Von Haegert follows up the White Rose trilogy of historical romances with this passionate urban fantasy, the kickoff to a steamy and bloody urban fantasy series in which a brace of immortals—oracles, angles, vampires, wielders of elemental magics—upend the life of a mortal New Orleans college student who is fated to bear the child with the power to rule every supernatural and mortal realm. But the student, the gorgeous-but-not-quite-aware-of-it redhead Kielyn, knows none of this, not even that it was her own suppressed elemental powers that saved her from a trio of rapists—“barbecued” them, as Von Haegert puts it. Ancient fire dancer and reluctant potential ruler Ashdon LaGoryen, who believes he could never love a mortal but feels enticed by Kielyn anyway, must teach Kielyn who she truly is, as the vampire horde of Dante hunts her.

Von Haegert builds her story around compelling characters with complex, often conflicting motives, with lust and love scorching through their veins. Ashdon stands as a grand creation, a Mazerati-driving immortal who refuses a kingship and whose voice purrs like “the sound like velvet over steel.” Kielyn, meanwhile, spends much of the book’s first third observed at a distance or unconscious. But soon she’s commanding, making bold choices—including participation in a blood ritual that showcases the book’s strengths: it’s dark, sexy, dangerous, epic.

At times the prose can edge toward the florid, especially in scene-setting descriptive passages, but the action zips along, the dialogue is sharp and often funny—warned that a ghost will haunt him if he takes a decisive action, Ashdon snaps “As long as your ghost wears deodorant.” Scenes involving blood, sex, magic, and power all pulse with welcome vigor. The story is sweeping, but Von Haegert keeps the scheming, betrayals, and varied magic sets clear and engaging, right up to climactic revelations that promise even more magical beasts in the follow-up.

Takeaway: This steamy fantasy thrusts a mortal woman into war among vampires, angels, and more.

Great for fans of: Sarah J. Maas, Leigh Bardugo.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about Forged of Fire: A New Adult Fantasy (The Forged Series Book 1)

Sweeping in scope and lavishly illustrated, this ambitious title from Bullis imagines daily life in continental northern Europe over the course of a millennium, inviting readers to walk in the shoes of—and discover the work and rituals of—members of the Lefief family for one day in each century, from 1003 to 1905. Inspired by the 11th-century Bayeux Tapestry, and the Christian prayer book Book of Hours, Bullis examines the lives of “ordinary people doing ordinary things in much the same way as we go through our lives today.” The journey starts, though, in 1889 France, when a young man, Gerard Lefief, on the verge of disowning his family name, ponders the Lefiefs: who were they? What unfolds from there is an immersive historical pageant.

Bullis was inspired to write the book when he stumbled upon a studio portrait of a couple from 1905, at a flea market in France. The portrait convinced the author to source his story with visuals, rather than just text. History is carefully teased out from these well-sourced illustrations, as Bullis establishes, with clarity and engaging detail, the social setting of his characters, covering in the 1399 chapter alone sundry topics like winemaking, rat-killing, bloodletting, the filling of inkwells, and all the ways an abbey and its waterwheel use the local river. Fascinated with manual trades and skilled work, the author describes the details of plowing, tanning, breadmaking, carpentry, and many more, with each entry’s narrative bursting with surprise. (The illustration accompanying a line about a man purging, in 1599, is a jolt.)

The author’s take on the everyday weaves a resonant narrative rich with revelation and even social commentary. The penultimate chapter takes place in 1788, at the cusp of the French Revolution, showcasing the harsh realities of the Ancien Régime. Book of Days is singular in form, and a potent reminder that history belongs to the people.

Takeaway: A lavishly illustrated survey of everyday life in Europe over the last millennium, rich in insights.

Great for fans of: Paul B. Newman’s Daily Life in the Middle Ages, Frances Gies’s Life in a Medieval Village.

Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-

Click here for more about Book of Days

The striking fifth entry in novelist Michael Bailey’s Chiral Mad speculative fiction anthology series bursts with talented voices and stories and poems that delve into the darkness of humanity—but for a good cause, as, once again, proceeds benefit Down Syndrome charities. Each entry explores the world we live in taken to Black Mirror extremes, such as Koji A. Dae’s standout “Lifetimes,” which plumbs dark aspects of motherhood, and how women can find themselves saddled into it despite their aversions. Dae imagines government-mandated virtual simulations that determine if couples are fit to be parents. “Pruning a person toward goodness takes more time and energy than turning him into a man,” notes Shauna, a woman running her first simulation.

