I listened to the audiobook recorded by the author and found it eerie and compelling. The story is dystopian and faerie tale and childhood fantasy all in one. Vivid descriptions and compelling universe left me wanting more.

I was kindly given a copy from the author via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

the premise is what drew me in of the bleak post apocalyptic work. what happened? How did the fog come to be? Why is there only children? the atmospheric setting is exceptional with the description drawing me in.

unfortunately the prose is what made me score the book slightly lower with it's long descriptive sections I found I was somewhat lost at times.

the characters are well fleshed out and likeable in a sad growing up too soon kind of way.

the books picks up greatly towards the end and I enjoyed how it went along. Bleak in places and uplifting in others.

EDIT for the publisher and author. Thank you again kindly for the book it's something out of my comfort zone and was enjoyable overall. Best of luck for the book!

I have mixed feelings about this book. I will say, this book is not one of my favorite reads. That being said, I do think a lot of people will really enjoy it. I just was not able to connect to the characters and it felt quite repetitive at times. Don’t let my opinion deter you from checking it out though if it sounds like something you might enjoy!

I loved the concept of the story and the way it dove into topics like fear and growing up in such a tangible way. The characters were interesting and relatable, and I loved watching their growth as the story progressed. My favorite part of the book was the atmosphere, which was almost its own character in the story. I would have loved this story as a teenager. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a book with depth and explores the subject of fear, especially as we age.

The time of wizards and gods has passed and in a reversal of roles, the children must protect the villages since the adults cannot. One girl musters incredible courage as she adventures through her world battling horrific monsters while she searches for home.

Readers of both The Chronicles of Narnia and the tales of the Land of Oz will delight in this fantasy story set in a world not quite like ours but not unrecognizable either. Additionally, I appreciated the morally grey shades found in many of the characters offset with some that are simply good without being over-the-top.

Do yourself a favor and grab this book. There is even an audiobook edition!

I received this from Netgalley as an audiobook ARC.

If I could give this a half-rating, it would be a 3.5 for me.
I would've loved this book as a teen. I do still enjoy YA, and I enjoyed this audiobook, but I think that the idea of a world where Children are used as protection just didn't quite sit well with me as an older adult.
This book is written more as a high fantasy; world-building is key. The main character is key (but again, is a child, so personality isn't as established). The author also narrates in a pleasant, soothing voice. It is read as any story would be read to a classroom full of children, so narration with little acting. I just happened to LOVE storytime as a child, so no issues on that from me!

I am so glad I got to listen to this book. The way it is narrated makes it a whole new experience. The voice is almost hushed, it feels like I am being told a story while waiting in one of those towers with Ogma and the others. Sometimes it is calming, reassuring almost mesmerizing, then the story twists and turns and the voice with it, it becomes rushed, fearful.

It was however, a bit hard to keep track of all the different characters and thus the plot at times. Instead of turning me away from the story it just makes me want to revisit it. Now that I understand more about the world, the fog and its' inhabitants.

While the story has a few moments that are borderline gruesome, I think it is a dark fairy tale that can be shared with some brave children, ages 12ish and up. I know I would've loved it even when I was younger.

Heart pounding and so vividly effervescent in worldbuilding! I adore how much the author absolutely knows the world he built and I can feel that this author truly knows what he's doing in this story and adventure. Long review short; I am waiting eagerly for more of this story and where the fog will take our very lovable cast.

To truly begin, Ogma is an incredibly wonderful main character. While I do love a girlboss protagonist in the right setting, I applaud the author for giving us a refreshing character with bravery, courage, and ignorance who still feels fearful and needs help from her friends and is often very aware that she doesn't know everything. She's the kind of relatable protagonist that I feel more young girls need to see. Ogma knows her worth and where her strengths lie, she's smart and cunning but willing to learn, she's such a strong character and yet she asks for help over and over when she needs it. She fosters community in those around her and loves her relationships fiercely. She's a great role model and just someone you so genuinely root for.

However, Ogma isn't the only character that I came to love and hold close. We don't get to know Dunkirk very well in this first book, but we were fortunate to get such a perfect intro to him that I feel I do have an understanding of him and I can't wait to see how his part in this story plays out. Not to mention the colorful cast of shepherds that I still want to know more about.

This book works as a standalone. I have many questions about the world and how more will be fixed or changed. I want to see where Ogma takes this next, I want to know if the fog will eventually lift or if the people will find safe ways to traverse. But even with those questions and my curiosities about the other characters, this book actually works very well on it's own. I feel excited and hopeful and curious after finishing this book, knowing there is more to come is such a delight!!

I can't wait to continue this series and see where it takes our heroes. I highly recommend this to young readers or any reader just looking to get completely immersed in a new world for a little while.

After reading One Dark Window I was enthralled by this! I absolutely dove into the world thanks to the detailed descriptions. I loved that the children were immune to the fog and thus were the ones protecting the adults. It was so nice to see that dynamic switched and how it worked out because of it. Ogma was a great main character that showed off her strengths but allowed her weaknesses to exist as well.

An audiobook provided by NetGalley.

I read the description of this book and I had to read it, the story is truly magical. Its a world unlike anything I've read or seen before, and it was presented so well.

The story is centred around a girl called Ogma, and it doesn't take long for you to fall in love with this character. You feel her happy moments, you feel her pain, you feel like your right with her. Every friendship she had in this book is well thought out, especially the ones she makes on her journey.

