This sharp-edged thriller tells the story of Daniel Morrison, a man facing a failing marriage and on the cusp of plunging back into drug addiction, suddenly caught in a horrifying highway accident that instantly kills the wife of a politician bound for congress. Shaken in the aftermath, Daniel ventures out of his car, leaving the wreckage behind, and soon is viewed as the instigator of a hit-and-run. The consequence of this is immediate and extreme, as the congressman-to-be puts a million-dollar bounty on his head, and Daniel must go on the run, undertaking increasingly desperate attempts to save himself.

Boasting a crisp, tense, multi-character narrative, Gunbarrel Highway delves deep into the motivations of each character, from police detectives to lovers to journalists hungry for a big story, suggesting the ways that tragedy touches many lives—and how many are eager to exploit or avenge it. While such a breadth of character exploration complicates the narrative, this makes for a fuller, richer story, and Bridges still keeps the gas pedal floored, with each perspective section and chapter moving things forward. In Daniel, Bridges skillfully depicts the dilemmas one must face when pushed to one’s worst—neither a bad guy nor a criminal, Daniel is a relatable man, down on his luck,caught up by chance in deadly circumstances. However, when push comes to shove, he turns every bit the criminal the media portrays him to be, taking hostages, evading the police, and more. Much of the suspense comes from the question of just how far he will go.

While the sometimes trite language can take away from this nuanced narrative, Bridges has nevertheless crafted a deeply compelling story. Set over the course of one day, this fast-paced thriller, packed with action, not only presents an engaging but also a pained investigation of human behavior. Both dark and human, this novel will resonate with readers who appreciate a nuanced take on the thriller genre.

Takeaway: Gripping on-the-run thriller of moral complexity and desperation.

Comparable Titles: Charles Salzberg’s Man on the Run, Scott Von Doviak’s Lowdown Road.

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

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Fernandez’s fictional retelling debut of Jo van Gogh-Bonger’s life vividly captures the challenges of a widowed woman in the early 20th century. When Theo, Jo’s husband, dies just six months after Vincent, Jo finds herself at a crossroads: retreat to her domineering father or raise her son alone and devote her energy to Theo's vision—that Vincent's talent receive its rightful recognition. Choosing the latter, Jo fiercely enters the male-dominated world of art dealing, determined to transform the hundreds of unsold paintings in her possession into her son’s inheritance and her brother-in-law’s enduring legacy.

Fernandez brings Jo's untold story to life with brilliant historical acuity. Relocating to Bussum, Jo defies societal expectations, running a guesthouse while relentlessly championing Vincent's work through art dealers and gallery curators. But her path is fraught with obstacles: dismissed as the dead art dealer's wife and unqualified in the world of art, Jo faces harsh critics who mock Vincent's paintings as lacking depth and atmosphere and attack his character as a "madman." Fernandez sketches the 20th century art world through the warring parties of dealers like Raulf—who purged the Montmartre Gallery of "avant-garde art" after Theo's death and is hellbent on sabotaging Jo’s efforts, convinced that modernism’s star is waning—and Vincent’s “spiritual battle against a materialistic age run by greedy moneymen,” who, in his eyes, consider art a political tool to flaunt French cultural dominance. For Vincent, art is personal—a soulful expression that Jo is resolute to share with the world.

Fernandez's portrayal of Jo as a strong, smart, and indomitable woman is both inspiring and empowering. She reveals that behind the global admiration of Van Gogh's art is an unsung heroine who believed in Vincent’s true skill and her husband’s vision, turning Vincent's near obscurity into a timeless legacy. Lovers of Van Gogh’s work will find this story intense, vibrant, and deeply moving.

Takeaway: Empowered story of the woman behind Vincent van Gogh's legacy.

Comparable Titles: Deborah Heiligman's Vincent and Theo, Irving Stone's Lust for Life.

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

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Alive with the splendors of nature, deep mana-magic, and a bold awakening for a young woman in world that teaches that “subjugation” is the “true order of nature,” Jo’s debut spins a romantic fantasy in the New Colonies of an alternate, agrarian Appalachia some 600 years after a devastating meteor strike. On this changed but still bountiful Earth, Seekers hunt the mountains for Vessels, people who have the ability to wield and manipulate the mana whose source is known as The Well. Revered Calendula, or Calen, is one such Vessel. At the age of 12, after dodging the attention of Seekers and fearing her parents’ conviction that Vessels are abominations, Calen is betrayed and sold to Brother Stokely and grows into womanhood traveling the Colonies performing seed blessings and enduring his abuse. When another young girl catches Brother Stokely’s attention, Calen decides that enough is enough, though even she doesn’t realize that her rebellion will also involve her own choice of who to love.

