“Nothing ages people more than secrets,” Vancise writes in this polished, dark-as-blood-wine thriller, which finds a young woman, digging into the mysteries posed by an old photograph of her late grandfather’s, and then facing unspeakable horrors of the past—and, of course, her present. In a small Arkansas town in 1991, Evie Day sees again a photo that has long haunted her, an image from 1933 of a tall woman and a tiny coffin. Soon she’s dug up intriguing clues that suggest her police chief grandfather harbored secrets: a vial of blood in his desk; a key to a safety deposit box in Castlewood, a town four hours away. Meanwhile, an older man named Charlie works with a specialist to recover suppressed memories and shares horrific visions of occult torture in a Castlewood foster home.

Writing with crisp efficiency, mordant wit, and bursts of searing terror, Vancise whets the novel’s escalating puzzles and portents with an edge of queasy uncertainty. As the two perspective characters’ paths edge closer to crossing, readers will question what to believe—and whether Evie and especially Charles have hidden agendas. Character work is engaging and surprising, with relationships coming to life in well-honed dialogue. Apparent coincidences like Evie encountering an ex, or running into an acquaintance who does profiling work for the FBI, don’t just help the plot along—they contribute to the feeling of fevered suspicion.

That tense atmosphere does not slow momentum. Vancise teases with potent recurring images—a tuxedoed man with a lollipop; a baby in “little black mask with gold stars covered its mouth and nose”—that will compel readers of thoughtful, occult-tinged, buried-secret thrillers to tear through the pages to discover the truth behind them. The revelations jolt but satisfy, the romance is handled with heart and a touch of heat, and the villains are quite literally bloodthirsty.

Takeaway: This smart thriller pits an Arkansas woman against a haunting, possibly occult mystery.

Great for fans of: Gina Sorell’s Mothers and Other Strangers, C​​raig DiLouie’s The Children of Red Peak.

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

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Kallona’s playfully imaginative novel for middle-grade readers follows a girl named Lucy on an adventure to discover why everyone in her family has stopped laughing—as well as her own exciting destiny. The story begins during a snowy winter in the Scottish town of Fiddle Wood, where 12-year-old Lucy lives with her parents, her brother, Ben, and grandmother. Predictably, everyone is bored and miserable, having been stuck indoors for weeks on end. One day it occurs to Lucy that no one has laughed in a long time, not even Grandma, who had “an incredible hooting laugh which made everyone else laugh too.” When Lucy mentions this, Grandma makes a surprising declaration: “It’s the Old Man of Smoo!” she insists.

While Grandma is seen by some as a “batty old woman,” Lucy and Ben take her seriously. Without hesitation, they and their Uncle Patrick accompany the elderly woman on a trip to find Gabel Lylhu, who Grandma explains is “one of the ticklers of the world” and whose name is an anagram for “belly laugh.” On their journey, Lucy learns Gabel is responsible for keeping the world laughing, and his inaction has led to a widespread lack of humor. As Lucy and her family put together the pieces of the puzzle, she discovers her own surprising connection to the ticklers, a story development that will encourage young readers to delve into their own unique family histories.

From start to finish, this tale is relentlessly offbeat and fanciful, inviting readers to enter a world where laughing gull feathers are as valuable as treasure and Gabel must sniff out Smoo’s armpits with his “Nez Extraordinaire.” At times this extravagant fantasy can become nonsensical, but it is grounded by Lucy’s unwavering respect for her grandmother and, in the end, her exciting personal revelation. Young readers will relate to Lucy’s plight as they undertake similar ventures of self-discovery in their own lives.

Takeaway: This playful story follows a girl’s efforts to discover why everyone has stopped laughing.

Great for fans of: Kat Zhang’s The Emperor's Riddle, Varian Johnson’s The Parker Inheritance.

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

Click here for more about The Tickling Tale of Smoo

With a curious blend of convincing detail and men’s adventure fantasy, this account of a Massachusetts “country boy”’s experience as a paratrooper in Vietnam charts a childhood of fallout shelters and science-lab bombmaking, training at Fort Dix and elsewhere, much vigorous lovemaking, and at last the experience of leaping from a CV-2 Caribou and into action. In country Shannon—either the author himself, or a fictionalized version—will face deadly wildlife, Viet Cong patrols, disgraced Foreign Legion mercenaries, and women eager for his amorous attention. One mission results in 27 confirmed kills but also a major’s declaration that “I regret that we cannot report on your success or the body count.” (That’s in spite of an introductory note carping at Hollywood movies that present soldiers as “fantastic super-heroes.”)

