Now, pleased with the results, she lays out her approach to “seven feminine energy shifts” that she argues can help women become “someone whose sexual power is clear and embodied,” imbuing them with a “sexy glow, an intriguing presence, and a powerful ability to connect.” For all her talk of “energy shifts,” Page’s advice is practical, rooted in mindfulness practice and self-awareness. She urges readers to connect to their desires, to not be held back by the past, and to be centered, confident, and to balance “Intrigue and Invitation” on dates. “Attraction begins when someone notices something about you,” she notes. Above all else, she insists it’s urgent to “act in service to yourself and see what begins to change in your life.”
Despite the title, The Art of Feminine Seduction is as far from old Cosmopolitan tips as could be. For Page, seduction is not a matter of having the right body; it’s about body language and connection—both to your own power center and to the seductee. The book’s upbeat, inviting, and self-aware in a smart way—Page anticipates reader objections, but always makes a spirited case and offers an amusing or illuminating anecdote. Later chapters touch on “re-seduction” in relationships, how to approach sex, and staying in the “right now.”
Takeaway: Practical, self-affirming, slightly mystic advice for women seeking men.
Comparable Titles: Niki Kinsella’s The Feminine Energy Guide, Courtney Geter’s The Introvert's Guide to Dating.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Young readers will connect to Hadley’s fear, excitement, and eagerness to learn magic, understand her heritage, and face the kind of weird, inventive dangers that Johnson doesn’t skimp on just because of his audience’s age. (The book’s the fun kind of scary, fortunately.) The darkness, though, is not only in the woods, as all along Hadley feels her own inner turmoil in the aftermath of the death of her father in a tragic accident. In her grief and guilt, she tries to cast blame elsewhere for the accident, though she secretly—as Johnson demonstrates in a supernatural encounter—blames herself. The external drama, meanwhile, plays out with an engaging variety of action and whimsy, though the cycle of dangers and unexpected rescue becomes familiar. Johnson spices all this with welcome wisdom about the price of adventures: “To save the life of another, you must give a bit of yours.”
Hadley’s adventure through the magical woods behind her grandma’s house is harrowing, as she comes face-to-face with devious foes, such as shriekers and darklings, but also a variety of new friends, such as a Puckwudgie named Gristle. Young readers will delight in the fairylike elements of Hadley’s journey as she must summon magic in order to protect herself from the evil forces out to get her. Fantasy fans of middle-grade adventures with a dash of witchery will enjoy Hadley’s magical quest.
Takeaway: Inventive adventure of a brave girl learning witch ways and facing dark woods.
Comparable Titles: Payal Doshi’s Rea and the Blood of the Nectar, Rena Barron’s Maya and the Rising Dark series
Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A
“My ballet shoes were about to be swapped for combat boots,” she writes. In direct but often richly emotional prose, Chasing the Daylight recounts the day-to-day challenges of transformation, as Rakowski faces the rigors of training, the trials of being paired with less dedicated members of her cohort (one is too “excessively preoccupied with her own business to notice anything that was happening around her”), bureaucratic misunderstandings of how to get the most out of ESL recruits, and the loneliness of separation. She also sets above-and-beyond tests for herself, like winning the German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge, which demands grueling physical training—all despite a tendency toward heatstroke. The account is arresting—her English is polished and touched with an original sense of idiom—with jolts of surprising detail, such as military pageantry reminding her of her beloved Great Opera in Warsaw.
Rakowski includes letters she wrote to her husband, some journal entries, and occasional flashbacks to an intense relationship with a professor of French who resents her increasing American-ness. Still, this week-by-week narrative’s driven by Rakowski’s in-the-moment striving, and readers should not expect the tidy lessons and reflective triumphs of commercial memoirs, as Rakowski, a trouper, sees the world as it is—and is always ready to change with what it throws at her.
Takeaway: Tough-minded, inspiring account of a Polish immigrant’s U.S. military training.