Jo’s epic yet intimate series-starter charts Calen’s first steps in standing up to a man—and by extension a society–—who has often taken violent advantage of her. Brother Stokely regularly uses a Bonding Stone to funnel Calen’s mana into himself, for reasons Calen wonders about. Amid the bleakness, though, the world Jo has conjured bursts with life: harvests and planting, inventive uses of mana, women who care for each other in secret, and prose that moves swiftly while still relishing nature.

The suspense of Calen’s plight, and her deep concern for others—including young Nelle, the Vessel that Calen tries to warn away from Brother Stokely, and Rosalind, a woman from Calen’s past eager to come to her rescue—keep the pages turning with an urgency warmed by empathy. Also engaging: the journey of discovery, for readers, of how this world works, what being a Vessel really means, and the question of what too much power can do to those that misuse it.

Takeaway: Alt-Appalachian fantasy series starter alive with feeling and bold women.

Comparable Titles: Rivers Solomon’s Sorrowland, Namina Forna’s The Gilded Ones.

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

Click here for more about Vessel

Every’s powerful debut in the realm of psychological horror follows Deena Bartlett, a middle-aged woman who must confront both her personal demons and the sinister force her aunt wields, even from the brink of death. Once a formative influence for Deena, her aunt Agatha has turned to controlling her life through manipulation and abuse. As Deena navigates this strained relationship and grapples with the emotional and psychological toll of caring for Agatha, strange supernatural occurrences begin to unravel her sanity, blurring the lines between reality and imagination. Deena is haunted not just by these disturbing events but by deep-seated guilt from her past—particularly over her parents' deaths, which she feels responsible for due to her long absence from home. Denna's unresolved guilt compels her to stay by Agatha’s side, determined not to repeat the same mistakes, even as the emotional toll becomes unbearable.

Suffocating and urgent, Deena Undone excels in psychological tension and the slow, unnerving unraveling of its protagonist. Every skillfully weaves the dynamics of family obligation and guilt into a deeply unsettling narrative, making Deena’s internal struggle both relatable and heart-wrenching. Characterization is exceptional, especially in how it captures Deena’s emotional entrapment. The ambiguity of the supernatural elements adds to the pained and eerie suspense, though that uncertainty, plus the slow-burn pacing, may not appeal to readers seeking a splashier sort of horror. Still, Every’s creeping dread and acute psychological insights make this an engrossing, provocative read, alive with striking detail.

For fans of psychological horror, dark family dramas, and gothic fiction, Deena Undone offers a deeply immersive and chilling experience. Readers who enjoy cerebral, character-driven horror with layers of emotional complexity and terror that swells up with subtle force will find this novel gripping, especially as it delves into themes of guilt, power, and the tangled webs of toxic relationships.

Takeaway: Richly atmospheric story of psychological tension and supernatural horror.

Comparable Titles: Hye-young Pyun’s The Hole, Paul Tremblay’s A Head Full of Ghosts.

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

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“It is time to silence your lives and look within the core of your being to find love, healing, and the path to a world at peace” Armour writes in this uplifting debut, as she chronicles her journey in the Catholic Church and her intimate experiences hearing God’s voice. Determined to make a change in her community and the world at large, Armour founded the Open Door Ministry, a refuge for the unhoused in Toledo, Ohio, and she draws on that experience throughout, particularly in her drive to minister to and nurture children and adults in need.

Armour’s goal is to help readers draw closer to God—“a God who listens, a God who speaks, and a God who heals,” she writes—and she aims for that goal by sharing her personal triumphs and tragedies, many of which caused life-altering changes within her family, such as the death of her son, her need to undergo multiple surgeries, and the loss of her parents. Always, Armour reflects on how she leaned into her faith to guide her through grief, major life decisions, and setbacks that often threatened her power to move forward.

Readers will witness the journey of a woman with unfailing faith and an unwavering desire to serve; through anecdotes from her childhood, alongside her adult efforts to help others, Armour shares her work as a youth minister and beyond, giving credit for her professional victories to God—for the gifts of knowledge, healing, and discernment she’s received from him. Asserting that God has christened her “an ambassador for the faith,” she closes with a call to action for different religions to unite, reflecting that “God likes the diversity of sounds ringing from around the world.” For readers not familiar with the Catholic faith, Armour includes a glossary of related terms at the end.

