Triple-stuffed with time-jumps, alt-reality doubles, chronological paradoxes, tense military showdowns, and other smart twists that bend existence like taffy, the third entry in Datta’s Time Corrector series is relentless in its invention, relentlessly committed to big ideas and bigger surprises. The hero, again, is Dr. Vincent Abajian, the “Time Corrector” of his reality, a man who has sacrificed and profited much over the course of the first two books’ harrowing adventures in time.

This time around, the action starts in media res, but plural, as the first chapters whisk readers through a host of years, locations, first-person perspectives, and unpredictable revelations as Vincent and his trillion-dollar company Quantum World face his old adversary Philip Naradin, the kidnapping of Vincent’s daughter (and future Quantum World CEO) Nozomi, and the combined forces of the G7, who want what Vincent and Philip control: intreton, the electromagnetically unstable element that powers Philip and Vincent’s wildly profitable innovations.

Readers new to the Time Corrector books should start at the beginning, as this volume draws on a Marvel Universe’s worth of complex, reality-crossing backstory. (Explanatory footnotes help.) Even seasoned readers will likely find the first hundred or so pages a challenge to track, as Datta vaults, in brisk and immersive passages, across years and POVs, with Vincent eventually teaming up with Philip—who is, through timeline shenanigans, also kind of Vincent’s father—to prevent the world’s powers from seizing intreton. Datta loves hinting at Vincent’s plans without tipping readers off too much, and the novel becomes clearer as it goes, building to spectacular set pieces, like Vincent demonstrating a Time Corrector’s powers in the Oval Office, or a quick jaunt through 20th century conflicts as the G7’s fighter jets threaten Philip’s island. For all its doubled selves, corporate intrigue, time-crossed suspense, and reality-in-the-balance epicness, the stakes are human and personal, with a touching ethos of sacrifice powering the climax. Lovers of time-travel complexities will relish Datta’s truly mind-blowing twists.

Takeaway: The most ambitious entry yet in this brain-twisting time-travel series.

Comparable Titles: Jon Evans’s Exadelic, Max Barry’s The 22 Murders of Madison May.

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

Click here for more about The Reset (Time Corrector Series Book 3)

Emery’s Witness series debut begins with a compassionate tour de faith of the author’s spirituality, grounded in Christianity, that is both theologically sophisticated and piercingly beautiful. Central to Emery’s collection is the figure of Jesus, with one section aptly titled “Jesus’ Eyes,” featuring reflections on the gaze of Christ, “like quiet pools of water // under cloudless skies above,” that “combs through cities and deserts and farms //… seeking hearts in every land, // for those who want to welcome Him.” Emery depicts Jesus as the source and extender of grace, peace, and spiritual ecstasy throughout this contemplative collection.

Many of Emery’s poems are prayer-like, referencing scripture and employing hymnal structure, yet some present metaphors that stretch beyond tradition, including “Spring,” in which the speaker sniffs newly bloomed “hyacinth and crocus” and reflects on her faith: “… I wonder, // will He breathe in breath of me, // and smile to sense sweet savors of His Son? // And might my prayers ascend // as incense, pleasing in His lungs?” Rather than hoping God merely hears her prayers, the speaker allows for a sensory expansion of God that implies a relationship beyond verbal exchange, grounded in breath.

The uniting force of this collection is joy for the fulfillment and peace the speaker receives from her faith in God’s love, making it accessible for a wide range of readers. Emery builds the collection on a foundation of celebration, though a handful of poems express views that may polarize some readers, including “Prostitution,” where Emery writes “Whenever—whether out of greed or need— // self seeks self to sell, // self turns self toward facing hell.” Above all, Emery seeks to share her “life-long journey into joy with my loving Father”: “His burning coals transform our minds, // with warming love He realigns.”

Takeaway: Devotional poems celebrating the Christian faith.

Comparable Titles: K.J. Ramsey’s The Book of Common Courage, Morgan Harper Nichols’s All Along You Were Blooming.

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

Click here for more about Giving

With a title suggesting its playful ambitions and its protagonist’s frustrations, Stockfelt’s impassioned debut spins a poignant, provocative narrative through the compelling voice of Virtue Lindström, a self-described “womanist” from Dominica who says “No, ovaries” when her partner, Daavid, discusses having “balls.” Virtue embarks on a transformative journey when she secures a scholarship for postgraduate studies in the U.K. The story begins with Virtue breastfeeding her second-born, Mandla, whose refusal to feed marks the first of the bouts with self-doubt Virtue will face as she charts an uncertain path through motherhood, cultural differences, and the challenges of life as a woman with children and states of “unhealth” building an academic career.