Whether readers buy that or not, Shannon’s an amusing, engaging storyteller, attentive to technical detail and ironic twists, especially when the tale turns on showing up blowhards, authority figures, or enemies. That’s true of the memoir’s first third, too. The funny, often dangerous stories of youthful hunting hijinks, car racing, gas-siphoning, and encounters with the police—including a doozy of a revenge plot against his town’s chief—honor a bygone era of childhood troublemaking.

Shadow Dancer is classified as fiction, though introductory notes insist it’s based on a true story. Either way, for all the persuasive detail about military life, many stories here are quite literally incredible, such as the narrator’s account of his first “burial duty,” in which he informs a young mother that her son was killed in paratrooper training—and then shares with her several days of passion. (Sex scenes include terms like “love lava.”) A cloak-and-dagger episode involving Shannon—or some version thereof—getting the drop on rogue CIA agents potentially involved in the Kennedy assassination is too hard to follow to assess its credibility. Page-long paragraphs and a tendency toward run-on sentences also diminish narrative clarity and momentum.

Takeaway: This pulpy account of a country boy’s experience in Vietnam is quite literally incredible.

Great for fans of: John Ringo, Gregory A. Daddis’s Pulp Vietnam.

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

Click here for more about Shadow Dancer A Country Boy Goes To Vietnam

“Coming together is what it takes to address ‘wicked’ problems,” Justis and Student note in this innovative guide to leadership in a time of societal upheaval, to preparing organizations for the challenges of an uncertain future, and to enacting real change through collaboration and "recombinant innovations'', which is the process of repurposing and refashioning successful ideas in different ways in different fields and circumstances. They make a powerful case for new leadership strategies, with an emphasis on intersectionality and networking while building partnerships among businesses, the government, and nonprofit organizations—and lay out practical steps to making such collaborations succeed. Don't Lead Alone draws on fresh case studies and the authors’ own experience to demonstrate the urgency—and some best practices—for working in tandem with multiple branches of leadership teams.

The subtitle’s imperatives—"Think Like a System,” "Act Like a Network,” "Lead Like a Movement"—serve both as the authors’ message and the text’s organizational foundation. Forming an easy-to-follow road map, each section is a building block to creating and leading within a constantly evolving network to build a better, adaptable, diverse team. "One of the advantages of acting like a network is that not only does it bring in new people, but it also brings in new tools and skills,” the authors note, with their customary precision and lucidity. Exploring ideals such as code-mixing, taking risks, managing secret agendas, and writing with inviting directness but also thoughtful thoroughness, Justis and Student provide a wealth of guidance for handling the complex dynamics that come along with building expansive, collaborative networks.

Entrepreneurs, non-profit leaders, government officials, and many others in leadership roles will find much unique, forward-thinking, highly practical insight here. While organizations are a team effort, the authors demonstrate throughout that leadership roles are too often thought of as an individual task. Don't Lead Alone turns this idea on its head, offering both inspiration and nuts-and-bolts tools for moving toward a collaborative approach.

Takeaway: This innovative leadership guide bursts with insight and practical suggestions for collaboration.

Great for fans of: Eric Coryell’s Revolutionize Teamwork, Gretchen Anderson’s Mastering Collaboration.

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

Click here for more about Don't Lead Alone

In this brisk, practical self-help financial guide, financial coach Searcy maps out a clear, concise and organized plan to use in gaining control over life's finances, with special attention paid to up-to-date concerns like student loan debt and tips toward improving not just one’s finances but one’s financial reputation: “I use less than 30% of my available credit,” she writes, “to improve my credit score.” Supplying the tools to begin a savings plan, begin exploring stock investments, and planning for retirement when people live longer lives than previous generations, Searcy walks readers through setting up a successful plan to financial freedom and build wealth.

This straight to-the-point book highlights the major steps to eliminating debt and unnecessary spending while building an emergency fund and preparing for the future. Searcy’s expertise shines through with cogent explanations and clear-eyed analysis that will resonate even with financial novices. Readers familiar with other books on financial freedom will appreciate that Searcy doesn’t rely on familiar anecdotes; recognizing the need for a "fresh perspective," she interviews her nephew, discussing his approach to paying off student loan debt and explaining to him the benefits of completing his repayment plan even faster. Searcy’s financial tools—the Bill Binder 2.0 and the Bill Tracker—are keyed to readers’ individual needs, and reflections on ways she has cut out unnecessary bills and luxuries to reach her savings goals. One key takeaway: "live below your means.”

