Fitz blends alternate history, demonic horror, and superhero origin story into a transfixing mélange that is, at times, a challenge to keep up with. His worldbuilding hints at broader imagined details likely to be explored in future volumes, like Dagan’s ability to kill remotely or his aunt Dinah’s blank states; the storytelling requires close attention to catch details. Side characters and later additions would benefit from clearer motivations, but the surprises are interesting–such as the connection between Horus and Christopher Columbus–and the action and bizarre happenings keep readers engaged.
Perkins’s artwork is crisp and richly detailed, suggesting at times a cross between the Hernandez brothers and Charles Burns. Even ghosts and demons retain a naturalistic feel with little stylization, and the use of repeat pages for flashbacks adds to the potent sense of disorientation. Color could have helped clarify some moments, as fluids, weaponized lightning, and other elements can be hard to discern in black and white, but the art and story build on each other in productive, enjoyable ways, drawing readers into nightmarish scenes. The trippy, intriguing Post-Traumatic will whet appetites of fans of grownup graphic novels and promises plenty of avenues for more exploration.
Takeaway: Complex mythology and honed artwork offer a unique graphic novel set against an alternate WWII.
Great for fans of: Über, Locke & Key.
Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: B
Marketing copy: A-
Drawing on a lifetime of research, Byrd offers an intimate glimpse into the life of Monet, delving into vivid historical details of the painter’s life, such as the importance of Monet’s pond to his paintings; his relationship with his wife and children; his dwindling eyesight in later years; and his cranky yet endearing personality. The prose is invitingly lyrical, with evocative descriptions of natural settings that reflect the inspiration behind Monet’s greatest works: “He looked to be painting the essence of the light that moved on the surface of the pond,” Byrd writes. Byrd intricately weaves fiction and history, presenting an array of characters, including historical figures, that will hook readers as well as enticing romantic threads that generate some suspense with the question of who Oscar might forge a future with–and whether he’ll be the kind of father he never had.
At times, though, the romantic storyline feels stretched, veering toward the sentimental, with prose occasionally straining for effect, and Byrd’s overreliance on fortuity leads to enough coincidences to strain credulity. Still, Monet and Oscar is a gripping read that captures attention—and boasts an abundance of historical figures for audiences to follow. Lovers of history, art, and the history of art will devour this entertaining and informative story.
Takeaway: An entertaining and informative story perfect for historical fiction readers with a love for art
Great for fans of: Stephanie Cowell’s Claude and Camille, Robin Oliveira’s I Always Loved You.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: B
Bracher crafts a rich mythology of medieval life, cultural differences, and a message of tolerance, expertly weaving social commentary and thoughtful characterization, addressing the harm of discrimination in various forms. The elite attribute Eldred’s inability to Bond to his mixed race. Meanwhile, the Wretched are denigrated as being simple and barbaric, yet Eldred discovers, on his mission, that they have advanced science and medicine, and a special link to the Night Mother and the three magical stones set in Eldred’s skin.
The first book in the Heirs of Regula series, A Dragon of Turicum offers a rugged world, vivid descriptions of combat, imaginative religion, magic, and cultures like the Wretcheds, and the welcome message that heroes can have many roles. Developing all that comes at some expense to plot momentum, but readers of epic fantasy will be engrossed with both Eldred’s fearless determination to prove himself and his broader world.
Takeaway: Fantasy fans will enjoy this brash young hero battling a dragon, testing his abilities, and finding his place.
Great for fans of: Melanie Rawn, David Farland.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A
Between Aphrodite’s unfair tactics and the comic histrionics of her counterparts on Mount Olympus, Greenberg has crafted an immersive and entertaining saga. Romance readers open to playful mythology will be invested in both Cupid’s tale and the affairs of the other gods, who spend the majority of their time spying on Earth and meddling in its pre-destined affairs as a form of distraction from their otherwise boring, pleasure-seeking lives. Cupid initially comes across as a touch empty and superficial, but with time and some serious character development, he transfigures into an earnest hero (and readers will get a kick out of his Earth-based therapy sessions that Greenberg uses to spur and reveal his personal transformation).
