's the story of how we learn to live in a world of heartbreak and sorrow, and how a lonely outcast girl finally makes friends and finds a family of her own.

Can't recommend this highly enough. A book for everyone who loves Harry Potter and Natsume Yuujincho and The Nightmare Before Christmas.

The Labyrinth of Souls by Leslie Vedder is a spellbinding journey into a world where magic, mystery, and adventure collide in the most imaginative ways. I picked this up to read with my two boys, and we were all captivated from start to finish. The story strikes a perfect balance between thrilling adventure and just the right amount of spookiness, making it ideal for younger readers who crave excitement without being overly frightened.

This book is a must-read for anyone who loves dark fantasy adventures with heart and humor. It’s a story that blends magic, friendship, and the thrill of facing the unknown. Leslie Vedder’s storytelling is a true delight, and I’m certain this will be a tale my family returns to again and again. If you’re looking for a book that’s adventurous but not too scary, with vivid descriptions that bring every page to life, this is it. Plus, you’ll absolutely fall in love with Ix and her unforgettable Nightmares. Highly recommended for family reading time or for young readers ready to embark on a magical adventure.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The Labyrinth of Souls by Leslie Vedder is a third person-POV Middle Grade secondary world fantasy. Ix Tatterfall has never fit in with her peers because she is comfortable with Nightmares, creatures everyone else would rather pretend don't exist. When she is taken in by the Candle Corps to join their academy to harness her abilities, she finally achieves the friends and answers she's always been looking for.

The worldbuilding is very Tim Burton/Nightmare Before Christmas meets Alice in Wonderland when the Chesire Cat opens the doorway into the maze of the Queen of Hearts. Very specific, I know, but that's how strongly this story reads of these two things to me. There's a spooky aesthetic that will be perfect for any kid who loves Halloween all year round and watches scary movies. Chaos the Grinning Cat is kind of a twist on the Chesire Cat while the Inklings and Misticats help flesh the worldbuilding out further to separate it from the Disney-esque elements.

Ix makes two friends, Ollie and Morrigan, at the academy and has different relationships with them. Ollie is very knowledgeable and upbeat and is the one who encourages Ix the most, reaching out to her every time he saw she needed a friend. Conversely, Ix and Morrigan are not initially friends but their time together as roommates helps Ix see that Morrigan is a hard worker who hides how she really feels and Morrigan starts to trust Ix. I'm always here for female friendships in fiction and trio friend groups that have include a caring and compassionate boy.

We get some Queer rep with Captians Ito and Kel who are husbands and work for the Candle Corps. It's very much treated as a normal thing that the two are married and they are not one-off characters who are never mentioned again because they take Ix under their wing when it comes to her magical education and the Labyrinth. I love it when books have Queer mentors who are allowed to be openly and happily Queer because I never got that as a kid.

I would recommend this to young readers who love Halloween, readers of all ages who loved The Nightmare Before Christmas and Alice in Wonderland, and those looking for a Middle Grade that prominently features Queer relationships

I highly recommend this book for fans of fantasy and magic that celebrates those with 'darker' powers. Ix has many secrets and has always been an outcast, rejected by peers and others in her own village. She can interact with Nightmares and other creatures who reside in the Labyrinth of Souls (kind of like purgatory.) But, when she is chosen to be part of the Candle Corps, a magical group that uses their powers to dispel Nightmares and darkness, she is thrust into a new world. Friendships begin and end and reunite while a powerful mystery must be solved to save both the Waking World and the Labyrinth. At first, many of the tropes and plot twists seemed similar to other fantasy books set in magical schools (Harry Potter, School for Good and Evil), but clever world-building, a thought-provoking connection between human emotions and the good/bad powers in this world, and excellent characters hooked me in. The twists and turns of the plot in the last 1/4 were also excellent, even if the final resolution was somewhat expected. I highly recommend this to middle grade readers who enjoy complex fantasy tales with a bit of darkness.

A creepy-cute goth dark fantasy novel - intended for children but thoroughly enjoyed by me. I especially love the creatures from the Labyrinth ecosystem, like the creak-o-dials, the stubb toads, dire frogs, and mistcats. And (of course) the Ch(ao)e(s)hire Catbus. Ix and her friends are terrific.

I enjoyed that this was a standalone book for once (no cliffhangers!) but I would definitely pick up any more books Vedder writes set in this world.

In the Kingdom of Spinar, there are seven rules for safeguarding your soul from the Sorrows and Nightmare creatures—most importantly: never, ever enter the Labyrinth of Souls.

Ix Tatterfall has always been an outcast with big secrets: She can cross into the Labyrinth, home to the powerful Sorrows, and she can see strange Nightmare beasts when no one else can. Some, like the shadowy Inklings or bothersome Stubbed Toads, are merely a nuisance. Many more—like the Jimber-Jawed Hounds—are dangerous. Even deadly.

But something is very wrong in the Labyrinth. A terrible new Nightmare—a raggedy scarecrow called Jack—has been ravaging the misty maze, gobbling up wraiths and lost souls and allowing Nightmares to seep into the Waking World.

On one forbidden trip, Ix comes face to face with Jack. Worse, she’s apprehended by Candle Corps, an elite magical group that protects the kingdom against Nightmares. Instead of exile, Ix is allowed to enter the mysterious Candle Corps Academy. For the first time, she’s surrounded by others who can see what she sees: Morrigan Bea, a hot-tempered girl who might be a monster; Ollie Pembrooke, a shy boy who loves books and Dreamchaser dogs; and Hanky the Inkling, Ix’s faithful Nightmare companion.

But more and more Nightmares are bleeding into Spinar. Raggedy Jack is on the hunt for something—someone—from the Waking World.

Was a wonderful story. I enjoyed reading it so much. I cannot wait until it comes it. I really loved the main character’s sensitivity towards the others. Highly recommend it. 10/10

This was such a great book, the classic "magical boarding school" tale with a much stronger focus on the darker side of the shadows. Ix Tatterfall has many secrets and one of them gets her sent to Candle Corps Academy, the training school for those who protect the Waking World from the dark and powerful Nightmares that seep out of the Labyrinth of Souls. Her new school promises many new skills and more than a few mysteries that could change everything she thought she knew about the Labyrinth - and herself. I loved Ix from the beginning and knew she would only get better as the story drew on. Her sympathy and kindness toward the smaller, harmless Nightmares around her characterized her perfectly from the very first chapter, and her blooming friendships (and rivalries) at the academy let her turn that kindness and desire to understand into the perfect tool for unraveling the secrets surrounding her new home. The story did seem to borrow from a certain british-boy-wizard story a little too often for my liking, but mostly in the classmate dynamics Ix encounters. On the other hand, I felt the world building, especially when it came to the Nightmares and how they affect the Waking World, was wonderfully gothic and refreshing.