I am reviewing this based on the narrator. I didn't like his voice, and I felt it wasn't appropriate to the character. The MC is a young girl, and it would have been nice to have a younger person with more enthusiasm narrate. I felt his voice was very neutral and literal. There was no intonation, and it was way too soft.
The story itself is great, and I gave the actual story a higher rating
The fog changes the landscape and moves villages to or away from others. Children are immune to fog, so they patrol the walls of their village until they are 18 seasons old. The fog also speaks, moan,s and changes into figures and creatures.
On rare occasions, the fog would break, and during that time, if a village was in sight, it was a trade break when they would barter and trade with the other villages. Also, during this time, older kids would leave their villages to experience others and learn new trades.
Fogs and Fireflies is a unique perspective on fantasy and I did enjoy the story. I also liked the characters and their interactions with others in the village.

The cover of this book is what drew me in. The artwork is absolutely stunning, so I knew I had to read it without even knowing what it was about. I listened to the audiobook, and while the story is really well written, the narrator was not my favorite. I think this is one I will physically have to come back to. I'm glad it's the first book in a series!

Review of Fog & Fireflies by T.H. Lehnen

Fog & Fireflies is a beautifully atmospheric and haunting tale that blends dark fantasy with a coming-of-age journey. T.H. Lehnen’s storytelling is immersive, pulling the reader into a world where an eerie fog threatens everything in its path. At the heart of the story is Ogma, a brave and determined young girl who must navigate danger, mystery, and her own fears to protect her home.
Lehnen’s writing is rich and poetic, painting vivid imagery that lingers long after the final page. The world-building is intricate, filled with intriguing lore and eerie moments that keep the tension high. Ogma’s character is compelling—her courage and vulnerability make her an easy protagonist to root for.
This novel is perfect for readers who enjoy dark fairytales and atmospheric fantasy. It weaves together adventure, mystery, and emotion in a way that makes it both thrilling and deeply moving. Fog & Fireflies is a mesmerizing read that will stay with you long after the fog clears.

Fog & Fireflies by T.H. Lehnen is a a unique and thought provoking debut novel about children who protect their village from dangerous fog and the phantoms within it. While this was kind of a miss for me, I think that is solely because it felt more middle grade than YA to me, making it seem like it's aimed at a much younger audience. However, I think the writing was wonderful. The world building was immersive and interesting. The plot started off strong and captivating but by the halfway point it did start to slow, making it easier to lose interest. However, I think this is a great choice for younger readers and even older ones that like YA and middle grade reads.

The audiobook was very well done. It really brought new life to the story and gave it even more emotional depth.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I love found family, a brave female lead and a cool fantasy world.

I really loved how the world building was handled. I feel like usually when I read fantasy it’s all written out for you or the MC goes into some boring monologue about how the world works which I find boring and hard to keep track of. That or you’re left with questions you don’t get the answers to until many chapters later. But this is so very different. Everything flowed so naturally. And although you’re piecing these things together (mostly on context) it’s not confusing at all.

It took me a quarter of the way through the audiobook to finally become fully invested but that’s just how I personally am when reading fantasy so I truly do not put that on the book itself. But The ending had me covering my mouth and dropping my jaw, to be honest. I thought this was such an interesting read. And although it does feel like there are things unanswered sometimes, it doesn’t bother me in the slightest and it doesn’t make the story feel unfinished. It’s fitting considering our MC is just a kid who only knows the town she’s lived in and just how to protect it. She lacks experience and so she herself doesn’t have all the answers and I think that’s okay.

I highly recommend this book. I’m a romance reader but I’ll fight literally anyone for these kids.

We follow Ogma, a young girl who is tasked to guard the village from monsters that appear from the fog.
The book reads as a slightly darker YA fantasy but not too young where adults can’t enjoy themselves, I think it can be enjoyed by all!

Ogma is a well written character, we experience her emotions surrounding growing up, friendship, and learning the truth.
I really loved Ogma as the protagonist, I think for a child she is still relatable for the (adult) readers.

The world is darker, mysterious and creative with rich lore and a backstory.
I thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere throughout with the presence of the fog causing some excellent spooky moments.

The world and story gave me mixed vibes of Alice in wonderland and The Mist.

I did feel at times I was loosing interest and the plot was dragging, I still throughly enjoyed the book and will be excited to read book 2 and see where this story expands.

4 star read. Wrote this at 1am after finishing the book so probably very incoherent. Woops. Summary: an enjoyable read with a dark atmospheric world. Excited to read book 2!

Thank you Netgalley and Aspen & Thorn press for an ARC.