What’s most unnerving—and often, as above, insightful—about these rich entries is how close they are to our own reality, often reading less like tales of fantastical terror or allegorical cautions than straight-up foreshadowing. Wrath James White’s poem “Colorblind” delves into calls for society to be more colorblind in response to overt systemic racism experienced the world over, with the final line being, “I wish / I was never reminded / that you / and I / are different.” Elin Olausson’s stinging “Swan Song” turns on a surprising glimpse of life–and danger–in a dying land.

Horror fans will be excited to see Stephen King himself offering “Strawberry Spring,” a story that faces what lies beneath the masks we all wear, while Bird Box author Josh Malerman’s “There Are No Basements in the Bible” finds tension, resonance, and crack dialogue in a child’s forced playdate—and a staring contest. These big names are welcome, but one shivery pleasure of the series is Bailey’s championing of new talent, as up-and-comers offer many of this edition’s best. Bailey notes in an introduction that this anthology will be his last. While readers will inevitably find some entries here hit or miss, the hits outnumber the rest—here’s hoping he relents.

Takeaway: A strong collection of horror-tinged stories that urge us to look at the world anew.

Great for fans of: Pellucid Lunacy, The Valancourt Book of World Horror Stories.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about Chiral Mad 5

Ansary (George Washington: Dealmaker-in-Chief) delivers a moving portrait of an immigrant’s voyage to become an American citizen. Born and raised in Shiraz, a southern Iranian town “known for its literature, flowers, and beautiful sunsets,” Ansary grew up with a burning desire to settle in America, fueled by his father’s stories of traveling to other cultures. He recounts his older brother Hushang’s leadership when their father was working abroad and his own struggles to find his place in the family, and in the world, set against his ambition to live in America, “the faraway land I had dreamed about for half my life.”

Bright from the start, Ansary’s dedicated himself to learning and garnered a spot on The New York Herald-Tribune Forum for High School Students, making his dream of traveling to America a reality. That dedication sustained him once he arrived in the United States, carrying him through the early hardships he endured on the path to citizenship—a milestone he achieved at 23, while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps. Ansary unwraps his aspirations for readers chronologically, sharing his transformation from a starving employee at Montgomery Ward to an attorney and acquisitions expert based in Washington, D.C. He opens up about his private life as well, revealing the breakdown of his first marriage and the happiness he’s discovered with his second wife, Jan.

Readers will be inspired by Ansary’s rousing sentiment for the American dream. He stays authentic, describing his challenges alongside his victories, and touches on the unique cultural issues that impacted his work as one of the first professionals to “introduce Iran into the Western corporate scene.” With striking humility he describes his success at creating Iran’s Sovereign Wealth Fund program, the first of its kind, giving credit to Pahlavi, the last king of Iran, and closes with his unwavering faith in democracy: “For me, America will always be the hope of the world.”

Takeaway: An inspiring account of an Iranian immigrant’s successful voyage to America

Great for fans of: Reyna Grande’s A Dream Called Home, Jagjiwan Narayan’s From Fiji to America.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about Odyssey of High Hopes

In Wehrli and Graham’s sweet picture book, a young squirrel named Jack Boy learns the value of family after spending a day with his Grandpa Earl. At first, Jack insists he has better things to do than hang out with his forgetful grandfather, whose tail is crooked and gray, and who always asks the same question: “Have you seen my acorns ‘n’ nuts? I can’t remember where I hid them.” But his mother insists, in the book’s fun-to-repeat dialogue, that Jack do his duty: “One day, your own grandkits will help you when your tail gets a bit crooked and gray. That’s the way families work and how they stay strong,” she tells her son, and the story that follows reminds Jack Boy and readers that there’s always more to discover about the squirrels—or people—you love.