Takeaway: Uplifting faith narrative emphasizing unity in God’s love.

Comparable Titles: Kasey Van Norman's Nothing Wasted, Kimberly G. Jackson's Gifts From God.

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

Click here for more about In The Covenant Of The Ark: A Prophetic Journey Of Hope

In this heroic and goofily inventive children's adventure, an unlikely hero takes center stage as Connor the superpowered Cornflake escapes the captivity of the cereal factory and teams up with an elite group of super-powered cereal allies. From the moment of his "baking" conception, Connor knows he is destined for something more than the fate of most cornflakes, even as he’s tossed out by factory-owner Colonel Cereal for being over cooked. Before Connor, in a radio-controlled toy truck, can get far in his quest for freedom, he’s attacked by a guard dog, Softie. Fortunately, being overcooked affords Connor some protection, and soon Connor has wildly unpredictable encounters with the Colonel's army of Krispies, Granny Granola—a motorcycle driving elder skilled at taking out Krispies with streams of milk—plus Wally and Whip, the undefeated Wheaty Wrestlers, and many more surprises, as Armitage (author of The Adventures of Connor and Sparky) fully commits to playful fun.

This fast-paced middle grade read is full of colorful characters and energized fighting sequences that will amuse young readers, though the storytelling and the colorful but garish art often lacks polish. Granny Granola introduces Connor to a secret team of Elite Cereals at her headquarters, the Cereal Box, offering Armitage ample opportunity to show off a fun, inventive world of superhero cereals that young readers will get a kick out of, especially as the characters, amusingly, resemble some real-life breakfasts. As the super-cereals come up with a plan to thwart Colonel Cereal, they realize they can't just rely on their superpowers, but they must strategize and work as a team.

What stands out most here is the bumper crop of truly funny characters, who parody both cereals and superhero narratives—and who ultimately prove bold and resourceful in their quest to "save the children of the world” from a future of boring breakfast. Young readers who love imaginative comedy will cheer on this story packed with action (and fiber).

Takeaway: Wildly playful story of superheroic cereals.

Comparable Titles:Kelly DiPucchio's Super Manny Stands Up!, Aaron Blabey's The Bad Guys.

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

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Screenwriter Dorchak (author of Of Pigs and Meteorites) offers a playful collection of stories that plumb youthful indiscretion, drunken shenanigans, and the regret that sometimes punctuates life’s best moments. “Lucky Me” finds Dorchak reminiscing about his high school run-ins, sparked by his “natural defense-response, which happened to be a Sky-Net of snark and humor,” while “Oh Gipper, Where Art Thou?” recalls a raucous night of egging his wrestling coach’s house, culminating in a chaotic escape of youthful recklessness and swagger—characteristics that define many of Dorchak’s more adventurous memories.

When not recounting tales of past near-glory, Dorchak reflects on the current ways his body is in revolt. When his wife tells him not to move the “Large, Heavy Thing,” middle age consciousness kicks in, forcing him to wonder if “you’re only trying to move it because you’re afraid to choose the option of getting someone else to do it… that would mean admitting how old and out of shape you are.” He ties earlier youthful adventures to his somewhat wiser escapades as an adult, contemplating the pitfalls of looking back on past decisions. “Poor Life Choices can be made at any age or stage of life” he writes, “but making them when you are younger is advised, so that you learn from them by the time you are older.”

Readers who appreciate tongue-in-cheek humor and healthy doses of self-deprecation will be entertained, though Dorchak does wade into deeper waters at times. In “Taxes and Death,” he reflects on his fraught relationship with his father, distinguished by sharp arguments and years of silence, painting his father’s death in bleak tones—“he all but died alone in the rain like some sort of character out of a Hemmingway novel”—before dredging up his father’s last words to him: “Yeah yeah yeah... love you.” This is a lighthearted reminder of our collective nostalgia for the abandon of youth.

Takeaway: Playful collection of youth’s lighter moments.

Comparable Titles: Dave Barry’s Live Right and Find Happiness, Bruce Sheets’s A Boomer Memoir.