Comparable Titles: Tanya Biank’s Undaunted, Helen Thorpe’s Soldier Girls.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: B
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A
Anna’s empathetic novel takes on many difficult topics, yet it is still written with an inviting ease—with a featherlike touch—capturing the essence of pain and hurt but not dwelling too much on the details. Readers can infer just how much abuse Gloria endured, what horrid drinking bouts Michaela’s husband has started on, and how not-involved Seraphima’s boyfriend was in their relationship. Anna doesn’t give all of this away to us. Instead, she sets us into small spaces with each sister and paints their individual versions of escapism. Michaela escapes through denial and self-righteous blame; Gloria’s escape is physical (running away); and Seraphima’s is through world-building, a fantasy of marriage.
Gloria’s relationship with discovering spirituality stands out, reflecting her youth and naivety, though she later expresses what she learns in clear, direct terms: “Reality will always return. If there’s anything I’ve learned lately [it's that] you’ve got to face your problems, not run from them.” Fitting Ana’s admirably light prose, What She Didn’t Know offers a warm, simple message of allowing oneself to accept and heal. Readers will feel comforted even amongst the chaos and come from it hoping for continued healing for the Barstone sisters.
Takeaway: Touching story of a family’s step-by-step process of healing.
Comparable Titles: Annie M. Ballard’s A Heart for the Homeless, Karen McKenna’s Just Last Year.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-
Sun's imaginative exploration into the creation of planets, especially Earth, will grab young readers attention while also educating them on the basic components that make up our world. This reimagining of the secret history of our home and solar system is captivating and inventive, but despite the headiness of the concepts, the world building and character development throughout is easy to follow. It’s even playful—one Saura general is named Dino. Ike's harrowing journey to hero status, and the many close bonds between his friends and family (“Just put your heart and soul in it,” Theo tells him) ensure readers will root for this out-of-this world but down-to-Earth protagonist.
The story features themes of family, friendship and love as Sun creates a backstory for our very existence, complete with intriguing discussions of what humankind will be like, how identities will develop, and more. Readers get to see the day that the Godians turn on our very sun. Fans of ambitious yet accessible science fiction storytelling with a YA bent will find much here that’s engaging and surprising.
Takeaway: Inventive space opera that blends coming-of-age adventure with the origins of Earth.
Comparable Titles: M.K. England’s The Disasters, J. Brian Clarke’s Alphanauts.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: B+
Marketing copy: A-
Hutson-Wiley’s storytelling continues to the surprise, and the novel, like its protagonist, takes unexpected paths. After an impulsive act of revenge, Joshua must flee the city, and the rabbi sends him as a messenger to Portugal’s King Alfonso, telling him that the time to seize Lisbon is now. At the school run by Maimon Ben Joseph at Qurtuba, Joshua falls in love with Hannah, but marriage is forbidden as she belongs to the Karaite group of Jews. And, intent upon proving his skills as a merchant, takes on his most dangerous mission yet: establishing a new trade route to India.
Hutson-Wiley’s prose is straightforward and unadorned, often touched with a fable-like quality, especially as the novel reveals culture, characters, and the textures of life. Not all lives, though–apart from Hannah, and Sophia, William’s love interest, the tale is devoid of women. When the protagonist returns to his father’s house, will he not meet his mother? Still, Joshua’s journeys are compelling, and his inner conflicts—his philosophical confusions, his anger at discrimination he experiences, his innate good heartedness—make for immersive reading.
Takeaway: Absorbing tale of a Jewish merchant’s travels and dangers in the twelfth century.
Comparable Titles: Richard Zimler’s The Incandescent Threads, José Saramago’s The History of the Siege of Lisbon.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Smith fashions this unusual guide with an eye for adventure: he urges readers to undertake the “quests” he’s constructed throughout the book, including special tiles to spot on each of his customized area tours, and scatters interactive elements across the pages, QR codes for extra photographs, and more. The curious will find plenty to learn—Smith delves into the materials that went into making the island’s tiles, shares interesting construction details (the island’s casino “to this day is the largest circular ballroom in the world”), and even describes his culinary encounters—including a recap of local “secret creation” lobster mac ‘n’ cheese heaped with “a full cup and a half of lobster.”