Wehrli’s dreamlike illustrations help bring this outdoorsy generational tale to life. The story takes place in the middle of winter, and the muted, soft-hued images seem to exist in a foggy, somewhat dreary land of endless frosty mornings. At first, Jack’s day with Earl goes as expected. They travel around the strikingly rendered forest, asking animals if they know the location of the missing feed while Jack deals with his frustration at his grandfather’s slowness—but when his cousin Stevie jumps out and tries to scare them, Jack is impressed that Earl does not even flinch. Eventually they learn a welcome surprise: grandpa used to be known as the Great Squirrel Burglar.

Jack’s discovery will invite kids to delve deeper into the fascinating histories of the older people in their own lives. Wehrli’s art makes Grandpa Earl’s inspiring surprise stand out even more, as his superhero costume provides a pop of color and a jolt of excitement to go along with Jack Boy’s growing awareness that even in his old age, his grandfather still has a lot to offer.

Takeaway: A young squirrel learns the value of family after spending a day with his Grandpa.

Great for fans of: Margaret Mason’s These Hands, Lisa Tawn Bergren’s Nana the Great Comes to Visit.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about The Great Squirrel Burglar

Maxwell’s newest book about love, loss, and reparation is an engaging, globe-spanning read that finds wounded hearts facing the past and seeking closure. A chance meeting while holidaying in Paris in the late 1990s leads Jeremy Jerome and Gary Silverman to discover that the latter had once known and harbored deep unrequited love for the former’s late father, Rafael. Rafael had been an enigma to his sons, and as Jeremy grapples with disturbing revelations made by Gary, he decides to share what he’s discovered with his siblings, Paulette and Matthew. Then, with the help of some surprising co-conspirators, Jeremy and Gary hatch an elaborate plan to get even with Calgary’s storied and powerful Burnshaw family for a shocking injustice done to Rafael. As happens in life, closure, when it comes, is of an entirely different nature than anyone might have expected.

In a crucial extended flashback to a vividly realized 1949 Hollywood, where Rafael has arrived after hitchhiking across the country, Maxwell deftly paints the strong love that Gary felt for Rafael in spite of knowing the futility of longing for a man who can’t love him back. These chapters, the novel’s vital emotional core, abound with strong characterization, rich historical detail, and convincingly lifelike incidents that will rouse in readers a desire to see justice and closure for Rafael, especially after Rafael suffers a horrifying assault.

The novel’s 1990s story, meanwhile, centers on a scheme for cross-generational justice, as Jeremy and Gary strive to achieve a reckoning for Burnshaw’s crime of a half century before. The plan is convoluted, straining against the dynamics of the fictional world Maxwell has created, and the introduction of thriller elements, including scenes of imprisonment, feels like a shift of genre. Still, the novel is poignant, especially in its portrait of love and healing across decades.

Takeaway: A touching novel of unrequited love, facing the past, and unexpected suspense.

Great for fans of:Ann-Marie MacDonald’s Fall on Your Knees, Andre Aciman’s Call Me By Your Name.

Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about Rafael Jerome

This enthralling third entry in Salvador’s Haunted New Orleans series centers an engaging romance as it continues with the happenings of the cast and crew of the paranormal reality TV show, Haunted New Orleans, now returning from a much-needed hiatus after the jolting events of earlier books. Mea Culpa follows 35-year-old cast member Larken Maynard, who is invaluable to the show due to her unique spiritual gifts and magical powers. After escaping an abusive childhood with the Balance of Light cult, Larken treads carefully to keep her past at bay. That all changes when she’s set up on a blind date with Kholt Leroy, a childhood friend and Balance of Light member, who has been hired to do construction work for the new episodes. With Larken running from the ghosts of her past, and feelings of unrequited love resurfacing for Kholt, the two work together cautiously until secrets and the past catch up to them both—resulting in a fight for justice, love, and their lives.

Larken’s conflicts are evident from the opening pages, as an intense prologue introduces her torrid past with Balance of Light and its leader, Father Lionel Broussard. Although she finds that Kholt feels to her “comfortable, like a warm blanket on a cold winter’s night,” Larken’s hesitations about a relationship give way to a stakes-raising, cat-and-mouse romance that drives the narrative. The story progresses with chapters alternating perspectives between Larken, Kholt, and Father Lionel, adding depth and nail biting tension that will entice readers to flip the page.