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

Click here for more about They Ain't Gonna get Any Deader

Benjamin Mann—a curator at the Louvre who’s recovering from cancer and furious at “the universe or whatever invisible foe transformed his life into his current hell”—can’t quite believe that his beloved and eccentric grandfather, Josiah, has gone missing. He sets out on a quest for clues, searching the old man’s apartment and discovering a golden book, secreted away in the back of a Renaissance portrait called The Immortal. Thus emerges a parallel story of an ancient Egyptian woman named Annacletica, cursed with the burden of immortality, who strikes a bargain with the Christian God to remove her curse by transmuting her soul into a golden book.

Edmiston covers a lot of international—and temporal—ground in this suspenseful sophomore novel (after Confessions from the Cubicle) of alchemy, ancient gods, and lost artifacts, where the present collides with the past in a maelstrom of secrets and revelations. When Benjamin meets the enigmatic Cle, a past friend of his grandfather’s whose knowledge of the painting is uncanny, he finds himself whisked away on a cross-continent adventure with her, while learning that there is more to his mysterious companion than meets the eye. The backstory unfolds slowly as Benjamin uncovers the secrets of his grandfather’s past, leading to a cascade of epiphanies that alter everything Benjamin knows about his grandfather—and the world.

Edmiston balances on the knife-edge between tension and wonder throughout, never sacrificing the story’s meticulous historical detail while still delivering enough suspense to keep readers engaged. The perfectly balanced blend of spirituality, romance, and mystery interlaces with lessons on “the boundary between light and darkness… [and] weak souls whose energy can be easily drawn to evil,” making this as profound as it is action-packed. Fans of historical fiction paired with a sliver of fantasy will find much to enjoy in the twists and turns of Benjamin’s quest for the truth.

Takeaway: Historical fiction and fantasy interlace in a timeless quest for truth.

Comparable Titles: Daniel G. Miller’s The Tree of Knowledge, Will Adams’s The Alexander Cipher.

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

Click here for more about The Immortal's Secret

"If you knew anything about Tommy Rocket, you’d know that he didn’t do things in a normal fashion" writes 10-year-old Nate Turner of his opposite-in-every-way friend in this wild adventure. When Tommy—an eccentric, self-labeled “robotician” with his own fleet of robots affectionately termed the “Goober Patrol”—summons Nate to his headquarters (otherwise known as his cellar) by way of an encrypted invitation, Nate’s intrigued to say the least. Tommy, bound to a wheelchair thanks to a virus when he was younger, has a mission for Nate: venture into the 1000-Acre Swamp and retrieve his rogue Monster-bot, a deadly invention that’s gone missing.

Middle grade readers will get a kick out of Kuhn’s promising series starter, a riveting blend of sci-fi, technology, and fast-paced thrills. The Monster-bot is just that—a robot Tommy normally keeps caged due to its inclination to destroy all other machinery in its sights—but there’s more to it than meets the eye: it’s harboring Tommy’s specially designed Prometheus Chip, an invention allowing machines independent thought. That alone makes the mission worthwhile, and, as Nate and Tommy set out on a quest to track down the temperamental robot, they quickly learn they aren’t the only ones after such a treasure.

Between the story’s AI robots, a whiz kid, and one brave unlikely hero, readers will be transfixed—and the fun doesn’t stop there. Kuhn ties in a no-holds-barred Great Swamp War—waged by opposing groups of kid gangs—that sees dangerous tech fall into the wrong hands, putting Nate and Tommy’s friendship, and their lives, at risk. Kuhn’s black and white illustrations, reminiscent of comic strips, highlight the story’s more suspenseful moments, helping younger readers soak up the tension radiating from the pages of this high-octane treat. The hijinks are certainly entertaining, and Kuhn’s exploration of what it means to be human—and a good friend—hits home.

Takeaway: Two unlikely friends must save AI-robots from falling into the wrong hands.

Comparable Titles: Peter Brown's The Wild Robot, Eve L. Ewing's Maya and the Robot.

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

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Blending suspense, sci-fi powers, and quantum entanglements of the heart, the first entry in DaSilva’s Periphery series finds protagonist Charlotte’s life upended when a car crash kills her husband Jared, and very nearly her, too, just moments after revisiting an argument over her suspicions that Jared might have been cheating. After dying on the table, Charlotte awakens with new, deep knowledge of physics and strange, realistic visions of herself racing to warn a soldier. Over the next four years, living numbly, she rehashes the accident, working complex mathematics in her head to soothe her anxiety. A chance encounter introduces her to Sy, a retired veteran and military contractor with whom she feels an instant, electric, teasingly familiar connection, perhaps rooted in the fact that both have briefly died.