History buffs will be intrigued by Smith’s attention to detail—local legend insists the island’s original owner, William Wrigley, Jr., and contractor D.M. Renton discovered the clay for the tiles after getting their vehicle stuck in the mud, leading to the quarry of clay deposits on the island to manufacture the Spanish Revival-style tiles that have graced Catalina’s public spaces since the 1920s. Smith’s fervor for the island is contagious and will leave readers eager to discover its beauty for themselves.
Takeaway: Interactive and entertaining guide to Catalina Island’s vintage tiles.
Comparable Titles: Dan Austin’s Your Complete Guide to the Pottery of Catalina Island, Joe Belanger’s Catalina Island: All You Need to Know.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-
Rounding out the main cast is Faelyn Titansworn, a young prince and Summoner who must master the politics of the realm—and suss out the secrets of an apparent conspiracy. Despite the prevailing male-ness, the three leads’ perspectives are distinct, as are the challenges they face, with Castien facing Blood Sorcerers, ancient magics, and the withering comments of warrior Ilyana perhaps the most compelling. Stitle deftly layers clues and connections across the storylines, and passages about how this world works grow organically from the characters.
Inevitably, all the magic, sects, shapers, beasts, ancient secrets, contemporary schemes, and more may overwhelm readers not in love with fantasy’s excesses, and diehards will find some elements edging the line between comfort-food familiar and derivative. The novel’s length feels determined by the genre rather than what this story needs. Still, Stitle’s clear love of his cast and world shines through—the result is a polished, exciting debut that, while not breaking new ground, pulses with infectious love for the ground that it claims. Promising for future volumes: the climax is pained and powerful.
Takeaway: Polished epic fantasy debut building to a pained, powerful climax.
Comparable Titles: Brandon Sanderson, R.A. MacAvoy.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A
Duncan writes invitingly while uniting disparate sciences and therapeutic practices into a coherent and flexible system that never gets too abstract. Personal anecdotes and stories from friends highlight how the exercises and concepts laid out in the book look when put into practice. He explores how childhood and past experiences can shape our emotional responses, stirring fear and anxiety, and guides readers in taking inventory of the tensions within the body, understanding how certain emotions affect the present moment and why, and in asking the question why certain incidents trigger certain "Negative Core Beliefs.” Despite some big ideas, the emphasis is refreshingly practical, as Duncan lays out clear advice for overcoming "mind traps.”
Interactive elements include a link to a "Focus Tool” app that allows readers to set a daily reminder to work on the book’s "Core Exercise," a seven-step centering exercise that encourages anchoring in the moment with practiced breathing, performing a body scan for tension, and more. Present Moment Awareness will appeal to seekers struggling with anxiety or overthinking. Leaning on practices of mindfulness and intentionally getting to the root of certain emotion responses, Duncan lays out persuasive ways to help readers to breathe deep and limit emotional reactive responses and "have the opportunity to observe ourselves in our environment in a whole new way."
Takeaway: Compassionate guide to mindfulness and transcending “Negative Core Beliefs.”
Comparable Titles: Joyce Meyer’s Living Beyond Your Feelings, Ernest Holm Svendsen’s How to Live in the Now.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Plagued by wrenching flashbacks to his service in the Mosaic War, Bibi has come to feel that he’s something like a kite, always on someone else’s string, and he vows, in narration, “Before I’m too old, I want to do something important because I chose it.” What that potential rebellion will look like is the novel’s primary tension, more so than the mystery of who ordered the strikes. Bibi tells much of the story himself, in 2104, five years after the fact, to an unidentified collective voice that occasionally interrupts—at one point, bluntly offering crucial information that Bibi was building to, inspiring him to offer a lesson about suspense and storytelling.