Lovers of southern gothic and paranormal romance will relish the many references to magic, ghosts, and mystical New Orleans landmarks woven into the mysterious plot; however, the cast of colorful characters and Larken’s resilience is the heart of the story. Salvador excels at creating perfectly interwoven storylines and subplots that remain consistent without leaving readers new to the series in the dark.

Takeaway: Rich with New Orleans history, this entry will delight fans of paranormal romance.

Great for fans of: Laura Spinella’s Ghost Gifts, Nora Roberts’s Midnight Bayou.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-

Click here for more about Mea Culpa: A Haunted New Orleans Novel

Davis Way Cole is having a day, which plays out in this unpredictable and hilarious mystery packed with trouble and action. The 11th installment in the celebrated Davis Way Crime Caper Series, Double Dose finds Davis—a mother, a wife, and undercover security operative in the Bellissimo Resort and Casino—constantly on the move and problem solving. Between the hijinks her twins get into at their fancy pre-school, and the mob trying to sabotage her place of business, to an outbreak of hiccups on the Bellissimo floor, Davis is facing the craziest day of her quite-crazy life—and, for readers, perhaps her most entertaining one, too.

“It’s a rabbit, hiccups, and donuts,” Davis explains, when pressed to identify the emergency that’s shaken her. That captures the book’s spirit. As always, Archer deftly blends mystery and comedy in sharp, lively prose that keeps the pages turning. From the get-go Davis has her work cut out for her, forced into damage control mode in both her business and personal life. With entertaining and eclectic characters, like best friend/partner Fantasy Erb, boss Jeremy "No Hair" Covey, and a havoc-wreaking mob family, Archer packs both the day and novel with fun and surprises, building stakes and excitement all the way to the satisfying conclusion. For all the wild happenings, though, Archer remains attuned to the everyday realities of casino work, motherhood, and what it takes to get a biohazard team dispatched to Biloxi.

Fans of cozy mysteries and beach reads will be overjoyed with this entry, which feels refreshingly vital and inviting for arriving so deep into the series. Readers new to Davis’s adventures should feel comfortable jumping onboard here, as the key relationships and backstory are always clearly sketched out. That said, the earlier books are breezy pleasures, too, well worth catching up on. This is a whirlwind ride, filled with clever solutions to seemingly outlandish problems and an indomitable heroine whose company remains a pleasure.

Takeaway: The uproarious Davis Way Crime Caper Series cleverly blends mystery and comedy.

Great for fans of: Abby Collette’s Body and Soul Food, Janet Evanovich’s One for the Money.

Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about Double Dose

In Badgley’s well-researched, dual-timeline novel, the themes of loss and ghosts of the past intertwine in a story about the lingering aftermath of a repressive regime in Cambodia. It’s 1993, and Emily Mclean is an American attorney on the fast track to success until a tragic accident claims her family and her leg. To escape her grief, she accepts a position in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, working with a foundation helping victims of the land mines set by the repressive Khmer Rouge of the 1970s. Emily’s story of adjusting to her new country while learning Cambodia’s violent history interlaces with 1977 journal entries of a Communist revolutionary from Yugoslavia who fell victim to the brutal regime. A mysterious painting reveals a tie between the two women, linking their timelines and pointing a way forward for Emily to heal.

The standout character in this novel is the setting of Phnom Penh, evoked with vivid detail. Fourteen years after the Khmer Rouge’s end, the city remains war-torn, and gruesome relics of the past, like the Tuol Sleng Museum of Genocide, pop off the page. The city’s inhabitants “all smiled,” Emily thinks, “but there was pain behind their eyes.”

The story moves at a clip, and the history lessons never feel heavy-handed. Emily progresses from a clueless, do-gooder American to an expat who embraces Cambodian culture. As an amputee, she discovers “her disability wasn’t a liability here, and it didn’t define her” as it had in the States. Her efforts to help, however, are stymied by her boss, Sonny, a Cambodian whose family fled but who returned as an adult to serve his homeland. Although he is a point of view character, Sonny is less fleshed-out, bouncing from gratitude for Emily’s help to sudden viciousness. Still, the novel is immersive, committed to capturing the texture of life amid striking historical detail.

