I’m a sucker for ragtag groups of outcasts, dynamic fantasy creatures, strong narrative voices, and eclectic origin stories. Prison of Outcasts, the first book of Kyra Johnson’s Mizlie Series, checks each of these boxes, and it does so marvelously. It had been so long since I’d read a fantasy book I’d enjoyed, let alone one that I couldn’t put down until well past midnight. Here is a book that intrigues, surprises, and has you laughing and crying simultaneously from the first word to the last. Warning: Mild spoilers ahead! Nathan/Ning’s origin story is by far one of my favorite origin stories of all time. It’s memorable, humorous, and so out there that you can’t help but find it absolutely brilliant. What an incredible way to set up an incredible book. Ning is a deceivingly dynamic character. At first, he seems to be the only dull character in the vibrant cast. But he isn’t dull. He just doesn’t know who he is. A reader meets Ning right alongside Ning himself. I so ...