I enjoyed this book, but felt that it was lacking character development and there were many parts that seemed unnecessarily drawn out that did not add to the story. As I stated reading this book, I was immediately intrigued. The world and storyline captured my interest, but I felt that they lacked depth. The first half and second half of the book felt like completely different stories. I felt like the second half of the book came as a surprise, and not in a fluid way, The first half of the book is drawn out and makes it seem as though the scene is being set for something completely different than where the second half goes in the story. I felt that the storyline veered in a completely different direction and the first half then became somewhat drawn out and unnecessary, especially due to the fact that the characters were not given enough depth. There were many parts in the story that I felt were too long with not enough information, and there were many parts that were quite confusing. I am not sure if the confusing parts were possibly intentional? There were a few times that the story reminded me of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and there were a few characters that were named "hearts" and "Cheshire" so this may have been intentional. I felt that the second half of the book was jumping quickly from one thing to the next and not everything made sense, or fit into the story. This was very different from the first half of the book, which was a fluid story that did not cause confusion.
Overall I enjoyed the story and liked this book, but I felt that it could have used more depth and consistency.

This book had me in a chokehold. It was deliciously dark and mysterious, and I could never figure out the ending. The person I thought would be the hero in the story turned out to be the nightmare, providing a gut-wrenching, twisted ending that was amazing!!

There is so much that I want to say about this book, but I am afraid I will spoil it. The use of musical elements as location devices is genius! The emotion that drips off the page from the innocence of the children and the fear of the adults keeps the characters and their conflict valid. "Why do we grow more scared as we grow older?"

This book put me in the mind of the movies The MIST and The Neverending Story. The attention to detail in the world-building and lore was amazing. The description of the Fog and the layout of the towns. The way the history is passed down among the children in this book, and the moments of wit and banter. Though it felt a bit younger than YA, it was still a very good audiobook!

The author narrating the story was genius; he did an outstanding job of bringing each character to life.

"Why do we grow more scared as we grow older? Because we know better." What a line, and what truth!

Thank you so much, Netgalley, Aspen & Thorn Press, and T. H. Lehnen for the ALC of Fod and Fireflies.

I am voluntarily leaving my honest review.

This is the second time I’ve gotten to read this story and I like it just as much as I did the first time. The first time I read this story I got to read it through my Kindle and this time I got to read it with the audio and I’m an immersive reader so getting to listen to the book and see the book helps me visualize everything that’s happening and this was such a nice dark fairytale book that I just loved. Getting to hear the audio really brought the characters to life. Thank you for letting me have the opportunity to experience both platforms. The audio narration was done quite well. I enjoyed the voice and the characters that the voice actor gave to the story.

I almost put this book down

My uncensored thoughts of this (audio) book are:

1 - Why do authors think they are good voice actors?
2 - Where did the plot go?
3 - What happened to character development?
4 - Need to have an antagonist that is not totally hidden
5 - When things happen, they are seen, but when a character keeps "noticing," it becomes a filter

The internal thoughts of the main character were always echoed in the recording, which started to become old really quick. Yes I know this is a YA, but even a YA should hold the basics of plot, sub-plot, and character development. If you want something that will entertain and pull you through a story, don't pick this one up.

And if you're wondering about the title, yes, there is fog. Don't remember any fireflies, but there was a lot of fog.

This was an incredibly well realized dark fantasy younger YA story. It felt quite reminiscent of some of the stories produced by Studio Ghibli, with a focus on friendship, finding one's courage, and not giving up in the face of darkness and danger.

Our main character, Ogma, is one of the children who guards her village from the fog and its monsters. We see Ogma over the course of the story grow as a person, through her many losses and adventures after an incident finds her lost in the fog outside the walls. Though she initially holds some prejudice, she comes around and begins to see the good in other beings and people as her world view expands.

The biggest strength of this book for me was the world building. The author was able to craft such an incredibly rich world, from the nature of the fog, the monsters, the history of the people, the magic, the gods and old wizards who started the war centuries ago, it was all delivered in a way that felt quite organic.

The only thing that kept this from being a 5 star read was the pacing. The middle was more slow, though not boring. I would say more than anything I could have used more time at the end when the action kicked in. But for a debut it was overall incredibly well done. I'm highly anticipating seeing what T.H. Lehnen brings to future installments of this series.

I was interested in this book based off of the cover and the title. It’s very interesting. I don’t think I have read anything like this before. I like the concept of this being based around kids and them, saving the adults and protecting them from the fog the thing that I didn’t care for was how it felt very jumpy like there was a lot of jumping around from one point to another I felt like I was missing information. But aside from that decent story.

Fog & Fireflies by TH Lehnen

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Recommend? 100% Yes
Finished: March 19,2025
Format: Advanced Audio; thank you, NetGalley for the ARC
Read this if you like: Jordan, Sanderson, Goodkind, complex world-building, diverse characters, twist upon twist
Triggers: child capture, child death off page (though the description and pacing makes the young characters feel more adult than the grown folk in the story, so this trigger is lightly given)

“Why do we grow more scared when we get older? It’s because we know better.”

This is why we watch the fog … Ogma and her fellow children protect the adults in their town from the fog that chases and terrifies them; but when a new enemy targets the children, who, or what, will protect the protectors?
Lehnen weaves a skillful tale of a complex, vivid world full of unique creations that left me hankering for book 2 in this series. If you are a fan of the world-building of Jordan, Sanderson and Goodkind, you’ll find all the complexity and brain-scratching twists your heart desires. The character development was beautifully rendered, with all of the varied hues of courage, fear, deceit, vengeance and murky intentions we each carry in our hearts. The way the author tackled the system of governance in each fantasy race, the hierarchy present in the society, and the rich system of lore and history all combine to give the reader a thorough immersion into this new world. And in audio format, narrated by the author, the vocal effects worked a treat to truly transport you into Lehnen’s world of Fog & Fireflies.