Takeaway: A striking novel of an American supporting Cambodians in Phnom Penh in 1993.

Great for fans of: Rosemary Rawlins’s All My Silent Years and Vaddey Ratner’s In the Shadow of the Banyan.

Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about The Foreigner's Confession

In this charming middle-grade fantasy, Padgett weaves a thrilling tale of family, friendship, and magic. After twins Frank and Jon discover that they have magical abilities, they are sent to a special school all the way across the country—the West Hill School for the Perceptually Gifted—to learn how to control their powers. As Frank strives to wield his gifts in a class of telepathic students, Jon must learn how to control his visions of the future with seemingly the only other living oracle in the world, Professor McClery. When an important magical relic, the Guardian of Whispers, is stolen, it is up to Frank, Jon, and their newfound friends—Mira, Nate, and Damien—to locate it and save Jon from being expelled, or worse. Meanwhile, Jon must figure out why he keeps having nightmares where Frank leaves him to be choked by an enemy, and whether it is truly possible to change the future.

Padgett expertly crafts a magical environment while simultaneously ensuring that the characters’ actions and motivations are rooted in reality. Frank shines as a kind and understanding friend and brother willing to do what it takes to help those he loves. Jon stands out as a troublemaker, however, underneath this exterior, he deeply cares for his friends and family and is silently struggling with his predictions of the future and feelings of loneliness. Readers will cheer on Frank and Jon as they navigate childhood and the fallout after a rare magical relic, The Guardian of Whispers, is stolen —and one of the brothers is framed for the theft.

This story is well thought out, engaging, and magical; this adventure, the magic system, and the characters are appealing and engaging, sure to spark joy in lovers of the genre. For people who want to enjoy a fascinating, fast paced narrative, The Guardian of Whispers is an ideal fantasy, polished and accomplished.

Takeaway: This standout middle-grade fantasy exemplifies its genre and will appeal to readers of all ages.

Great for fans of: Rick Riordan, TJ Klune’s The House in the Cerulean Sea.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about The Guardian of Whispers

Oram’s humane, surprising thriller centers on a powerful, believable, and terrifying story about elder abuse in which an older protagonist fights for control of her life—and eventually to escape captivity. Jacklyn’s grieving over the unexpected loss of her husband Albert has left her depressed, vulnerable and forgetful. Her children, Rose and Dusty, express their concern to her over her mental state and recommend a stay at Shore Lodge. Thinking the visit will only be a short one, Jacklyn agrees, only to find out that her children don’t intend for her to check back out. Her situation there quickly deteriorates, as she becomes distressed about what her children have done. Her agitation leads to a move to the psych ward of the facility and being subjected to various humiliations by staff.

The screws tighten as, in tensely written scenes, her access to her friends and family is cut off and staff at the facility refuse to listen to her pleas that she’s sane. Oram convincingly dramatizes how the legal and medical system can be used to strip away autonomy, as Dusty takes advantage of his power of attorney and access to his mother’s money to live the high life. The material at times is harrowing but believable, especially as Oram shows how everyday people can find themselves abetting elder abuse, even perpetrating it. Rose begins to question her brother’s intentions, but is handicapped by a demanding boss and caring for her young son.

The Rose storyline offers a welcome chance at redemption, a human touch that also has the effect of somewhat diminishing the narrative momentum. Readers will be eager to get back to Jacklyn as she begins a series of escape attempts, with Oram generating suspense from a screwdriver, a security camera, and her clever performance of self. The specifics of the story are chilling, as is the broader message about the vulnerability of older Americans.

Takeaway: An older woman faces the fight of her life when everything is taken away from her—legally.

Great for fans of: Lisa Genova’s Still Alice, Emma Healey’s Elizabeth is Missing.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about Shore Lodge

Celebrated romance author Rose shares her million-dollar success story and offers guidance to help authors cultivate a mentality beyond fear to achieve their financial goals. Being an author is rarely considered a money-making profession, and Rose is the first to admit that “being an authorpreneur is a tough gig.” She cuts through all the doubt and fear entangled in the business of making money off books and shows readers that the biggest hurdle in finding success isn’t necessarily the industry or even their writing — it’s their mindset.

