General Fiction
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Plot/Idea: There is plenty of tension and conflict in this well-developed family drama. All the threads of the characters’ different motivations are deftly woven together into a seamless unfolding of events to a compelling conclusion.
Prose: The prose is engaging and well-paced, simple and perfectly suited to the POV of a 15-year-old boy.
Originality: The handling of Danny’s sexuality is a refreshing twist, and told in a way that perfectly reflects the era while at the same time treats it with a contemporary sensitivity. The conclusion—with Eddie essentially replacing Danny as “cannon fodder” in the Vietnam war—avoids any too-sweet conclusion.
Character/Execution: All of the characters are rendered with depth, detail, and complexity relative to their different circumstances and motivations. Eddie is suitably curious and conflicted; Marcy is courageous and careless in equal parts. Frank and Kat are shown as both desperate and resigned, while Danny shows sudden grace in finally accepting Eddie’s help and resetting his hopes. Gram’s life (and death) are full of humor and sadness.
Blurb: With echoes of John Fante, A Tissue of Lies grips the reader in the slow unraveling of an unhappy family’s conflicted loves and squandered hopes. Fifteen-year-old Eddie Kovacs is an endearing and unlikely anti-hero, flailing against an angry father’s contempt while fighting for his own and his brother’s futures. A captivating coming-of-age tale equal parts harrowing and fearless.
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Plot/Idea: Sparkes’s riveting historical fiction novel follows enslaved woman Maggie and her dreams of escape from a Missouri cotton plantation. A chance encounter with Preacher—an enslaved man on the run—changes the trajectory of Maggie and her family, jumpstarting a desperate dash for freedom that is powerfully wrought in Sparkes’s capable hands.
Prose: Despite some uneven transitions, Sparkes writes with ease, framing her characters’ deepest thoughts and emotions against lyrical prose and stunning metaphor.
Originality: Languid in places and gripping in others, The Honey Tree is an ideal mix of character-driven moments and compelling historical context.
Character/Execution: Sparkes paints her characters in vivid shades of heartbreak, as each one fights for their own form of freedom. Just as Maggie wants her family to know the taste of being free, so, too, does the plantation owner’s daughter, Lucy, yearn for a different kind of life than her constrained existence. Sparkes parallels the central women’s lives in many ways, but Maggie’s unbreakable spirit in the face of harsh injustice stands out.
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Plot/Idea: Gaston portrays two remarkable historical women with bold, vibrant strokes in this intriguing novel. Both Anne Boleyn and Margaret of Austria are rendered larger-than-life, playing off each other’s strengths and mirroring the often-harsh experiences for women in the 1500s. The plot recreates their time together—and their individual lives—with clarity, anticipation, and tenderness.
Prose: The prose is polished and appropriate to the book’s time period, convincingly setting the scene and sharing background details in a subtle, natural way.
Originality: Gaston’s more intimate focus on the interplay between Anne Boleyn and Margaret of Austria makes this novel stand out compared to similar titles, and the author’s devotion to rendering both women realistic and engaging is notable.
Character/Execution: Anne is depicted with a softer side in Gaston’s novel, as she grows familiar with court life and learns to mold it to meet her needs. Margaret is sharp but caring, a capable woman keeping pace with international intrigue customarily orchestrated by men during that time period, and she emerges as an appealing, admirable character.
Plot/Idea: In book eight of Quaver's The Ordeals of Elly Robin sees the titular character, a talented pianist, travel to France to find her love, Edwin Friend, who is flying for the American Escadrille. As exciting and fun as Elly's roundabout challenges are, there is a bit of a disconnect between each new event that makes for a less fluid progression throughout the narrative. Still, the storytelling remains engrossing.
Prose: Quaver's writing style is personable and engaging, inviting readers to connect with the characters right from the start.
Originality: Quaver is a formidable author who crafts a fresh and inspired narrative that will keep readers consistently absorbed. The historical era is beautifully conveyed with a level of detail that brings a level of striking maturity to the story.
Character/Execution: Elly is a vibrant and capable character whose evolution from girl in love to spy extraordinaire is riveting. Readers will easily fall in love with her and seek out the other titles in the series.
Plot/Idea: A House of Cranes is an effortlessly intricate, character-focused drama that is both touching and involving. An exploration of boyhood fascination and wonder, Walter Lee's well-written story is an effectively paced tale of sexual awakening.
Prose: James Walter Lee's text is elegantly written, full of beautifully written observations. His dense passages of description and deft use of language heighten the dramatic atmosphere and infuse the storyline with intimacy.
Originality: A House of Cranes creates an excellently crafted web of passion, desire, and powerful eroticism. The sensual scenes are handled in a discreet and alluring manner, while the work strikingly conveys Lucius's growth and renewal via his creative endeavors.
Character/Execution: Walter Lee demonstrates a deep understanding of human relationships and complex family dynamics in a truly memorable work.
Blurb: A brilliantly realized drama.
Plot/Idea: Silenced Whispers is an enthralling cross-cultural love story set against the backdrop of social upheaval in pre-WWI Tehran. Gohar is caught up amongst the sociopolitical turmoil in a tense and thought provoking story which has a profound impact on the reader.
Prose: Bellisario's novel benefits from an excellent level of description and historical accuracy which propels it to the next level. The prose is sharp, the characters are well rounded and the storyline is consistently compelling.
Originality: Silenced Whispers is a provocative drama with a heart-wrenching and emotional storyline that is gripping and affecting. Bellisario's excellently crafted tale also provides an lluminating insight into the harsh and oppressive social landscape of early 20th century Iran.