The slow burn between Psyche, a soul that “has been recycled a hundred times over” and is currently inhabiting therapist’s Mariposa Rey body, and her star-crossed lover Cupid will please romance fans–their passion develops gradually, but Greenberg devotes plenty of time to exploring their eternal bond, cementing the story’s intimacy factor. Readers will be satisfied when everything comes together in a euphoric ending.
Takeaway: In this modern, romantic spin on myth, Cupid must navigate Earth as a fallen god in search of his eternal love, Psyche.
Great for fans of: Peter S. Beagle’s Summerlong, Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad.
Production grades
Cover: B-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: B

The message, of course, is deeper than Lea being disappointed that it’s raining–it’s about finding optimism in difficult times, which will speak as much to adults as it does to kids. When Lea and her mom stop at the flower shop, Lea notices that “these days Ms. Henrietta didn’t smile very often,” which serves as a heartbreaking reminder that even the youngest kids know when things aren’t right. It also shows Johnson’s deep respect for her audience, as Lea has the power to observe the sadness in someone she cares about and do what she can to “bring back the sunshine,” even if only for a moment.
Johnson’s illustrations follow wide-eyed Lea and her mother as they walk from place to place. Each scene starts in varying shades of gray, but after Lea observes the goodness in others and infuses each situation with her own brand of enthusiasm, the pictures are full of vibrant colors. Johnson doesn’t need to explicitly mention the pandemic–the book ends with Lea and a friend holding a sign thanking health care workers outside a hospital, making this a touching message of hope for a challenging era.
Takeaway: Johnson’s heartwarming picture book follows a little girl as she looks for the sun on a rainy day–and hope in a time of uncertainty.
Great for fans of: Patrick Guest’s Windows, Smriti Prasadam-Halls’s Rain Before Rainbows.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: B+
Illustrations: A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: B+
In warm, eloquent prose, Murray shares his dark moments as a teen and young adult while telling a beautiful story of love and forgiveness through his relationships with loyal pets. Murray frankly describes his depression as a teen, after being forced to make a difficult choice that he wasn’t sure he could live with, and his subsequent drug and alcohol abuse—until Lexi literally saved his life. Murray allows readers a glimpse of his pain and bad choices but also illuminates the revelation of unconditional love he experienced time and again through the eyes of his dogs.
After sharing his unique bond with the dogs in his life, Murray turns his attention to the recent present, where he realizes his successful career is not his true calling. When he comes across another dog in desperate need of rescuing, Murray shares a touching story of re-homing that inspired him to change professions and dedicate himself to helping other animals. Animal lovers will feel connected to Murray’s almost spiritual awakening and admire his devotion to following his heart, even in the face of tremendous sacrifice. This touching memoir overflows with intense emotion.
Takeaway: A touching memoir of a boy whose life is saved by love of dogs–and grows up to return the favor.
Great for fans of: Jean Gill’s Someone To Look Up To, Helen Macdonald’s H is for Hawk.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
From Mesopotamia to Abraham to the “Great Spirit” of Native American lore, from Pagan beliefs to Jainism and shared doctrines of reincarnation and rebirth, Retaliation of the Cursed finds common ground across time and cultures, linking the gods of Mount Olympus to Hindu deities on mountaintops and examining the role of the zodiac and constellations in belief throughout history. Presenting this history in clear, approachable chapters, Martin finds believers in revolt (Siddhārtha Gautama, Mahavira, Confucius, Lao-Tse ) against the “corruption and greed” that distanced believers from “knowledge of true worship.”