As Virtue faces the challenges of motherhood and an unsettling move to Sweden prompted by her Daavid's new job opportunity, Stockfelt skillfully shifts between Virtue's intimate first-person perspective and Daavid's viewpoint, revealing the complexity of their relationship with empathy and insight. Each perspective depicts touching hesitancy and some limitations of perspective when Daavid and Virtue navigate their marriage and one another’s feelings. When a medical consultation unveils a tumor pressing on Virtue’s pituitary gland, leading to imbalanced hormonal levels, the novel delves into Virtue's struggles with depression, self-harm, and the resulting impact on her relationship with Daavid.

In prose touched with grace and wisdom, Stockfelt explores themes of marriage, sexuality, and the intersections of unhealth, providing a multifaceted perspective on complex aspects of life and a potent critique of gendered ways of thinking and reacting. The shifting dynamics between Daavid and Virtue are a both revealing and emotionally jolting. Epigenesis or Serendipity? emerges as a beautiful and thought-provoking exploration of a woman’s journey, seamlessly blending reflection with an incisive examination of societal norms and expectations.

Takeaway: Intimate, incisive love story of a “womanist” Dominican academic.

Comparable Titles: Nicole Dennis-Benn’s Patsy, Yaa Gyasi’s Transcendent Kingdom.

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

Click here for more about Epigenesis or serendipity? Shit just happens, doesn’t it?

In this imaginative sci-fi thriller by Coffey (author of Valley of the Kings), strange phenomena are occurring in the provincial town of Lynch, Kentucky. Clay Krutcher can’t catch a break; recently fired from his job, learning his wife is pregnant, and facing the threat of impending criminal charges from his father after parting out his old man’s car, Clay is down on his luck when he stumbles onto a windfall during a solo hunting trip—a discovery that seems to answer all his prayers. Though Clay’s bent on exploiting that discovery, six-year-old Kaden, who is not what he seems, has other plans for him—plans that an unsuspecting Clay could never prepare for, and an otherworldly destiny beyond anything he could imagine.

A parallel storyline finds Lily and Frank Astin reeling from the mysterious disappearance of their son, Jeremy, a young autistic child with dyslexia, causing his parents to fear the worst. As Kaden's true dark intentions are revealed, his life becomes increasingly intertwined with Clay and Jeremy. Coffey's depiction of extraterrestrial body snatchers, the Ocran, is inventive, twisted, and creepy as told through the eyes of the highly unusual Kaden, who possesses a sinister entity lurking just beneath his surface.

The duality of human souls and the cold intelligence from the beings occupying their bodies creates a burning tension as Coffey reveals which characters have been taken over and who will disappear next. As the humans close to those who have been inhabited begin to notice something’s off with their loved ones, Coffey's world building and storytelling shine—juxtaposing the emotional responses from human characters against the cold, calculating action of the nonhuman entities. The irony of young Kaden being a sinister villain lends a horror element to the story, and Coffey delivers heart-pounding terror when unveiling Kaden’s plans for the human race. Readers will be transfixed until the climactic conclusion.

Takeaway: Out-of-this-world science fiction rich with pulse-pounding terror.

Comparable Titles: Jack Finney's Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Stephenie Meyer's The Host.

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

Click here for more about THE SURFACING

Abernathy’s middle-grade fantasy, the second installment of the Yellow Cottage Stories series (after The Aquamarine Surfboard), is an evocative coming-of-age tale following the inhabitants of sleepy California oceanside town Dipitous Beach as they grapple with the surprises fate has in store for them. When a Sickness disrupts the town’s otherwise idyllic existence, the residents are predictably overwhelmed and bewildered, each trying desperately to navigate the treacherous waters of their new lives. When teen Lorelei, fighting to protect her mother from her worsening illness, stumbles across a fantastical ocean creature, it changes the course—and the fortunes—of the town’s inhabitants forever.

