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,

A malevolent fog covers the land and changes the landscape as it moves. The creatures who move with the fog are deadly to adults so the children must guard the walls to ensure the villages safety. Ogma’s town is attacked and the children are kidnapped by caravaners in inhuman forms. She must find the strength and courage within herself to help her friends.

This book was nicely written and easy to read and while I was very intrigued with the premise and had high hopes for this story, I could not connect with any of the characters. I would have liked more character development; description, backstory and motivation. They all seemed to lack distinguishing characteristics and I had a difficult time keeping the many characters straight. And while there were enough interesting moments to keep me reading I probably won’t continue this series.

Sabriel meets Lockwood and Company in this magical story of kids living in a dangerous and mysterious world. Each child keeps their own set of bells to communicate with each other and raise the alarm when the fog and the dangerous creatures it hides encroach on their village. It’s up to kids to keep the adults safe from the fog, but what happens when the children are kidnapped. Can one young girl rescue them, and figure out what mysteries the fog holds?

This is for readers who are looking for stories where kids face dire challenges without much help from adults. The fantasy setting and rich worldbuilding is similar to Garth Nix and the quirky characters feel like a Miyazaki film. Similar recent titles are The Lock-eater by Zach Loran Clark and The Curse of Eelgrass Bog by Mary Averling.

This sounds like an interesting summary:
With refreshing echoes of golden age fantasy, Fog & Fireflies is a novel that brings together an imaginative world and fantastical cast of characters to explore the difference between growing older and growing up.

"Why do we grow more scared as we get older?"

Fog & Fireflies
By T.H. Leggen
Narrated by T.H. Leggen
4 ⭐️

This YA epic fantasy is steeped in a dreary atmospheric world that shifts in the fog like ships in the sea. Villages are the ships. The shifting land is the sea. The fog is the navigating, forceful wind. Children are the village protectors as the menacing fog targets adults. This has “The Village” (movie) vibes but the monsters are real. The world gives “Pan’s Labyrinth” in so many ways. There’s old mythology to discover and unpack, a time shifting component we haven’t figure out yet, and creatures abound - good and not.

This is a tricky review to put into words. I loved so much of this story. I was also fairly confused at times. Omga, FMC, is a fantastic character to be at the helm of the book. The world created by Leggens is very complex. Apart from stories passed down as tales, almost nothing is known about the beyond past the village walls. We learn with Ogma, and I think that’s where I get lost at times. Ogma knows things about her world that the reader doesn’t. She is able to connect dots, but it isn’t always clear to the reader why conclusions are deciphered. I’m hopeful that will improve as the series continues. I’m excited to continue.

Thank you to NetGalley, T.H. Leggens, and Aspen & Thorn Press for this audiobook ARC.

I liked the description and the cover, then I saw its YA so I went in with different expectations but it quickly changed.
I read a few reviews that say its not a YA but middle grade, I don't think so, its a bit dark and violent I wouldn't give it to a child, this is definitely YA or even new adult.
I was hooked from the very beginning, the action, the unknown, the ghosts, the fog, I loved it all.
The characters a very lovable and even though they are kids I was able to relate.
I really hope it turns into a series

Oh my word.
This book was an absolute thrill to read. The world-building was so immersive, the character development was amazing, the plot was action packed and filled with magic.. And will remind you of works by Haiyo Miyazaki (studio Ghibli films)
Get this book if you love heart pounding adventures, mysteries that will keep you guessing till the end, and a strong female lead character.

Fog and Fireflies is easily my favorite read in years. It was an absolute honor to go on this adventure with Ogma, and I hope that she has many, many more!!

Unfortunately this is going to be a DNF for me. I was thrown off at first hearing a male narrator voice the female main character but decided to forge ahead. The language was very simplistic and while that can work for some books, it didn't work here. I felt like the world building was lacking and I could not connect to any of the characters.

Narration

Look, I love a good audiobook, but this one felt like a bedtime story—and not in a thrilling, let me stay up all night listening kind of way. The narrator has a soft, almost whispery voice that might be great for meditation, but for me? It was like a slow lullaby. I tapped out at 26% because I kept zoning out and forgetting what was happening. My brain needs a little more oomph to stay engaged.

Story

I totally judged this book by its cover (oops), expecting a spooky, Krampus-like tale filled with eerie fog and lurking shadows. Instead, I got full-on FernGully vibes—whimsical, nature-filled, and more “enchanted forest” than “creepy woods.” The writing is pretty, but I was waiting for something dark and mysterious to jump out… and it never did.

Audiobook Flow

The transitions were smooth, but between the soft narration and the slow-moving plot, I kept realizing I had no idea what was happening. Did I miss a major twist? Or did I just daydream through the chapters? Who knows!

Unique Elements

No sound effects, no music—just the narrator’s voice, lulling you into a peaceful (and slightly distracted) state.

Recommendation

If you love dreamy, nature-heavy stories and a narrator who could probably guide you through a yoga session, this audiobook might be your thing. But if you’re looking for spooky, fast-paced, or just something to keep you from drifting into the void, you might want to grab the print version instead.

I was immediately interested in this book as soon as I saw the cover, which is both beautiful and haunting. First off, this book is the first in a planned series, which was not immediately apparent to me. The book itself starts off strong and quickly pulls you into the eerie fantasy world of fog, where children are entrusted with the safeguarding of their village and the adults, which are suseptible to the effects of the fog. A young girl named Ogma is established as the main character, and the story focuses on her journey in this world. The book has many fantastical creatures and magical wonders to offer, and as others have noted before, feel reminiscent of Miyazaki works. The world building grows throughout the book and has some difficulty with balancing pacing towards the middle. The book feels to be aimed toward a younger/teenage audience, but I still had fun reading the story as an adult. Overall, this was a fun read. I give it a 3.5/5 as I enjoyed it.