Martin’s approach finds him vaulting across centuries and cultures, drawing on religious texts, literature, archeology, and other disciplines, picking apart beliefs present and past. At times the text is speculative, but invitingly so—his excitement at the material and the possibilities is infectious, even as he decries the “corruption” of that original universal faith. His surges of thought can at times can be a challenge to keep up with, and he occasionally leaps too quickly from one idea to the next. Still, his conclusion, in which he calls for a classic leap of faith, follows naturally from the investigation that precedes it.
Takeaway: An impassioned treatise arguing that an ancient universal belief system ties together disparate religious beliefs.
Great for fans of: Huston Smith’s Forgotten Truth: The Common Vision of the World's Religions, E.J. Michael Witzel’s The Origins of the World’s Mythologies.
Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: A-
Editing: B
Marketing copy: A
Setting the The Demogra-Fate Hypothesis apart from other treatises concerned with aging populations and diminishing fertility rates is analyst Thanh’s refreshing value-neutral perspective. He accepts as a likely inevitability the decline of humanity, noting that “lower population numbers could ecologically offer humans an unexpected break” and that technological breakthroughs make it possible, as in Japan, for productivity rates to outpace demographic decline as we “increasingly, and comfortably, live off the services of ever-smarter machines.”
Thanh considers the implications of living longer in a less-populated world—" a super-aged world of few children. Hem argues that humanity will likely adapt, just as it always has, and that movements to attempt to boost fertility rates and population growth are unlikely to prove successful, as “humans are blissfully oblivious to abstractions like humankind.” Whether his conclusions prove persuasive or not will be a matter for individual readers to decide, but in a way that’s part of the point: The Demogra-Fate Hypothesis argues that, as individuals, we’re unlikely to band together, through politics or other means, to act in the interests of long-term survival of the species—so we’re unlikely to witness the sun burn out.
Takeaway: A searching, persuasive examination of the question “Will humanity survive until the death of the universe?”
Great for fans of: Nicholas Agar’s Humanity’s End, Charles T. Rubin’s Eclipse of Man.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Logan offers a slew of helpful information in a down-to-earth, accessible style. He shares stories of real-life mishaps and deadly experiences, ranging from snake bites to mountain climbing falls, pointing out the learning opportunities in each. Particularly appealing are the quiz to determine the most effective response in any survival situation, along with the practical medical advice dealing with how to check vital signs, the benefits and techniques of making a natural poultice, responding to allergy attacks in the wild, and more.
The guide is strongest when Logan focuses on particular skills, and he includes illustrations of basic first aid maneuvers—like making a splint for a broken hand—that are clear and concise. He dedicates pages to differentiating dangerous insect bites from those that can be healed naturally, and although he stresses the availability of natural remedies as an immediate response, he also teaches how to access medical assistance when necessary, including a breakdown of how EpiPens work and when to recognize that CPR is needed. Readers more advanced in wilderness survival techniques may find sections repetitive, but for those new to the field this guide will prove informative and reassuring.
Takeaway: This highly useful guide for wilderness survival offers step-by-step instructions that anyone can follow.
Great for fans of: Kevin Estela’s 101 Skills You Need to Survive in the Woods, Leon Pantenburg’s Bushcraft Basics.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: B
Marketing copy: B

With thorough yet inviting descriptions, explanations, photos, tips, and recipes, Logan demystifies this aspect of survival–but even as he endeavors to help readers at introductory and intermediate levels of outdoor skills feel confident in the wilderness, he’s always clear and frank about the dangers of nature. Though thorough, this guide is highly focused on food, water, and fire, and Logan reminds readers that a range of survival skills are beyond the purview of this book.
Logan’s knowledge and expertise in plant and animal wildlife are impressive, and his tone is no-nonsense and approachable, coaching readers on identification, trapping, and cooking, in welcome detail. A well-organized index of potential food and edible resources mentioned throughout the book is included and is highly convenient, exemplifying the book’s pragmatic design. The general, wide-ranging tips and strategies laid out in Practical Survival Skills are presented engagingly enough to be read from the comfort of home, but the volume is laid out and arranged with the clarity it takes to serve as a survival kit reference work, used in-the-moment while foraging, hunting, and sheltering. This approachable food survival guide is bound to open any curious reader’s eyes to the possibilities of life in the wild.