Dipitous Beach’s residents cope with the aftershocks of the town’s Sickness on their own terms: Lorelei, an amateur oceanographer, finds solace in taking her purple surfboard, Amethyst, out among the hidden underwater caverns of the ocean; New York city transplant Isaac finds himself alone in a new world; Tad, Lorelei’s quiet brother, grows up too quickly as he confronts their mother’s illness; Lorelei’s boyfriend, Casey, chafes against his parents’ overprotectiveness; Condi, granddaughter of a wise yoga teacher, grapples with the growing terror of isolation; and Irish expat Kait longs to leave the America she’s feeling increasingly trapped in. The tale brims with atmosphere, though the many varied viewpoints make for choppy storytelling at times.

The cast is relatable for middle grade readers, and, despite the mishmash of traits and personalities, the story’s framework—built on oceanography, marine biodiversity, and even magic—is intriguing. Abernathy’s use of color as a recurring motif for Tad and Isaac is fully fleshed out and resonates, and the pair’s blossoming friendship is a bright spot in the narrative. The storytelling evokes tranquility and mystery alongside coming-of-age transformations that probe the limits of love and adventure, making this a delightful testament to the forces of friendship and bravery.

Takeaway: An imaginative coming-of-age tale rich with magic, adventure, and friendship.

Comparable Titles: Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass’s The Lost Library, Tahereh Mafi’s Furthermore.

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

Click here for more about Amethyst, The Shallows

Poet Schneider (author of Poems to Science and Industry) delivers a compact memoir rich with polished prose, a striking depiction of a 1960s and ‘70s Southern California that brims with steady sunshine and stylish new inventions. From the novelty of drive-up tellers to the first days of Disneyland, Schneider paints his upbringing during “the golden age of California” in fiery strokes, blazing his memories across a backdrop of family secrets and hidden trauma. As he transforms from “a pure childhood wonderland” to dating, drugs, and debauchery, Schneider breaks open the catalyst for those changes: the sexual abuse he suffered at the hands of his grandfather.

Shared through intimate snapshots of childhood memories—and framed against an undercurrent of foreboding that runs throughout—Schneider’s recollections pack a powerful punch. He unflinchingly recounts his abuse, sharing the hatred he instantly felt for the man he once loved unconditionally—and chronicles how that hatred remained, unabated, for years. Despite those earth-shattering insights, Schneider never lets the calamity overshadow the rest of his memoir. Using his poet’s touch, he relays thwarted childhood runaway schemes, science class experiments that go awry, hipster cousins ruining the spirit of Christmas, and the lasting effects of shattered young love (“For years I would fall hard whenever I fell in love. And even harder when love departed” he writes).

Schneider’s short essays roll a striking portrait of a distinct time and place into a highly readable story of his early life, delivering a patchwork of potent experiences that feel fully formed and deeply expressive. Classic music and pop culture of the ‘60s and ‘70s invade the memories, from Schneider’s description of Joni Mitchell as a “guide, articulating the minor keys of my emotional state” to his dabbling in drugs on “the beach not far from Nixon’s San Clemente estate.” This is an exquisite rendering of innocence, unraveling, and identity.

Takeaway: Exquisite coming-of-age amid trauma, family secrets, and 1960s awakenings.

Comparable Titles: Rick Hill’s We're All from Somewhere Else, Lawrence Culver’s The Frontier of Leisure.

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

Click here for more about Reflections from the Shadow of Los Angeles

Medium and entrepreneur Marie’s background in law enforcement and public speaking, plus of course her mediumship, shape the make-up of this encouraging debut, which introduces spiritual concepts and offers guidance to the work of “tap[ping] into your innate abilities and connect with higher realms,” such as opening one’s self to the messages sent by the universe, finding one’s “soul purpose,” and connecting to “the psychic cloud,” a term Marie coined. Promising to illuminate” a “path to success through the art of connection,” Forensic Medium is put together like a courthouse argument, making a clear case for readers to follow, first inviting readers to get to know a bit about Marie and her vocation, then digging into anecdotes from Marie’s history and clients plus core concepts and exercises crafted to help connect to their spiritual sides.

Marie’s focus throughout is on urging readers to release the worldly things that interrupt what she presents as our innate, intuitive abilities to receive messages from the universe. “The more you know about the psychic energy you leverage, the more meaningful your life will be,” she argues. Chapters that include meditation exercises or the experiences of real cases in which Sheila Marie participated will prove enjoyable and compelling to seekers, and her direct voice and stream-of-consciousness style is intimate and personable, that of an impassioned instructor.