That sense of play powers the novel, which blends Bibi’s first-person story with excerpts (some lengthy) of after-the-fact interviews trying to make sense of Bibi’s life—and seeding the mystery of whatever it is that he chooses to do as the novel’s present develops. Also included: occasional poems plus excerpts from a textbook establishing the science of empaths. Giesler pens all this with sharp prose, arresting detail, an ear for memorable dialogue, a fascinating political situation, and a deep interest in empathy itself, though the material’s richness and Bibi’s tendency to recount conversations at length diminishes narrative momentum. The worldbuilding’s exciting and surprising, though, especially a visit to the St. Louis of the future and the potential of war between Canada and the “Old States.”
Takeaway: Provocative, empathetic dystopian SF with a sense of narrative playfulness.
Comparable Titles: Omar El Akkad’s American War, Christopher Brown’s Tropic of Kansas.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A
Trey must confront both her past and her broken heart in order to heal. Wilde’s at-times disturbing story about families, religion, abuse, rejection, and love is fast-paced, with frequent leaps in time that challenge readers to keep up. Trey’s story is often driven by anger, as she lashes out at others and plays with their emotions, but refuses any insight into herself. The physical and verbal abuse of Trey and her siblings in the childhood flashbacks are wrenching, as are frank accounts of her parents’ violent fights, Trey’s anorexia and a suicide attempt, and the rejection she’s faced for being a lesbian from her family, her church, and even Rose. Here’s a protagonist who feels dead on the inside, one who finds it easier to pretend that Rose is dead rather than married to Bobby.
More uplifting is her shaky friendship with Jonah, who excels at listening and giving heartfelt advice, and the cracks in Trey’s armor as she struggles to learn to live and trust again. Other signs of grace come as a relief, eventually giving Trey the courage to return to her hometown to confront her heartbreak and her tormentors. This is a disturbing yet uplifting study of a woman’s emergence from darkness.
Takeaway: Pained but uplifting novel of an abuse survivor feeling her way out of anger and darkness.
Comparable Titles: Jaye Viner’s Jane of Battery Park, L. Dreamer’s The Burden of Happiness.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Quick paced and unsettling, The Other Place offers readers teasing mysteries to work through along with Emma’s parents. One surprising thread: what is the connection between The Gatekeeper and the song version of William Hughes Mearns’s poem “Antigonish”? As Emma’s dreams increasingly seem like they might be real, she finds herself inside Mary Ellen’s mind, fighting to keep Mary Ellen from being driven to murder, while Rob and Marcia eventually accept that their daughter is not delusional, they struggle to save both girls from The Gatekeeper.
Nagele weaves an intriguing story about families, childhood, the supernatural, self-sacrifice, and innocence both lost and saved, though the pace and pared-down language come at the expense of fleshing out the characters, especially Emma and her family. Scenes of abuse and terrorized children will put off some readers, but Emma’s fight to save Mary Ellen from evil is admirable, her determination and kindness shining through. The Other Place is rich in detail of the places past and present, and readers of horror-tinged historical mysteries will be intrigued to learn more about Glen Miller and William Hughes Mearns.
Takeaway: Unsettling supernatural story of a determined young girl’s dreams of a horrific past.
Comparable Titles: Penelope Farmer’s Charlotte Sometimes, Sarah Waters’s The Little Stranger.
Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
The main characters’ quest moves quickly on the page and will captivate young readers and ignite their sense of adventure. Schur creates whimsical characters such as maternal healer Mistress Plummety Peache, who quickly embraces Wynnfrith and Oliver, and Glutt the prison guard, a creature with “a misshapen head like a puzzle piece” that banters with Peache through fun alliterations (“Greasy Grubber,” Mistress Peache cried. “Grimy. Grinning. Grotesque. Grasper.” “Gross and greedy too” the creature howled…). The importance of language becomes paramount to Wynnfrith’s journey, as Schur crafts the story to emphasize the great influence that words can have on how we perceive and are perceived.
As the children face their trials, including moral lessons sprinkled throughout, Schur weaves into the plot strong themes of inner-strength and righteousness, universal ideals that play pivotal roles in Wynnfrith’s personal growth and offer encouragement to readers. Knowledge and respect for the written word also is presented as something of a power. A map of the Kingdom of Wisland is conveniently provided for young readers to help visualize the vast land. Middle-grade readers looking for a bit of whimsy and adventure will enjoy this fantasy that presents reading itself as as part of a hero’s growth.