In this unique fantasy, Ogma's village is surrounded by a fog that hides the dangerous phantoms that are only deadly to adults. Children protect the village by guarding the walls, only trusting their bells to communicate. When there is an attack on their village, many children are taken away and in Ogma's rescue attempt, she is lost in the fog. Ogma must find the courage to navigate the dangers of the fog and find a way to save her friends.

Fog & Fireflies was first brought to my attention during the author's audiobook tour at my local Barnes and Noble. I was completely captivated by the cover and the surrounding artwork of the characters you meet in the story. I had a great discussion with the author, and I couldn't wait to dive into this fantasy. When I saw the audiobook available to review, it was an immediate request.

This book was such a fun fantasy. Although this book is targeted to more of a young adult audience, Ogma's adventures can be enjoyed by readers of all ages. The dangerous world is filled with fantastical creatures and magic that seems to change the occupants of the fog in mysterious ways. The conclusion leaves several questions unanswered, and I can't wait for the next book in this series to unravel more of the mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley, Aspen and Thorn Press and T.H Lehnen for the opportunity to review Fog and Fireflies. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I picked this up because the cover really caught my eye while browsing NetGalley, and went right into it without any idea what the plot is about.
And I’ve got to say I absolutely fell in love with this story and world!!
I was rooting for Ogma and her friends right from the beginning, hoping at every turn that things would turn out okay.
I really liked how we slowly got to figure out more and more of the world, getting to know little pieces here and there without it being to much at once.
I will say it got a little slower around the 50% mark but by that point I was already deep enough into the story that I couldn’t put it down and just rushed right through it!
This might actually be one of my favorite reads of the year so far and I absolutely can’t wait for the next book to come out!!!

Thank you Aspen and Thorn and NetGalley for the ARC!

3-stars

Fog and Fireflies was a fresh fantasy take! I appreciated the world building and the writing was colorful and made each scene easy to mentally visualize.

The audiobook was so entertaining and I loved that the author did the narration. He did a great job at making the story flow with the various character voices and the emotion in his voice!

I probably would have enjoyed the story more if I were closer to the age demographic, but would definitely recommend to my tween nephews!

Children guard adults against a dangerous fog in this book that feels like a dark fairy tale. Fog & Fireflies makes me want to curl up under a blanket on a cold rainy day to get enveloped into this new world. This story is perfect for teens. I would have enjoyed some more back story to understand this new place for us readers but the book certainly gets straight to the plot. My only qualm is that the narration of the audio book is so soothing I would find myself so relaxed that I would forget to pay attention.

This book hit the right spot between adventure and spooky. Things are not as they appear in this town protected by children! The fog threatens the adults and flees from the children. However, if you get lost in the fog, you may find your way in unexpected places...

I enjoyed the unique characters and environment. The way the towns move and every time the fog clears, the landscape is different. If you are a fan of Howl's Moving Castle and the Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage, you will definitely enjoy this one!

I had an opportunity to listen to the book and thought it was really well done! I would say a younger audience would be the best for this book, but older teens and adults can enjoy it too!

A fantasy story which follows the main protagonist as she navigates life in a special world that is running from the fog. The young people, who are rescued from the fog, are then trained to protect their elders, who have done their duty in the past, by guarding the city's fence. While saving her friend from the fog, Ogma is left behind to fend for herself. Shehas to overcome many obstacles on her way while finding her friends and makes promises to dangerous people.
While I understand it might just be the worldbuilding, I found the story to have to many characters, which makes the already dynamic story about an unknown world harder to follow. The novel can almost be split into two parts, with the main action presiding in the second part of the story. The author's writing style is satisfying and easy to follow.

I am such a sucker for a young adult/ middle grade read. When I read this genre, it is as though I fall back into the realm of wonder, mystery, and "what-if". The world we encounter is one covered in fog with monsters lurking just beyond sight. The children are the ones who guard the walls and protect the village as it seems the adults are more vulnerable to the phantoms. As the story progresses, we learn the fog is a remnant from when wizards battled, scarring the land and cutting people off from each other. When the fog clears, the villages seek each other out with the little time they have, in order to trade and prepare for the next wave of fog and isolation.

There are a lot of strong points in this book such as the creative world, and the dark mysteries which seem to lie just out of sight behind the fog. I like knowing there are more planed in the series with the hopes we will uncover more secrets and build more bonds among the characters.
One of the critiques I had, was I needed a bit more explanation in the beginning to help me understand what type of world I had been dropped into. The shadow puppet story by Wheeler does help, but we also get the perspective of children so it also seems a bit juvenile and not very clear.
I worked through this story quickly and felt engaged and curious about the world. I think it's a pretty strong debut novel and I can't wait to see how the author and characters grow in the next installments,