Complicating Charlotte’s sense of new possibilities: the fact that someone seems to be stalking her. DaSilva writes the sweet and sexy tension of new love well, juxtaposing it masterfully with the terrifying tension of being stalked. As the story digs into the mysteries of Jared’s past and Charlotte and Sy’s present, the leads’ attraction to each other proves undeniable, and soon Sy is the person Charlotte calls when she becomes convinced someone is stalking her, following her to her husband's grave, staking out her home, and sneaking into her bedroom at night. Sy, though, fears he might not return from his latest mission in his job, so Charlotte must take matters into her hands.

DaSilva’s slim, fast-moving novel packs a lot of wonderment and hard choices into relatively few pages, with Charlotte facing the question of whether to try to go back to what she once had or take a chance on something new. The speculative premise takes a backseat to the chemistry between the leads, making the novel ideal for romance readers interested in science fiction, military life, and romantic leads who are alpha-male types ready to sweep a lady off her feet and away from her problems.

Takeaway: Paranormal romantic thriller of a woman bereft but manifesting strange powers.

Comparable Titles: Elizabeth Hunter’s Suddenly Psychic, Sue Fortin’s The Dead Husband’s Secret.

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

Click here for more about Periphery

Woeppel debuts with a playful, high-energy romance that finds the incredibly strong Birdie—a female superhero known as the Chicago Bird—put on hold by the mayor, thanks to the slew of complaints pouring in about her foul mouth and bad attitude. Meanwhile, her personal life suffers when a television rumor about “the strength of her vagina” goes viral, making her forced sabbatical all the more debilitating. During her compulsory therapy sessions in a nearby suburban resort town, Birdie learns she must cast her superpowers aside and start dating. That adjustment comes with its own comedy of errors, including a new friendship, a more conventional job, and, of course, unexpected sparks with the resident woodworker, Aiden.

Woeppel’s worldbuilding embraces both the silly superhero and summer romance aesthetics in a contemporary setting, with bold characters like Birdie’s sassy gay superhero bestie Jace and new local drama buddy Evie, as well as a collection of hilariously sketched minor characters, many of whom materialize during Birdie’s unsuccessful dates. The banter between Aiden and Birdie shines, both in its initial rudeness and its slow transformation into flirtation, though their actual sexual scenes melt into a more generic desire and lose some of that fizzle. Birdie’s backstory carries weight, but it never dominates, playing out in her memories of her mother’s fear at her daughter’s changes and a sweet 16 romance that foundered amid the discovery of her growing powers.

This is a gentle critique of societal constraints on women’s behavior, and Woeppel’s upbeat message—that accepting yourself, vulnerabilities and all, should be the only goal—broadcasts clearly through Birdie’s ultimate success at finding love while refusing to compromise her own superhuman strength. The transformation she undergoes in her own eyes—and in Chicago’s view—is intense, rendering Aiden’s whispered exhortation to “never let them tame you” a potent reminder of the power that comes with self-discovery.

Takeaway: Playful superhero romance with an undercurrent of feminist empowerment.

Comparable Titles: Alice Winters’s A Villain for Christmas, Laura Thalassa’s Reaping Angels.

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

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When the crew of Orion’s Belt stumble onto an ancient colony ship with blood-smeared hallways, they aren’t quite sure what to make of it—or how to determine what really unfolded within its walls. Their shock is amplified when they discover one sole survivor, Jason Alexander Xavis (“Jax”), whose biological age of 16 doesn’t match up with the several-hundred-year-old ship he was found frozen on, clutching a bloodstained metal pipe. Jax has zero recollection of where he came from or what transpired during his journey, though nightmarish visions plague him, suggesting he may be capable of far more evil than anyone suspects.

Roberts (author of Last Days of Colbosh) creates a world rich with intergalactic danger and adventure, as the Belt’s crew soon find themselves distracted by a larger threat: the Locorrans, an enigmatic race that look human but somehow aren’t, ruled by a mysterious up-and-coming empress, are quietly taking over the universe, privy to incredibly advanced—and threatening—technology. The action takes off immediately, and Jax is quickly swept into a chaotic conspiracy that finds him separated from his crew and forced to rely on his instincts to survive, joined in his fight by Jules, a young woman with insider knowledge that suggests the Locorrans can control brainwave patterns of the people living in Earth’s colonized systems.

