The pacing of this book was a little off, it seemed to rush ahead and then drag. But the story was compelling and some of the characters were wonderfully complex, others were just filler and background and lacked depth. But I think there major room for growth and I will definitely read book twoo.

Within other published reviews, as well as the description of this book, Fog & Fireflies has been likened to the work of Hayao Miyazaki. Truthfully, I’m not entirely sure that I agree with this statement. In fact, I wonder if the comparison is a bit of a stretch.

While Miyazaki is known for complex world building and strong female leads, one very distinguishing characteristic of a Miyazaki film is the way that he approaches and explores deeper themes. Additionally, while Lehnen creates a world of magic, clouded by fog and mystery, it is not done with a comparable level of detail nor imagination that is standard in Miyazaki’s work.

That being said, Fog & Fireflies seems to be a good introduction to fantasy for YA readers. It doesn’t ask for critical thinking, it only asks the reader to listen. My preference for fantasy is a first person POV, which Lehnen does not use with this book, and I wonder if the choice in narration can be blamed for some of the more lackluster scenes. I would also like to add that when authors choose to use the same wording for one particular thing (in this case, multiple times throughout the book, Lehnen describes the characters as “worrying” their lip) it can make the writing feel a bit lazy.

Perhaps this review is too critical for a YA, but we shouldn’t sacrifice quality simply because a younger audience might not catch these details.

3.5 Stars.
"Why do we grow more scared when we get older"
The story was so interesting and unique. The fog that terrorizes the world and children fight to keep back. I'm not sure if it was a lapse of memory on my part but I don't remember the reason why children were the only ones who could fight back the fog. I do believe the beginning was a bit too dragged out. The story picked up when Ogma becomes lost in the fog and journeys on her own quest. The chapters were very very long but the added effects to the narration really drew you into the story. The last 20% of the story was amazing and I believe if the plot is continued into a second book, I will read it to see what happens next after the characters sail back into the fog.

3/5
Thank you to NetGalley and Aspen & Thorn Press for a free ALC. All opinions are my own.

This was a very enjoyable audiobook. I always love when audiobooks are narrated by the author because you really get to hear what lines the author wanted to emphasize and how they wanted characters to sound.

In regards to the story, I think this reads like middle grade fantasy that’s being sold as YA so it can be darker. With that being said, this is the first book in the series, so maybe this was advertised as YA because later books will be more typically YA and the publisher didn’t want the audience to feel misled. I also think this whole book kind of feels like setup for the rest of the series (which is totally fine, lots of good fantasy series do this, but it’s not my personal preference!).

Thank you NetGalley for providing audiobook for review

What I liked:
The cover is Epic! Intriguing fantasy story. It is built upon children who must protect their town and those they care about. The main character is likable and you root for her. It has twists and turns to keep you engaged.

What I didn't like:
The story could use more plot building. It kind of drags at points and ski

Definitely a nice book that makes you think, good for middle grade and up kids. Would really recommend!

Fog & Fireflies was a unique fantasy listen, filled with eerie visuals that reminded me of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. The story had a playful, almost whimsical tone layered over a darker, subversive world—like falling through the looking glass, but the kids have grown up and are now the ones protecting the adults. It was a compelling twist on familiar dynamics.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Aspen & Thorn Press for the ALC—I enjoyed this one!

Fog and Fireflies offers a unique, imaginative world where children guard their towns from a deadly fog, a concept that’s both eerie and compelling. Ogma’s journey through this strange, drifting land is filled with promise and echoes of classic fantasy.

However, the story often felt confusing. Key elements like the gods, wizards, and time travel were introduced with little explanation, making it hard to stay grounded. While the children’s immunity to the fog was an intriguing idea, the worldbuilding overall needed more depth.

Still, there’s heart in the themes of courage, growing up, and found family. A good read with great potential, but it left me wanting more clarity and development.

🌫️✨Fog and Fireflies is touted as a mix of Pan’s Labyrinth, The Neverending Story, and Studio Ghibli style fantasies (think Spirited Away), in line with Ursula LeGuin, and it’s all spot on! It is dark yet full of hope and light, emotional and captivating, filled with beautiful and immersive world building.