Takeaway: An approachable, practical guide to food and fire in the wilds of nature.
Great for fans of: Dave Canterbury’s Bushcraft 101, Bradford Angier’s Hot to Eat in the Woods.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A
Asherah’s haunting verse is wrought with tangible pain, and she expertly explores the physical and emotional components of suffering: “It’s as if the weight of the world is always on my shoulders./ I see myself sinking,/ Down below water,/ I’m out of light’s reach.” There are moments where readers likely will need to pause and sit with their feelings, flooded with the complexities and feelings Asherah stirs. This is where she excels the most: wrenching pained emotion from the heart and then intensely examining it in poems of psychological weight and insight, always exuding vulnerability and resilience.
As the title suggests, some sections of the collection are brighter, with a focus on growth, love, and acceptance. The spirited and joyful poems may come across as a touch lightweight in juxtaposition with the heartrending work in the first half, but the breakthrough is bold and inviting: “I LOVE YOU LOUDLY/ When you keep making dumb jokes/ Until I snort with laughter.” Overall, A Life Cycle is a thoughtful anthology that can be read in one sitting but will stick with readers for a lifetime. Back matter includes a Q&A from the author that will shed light on its inspiration and themes.
Takeaway: A powerful collection of emotionally honest prose that will transport readers on a journey of growth, healing, and self-actualization.
Great for fans of: Alexandra Vasiliu’s Healing Words, Morgan Harper Nichols’s How Far You Have Come.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A
Animal lovers will immediately fall in love with Romeo and Roxie and their curiosity-driven hijinks in Africa. When baboons move into their home area, the dogs waver between fear and sympathy after locals tell them the only safe way to get rid of the troop is to kill their leader–and Roxie’s run-in with a mother baboon protecting her baby is as much comical as it is sweet. Romeo, who never falls short on bravery, is also an intuitive cross-species communicator: after the trio meets their first elephant, and Kate astutely says “All the animals and people are connected,” Romeo leads canines and pachyderm in howling song.
Umano strikes a nice balance between action and feel-good moments throughout the story, and even the heartbreaking sections circle back to her overarching theme of connectedness. Multiple illustrators have contributed black and white renderings of the story’s animals and happenings, bringing different African species, as well as Romeo and Roxie, to life. Readers with a soft spot for wildlife will appreciate the list of conservationist organizations Umano includes at the end.
Takeaway: Two terriers take on the wilds of Africa in this spirited tale of conservation and animal protection.
Great for fans of: Brian Doyle’s Mink River; Barbara Gowdy’s The White Bone.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: B+
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: B
Best used as a tool for teaching finance basics, The Golden Quest still contains valuable lessons for young readers. The most powerful rule of Delisle’s four golden rules is the first–only buy the awesome stuff. That chapter includes important discussion of how “the awesome stuff” isn’t always a thing but rather could also be an experience or a pet. As the narrative functions as a vehicle for the financial information rather than an organic story in its own right, the story’s fantasy aspects are downplayed, often just a means to an end. Readers meet the boy on his birthday, but there’s no clear indication as to his age, which is indicative of the uncertain age range for this book’s intended audience, as topics like compound interest and investing in stocks and bonds are complex, even for adults.
Still, The Golden Quest is a great way to start meaningful conversations about money with kids and provides them with a foundation of basic knowledge and vocabulary that can be built upon as they get older. The Golden Quest turns a potentially intimidating topic into an inviting, informative adventure.
Takeaway: Young readers will delight and be informed by this unique graphic novel that teaches the basics of finances.