Power Play’s world is both entertaining and absorbing, boosted by a host of high-tech weapons and the downfall of Earth as we know it, thanks to a Great War that left the planet reeling from radiation poisoning and terrorized by animals evolving into monsters. The thrills are sometimes restrained by plot developments that snowball with minimal buildup and empty references to an older Earth that most of the book’s characters no longer remember, but this still reverberates as an electrifying journey of self-discovery—and a reminder of the dangers behind creating sentient beings with superior intelligence.

Takeaway: Absorbing sci-fi riddled with intergalactic intrigue and dangerous, power-hungry AI.

Comparable Titles: Penelope Wright’s The Queen Trials series, T. Ellery Hodges’s The Never Hero.

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

Click here for more about POWER PLAY

Schultz’s ambitious, propulsive debut—inspired by the promise and challenges of cryptocurrencies—blends elements of dystopian and gamer-inspired SF to imagine a young gamer and hacker, first known as Miranda but then Arrow and Sylph, finding herself with the power to shape and maybe repair a fallen world. That means others are out to manipulate her, of course. As she wins acclaim for her skills in the wildly popular game of BreakPoint, facing champions, she gets talked into a performative public romance crafted to hasten a revolution. Miranda, now Arrow, must take bold steps not to be a pawn herself. In crisp, striking scenes alive with memorable characters and surprising futuristic detail, Schultz documents Arrow's evolving sense of self, her mastery of BreakPoint, her growing understanding of the great island city of Char and its once-liberating, now-corrupted currency, CIN, and ultimately how her courage and talents can be targeted toward greater freedom and opportunity for all.

Despite the novel’s economic impetus, Win Condition is brisk, exciting, and suspenseful, thick with detestable villains (especially Char’s First Citizen Violet, who will kill anyone to maintain her power), uneasy allies (like Arrow’s BreakPoint mentor, Sage), and imaginative BreakPoint opponents (especially BRAID, an AI whose “simmed hostility towards humans faded by 5%” after learning it has a human fan.) Among vivid depictions of a radically unequal society and the hedonistic festival the First Citizen throws to distract the unwashed masses, Arrow faces a host of factions, including coup-plotters led by Sage, the underground group who keep the foundational spirit of cryptocurrencies alive, and Arrow’s lovable online friend group, without whom “she wasn’t sure she’d fully exist.”

BreakPoint itself, unfortunately, is somewhat vague, with matches described more than suspensefully dramatized, and a plot point involving a ginned-up prophecy is too quickly glossed over. But, for all Win Condition’s hefty length, Schultz keeps the story moving with purpose and excitement, all powered by a palpable love for freedom.

Takeaway: Epic dystopian adventure of online games, inequality, and crypto freedom.

Comparable Titles: Philip Charter and Niko Laamanen’s 21 Futures: Tales from the Timechain, Ramez Naam’s Nexus.

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

Click here for more about Win Condition

Ridley’s unconventional murder mystery debut unfolds from multiple perspectives, primarily the victim, Damien, followed by a laundry list of potential suspects in his life. The story begins with Damien, thrown out of a window onto the street below, musing on the events that led to his demise—an internal dialogue sprinkled with prosaic commentary on his cat, the design of his house, and a growing awareness that “I’m probably dying… [and] I deserve better.” As Damien’s voice fades, those of his close friends and lovers take over, each sharing their unique perspective on not just the crime, but the life that defined Damien.

Ridley keeps readers guessing throughout this twisty satire, starting with Damien’s best friend, “B,” who chronicles their whirlwind friendship-to-roommates journey—one that ended when their codependency started to interfere with B’s love life. B’s girlfriend, Lily, is also gifted a voice, presenting Damien as overprotective and his relationship with B as “weird… like, an obsessive need or compulsion toward each other.” Ridley crafts an intense picture of Damien’s friend group from there, each with their own axe to grind, and many who caustically observe the unhealthy nature of Damien and B’s relationship. That red herring merits further investigation, though, as the story revolves around several suspects, each more believable than the last.

Every character’s thoughts on Damien, who might have killed him, and on each other are alternately funny and sad, painting a portrait of a troubled young man desperately searching for belonging. Even B, in her own flippant style, recounts the woes of Damien skipping from boyfriend to boyfriend with a touch of melancholy, reflecting on his loneliness and vulnerability, while Damien himself comments “I [knew] better than to let myself end up this way.” This will appeal to readers who aren’t afraid of the hard work that comes with solving a good mystery.