Readers already open to the idea of a joyful connection with a Divine Source will feel buoyed by Marie’s encouragement and stories of intuitive flashes, like the friend who can “download psychic energy” from people warning, prophetically, that a man’s work colleague is not to be trusted. The chapters including exercises and meditations to sample are refreshing, and the overwhelming positivity of Marie’s message will resonate with readers on her wavelength.

Takeaway:A medium’s upbeat guide to connecting to the Divine Source.

Comparable Titles: Lisa Hunt’s The Divine Connection, Ervin Laszlo’s Reconnecting to the Source.

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

Click here for more about Forensic Medium: The Power of the Unseen

In his third volume centered on his travels with his wife, Laura, and his two sons, Chris and Alex, author Rem shares a touching account of his family's trip to Spain and such enticing locales as Barcelona, the Park Guell, and the Mezquita-Catedral. Cherishing a family vacation that often feels bittersweet, Rem recounts coping with the inevitable changes happening in the family as his sons grow older and begin marking their own path into adulthood. With deeply personal anecdotes of special moments and talks with his son, Alex, and nostalgic memories of his humble upbringing with his single East Indian mother, this memoir juxtaposes the role reversals of Rem as a young boy and son with his own transition and relationship with his sons as a parent.

With the same inviting storytelling that distinguished 2022’s Heart of New York, Rem blends the light-hearted and the quietly profound, pulling the reader into his close-knit family while also celebrating the cultural richness of their destinations. The joy of introducing his family to Spanish places he visited as a young man, and the excitement of taking the Gaudi tour of the famed architect and designer in Barcelona, radiates from the pages as Rem creates lifelong memoirs with his wife and children—and conjures some of the magic for readers in evocative descriptions of tapas, the stillness of siesta time, the “medieval” feeling of Madrid, and the beauty and complex history of Alhambra and its gardens. Through it all, he imparts life lessons with his sons, with perhaps the most edifying being Rem’s zeal for family, travel, and culture, food, and art.

This moving story is rounded out by Lorie Miller Hansen’s charming illustrations, plus personalized summaries of each chapter from both author and illustrator. Readers who have read Rem's previous works will reconnect with his family and note the growth in his two sons from adolescence into adulthood, though no prior knowledge is required to enjoy the book.

Takeaway: Touching memoir from a family man creating lifelong memories on a Spanish vacation.

Comparable Titles: Jessi Hempel's The Family Outing, Pat Kogos's Feet in the Window.

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

Click here for more about The Vanished Gardens of Cordova

Thomas Shelton, the vice chairman of Lambert Capital, might seem to have it all. But he’s a haunted man—a watched man. Over the two decades since he took the life of a pedophile reverend while somehow speaking ancient Hebrew and Latin, Shelton has been shadowed—”observed"— by hooded men, always at a distance, but always there. When he receives confirmation from his trusted friend and bodyguard, Ben Davis, that the men are not hallucinations, Shelton is relieved to know that he is not crazy yet understandably vexed by the watchers. In the intricate thriller that follows, Dane’s debut and the start of a projected trilogy, the influence of these paranormal entities called "guardians" will rock the church and global governments, with Shelton at the center of it all, the bearer of a mysterious destiny that transcends worlds and time.

Dane's offering is an imaginative and creepy story of ancient secrets and immortal life forms that watch from the sidelines and strike in strategic and deadly ways. Shelton is more than just a wealthy businessman with an impressive military career— he is a complex character with a secret double life as a vigilante seeking justice for the innocent and those who have been violated in the foulest way. Dane peels back the layers of this complicated hero with care, building suspense and setting up jolting revelations. Embroiled in a doomsday narrative that spans centuries are a wide range of characters from clergymen to the president, as Dane pits good against evil and humanity against a threat to the world itself.

“I am required to rely on seven souls to help me. Seven souls who believe in what I am doing and will lay down their life for the cause," Thomas explains of hismission. That captures the tone of this brisk, tense novel. Readers who enjoy bloody thrillers of demons, souls, lost religious tomes, and quick-witted, philosophical-minded characters will find much to enjoy.

Takeaway: Suspenseful doomsday thriller of demons and ancient secrets.

Comparable Titles: Mike Carey’s Felix Castor series, John Shirley’s Demons.