Drawing from works like Rhonda Byrne’s The Secret and others that tout the Law of Attraction, Rose breaks down in seven steps how she went from “working a nine dollar an hour job to becoming a millionaire author” by developing an “abundance mindset.” She advises her readers to learn how to clear away limiting beliefs and “core wounds,” to love the books they write, and to manifest success in their lives by living as if their dreams have already come true. Rose showcases this spirit of confidence throughout, drawing on her own experiences as she argues that it’s when readers develop this new thought framework that “the quantum entanglements can work to propel your career to the highest heights.”

Supplementing the at-times familiar treatment of the Law of Attraction are unique resources for Rose’s specific audience: writers. Write to Riches is also a workbook boasting in-depth freewriting prompts and guided meditations designed to give readers practical actions they can take today to begin the journey of changing their minds and lifestyles. Writers who feel as though they spend more time in a head-space of self-doubt and fear of failure or success will find Rose’s optimistic guide to be an empowering, refreshing approach to growing prosperity, which is upheld by a simple mentality, that “there is no right. You are already perfect. And you can have it all.”

Takeaway: A romance novelist’s guide to help authors reach their income goals by cultivating an abundance mindset.

Great for fans of: Welby Altidor’s Creative Courage, Rachel Rodgers’s We Should All Be Millionaires .

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about Write to Riches

Billy’s day is not going well. Daddy forgot to pack milk in his lunch, and then his friends don’t want to play Sharks and Minnows at recess, all of which bums him out—and makes him start lashing out. That’s where superheroes Mr. Please and Ms. Thank You come in, to help Billy see that sometimes all it takes is a perspective change to cheer yourself up. Written in an approachable tone and featuring colorful and comic-book-like digital illustrations, Billy Gets Bummed Out delivers a succinct lesson in gratitude that can be revisited time and again when the need arises.

This upbeat approach to managing feelings of upset and frustration—be grateful!—is presented with clarity and warmth. Adults should not expect the book to address major or systemic reasons to be upset, or the possibility that sometimes people just need to be upset and feel those feelings. Instead, the book is laser-focused on how to handle minor daily upsetting events that a younger audience is likely to find resonant, and in that it succeeds admirably, presenting a method of working through those feelings, while taking care to validate children and reassuring them that, yes, little things can feel like big things—and that that’s a normal reaction.

Best suited for young kids still learning about emotions and how to work through them safely and in a healthy way, and perhaps may need occasional reminders, Billy Gets Bummed Out meets both Billy and the reader where they’re at and offers an option for how changing mindset can change mood. Utilizing superheroes and vibrant illustrations makes sure to engage the young audience and keep them interested. Useful as a resource for both parents and teachers, Baldwin successfully provides a neat and tidy case study in managing emotions from simple inconveniences, and shows kids that they do have some control over their emotions if they have the tools.

Takeaway: A succinct lesson on gratitude and managing emotions.

Great for fans of: Tom Percival’s Ravi's Roar, Allison Edwards’s Marcy's Having All the Feels

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about Billy Gets Bummed Out

In this collection of poems and fables from Eckhaus, a kid wonders about his “clumsy curse,” a kitten named Patches learns a lesson about listening to her mom, and kids are encouraged to be silly and use their imagination. Dare to Imagine contains four poems and four fables, each ending with reflective questions for the child to consider after reading the story. Hummel’s expressive and whimsical digital illustrations compliment the tone of the book, especially during the poem section. Young readers looking for entertaining poems and tales they haven’t heard will enjoy this playful approach to storytelling.

The tone varies. After four poems of varying degrees of fun, including one named “Let’s Be Silly” and an charming ode to clumsiness that rhymes “tush” with “briar bush,” the fable section of the book feels surprisingly serious, with the stories concerned with making the characters—and potentially young readers—fearful of something, be it danger lurking on the other side of the fence, a strange part of town, or a vengeful bird. The tonal shift is small but feels abrupt, as one fable builds to “And that is how, in fact, CURIOSITY–KILLED–THE–CAT!” (A cheery reminder that cats have nine lives immediately follows.) Adults reading this with particularly sensitive children should be prepared. The other fable involves a mix of fantasy and science, exposing them to scientific concepts and imbuing the stars with both wonder and engaging fact.