Searcy packs much sound, original, hands-on advice into this compact guide, such as the Snowball and Avalanche methods of repayment and how to use credit cards and loan to build credit. This is a standout resource for young people just entering the workforce and anyone looking to become more knowledgeable in managing their finances, with even the material covering investments pitched to the circumstances of real life. This is a nuts-and-bolts guide to getting started building financial security.

Takeaway: This hands-on guide to building financial freedom is keyed into the challenges of today.

Great for fans of: Tiffany Aliche’s Get Good With Money, Lynnette Khalfani’s Zero Debt for College Grads.

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

Click here for more about 9 Strategies to Manage Your Money

The discovery of a handwritten diary in a hostel kicks off this singular collaboration between Kei and Adams, a biographical fiction journeying through the latter’s unexpected trip and stay at Hague. The text reproduced here is handwritten, too, as Adams details his journey in that notebook. Reading Adams’s emotive, arresting account gives readers a window into his past and how it still affects his present. On his four-day trip, Casey finds a friend in his roommate and engages with her in conversations about life, literature, and philosophy. However, he soon starts to feel a deeper connection with this woman—perhaps even an obsession..

Though much of this strikingly unusual book revolves around Casey’s experiences in Hague, the The Hague Hostel also explores the complicated relationships that travelers form in hostels while sharing their most intimate spaces. Casey grows attached to his roommate, even unsettlingly so, avoiding her one night and then watching her sleep when he gets in late, as the narrative tackles one of those questions that always arise in the minds of solo travelers: to stay in touch or not? A receptionist says, “Sometimes it's good to talk to someone who you know you will never meet again,” a poignant precis. Casey is truly at ease while talking to his roommate because of the realization that, despite their burgeoning intimacy, this is a stranger and not a part of his life.

The Hague Hostel doesn’t end with the end of Adam’s occasionally self-lacerating notebook. It extends to a website that directs users to a song—music is a key point of connection in the narrative—and additional information about the characters. The overall experience is immersive, slightly surreal, and deeply personal, from the tactile resonance of reading hand-penned words to hearing the song as a finishing touch. This unique title will engage readers interested in unconventional storytelling.

Takeaway: The unique, hand-written account of a traveler making an unexpected connection in a hostel.

Great for fans of: Clara Bensen’s No Baggage, Geraldine DeRuiter’s All Over the Place.

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

Click here for more about The Hague Hostel

O’Connor’s debut is an Irish-American mystery spanning across the globe and into the past led by Philadelphia resident Cián (Key) Murphy who has an uncanny genetic mutation which allows him to see the memories of one of his Irish ancestors from circa 800 A.D. Once the visions begin, Key is thrust into a quest through the crooks of Philadelphia and Irish antiquity, via historic cemeteries, churches, and sacred land, searching for his centuries-old relative’s hiding place of a priceless Irish artifact from the Middle Ages: the Book of Kells’ missing cover, pages, and unspecified treasure.

Key gets plenty of help along the way, most notably from his childhood friend, and current police officer, Buck McCoy, as well as an anthropology professor specializing in the Irish-Jamaican diaspora Arin Murphy, who is a member of the Jamaican political elite and a distant relative (and romantic interest) of Key’s. While the story of an Irish-Catholic treasure hunt could be easily whitewashed from the perspective of the colonizers, O’Connor’s deft handling of Black characters and history related to Black soldiers in Unionist armies during the Civil War and Jamaica’s history with African enslaved people and exiled Irish folks makes The Key to Kells a novel that aptly reflects the present-day intersectional realities of America, Ireland, and Jamaica.

Key’s visions of Medieval Ireland interspersed with present-day characters and events dissolves chronological time, so lineages separated by centuries become united to work toward the fruition of a timeless quest. But these fragments and treasures are ultimately secondary to the intangible prizes begotten as a result of the search for it: unity, romance, familial love, and hope across boundaries of time, race, religion, geography, and prejudice. Some one-liners don’t land, and an erotic connection between past and present is intriguing but not fully persuasive, but the suspense is real, and readers of mystery and historical fiction will find much to enjoy in this fast-paced read.