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

Click here for more about ALL THE DARK VOICES

Bendheim’s heart-wrenching collection of poems is a direct, perceptive narrative broken into five parts which relate the tragic, uplifting story of the poet’s hard-fought rejection of heteronormativity and her coming out as a lesbian woman. Her queer self-acceptance was not loud or glamorous; in the titular poem, “Coming Out Party,” her crush brings her a flower, then promptly ditches her. But she saves the flower regardless, as “my only proof that any of this was real.” Though imperfect in the way of all real life, the queerness, the flower, and the identity is real, and the wobbly nature of her coming-out makes the poems and the journey all the more brave and relatable.

The collection’s power is in its accessibility. Epigraphs from household names like Taylor Swift and Kristen Stewart, plus celebrated queer poet Ocean Vuong, gather readers into a space of familiarity, and illustrator Sarah Rose Glickman’s jagged, floral line drawings offer a gentle visual element to Bendheim’s poetry that draws readers deeper into the poet’s narrative and the shape of her yearning. No two coming-out stories are alike, but Bendheim’s inviting concrete and conversational style (“You Knew First” opens with “In eighth grade, / you ask me who the most beautiful girl in the world is.”) allows for a friend-confidant dynamic to develop between author and reader that increases in intimacy as the collection follows life into adulthood.

As this memoir in verse demonstrates, Bendheim had no guidebook to queerness and coming out; she had to figure it out, facing rejection, heartbreak, and longing, alone. Through her suffering, she was able to emerge, self-actualized, into the most authentic version of herself. In “Desire Lines,” the speaker defines desire lines as paths made by those “architectural rebels” who don’t follow paved walkways, who are unafraid to ruin the grass. By the end, Bendheim reveals that coming out is becoming “no longer afraid of a little dirt.”

Takeaway: Achingly poignant poems charting a coming-out journey.

Comparable Titles: Michelle Tea’s “Oh God," June Jordan’s “Poem for Haruko," Audre Lorde’s “Movement Song.”

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

Click here for more about Coming Out Party

This compelling and incisive poetic journey from Petrie, author of Listen to the Trees and co-author of Typewriter Rodeo, explores “midlife” as a physical, emotional, philosophical, and artistic state that exists between the poles of hope and regret. The speaker in these poems oscillates in perspective between those poles throughout the collection, but no easy resolution is ever reached; instead, the tension caused by this binary creates a broadened spiritual and existential awareness that itself results in a kind of knowing peace. In “Rain,” the speaker writes, “the rain is coming down // Let it wash or drown you— // Your choice.”

Many of the poems in Petrie’s collection relay the experience of a downtrodden, heartbroken, lonely person. “And Then It’s Done,” for example, begins as a letter to the speaker’s children offering advice, but the poet builds to this jolting declaration: “I never had kids.” Yet for all the unsettled feelings that Petrie’s collection explores, there is an equal and opposing presence of hope. “Pour-Over Coffee” uses the pour-over process as a metaphor for aging. “This is a liquid art” the speaker advises, “do not rush,” and once the “sweet symbiosis” is reached, “they call it the bloom— this waking moment, right now — when the favor reaches // its peak.”

In Cracked & Broken, time is both a destructive and creative force; it breaks what it fortifies and fortifies what it breaks. Drawing inspiration from many poets, including Mary Oliver, Alan Watts, plus Frost and Wordsworth, Petrie uses poetry to develop an illuminating and consistently surprising exploration of aging that diverges from stereotypes, urging readers toward the discovery that middle age is where one’s identity can flourish in a way it never could in youth. For Petrie, the difference between the body creaking with weakness and “creaking with freedom” has everything to do with what he chooses to hear.

Takeaway: Bittersweet and illuminating poems exploring middle age.

Comparable Titles: Donald Hall’s “Affirmation”, Margaret Atwood’s “Dearly”.

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

Click here for more about Cracked & Broken: poems of midlife

Paisley combines a playful concept of the afterlife with a hint of Buddhism in this otherworldly contemporary fantasy, where humans and supernatural beings—vampires, werewolves, witches, gargoyles, pixies, and more—are reincarnated after death until their souls are finally deemed worthy of passage to Heaven by the Higher Authority. Maybell Mayhew, an Angel Investigative Bureau trainee, confronts Trixie D'Vita about the possible involvement of her mother, Death, in the Mystical Realms' suspiciously rigged game show that offers a one-way ticket to Heaven, Hell, or a different lifetime for newly departed souls. Soon, Trixie finds herself faced with a perilous choice: to save her best friend, she must not just visit the game show, To the Wheel, but quite literally go through Hell.