For those unafraid, or more interested in the plenty of animals and happy kids that grace the pages, Dare to Imagine gives readers ample opportunity to use their imagination and be inspired to come up with their own poems and stories. Those looking for further immersion can also find each poem as a song on the author’s website. Whether a fiend for rhymes or someone brand new to fantastic tales of whimsy, this varied collection has something to offer for everyone.

Takeaway: Playful poems and imaginative fables will engage young readers.

Great for fans of: Arnold Lobel’s Fables; Jack Prelutsky’s It’s Raining Pigs & Noodles.

Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: A-
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about Dare to Imagine

Phillips hits the ground running with this gripping mystery, the start of a promising new series. Makenna "Kenna" Banbury, an ex-FBI agent turned P.I., must unravel a string of puzzling deaths in Salt Lake City, right after she closes the deadly case that originally brought her back home. With the help of her old friend and local police officer Ryson and FBI Special Agent Oliver Jaxton, Kenna wades through the details of murder after murder, a calling that’s her way of dealing with a traumatizing encounter from her own past. But the FBI’s trying to tie the murders to her, and her hometown stirs complex feelings, complications that enrich a narrative that truly earns the description “breathless.”

With twists and turns even seasoned mystery readers could never see coming, readers will find this story of an emotionally damaged P.I. doing whatever it takes to find the truth a read that’s hard to put down. The vivid narrative and intriguing descriptions will draw readers in from the knockout opening pages. Kenna proves a driven, dynamic lead, possessed of great conviction and agency as well as a backstory that resonates powerfully in her present. In fact, the mystery surrounding her leaving the FBI to hunt killers on her own proves as compelling as the case she’s on. The dialogue is crisp and clean, and the action is rendered in sharp jolts, with Phillips rarely wasting a word as the novel surges ahead.

With personal stakes set high and a protagonist who seems to harbor a secret or two, readers will be on the edge of their seats till the rousing finish. Phillips demonstrates a shrewd understanding of genre conventions and reader expectations, consistently upending and honoring both. Fans of private detectives, serial crimes, and detailed criminal plots will fall head over heels for Kenna—and for what’s next.

Takeaway: The polished, gripping kickoff to a promising new detective series.

Great for fans of: Elle Gray’s FBI Mystery Thriller Series, Stacy Willingham’s A Flicker in the Dark.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

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This rousing memoir blends thrilling adventure, the terror of war, and a search for meaning, especially as it zeroes into that thorny question of what makes a man a man. Graham’s personal odyssey gets exciting young, with hitchhiking the globe in the early 1960s, as, between semesters at Harvard, he climbs Mt. McKinley, meets Algerian revolutionaries, and flees angry villagers near the Indian border after accidentally running down a chicken. This being the 1960s, everything changes for the restless young man with the Vietnam War, whose initial stages Graham covered as a journalist, and whose calamitous ending he would observe as an official in the U.S. Foreign Service.

For all Graham’s knockout travel tales, it’s here that his story becomes truly compelling. Quest recounts with clarity and power the experience of being stationed in South Vietnam and telling U.S. officials the truth about the war, even as they denied that truth in public. “In order to support the lies, the liars needed to know the truth,” he writes. Graham movingly details his transformation from thrill-seeker to just-plain seeker, detailing the horrors of war, the politics of quagmire, and, after a firefight, a Navy doctor’s shattering observation: “You looked like you enjoy what’s going on here.” The reportage is always clear-eyed even as it makes clear why, after the war, he was “a stranger to myself, uncertain and afraid for the future.”

Graham’s story remains compelling after the war, as he digs into personal and relationship issues, his fascinating work in the State Department's Nuclear Planning Group, and—most urgently—the quest of the title, his search for peace and a route “to the place of light.” His enlightenment is not self-serving; he finds in it a moral anchor and the strength not to see his “ideals swept away by excitement and ambition.” His page-turning story bursts with surprise, insight, and striking prose.

Takeaway: A seeker’s gripping memoir reveals the Vietnam War, nuclear wargames, and the soul.

Great for fans of: John Maberry’s Waiting for Westmoreland, Jeff Danziger’s Lieutenant Dangerous.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

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