Takeaway: Ancestral visions offer clues to lost fragments of The Book of Kells in this page-turning, time-bending thriller.

Great for fans of: Raymond Khoury’s The Last Templar, Kris Frieswick’s The Ghost Manuscript.

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

Click here for more about The Key to Kells

In Dreeling’s playful picture book for young children, rubber rain boots come surprisingly to life to solve the mystery of their missing friend. Instead of sitting idly on the shelf, the wellies belonging to a little girl named River have lively conversations, go on adventures, and even enjoy tea and biscuits. They’re a close-knit group, so when one pair of shoes named Teddy gets lost, the excitable remaining trio jumps to the worst-case scenario: Teddy has likely been kidnapped by River’s ornery dog, Murphy. Worried they will never see their friend again, the nervous boots seek the help of local sleuth Detective Walter. On their journey they learn about themselves and their own abilities.

While it is common for inanimate objects to have secret lives in children’s books, the idea that shoes have problems, friendships, and fears feels fresh and intriguing. The wellies must keep their “realness” secret from humans, in this case by sprinkling the people in their house with magic dust each night, but on the day Teddy goes missing, they forget to take this vital step, allowing River to help solve their mystery. Surprisingly, River is rather nonplussed by the concept of living, breathing footwear—she simply states that her mom is used to her having imaginary friends. In this way, the story doesn’t waste time with familiar drama and invites readers to similarly suspend their disbelief.

Jovanovic’s colorful illustrations show the expressive wellies on each step of their investigation, from their initial panic to the story’s lighthearted resolution. Each pair of boots comes equipped with a pair of arms as well as eyes, eyebrows, and mouths capable of clearly showing a wide range of emotions that will help young children follow along. The typesetting isn’t especially inviting, and the storytelling’s at times wordy, but the conclusion will invite kids to think about how they and their friends can help each other —or at least consider their own footwear with new curiosity.

Takeaway: Rubber rain boots come to life to solve the mystery of their missing friend in this memorable picture book.

Great for fans of: Sarah LuAnn Perkins’s On a Rainy Day, Jean Taft’s Worm Weather.

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

Click here for more about River and the Missing Yellow Wellie Mystery

Falco (Grandpa Gordy's Greatest World Series Games) sets this touching young adult story of sports and unexpected connections in 1968 New Jersey, in a town that’s racially diverse but tense. It centers on T. J., a high-school sophomore who loves baseball and hanging out with his friends Jonathan, Frankie, and Phil. He's also a struggling JV baseball player who accidentally hits a Black teammate in the eye, earning him the enmity of the other Black players. The clever and funny Jonathan is his best friend, classmate, and teammate, and he's the ringleader of all sorts of shenanigans in school to help alleviate boredom. While they're friends, the racial divide between them comes into play in a number of ways.

The story’s handling of references to sports, urban neighborhoods, high school hijinks, and racism resonate as deeply today. While T.J.'s hero is Mickey Mantle, the aging star of the New York Yankees, Jonathan's hero is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whom he affectionately refers to as "the Doc." Falco captures the tumult of the era with clear eyes and welcome complexity. When King is assassinated, it changes everything, as Jonathan refuses to talk to any white people, including T.J. Young readers will relate as a confused and hurt T.J. struggles with that rejection, with threats from some teammates, and pressure from Frankie's friends to join in with other white people for "protection." It takes another national tragedy to bring T.J. and Jonathan back together.

Falco's use of humor to establish the camaraderie between T.J. and Jonathan helps ground their later conflict, turning national crises into interpersonal ones. Telling the story through T.J.'s first-person narration also allows the reader to intimately experience historical events while revealing T.J.'s limitations in processing them. Falco navigates the rigors of growing up in a tumultuous time with grace, wit, and empathy.

Takeaway: This resonant YA novel finds teen athletes facing racial divisions in the tumultuous late 1960s.

Great for fans of: Colson Whitehead’s The Nickel Boys, Christopher Paul Curtis’s The Watsons Go to Birmingham.