There are many twists and suprises in this, some sweet, some painful, all keeping you on your toes.

The adventure doesn't finish with this book as I believe this is the first book of three, so I'm left hanging for this story to continue, so I'm definitely applying for the next one when it comes out.

Thank you NetGalley for this opportunity.

Rating 4.5 ⭐

This is the first book in a planned trilogy. Hundreds of seasons ago, a wizard's war scarred the earth, leaving a malevolent fog blanketing the land. The phantoms the fog creates are deadly to adults, so children must guard the walls now, and care for each other.

Ogma watches the fog from the walls of her windmill town. What felt like a game as a child becomes more of a creeping dread with each season she gets older, her town is attacked by aliens who plan to kidnap the children, and Ogma is lost in the fog. She must find hope, courage and her friends if she wants to survive and save the town.

The story is very entertaining and has all the typical fantasy tropes that one enjoys in such an eerie story, with some paranormal elements, I loved that children take the center stage in this story, that makes the story more interesting and fun.
The world is so interesting and the mystery is great. I really like the character development specially Ogma who we see reconsider what she thought in the beginning to be a game to later see it's something way more dangerous.
This really is a magical story of friendship, cooperation and self growth.

I loved how quickly I got immersed in such a different world, and the author's narration was a big part of what made it work. It's almost a trope, but I also love a foggy setting where you're always wondering what you're missing.
Ogma is a wonderful character as a child with so much responsibility trying to protect her home. This is for a younger audience but I enjoyed it as an adult.

This was an interesting story and there are parts of the book that moved quickly and parts that didn't. I am hopeful that book #2 will keep a consistent pace now that the world building has taken place.

T.H. Lehnen did a good job narrating the story and knowing that the author narrated the audiobook guarantees that the names were pronounced correctly.

Wow this book! This was such an atmospheric and immersive read, dipping me into a world where people moved communities based on their age. But beware the fog because if you go in you might not come back alive.

I loved the characters and how diverse they were, but also how strong and brave the main character is. This world is so intriguing to me and the narration was excellent!! Highly recommend to fantasy lovers who are looking for a book that isn’t widely known.

This was a unique read, it’s been a while since I’ve read a good new YA with creative world building and interesting plot, the lovable characters kept me entertained, and the whole vibe just left me needing more of it, I can’t wait for book 2!
As an audiobook it was extremely enjoyable

This was a weird and wonderful story that had me intrigued from the very first chapter. An early shadow puppet story told within the actual story was probably one of the best side stories I've read in ages and it made me feel invested in continuing the rest of the book.

This was a wholly unique book for me that built an unexpected atmosphere of mystery and suspense. I never quite knew where the plot was going to go and though it could be described as "rambling" this is not a negative description. I quite enjoyed the sensation of just being dragged along through this book, much like the main character seemed to struggle to gain control over her own story.

Though the writing is at times dark and suspenseful I would still classify this as a YA read as it follows the story of children combating the mysterious fog with great courage and bravery. Interesting parallels are drawn to the process of "growing up" and the things you lose when becoming an adult. Loved it.

Thank you to Aspen & Thorn Press, the author and NetGalley for an ALC in return for an honest review.

Unfortunately I found this book really boring. I kept having to put it down and come back to it. I really tried as I hate DNFing and I thought I would like this seeing as I liked 'Tangerines' but I just couldn't get any further than 40%.
I also found the narrators voice was too laid back to make the story engaging. This is definitely one of those cases where the author should not have voiced his own book.

The one star rating is solely for the fantastic artwork on the cover by Nic Ferrari. See more of their artwork on Instagram @nic_brama

#FogandFireflies #NetGalley.

Y'all, this book was WILD. I read it as an audiobook, and when I tell you the scenes that were playing in my head while I listened were 🔥🔥. I still have a couple of plot related questions, but I could tell by the end that we were ramping up to get more answers in the following books.

Ogma and all her cohorts are dynamic and drew me in so quickly. The things Ogma is willing to do, not only for her friends but random people she meets along the way, awe inspiring.

I still can't believe the book is over, and I am READY for book 2.

This is a fantastic dystopian YA. Where the young guard the wall from the fog while the adults live behind in the village. Why? The fog takes the adults but not the children.
The twist? You’ll have to read it.

This audio was great. I was immersed into the story, it kept me captivated and continuously guessing.

The cover grabbed my attention initially, and the plot sounded intriguing - despite it being listed as Teen/YA. After reading, I feel like it might be for a slightly younger audience, but there are some profound ideas that stuck out as an adult (am I one of those?) too.

"Why do we grow more scared as we get older?"
"Because we know better."

The premise of children having to protect villages from malevolent forces that are deadly to adults is really unique. I'm sure teens will enjoy the idea that the teens in the book are the ones that tell the adults what to do because they actually know better. I enjoyed the protectiveness and nurturing nature of the older children for the younger. Since they are having to spend so much time together, all of the village children are like their own close-knit family. I feel like this kindness could encourage and foster similar reactions toward real life peers.

I love when authors narrate their own book, so they can bring their characters and story to life. As a regular fantasy reader, I appreciate knowing the correct pronunciations of names and places. Insert muffled cough "Mercedes Lackey". Also, Lehnen's Norwegian is much better than if I had been trying to read and make sense of it myself!

Thank you to NetGalley and Aspen & Thorn Press for this audio ARC.