Takeaway: This quick-paced fantasy centers on the power of words.
Comparable Titles: Chris Colfer, Jessica Day George Tuesdays at the Castle series.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Places in Time: Reflections on a Journey
Throughout, Schur captures each new milieu in striking detail: the “knotty pine walls” and “emerald meadows” of the fir-wood chalet the couple acquired for $25 a week in Troistorrents, Switzerland, will warm readers, characteristic of Schur’s assured, compelling scene painting. In Schur’s telling, though, the couple’s travels are as much about the people they meet as the places they visited, brought to life here with quick, vivid portraiture. Readers will marvel at the couple’s resourcefulness—whether securing passage on a ship or recruiting new friends to construct a home in their van—and ability to connect with key figures in every region of the globe.
Among the most memorable are Serkan, in Turkey, who tells the couple over raki “The people of my country are very good” and then offers a gripping story as demonstration. The travelers, too, exhibit a welcome authenticity as they make friends (during a singalong in Antalya, Schur does a Betty Boop impression), face dangers, and continually make discoveries, with courage, luck, and an infectious zest for life.
Takeaway: Arresting memoir of a globe-crossing honeymoon in the early 1970s.
Comparable Titles:Rosita Boland’s Elsewhere, Terry Tarnoff’s The Bone Man of Benares.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Wordsworth’s split-perspective storytelling quickly dispels the mystery of what’s happening to Hanna, though she doesn’t quite figure out that she needs to take decisive action until over halfway through the quite long book. But that imbues scenes between doting Hanna and cagy Theo with a queasy tension, and other mysteries keep Theo’s chapters lively: why is he targeting Hanna’s memories? Who is this Arthur person who seems to be instructing Theo in how to test the dagger’s capabilities? And what’s he doing with these women—and eventually a federal judge’s son, too—who awake with gaps in their memory? Meanwhile, rumors of a secret society called The Makers, possibly the creators of the kaike, haunt the narrative.
Scenes tend to run long, with lots of dialogue, and until the novel’s last third the pacing tends toward the leisurely. A tendency toward awkward descriptions during dialogue scenes hampers the opening chapters, though the prose tightens up as the novel progresses. Hanna’s aversion to swearing, drinking, and sex are interesting character traits that could benefit from more exploration, though other aspects of her life—her classes, her piano playing, the miserable challenge of collegiate group work—are engagingly detailed. The novel’s biggest surprise, before the cliffhanger ending: Wordsworth stirring empathy for Theo.
Takeaway: Dual-perspective thriller about a college student losing memories and the boyfriend behind it.
Comparable Titles: S.J. Watson’s Before I Go to Sleep, Alice LaPlante’s Turn of Mind.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B+
Marketing copy: A-
“When the dark days come, I often ponder how the weight of being a mother is like no other,” narrator Jenna notes. Holly excels at portraying the everyday frustrations of caregiving and the unique loneliness it can bring. Acute details and a confessional first-person present tense effectively draw the reader into Jenna’s intimate sense of perceived failure. Some aspects of her unhappiness are so familiar that they can be mundane to read, especially in detailed dialogue. Nonetheless, Holly balances hardship with levity, such as when Jenna is jailed for public intoxication.
In Jenna’s case, the idea that nobody wants to hear negativity about family life stymies her. Luckily, her tribe of feisty women vent their tears and laughter—without straying into melodrama—and discover that sharing their experiences heals life’s wounds. Most affecting is the notebook in which Jenna doodles and records words of wisdom quoted by loved ones. Many mothers will identify with Jenna’s plight and find solace in its message: caregivers should not suffer alone. The solution? Sharing their stories of failure and triumph will help them to grieve, normalize, and honor their most challenging experiences.
Takeaway: A touching novel of the importance of sharing the trials of motherhood.
Comparable Titles: Anna Hogeland’s The Long Answer, Anita Kushwaha’s Secret Lives of Mothers & Daughters.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