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

Click here for more about Mickey Mantle's Last Home Run

This arresting series kickoff from Smith (The Wolf at the End of the World) grips from the start as it introduces its inventive milieu, its flawed but fantastically powered hero, its playful worldbuilding, and a host of tantalizing mysteries. In contemporary Toronto, billionaire 18-year-old Will Dreycott lives in a white tower, hunting for his missing parents, laboring over the impossibly successful comic book series, and, in secret, actually living his superhero creation’s life. As the real-life Dream Rider, Will is a costumed crusader in the dreamscape, searching for evidence of missing children, fleeing nightmarish emotions called Emojis, and eventually encountering creepy gray children he’ll learn are called “Hollow Boys”—missing Toronto street kids who, through elaborate witchery, have been stripped of their will and forced to take on this terrifying new form.

That’s just the start of Smith’s vigorously imaginative scenario. Complicating matters is Will’s agoraphobia. The boy who seems to have everything, including the wealth to make individual floors of his building museum-quality recreations of Paris and Egypt, can’t bring himself to breathe outside air. That’s a fascinating flaw, worthy of Marvel comics in the 1960s, a trait the deliciously detestable villains will of course exploit. Smith draws a telling contrast between Will and the broke-but-free life of Case, a street teen whom Will meets, develops a crush on, and vows to help—but can’t follow outside his tower.

Strange, often appealing creatures (like the delightful doogles) and characters fill out Will’s world, and the Hollow Boys, Maras, Emojis, and other original dangers have a perfectly calibrated creepiness—they’re deadly, and scenes of action and suspense thrum with tension, but the novel’s still always fun. Pacing and prose are tight despite the novel’s generous length; the dialogue’s crisp and engaging, and the reversals and revelations are cleverly plotted. Smith takes every advantage of his original dreamworld’s possibilities, building to a satisfying ending with plenty of mystery left to explore.

Takeaway: Thrilling YA fantasy whose billionaire teen superhero flies through dreams but can’t step outside.

Great for fans of: Maggie Stiefvater's The Dream Thieves, Robert Jackson Bennett.

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

Click here for more about The Hollow Boys

This entertaining story, the first of Caton’s Find Me in Time series, follows a group of young friends as they stumble onto a magical, time-traveling treehouse in the woods. During a game of hide-and-seek, Harry discovers the hidden treehouse, and when the gang follows him in, they’re shocked by its sudden vibrations. Before they know what’s happening, the treehouse has transformed, and a family trying to escape pursuers (and a flood) joins them. Just when the family’s attackers are about to find them, the treehouse reverts back to normal, and Harry, Ashley, Emma, Keith, and Aaron find themselves safe and sound.

While the setup has some familiar elements, the group’s good-natured camaraderie and banter—plus some surprising destinations—make this an interesting tale in its own right. When they discover the treehouse will allow them to choose their destination, the friends initially jump in without thinking, but a disastrous trip to the Alamo that almost ends in catastrophe teaches them the treehouse will whisk them safely back home—and that a little planning can go a long way. They also learn a secret: wherever they end up in time, they’re able to blend in with the locals. That kickstarts an eye-opening adventure to Guanahaní, the Caribbean destination of Christopher Columbus’s famed trip, where the kids meet the indigenous Taíno Lukku-Cairi right before Columbus and his crew invade their land.

Caton allows her characters the chance to grow in knowledge throughout the story—Harry initially thinks of Columbus as a hero, but after experiencing the colonization through the eyes of the Taíno, he starts to see things more clearly, and Caton includes a subtle nod to Black slaves being killed by plantation owners that should open up discussions. The illustrations and designs are pleasantly diverse, and Caton nicely sets up the next adventure for those eager for more surprises and history.

Takeaway: Time travel teaches a lively group of friends that history can be deceiving.

Great for fans of: Dan Gutman’s Flashback Four series, Jeff Brown’s Flat Stanley series.

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

Click here for more about Find Me In Time

In the vein of Oh, the Places You’ll Go!, O’Neill (Put Up the Hoop Sooner) offers readers an uplifting reminder of how quickly children grow up. When a young bear cub graduates and leaves home, their parents are faced with an empty nest—and start to wonder if their advice over the years was adequate. In between encouraging the cub and reminiscing about their own shortcomings, the pair dispense with last minute “wisdom-giving” and inspiration to “live big and free, Ships are safe in the harbor, but they should be at sea.”

Chisholm’s dynamic digital illustrations and muted color palette, combined with rhyming text, conjure nostalgia and a sense of childlike wonder in places, though O’Neill writes mainly from the perspective of the parents in this advisory tale—a choice that allows him to dispense plenty of valuable advice, but may not hold the attention of younger readers, especially as early passages insist that the young bear protagonist is “still just a child” and “nowhere near ready” for life in the wild. O’Neill makes a cute joke of that, as the narrative voice registers the cub’s objections and runs the numbers before admitting “You appear to have gone and grown up overnight.”