Takeaway: Satiric murder mystery with a wealth of likely suspects.

Comparable Titles: Elle Cosimano’s Finlay Donovan Is Killing It, Rupert Holmes’s Murder Your Employer.

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

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In Gage’s debut installment of her Flame series, 15-year-old Aidan, a naive prince beset by conflict with his brother Santurin and yearning to “fight like the warriors… [to] get respect from the men,” grapples with the common frustrations of growing up while embarking on a harrowing journey of self-discovery. His world is violently upended when he witnesses his father's murder at the hands of a mysterious figure, in a traumatic moment that awakens a hidden magic in his bloodline, revealing buried family secrets, acts of treason, and a newfound maturity that will shape his future.

Gage fashions a kingdom on the verge of collapse, driven by power-hungry figures and rampant selfishness, where magic and superstition, advanced weaponry and medieval defenses, and futuristic technology exist side by side. Aidan, still coming into his own, spends much of his time suspicious of nearly everyone around him—understandable given his father’s murder—and second guessing their actions. He is truly a disoriented teenager, unsure of where he belongs in an increasingly chaotic world, with a terrible weight pressing down on his shoulders.

Gage masterfully captures the tension between Aidan's self-doubt and the inner willpower that drives him forward, illuminating his struggles to grasp the complexities demanded of him amid his very real attempts to mature in a world that seems out to get him. That world gets progressively more dangerous as the book advances, with a war that arrives swiftly and passes just as quickly—but leaves a deeply unsettling impact. In a nod to the story’s sci-fi motifs, Gage pits Aidan against a team of scientists—previously banished by his father for refusing to follow the kingdom’s laws—who meddle in disturbing experiments in an effort to take down Aidan’s kind, setting up the ending for a masterful showdown that accelerates his journey into adulthood. Readers who appreciate rapid-fire adventure and high stakes battles will be wowed.

Takeaway: Fleet debut fantasy of growing up, manmade beasts, and facing evil.

Comparable Titles: Jackary Salem’s Where the Lightning Goes, K.E. Miller’s Rebirth.

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

Click here for more about Book One in the Flame Series: Tangle with Fire

A killer premise blending horror, mystery, and career-advice satire makes Kaczka’s debut stand out: an eclectic cast in desperate need of big breaks receive what seems like the opportunity of a lifetime—an invitation to the mysterious Summit Conference, described as a catalyst for learning to “land your dream job… [and] rule from behind the curtain.” This year’s attendees include a trio of influencers, a struggling single mother, and a father frantic to support his family. But success comes at a cost, and the group soon realizes that the Beburoa Hotel and its eccentric master, Abigor, are not what they seem: seminars about thinking outside the box end in bloodshed, all the exits are blocked, and eventually even death is denied.

Kaczka’s vicious blend of suspense, bloodshed, and parody is inspired and original, as he lampoons influencer culture, racism, boomers, buzzword-afflicted corpo-culturists, and more. Abigor, in a frenzy of self-adulation, makes a toast, with human blood, to “one hundred years of excellence” and ruling “the corporate world from the shadows” in one scene, while in others he muses on how strange he finds it that workplaces have become increasingly diverse. Some jolts of horror are both funny and inventive, like the revelation of the contents of the rules book given to conference goers. The satire is heavy-handed but likely to amuse readers wary of management happy-talk, especially as the presentations spin increasingly out of control in flashy, funny ways.

The cast is large enough that not everyone makes an impression, trapped in scenes of lurking evil and lessons about the pillars of leadership, and as the events get ever-crazier the over-the-top ethos diminishes suspense or investment in the characters, who trend toward morbid caricatures, including Abigor’s minion Camilla, who acknowledges she’s “mired in groupthink” but, still, has her sights set no higher than Abigor’s position, in hopes of being “the first woman chair of the Summit Conference.” Kaczka’s social-satire-by-way-of-haunted-house is ambitious, making pulpy entertainment out of a gore-soaked, blunt skewering of late-stage capitalism. There’s a lot to digest here, but readers who appreciate unbridled mockery of self-proclaimed “management mastermind”s will be entertained.

Takeaway: Influencers and corporate-wannabes discover business is hell in thishorror-satire.

Comparable Titles: Lee Mountford’s Haunted: Hotel, Mona Awad’s Bunny.

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

Click here for more about Surviving the Summit Conference