Synopsis On the eve of Nemia’s Journey of Patronage, fifteen-year-old Van is determined to prove himself by returning home as a blooded member of his tribe–assuming he survives the ordeal. As the chieftain’s son, Van will strive to earn his father’s respect by extending a hand in friendship to Simon, a fast-talking sorcerer from a land […]
Young Adult
Review: A Tale of Plagues and Perfumes by Jake Halpern & Peter Kujawinski
Synopsis: Every scent tells a story. The last thing Nia wants is to be branded a “Sinsory.” Where she comes from, that’s just as deadly as the devastating plagues that sweep through their land. That’s why she keeps her unusually keen sense of smell a secret. Only two people in the city of Yerat know […]
Review: I, Medusa by Ayana Gray
Synopsis: Meddy has spent her whole life as a footnote in someone else’s story. Out of place next to her beautiful, immortal sisters and her parents—both gods, albeit minor ones—she dreams of leaving her family’s island for a life of adventure. So when she catches the eye of the goddess Athena, who invites her to […]
Truthwitch (The Witchlands, #1) by Susan Dennard
Synopsis In a continent on the edge of war, two witches hold its fate in their hands Young witches Safiya and Iseult have a habit of finding trouble. After clashing with a powerful Guildmaster and his ruthless Bloodwitch bodyguard, the friends are forced to flee their home. Safi must avoid capture at all costs as […]
Review: The Ascenditure (Daughter of Summit and Sea #1) by Robyn Dabney
The Ascenditure might be one of the most fun books I’ve read this year—a fresh breath of mountain air.
If Looks Could Kill by Julie Berry
Synopsis: If Looks Could Kill by Julie Berry is a blend of historical fiction, mythology, and crime thriller that puts Jack the Ripper against Medusa in 1888 New York that picks up more later on in the book. This YA novel follows Salvation Army volunteers Tabitha and Pearl as they try to rescue a girl trapped […]
Review: The Beast Hunters (The Beast Hunter of Ashbourn 1) by Christer Lende
Synopsis Winner – Indies Today Award for Best Fantasy (2022)Winner – Page Turner Awards 2023 Best Book GenreWinner – Page Turner Awards 2023 Best Book SeriesShortlisted – The Chimera Awards When a beast slaughters her parents, young Ara is saved at the last moment by two veteran beast hunters. Becoming their apprentice, she learns of […]
Review: The L.O.V.E. Club by Lio Min
Synopsis: From the acclaimed author of Beating Heart Baby, an immersive novel following three estranged high schoolers who are pulled into a video game to pursue the disappearance of their friend Three years ago, Elle (the “E” in the self-proclaimed L.O.V.E. Club) disappeared from Calendula, an affluent Chinese American suburb in inland California. Soon afterward, […]
Review: The Emilie Adventures by Martha Wells
Synopsis Two novel-length YA steampunk adventures from the author of the wildly successful Murderbot Diaries Together in one volume for the first time: Emilie and the Hollow World Running away from home, and stowing away on the wrong ship, Emilie embarks on a fantastic adventure. Emilie learns that the crew hopes to use an experimental […]
Review: I Am Made of Death by Kelly Andrew
Hello again dear reader or listener, do you fancy reading some YA horror? Perhaps with a dark romance, a teeny dash of eat the rich, but mostly an awful lot of body horror and supernatural phenomena of the eldritch variety?
Well, curtesy of the lovely folk over at Scholastic Press, I have just the thing for you!
Review: Curiouser And… by Jillian Maria
Synopsis: For sixteen years, Ashlyn Jones has heeded her parents’ warnings and followed their rules. But after taking a tumble in the forest, she awakens in a strange land where there are no rules—where signs lack direction, the sky hovers on the edge of night, and all paths lead to the glittering red palace of […]
Review: The Battlemage (Summoner #3) by Taran Matharu
Synopsis: Fletcher and his classmates from Vocans Academy―including the elf Sylva and the dwarf Othello―travel through the ether, where they must pursue a mortally dangerous quest to rebuild their world and broker peace. As he leads a small army of soldiers, Fletcher will face his biggest challenge yet: his nemesis, the albino orc, Khan, who […]