That sense of regret, the cub’s resistance to the parents’ safety messages, and an often chiding tone (“But because you’ve been fresh / you’ll have to wait a few stanzas”) are throughlines that distinguish this title from other compendiums of advice about life’s journey, but they’re more likely to amuse and resonate with parents than fresh graduates. Still, there’s playful energy and power in O’Neill’s exhortations to “stretch limits” and burst free of comfort zones, and adventurous page spreads like one showing the cub, in a mortarboard and roller skates, zipping past tigers and tornadoes, are wonderful.

Takeaway: Playful picture book advice for young grads, from the voice of parents not ready to let go.

Great for fans of: Emily Winfield Martin’s The Wonderful Things You Will Be, Lisa Swerling and Ralph Lazar’s The Sky Is the Limit.

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

Click here for more about Just a Zillion Things Before You Go

In the charming first entry of the Traveler series, Binns’s followup to the Magic Toll books, destiny brings two best friends together to save Terra from a demon invasion. After placing her mother in a nursing home for dementia, 21-year-old diminutive human, Betha Dubios is transferring to Saint Luna College on Pack Island, usually reserved for elves, trolls, shifters, vampires, and angelfolk. There she reunites with her BFF Angie, a Shadow Wolf shifter—a species thought to be nearly extinct. At a nearby club, Betha hears a strange buzzing followed by a deadly attack by demons. Betha learns that she is actually one of the very rare Travelers, who guard the Nexus, a group of portals to different worlds through which the demons entered Terra.

Binns builds the action and creates a complex world of politics and fantasy lore. Betha learns to use her Traveler’s powers from Kyra, Terra’s only other Traveler. Kyra tells her that she must stop the demons, who are trying to break the Accords, the fragile treaty that keeps Terra from being invaded by other races through the portals. To help her, Betha must bond with an Anchor, a person who will ground her and keep her soul from getting lost. Betha chooses Angie to be her Anchor. Betha also learns to hone her battle skills from the handsome personal trainer Carter. As Betha and Angie struggle to save Terra, they face obstacles from the powerful council of races that governs Terra, and the long kept secrets of Betha’s mother.

Alternating points of view give the characters breath and distinction as they negotiate feelings of belonging, a sense of identity, and the value of friendship. The worldbuilding is tight, the peril serious, and the writing top notch. Readers will root for the young adults as they strive to make their way in the world.

Takeaway: Fantasy fans will be charmed by this thrilling adventure in a fully fleshed-out world.

Great for fans of: Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti’s Zodiac Academy series, J.M. Miro’s Ordinary Monsters.

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

Click here for more about Choice of the Traveler

This diabolical science fiction romp from Hincker (The Einstein Object) gives the phrase “predatory lending” a whole new meaning. In 2049 Roark Pharmaceutical CEO Diana Roark is piloting a submersible deep in the ocean on a bioprospecting mission. She’s missing an alien visitation on the surface, where extraterrestrials known as The 27 have appeared, dropped clouds of nanobots, “Augmented” humans so they heal instantly, and mysteriously vanished. When she rises to the surface, she’s the only human who wasn’t Augmented. Then the book gets wild: over the next 30 years, humanity devolves into pleasure seeking creatures dependent on Obelisks left by The 27 for every need. Because no one gets sick or dies, the human population reaches 29 billion by 2077. However, un-Augmented Diana has bone cancer—and an $18 trillion fortune from short selling the continuation of civilization.

Hincker opens with a serious, familiar alien encounter story that quickly blooms into the improbable and hilarious with the appearance of “Robert,” a foul-mouthed alien resembling a 12-foot-tall purple stalk of broccoli. He tells Diana he is her Account Executive on behalf of the Interstellar Trade Commission of the Known Economy, and a cryptocurrency that has attained sentience. When Diana learns the truth of the number 27 and the aliens’ plan for Earth, she puts her economic powers to work against the aliens, as well as the nefarious Terrance Landerson, Director of the World Bank, who raves: “Capitalism will save us!...Strive and achieve, or fail and die.”

