Tag: leslie vedder

THE NOWHERE BEAST by Leslie Vedder

~ Ricardo ~ Leave a comment
This review first appeared in Booklist on December 1, 2025.

Ix Tatterfall has everything she thought she wanted: a relationship with her parents, friends (part-Nightmare Morrigan Bea and literal bookworm Oliver Pembrook), and a place to call home (the magical school of Covenant Keep). So why has she been feeling increasingly hollow inside lately? Before she can find an answer, Ix and her friends are summoned back to the school, where long-dead members of the Candle Corps are rising as ghosts, heralding the start of an ancient ritual meant to reinforce the school’s protections against threats from the Labyrinth. But the arrival of the mysterious Nowhere Beast threatens to drag not only Covenant Keep, but the whole of the Waking World, into Nothing. To save the friends and Nightmares she loves, Ix will have to face the Nothing stirring within her . . . or be devoured by it. In this ambitious sequel to The Labyrinth of Souls (2025), Vedder continues to expand her whimsical world and the characters who inhabit it, exploring themes of resentment, remorse, and the unrelenting ways we struggle to feel whole.

THE LABYRINTH OF SOULS by Leslie Vedder

~ Ricardo ~ Leave a comment
This review first appeared in Booklist on January 1, 2025.

Ix Tatterfall can see Nightmares—something that makes her an outcast in her small hometown but a considerable asset for the Candle Corps, who guard the kingdom of Spinar against the fearsome Nightmares that sometimes crawl out of the legendary Labyrinth of Souls. The mysterious maze has grown increasingly unstable due to the schemes of a terrifying scarecrow figure calling himself Jack, and it’s up to Ix and her newfound friends to embrace their budding powers and save not only the Labyrinth but their own Waking World as well. Vedder offers a fantasy full of intrigue, countless imaginative creatures, and instantly endearing characters. While the world building can be a little overwhelming, it’s sure to ignite the imagination of readers and leave them wanting more. Hand The Labyrinth of Souls to fans of magic-school series such as Shannon Messenger’s Keeper of the Lost Cities (2012) and Jessica Townsend’s Nevermoor (2017) and watch them devour this book.