The story is based on a group of children, whom you just can’t help but love all of them. It focuses on one of the older girls, Ogma, and their own village of windmills that is surrounded by a wall. Due to a wizard’s war in the past, children cannot be harmed by the fog, so they are the ones who must guard the wall and keep the adults safe when the fog comes in. The children have built within themselves a loving family and community as they work together, but one day, strangers appear and begin to kidnap them. Ogma rushes out into the fog to save them, and gets lost and in doing so, learns more about the fog and the legends and mysteries they grew up hearing.

The fog itself is so much more than a thick condensation of water vapor - it houses mysteries, phantoms, voices and more, and I really was captivated by all the layers of the fog itself, and what Ogma learns and chooses to do with that knowledge.

The book is marketed as YA, but I felt like it would be more appropriately marked as an older middle grade fantasy. Despite that, as an adult, I still enjoyed it very much, because the writing, world building and character development was absolutely magnificent. I did make some good guesses on the ending, but it didn’t matter because the reveals were done so well and just pulled at all the right heartstrings! 🥹❤️

The audiobook was read by the author himself, which was a nice touch! He added a few effects here and there based on how he must have envisioned it. And there’s a second book in the works! 🤩

(I was given the audiobook via NetGalleyto listen to in exchange for an honest review. 🎧🩶)

This is more of a young (middle or high school age) reader fantasy book. The fog that surrounds their walls attacks adults leaving children to protect them. The book starts off with a "story" about a child who got lost in the fog and found another town. It then switches to a child getting lost and they have to go into the fog to rescue them. The monsters described are terrifying.

This book is best described as a scary story told between children late at night.

I listened to this book and enjoyed the narrator.

The audio was so good that I had to pause at the start and see if the narrator was also someone who does CreepyPasta because the cadencing was so similar. The world and characters were unique and keep you guessing right along with our main character!

I’m torn on how to rate this book. It reads like middlegrade fiction, except it’s very long and I doubt any middlegrader would have the patience to finish it. I enjoyed it, however it took me two months to get through it because I listened to the author reading it, and he puts me to sleep every time. His voice is hypnotic. The plot isn’t overly complex, but I had to go read the back cover blurb in order to have any idea what was happening. I loved the atmospheric, ethereal vibes. The writing itself is quite good. My one main complaint is that the pacing felt incredibly slow and I struggled with boredom. Very magical style of writing though. Incredibly well done for what it is, and I do think if you are looking for a magical post-wizard-apocalypse journey, you might enjoy this one. Especially if you are looking for eery, spooky vibes.

Ogma and the children of her village are tasked with protecting the settlement, walking the walls to keep the fog at bay using bells as a protection and warning system for the adults that are defenseless against the fog and the monsters it hides. When the village is attacked and her friends are taken, Ogma sets out to free them, discovering a lot of truths along the way.

Since this is an audio read, I’ll review the story and narration separately.

Story - extremely atmospheric and creates fantastic visuals. This is the kind of world that would translate perfectly to the screen in the heyday of Jim Henson studios. But the story creates a lot of questions that were answered and presented (gnomes? Dunkirk?) and the world is less a world and more a series of vignettes, making it feel very disconnected. I’m happy to see the author will continue to write in this world and hope that it’s built out more.
Narration - I understand the author narrates the book themself and does a fine job. I do always find it questionable when the main character is female child and narrated by a grown person, but it is the authors story to tell.


Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Aspen and Thorn Press for the ALC. All thoughts are my own.

I picked this book up based on the cover, description, and author bio. Unfortunately I found this book to not be for me as I am not the target audience. The writing is fine, world and creatures were definitely a positive. The foggy world really sets up a world that has a lot of potential. I just found myself needing something deeper and darker for the world than what I was getting. I may try this again at some point, but for now it is a DNF at the 43% mark. The author does do a good job of narrating, fairly dynamic and differentiation of the voices. Definitely a book for early tween readers.