The heart of the tale lies in the complex mother-daughter relationship between Trixie and Death, which proves amusingly relatable amid the fantastical settings. Trixie's unhealed abandonment issues from Death's aloofness and seeming nonchalance bring a human touch to all the crossings of realms, although the exploration of Death's persona here feels somewhat limited, perhaps to be explored more deeply in future stories. "Like, would it kill my mom to make it to my frickin’ birthday dinner?” Trixie asks, her words echoing the struggle for connection. Better late than never, Death bestows upon Trixie a mysterious miniature scythe—as a birthday gift!—and warns her to carry it with her at all times.

What follows is an action-packed comic trip through hellscapes where Trixie must survive on the other side of the vortex, one that tests the power of friendship to will courage in the face of adversity. Although the story could benefit from a more robust exploration of family and friendship dynamics, Paisley prioritizes world-building and adventure written in lively prose and imaginative storytelling, always with elements of surprise and humanity that readers of inventive urban fantasy metaphysics will find alluring.

Takeaway: Death's daughter goes through Hell to save a friend in this amusing debut.

Comparable Titles: Seanan Mcguire’s October Daye series, M. H. Boroson's The Girl with Ghost Eyes.

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

Click here for more about Always Carry Your Scythe

Paine (The Abduction) spins a first-rate thriller that serves as an incisive metaphor for the dangers of artificial intelligence. In present-day Baltimore, graduate student Emma Petranova has spent years researching and toiling on a project about the psychology behind digital mass persuasion that seems to be a shoo-in for a prestigious prize—but when the project does win, her controlling professor, Dr. D’Angelo Santan, claims all the credit. A day after a shouting match in the parking garage, the professor goes missing. In January 1998, rich psychopath Trey Wilkes is hanging around the University of Baltimore, hoping to recruit a computer geek that will allow him to devise a technology to send dangerous subliminal messages via mass persuasion on the then-nascent internet. After failing to devise a solution on his own, decades later, Trey learns about D’Angelo’s research and decides he will stop at nothing to get his hands on it—no matter who he has to hurt or kill to accomplish that.

Paine offers smart jolts and surprises while making this dark dystopian scenario plausible. As Emma and others (including Trey’s former colleague Malcolm Schmidt) fight to find and save D’Angelo, Trey convinces Emma that he’s one of the good guys and seduces her for good measure. Meanwhile, the body count of Trey’s former hires for his unsuccessful project rapidly mounts, with several dispatched in spectacularly gruesome fashion—and it seems that evil will take over good. As Emma and Malcolm solicit help from others, innocents (including a young child) may end up as collateral damage.

The author does a masterful job of continually ratcheting up the tension and expertly weaving in red herrings. Action is crisp, though some of the torture details may be too much for squeamish readers. Polished and professional, this well-plotted and expertly wrought suspenseful tale will tick all the right boxes for readers who enjoy heart-stopping and scarily plausible stories.

Takeaway: Twisty, scarily plausible thriller that grips from page one.

Comparable Titles: Blake Crouch’s Recursion, Jon Evans’s Exadelic.

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

Click here for more about The Delusion

Samuel Narh and Freda Narh (authors of A Kite for Melia) team up once again in this warm, dreamy tribute to the bond between a mother and her son. Milko, a young boy living in Bolivia, misses his mother terribly; she’s on a year-long trip to Ethiopia, absent from his daily life since the first hint of the rainy season. Now the sun beats down orange flames on the dry land, and Milko, along with his sister Abena, can’t seem to make the days go by fast enough as they wonder “When is Mama coming back?”

The authors render a careful portrait of sorrow and longing in this purposeful tale, and Milko’s ache at his mother’s absence is palpable. He dreams of her gentle embrace, “as tender as a petal,” as he, his father, and Abena traipse through their empty days without her, somehow managing to accomplish quotidian tasks like haggling at the market and getting breakfast on the table without her steady hand. Nothing’s quite the same without Mama: the porridge boils over, the cat and dog are always after each other, and Milko misses the salteñas Mama always buys him at the market. Abena struggles with sadness in her own way, crying in a “shrill voice” that startles Milko and stumps his father, prompting Milko to wonder if her tears are “a longing for the gleam in Mama’s eyes.”

