The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest by Aubrey Hartman - ESSENTIAL

The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest by Aubrey Hartman, 320 pages. Little, Brown, 2025. $18.

 

Language: G (0 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (peril, monster description) 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL 

APPEALS TO: MANY 

Clare is an undead fox, used by the afterlife to usher souls who don't know which door to pass through. He can tell by touching them or talking to them which portal they would be most comfortable in - Pleasure, Peace, Progress, or Pain. But one evening, close to All Hallows Eve, a dead Badger appears, but none of the portals accept her. Clare is at a loss. But in an effort to help Gingersnipes, Clare leaves the forest to seek out Hesterfowl, a bird who prophesied a catastrophic event about Clare, and the visit may just set her prophesy in motion. 

The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest was one of my favorite reads this year. Mercin Minor's illustrations, at the anticipation of each chapter, add context and expression to this already exciting and thoughtful story. I love that the characters approaching their afterlife assess their lives and reflect on relationships (or the lack thereof). Most of the characters are animals, with a brief but important encounter with humans. 

 Lisa Librarian 

A Practical Guide to Dating a Demon by Hannah Reynolds - OPTIONAL

A Practical Guide to Dating a Demon by Hannah Reynolds, 352 pages. G. P. Putnam’s Sons (Penguin Random House), 2026. $13.

Language: R (25 swears, 4 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: SEVERAL

Sick of the government-track boys asking her out to get an introduction to her aunt, Naomi (18yo) deters them by saying she’s betrothed. To a demon. When one spurned suitor asks what her betrothed’s name is, Naomi makes one up: Daziel. Then a demon claiming to be Daziel shows up in her rooms, and he stubbornly refuses to be banished.

The story, the magic, and the budding romance were all fun, though I was confused about the world where it all took place. There is obvious Jewish influence, with Naomi’s aunt as a political leader part of the “Sanhedrin” and mentions of “rabbis,” but no one is described as Jewish and there is no mention of Judaism by name. Further complicating matters are the presence of French boulangeries and the use of British terms. These vocabulary choices without a clear explanation of the world I was supposed to be imagining were distracting, though in the end they weren’t important details to the story. And I even learned a couple of new words.

Naomi is depicted as White on the cover, and Daziel is described as having “bronze” skin. Also, Jelan and Gilli are implied to be gay. The mature content rating is for drug and alcohol use, kissing, innuendo, partial nudity, and mentions of sex. The violence rating is for mentions of murder.

Reviewer: Carolina Johnson