The Promised Neverland meets Maze Runner! Fog & Fireflies by T.H. Lehnen was a fun read, but it definitely felt more as a middle grade read, rather than YA. Though the story has some dark themes and atmosphere, I feel as though the target demographic for this would match more with the age range that the characters are in. There is something very nostalgic about this book in a refreshing way. I don’t feel like it was another retelling of a story that has been rehashed multiple times. Instead, it felt like something that I’ve seen and enjoyed, whilst staying true and unique to itself. You have elements of The Promised Neverland, Maze Runner, Shadow and Bone, Ghibli films, The Neverending Story, and so much more! It was a rich story, with amazing prose that had me enjoying myself.

The characters are perfectly innocent and aware at the same time. I felt like I was reading a colorful group of children interacting with one another. Lehnen does a great job injecting a youthfulness in the characters, as well as keeping each of them individual to themselves.

I do believe the story did drag a bit in the middle, and had me waning in interest from time to time. I think a tighter edit would help this read so much better.

If you're looking for something that has more innocent characters interacting with a rich and dark world, you'll love this! Lehnen also narrates the audiobook, and did a fantastic job with the production! You have a filter on his voice when the character is speaking in their heads, which helped a lot to distinguish thought from spoke word. A great job there as well!

Thank you NetGalley, and T.H. Lehnen for the audiobook!

This was such a fun read and I can't wait to recommend it to my nieces. I really enjoyed the audiobook narrator as well.

I want to thank NetGalley for giving me this opportunity to review this audiobook.


The fog is deadly to adults so children guard the wall in their village. This story shows you true courage between the characters and strong bonds with trying to stay young but growing older. Ogma watches as the fog has come to kidnap the children, Ogma gets lost in the fog and must find the courage and strength in her friends to keep going. The audiobook was a good way to get into the story, the narrator did a fantastic job of bringing the characters to life. Rich world building, I would say the story leans more towards young adults but a very good story to settle down with and listen with your children. I over all enjoyed this book and would gladly recommend to others to listen

I was granted a copy of the audio version of fog and fireflies. By TH Lehnen through net gallery full review I received new compensation for this review in any way whatsoever. All thoughts and opinions written here are my own.

I just finished listening to an audio copy of fog and fireflies by written and narrated by T.H.Lehnen. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this audiobook. In fact, I even slowed down listening to it simply to prolong the experience. This story is a unique blend of childlike fantasy and innocence mixed with the darkness and fears of becoming older as older people are trapped by a mysterious fog, which I wonder if it wasn't metaphorical for something, but yet the adults of the town are all very fearful people. A little bit of the opposite of what you'd find in our reality today mixed with a whole other cast of unique characters. The caravaners who traveled the fog and don't seem to be phased by it at all though you never know where the f*** might drop you or even what time . Past, present or future. I really sincerely hope that T.H Lehnen Will choose to continue this story with a sequel so that we can continue to find out what happens to this band of unconventional friends also, I love the fact that the author himself narrated this book. I always find that is best when an author can narrate their own books when they go to audio format. They know just where to put the emphasis. Or just how they want names pronounced etc

Thank you so much for this experience for allowing me to review this book. Please let me know if you decide to write a sequel. I eagerly await it

I had difficulty enjoying the book due to the narration. There was nothing wrong with the narrator when he was doing the POV of the oldest child and making the oldest talk, but a grown man imitating a young child's voice was too much for me. However, the writing style was great and the story was interesting

OMG this was such a great story!!!! 😍

I became interested in reading this story after reading a description that said it was similar to Hayao Miyazaki. This was not an exaggeration at all!! This story had amazing world building that was intricatly woven together. It was very well done.

I also really liked the main character, Ogma, she was both brave and caring. I loved how the other children obviously looked up to her but it didn't make her arrogant or annoying. She was a wonderfully written MC that I think most people will relate to.

I would categorize this book more for high elementary age readers.....I think middle grade, rather than YA. Although as an adult myself I VERY much enjoyed this story I think a younger reader may appreciate it more. I will definitely recommend it to any teachers I know to add to their class library.

I listened to the audiobook and I really enjoyed the narration. It was very well done!!!

I posted my review on Goodreads and Fable 😉