Milko sheds tears of his own, in private, as he falls asleep at night, holding a mirror “to watch those secret tears roll down his cheeks.” Of course, Mama returns just in the nick of time, and the reunion is delicately depicted by Knatko’s graceful watercolor illustrations, when Mama’s laugh “as deep as the forest slips into [Milko’s] room.” Young readers and adults alike will treasure this testament to family love.

Takeaway: Touching, dreamy portrait of a son’s bond with his mother.

Comparable Titles: Suzanne Collins’s Year of the Jungle, Patrice Karst’s The Invisible String.

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

Click here for more about Milko

In this inspiring and informative guide that presents menopause as not “a closure but as an invigorating commencement,” Low (author of In Full Bloom: Look Fabulous During and After Pregnancy) debunks long-held myths that have painted this transition as "a time of decline and despair.” With rousing insights into how to claim menopause as an opportunity “to shed the burdens of youth and embrace a newfound sense of self,” Low delves into the history of menopause, the ways in which this transition affects women from all walks of life, and offers inviting practical advice about how this chapter of life can affect a woman's hormones, weight, and mental state.

"For far too long, society has painted a bleak picture of this natural life transition," Low writes. Low explains that menopause is not the end of youth and vitality but "a comma in the sentence of life". Through client anecdotes, clinic research, and scientific evidence, Get Your Sexy Back offers solutions and proactive measures to take in the most common symptoms of menopause. Sharing trends that have proven most successful such as low-carb diets and the effects of ketosis, ways through exercise to stay in a caloric deficit, and beneficial supplements, this resource guide provides insights to ease the transition into this "phase of introspection, growth, and mental unrest.”

Focusing more on how to align mind, body, and soul than sexiness, Get Your Sexy Back is a comprehensive guide that provides readers with the knowledge, wisdom, and tools to flourish during this crucial season in a woman's life. With chapters on how to combat weight gain, mood swings, or even insecurity through connecting with support groups and being in community, Low highlights the new beginnings and reasons to celebrate "the wisdom of the past and the promise of the future" that comes with the transformative journey of menopause.

Takeaway: An informative guide for woman transitioning into menopause.

Comparable Titles: Maisie Hill’s Perimenopause Power, Jen Gunter’s The Menopause Manifesto.

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

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Johnson’s debut paints a colorful kingdom with three special princesses, each of whom has their own unique talent. The eldest sister, Rose, is a fierce swordswoman, while middle princess Jasmine possesses magic skills so astonishing, “she can send entire armies flying!” But youngest sister Lily is disgruntled with her special talent: her singing puts people to sleep, a skill she bemoans as “useless” compared to her older sisters. While Lily spends her evenings singing her sisters, who are exhausted from their daily heroics, to sleep, the kingdom is at risk, as Lily’s friend Jamie warns her “Trolls are planning to attack your castle.”

Lily passes on the bad news to her parents, but the king and queen pay her no heed. The kingdom has nothing to fear, thanks to Lily’s “powerful sisters” and the menacing royal army, or so everyone thinks—but when the trolls come to call, Lily, and her family, are sorely disappointed. The royal army fails to stop the marching trolls, and Princess Rose isn’t quite strong enough to take them on; Jasmine fails as well, when she discovers the trolls are immune to her magic. That leaves Lily, whose talent, readers will likely guess, is the last defense—and the kingdom’s surprising secret weapon. Luckily, the trolls aren’t immune to Lily’s siren song, and they’re all soon sleeping peacefully, giving the royal army a chance to load them into carts and escort them out of the kingdom.

Quilario’s anime-like illustrations give this feel-good princess story a bit of an edge, and younger readers will appreciate fun details like the trolls’ surly expressions or the royal soldiers’ earmuffs that block Lily’s song while they dispose of the trolls. The storyline is light, but Johnson’s message about Lily’s transformation is important: “Knowing she had a unique way of bringing peace and tranquility to everyone, she never shied away from her talent again.”

Takeaway: A young princess discovers the power of believing in herself.

Comparable Titles: Aaron Blabey’s Thelma the Unicorn, Dan Bar-el’s Not Your Typical Dragon.

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

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