Great for fans of: Jasmine Paul’s A Boy, A Budget, and A Dream, Walter Andal’s Finance 101 for Kids: Money Lessons Children Cannot Afford to Miss.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-
Morris’s voice is conversational yet conversational, touched with song, nursery rhyme, scripture, and the occasional “o my,” all in what used to be called “the American grain.” Her poems are often upbeat, even insistent, on commonsensical truths like good manners and the Golden Rule. She urges cooperation (in “Cooperation”), moving past “foolish prejudices'' (“Get Involved”), and treating people well (“A Friend” advises “Prove yourself friendly and you'll have a friend.”)
Her devotional work, by contrast, acknowledges “Dark Days” and the “interruptions and disappointments” that make perseverance a challenge. Yet even as she faces troubled times, Morris finds and shares comfort: “God is not to blame /For man's course of action,” she notes, and reminds believers “So don't let trouble get you down/ Remain faithful and wear a Crown.” Her faith, optimism, and championing of simple gifts is especially refreshing all these decades later, when such voices are vanishingly rare.
Takeaway: Devotional verse and celebrations of the everyday, all in the commonsensical American grain.
Great for fans of: Leland Ryken’s The Soul in Paraphrase: A Treasury of Classic Devotional Poems, Jay Hopler and Kimberly Johnson’s Before the Door of God.
Production grades
Cover: N/A
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: B+
With an intense interest in investigative journalism and near-perfect performance in university, Amélie transforms herself into “Am,” a fiercely independent and unfettered woman.When she learns of a dark family secret that puts her past into perspective, she commits whole heartedly to her work– that is, until she meets Charles Stonebridge. Am and Charles immediately hit it off and quickly move in together, but after their twins are born the relationship deteriorates. Am desperately tries to hold on to their romance, while navigating the ups and downs of new parenthood and relaunching her shuttered career, but eventually they drift apart, in the process disclosing shocking personal revelations and past trauma.
Auburne’s story is more literary fiction than commercial romance, brimming with intense character insight and development. Am is a stand out protagonist—equal parts strength and vulnerability—who will resonate with readers, and her eventual full-circle transformation is a declaration of resilience. Despite some of the lengthy prose passages, and a slightly anticlimactic ending, readers will appreciate the depth of Am’s personal journey and metamorphosis–through painful relationships, debilitating self-beliefs, and deaths of loved ones, she manages to stay standing. This story is unsteady at times, but it will reward the interest of readers of fiction centered on vividly rendered women.
Takeaway: A woman works through her painful past and its far-reaching impacts in this stirring account.
Great for fans of: Kristina McMorris’s Sold on a Monday, Barbara O’Neal’s Write My Name Across the Sky.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B
Marketing copy: A
Like the movies that inspired it, readers are dropped into Dark Cloud’s world of wastelands and warlords without much explanation as to how everything got to this point, how the technology works, or who our main character actually is–in this case, she doesn’t exactly know herself. The pace is fast, and character and milieu get revealed through action, though at times everything moves so quickly that, as the hero faces convoys, militias, standoffs, and a loose nuke, it can be unclear what’s actually happening or why. Dark Cloud’s past–as well as the world’s–all are shrouded in mystery, to the point that this particular post-apocalyptic adventure doesn’t fully distinguish itself from others in its genre.
Dark Cloud is a dark, sometimes graphic, action-packed read whose story touches on complex topics like environmental degradation, exploitative labor, and nuclear devastation, with some moral murkiness and a tendency to let readers work out background and context for themselves. Barrel’s photo-derived illustrations have some dark power, and he stages action with clarity and power, especially the rampage of a terrifying robot. Also appealing: the purplish desert skies under which Dark Cloud grieves.
Takeaway: A cinematic, action-packed graphic novel full of wasteland violence and beautiful desert scenes.
Great for fans of: East of West, Savage Highway.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: B
Illustrations: A-
Editing: B
Marketing copy: A-
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