There’s much to love about this profitable predicament. Hincker twists the cliché of Earth threatened by aliens with a cynical commentary on the preoccupation over money, loans, interest, and financial obligations. The rich are always getting richer somewhere, and capitalism is literally universal. This book is a treat for lovers of humorous science fiction that gets readers thinking. Diana is white but the supporting cast is diverse; anyway, Robert informs us that 99% of intelligent life is plant-based, not like us disgusting animals.

Takeaway: This uproarious economic-focused SF romp wins with its amusing predicament and steadfast female protagonist.

Great for fans of: Catherynne M. Valente, Terry Pratchett.

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

Click here for more about A Debt to the Stars

The dead dance in Corvix, Lind’s compendium of collected verse, a corpus spanning decades, plumbing death and desire with a Romantic’s love of land and weather and the spirits that course through existence, digging to the heart of ritual and belief with the hunger of a seeker and the boldness of a blasphemer. Always he finds beauty in terror and terror in beauty. “I would make a fine meal, my sweet, /For you to peck at,” Lind writes, in the title poem, a paean to a woman who seems to have “a skein of blood upon thy ruby lips.” Elsewhere, he offers a new prologue to Macbeth and a celebration of M.R. James, a necromancer’s rite summoning the dead (the haunting, pared down “Evocation of a Spirit of Vengeance”), and evocations of lost or haunted places (“By Saddleworth Moor” imagines the spirit of its “bleak and barren” land to be a father who, driving the M62, lost his family in an accident).

One crucial throughline: Saturnalia, ancient gods, and the connection of the human, the divine, and Nature itself. Fitting those interests, the verse echoes back to Coleridge and Poe, in form and language, though Lind balances some proudly archaic language (“As wandered thou ’mong silver’d trees”) with the directly stated, especially in later works. “And yet the moment when I succumbed / To the anaesthesia of life / Eludes me,” Lind writes in the standout “The Constant Watch,” a consideration of the diminishment, over decades, of the intensity with which one feels.

Death, of course, has an erotic charge in these rich, rewarding poems, as do the acts of creation that led to this world. That powers the keystone work “Priapus,” a declarative piece in the voice of “Pan” or God or whatever name one might choose—in one of many illuminating notes, Lind calls it “the expression of the ‘Primal Will to Be.’” The notes and essays are clear-eyed yet surprising, warm yet provocative, setting down an independent mind’s understanding of Nature, poetry, witchcraft, Paganism, and the soul itself.

Takeaway: Evocative poems, inspired by the Romantics, of ancient gods, haunted lands, and the erotic charge of death.

Great for fans of: Donald Wandrei, Kathryn Hinds.

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

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Grace’s steamy tale follows Dawn and Callan as they discover love’s ability to transform their past, dreams, and future. Dawn, a law student studying abroad in Cambridge, falls for Callan, a local Brit and the CEO of a solar tech company, at their first meeting. The two hit it off immediately, and what begins as a summer fling quickly turns serious—until Callan, fighting his guilt over the traumatic loss of his ex-wife and daughter, gets cold feet. The two drift apart, returning to their respective lives, but a chance encounter reignites their passion and triggers the potential for a future together.

Grace skillfully captures the complexity of love, exploring a strong will-they-or-won’t-they connection. The story sustains that energy through Dawn and Callan’s personal-and professional-ups and downs. When the two throw themselves into work as an antidote for their longing, fate steps in to deal them a twist: Callan’s company hires Dawn’s firm, forcing them to face the truth of their attraction. With that move, Grace breathes new life into Dawn and Callan’s relationship, and this time they’re determined not to lose each other, even if it means they must face their pasts and futures head-on. The vulnerability both are willing to endure is inspiring, particularly Callan’s trauma that both threatens their tenuous reunion and is soothed by his attraction to Dawn.

This romance is a perfect match for readers who relish undeniable chemistry, complex characters, and intimate passion. Every plot point feels compelling and earned, and Grace’s writing is witty and perfectly paced, leaving room for the immersive case amid the page-turning storyline. Both leads experience personal growth as an outward manifestation of their support for one another, and although Callan and Dawn’s initial attraction is exciting, the growth of their flirtation into a deep connection is relatable and accurate to lived experience. This is a knockout romance.

Takeaway: This stellar romance captures love in the midst of the intricacies of healing.

Great for fans of: Emily Henry’s Book Lovers, Helen Hoang’s The Kiss Quotient.

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

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