Character/Execution: Silenced Whispers is a character-led story with tense, naturalistic and affecting dialogue. The central character of Gohar, an adopted orphan forced to marry a politician 40 years her senior, is particularly well crafted and the reader forms an immediate connection with her plight.
Blurb: A tense and absorbing Iranian drama.
Plot/Idea: August Adams is a soldier and his love interest, Basil Meyers, is a postal censor in this slow-burn, queer, epistolary romance set in 1942 during World War II.
Prose: While, in moments, readers may tire of the letter format, the author gives readers perfect insight into August and Basil's relationship, while capturing the tension of the ever-present danger the men face merely for being in love.
Originality: Jones evocatively blends LGBTQ+ romance with historical fiction. Readers will relish the gradually unfolding relationship at the story's heart, while the backdrop of war adds verisimilitude and impact.
Character/Execution: Jones's characters are individually appealing, relatable, and brought to life via small details. The protagonists' love is rendered especially poignant by the backdrop of violence, loss, and their own internal conflicts.
Plot/Idea: Paradise Undone is a compelling work of historical fiction based on events in Jonestown in the late 70s. Themes of sexual promiscuity and mass murder loom large amongst an intense political landscape in a striking and frequently horrific reimagining of the past.
Prose: Dawid's text is fascinating, boldly mixing fact with fiction in an engrossing and thought-provoking manner. Interspersed with real life quotes from Jim Jones which add weight and authority to proceedings, Paradise Undone tackles difficult and profoundly affecting themes, magnified by Dawid's gripping and impactful language.
Originality: Paradise Undone is an excellently formed work of historical fiction that blends quotes, interviews and dramatic interpretations of events in late 70s Jonestown. Dawid offers a shrewd insight into the sociopolitical climate at the time, seamlessly blending documentary style writing with absorbing fiction.
Character/Execution: Dawid's presentation of central characters Jim Jones and Marceline Baldwin are particularly convincing and authentic. Her characters are infused with real emotional depth, while the direct quotations from Jim Jones lend the novel a striking level of insightful impact.
Blurb: A riveting work of historical fiction.
Plot/Idea: Surviving Gen X tells the story of an unnamed narrator and the turbulent adventures/exploits he endures as he navigates Las Vegas in the 90s. The author is fearless and unsparing, resulting in a book that makes Less Than Zero seem like Goodnight Moon.
Prose: The author's prose is a deft guide through this heartbreaking and darkly hilarious novel. However, several chapters read as a stream of consciousness, which some readers might find confusing.
Originality: This is a singular novel penned by an author who avoids obvious tropes and cliches in favor of authentic character development and unexpected humor with heart.
Character/Execution: Szewczyk has a knack for making the reader care about his characters, a good trick given that many of them do or say unpleasant things. The narrator is cynical but not callous, ruthless but not heartless, and has a soberly hilarious way of describing his topsy-turvy life.
Plot/Idea: Gaiter shapes a bold, striking portrait of Jessie Grandier III, a gay black man coming of age in the 1980s, determined to find belonging and fulfillment in the midst of a culture that rejects the elements that form the core of his being.
Prose: The prose is lyrical and poetic at times, raw and bold at others, and Gaiter skillfully melds conflicting writing styles that mirror the clashes between Jessie's personality, society, and his troubled childhood.
Originality: The evocative setting and eye for historical context makes Gaiter's novel as distinctive as his dreamer protagonist, a man with a delicate power hidden behind a penetrating search for self.
Character/Execution: Despite Gaiter's loose structure, the novel is cleverly executed, and Jessie is a vibrant character who radiates throughout.
Plot/Idea: From Lolah's birth to her eventual engagement, Winful takes readers on a journey of life, love, and doubt. The beautiful plot unfolds evenly, punctuated by moments of intense tragedy and the deep, abiding ties of devotion.
Prose: Winfuls prose is both lovely and engaging, painting Lolah and her supporting cast in shades of wistful longing and rich depth.
Originality: Winful tackles love triangles in expressive, passionate writing that never falls back on clichés. Lolah's story feels both realistic and resonant.
Character/Execution: Winful deftly structures this novel, interlacing scenes from the past seamlessly with memories in the present time. Her characters are well-grounded, and they play off of each other in natural ways. Lolah, of course, is exquisitely drawn, but Nnamdi is also crisp and evocative, a character who will stick with readers long after the novel is finished.
Blurb: A delicate rendering of life's ups and downs, cast against striking and memorable characters.
Plot/Idea: The character Maggie, granny woman and healer, draws readers in from the start, through a sneak peak in the prologue of loss to come. Her kindness, patience, and love persevere throughout this stunning character-driven story, and her life, sorrows, and joys are perfectly punctuated by truly affecting moments—her relationship with the Cherokee, giving birth to her daughter Caroline, the profound loss of her friend Esther and her family, and the final reconciliation at the river between Maggie and Caroline.
Prose: Simple, straightforward prose highlights the novel's time and place of late 1890s North Carolina. Though the setting's natural beauty is surrendered at times, the tighter focus on the particulars of Maggie’s healing practice—and the relationships and families of rural/mountain life—are very well drawn.
Originality: Brown offers several acute shocks and harrowing episodes, but the story's originality and effectiveness lies in its emotional connection with the characters.
Character/Execution: Three outstanding characters—Maggie, Caroline, and Josie Mae—give this story enormous depth, plenty of conflict, and a striking emotional impact. Esther and her family, Daniel, and Cherokee characters Degataga and Oukonunaka, are also well-conceived, creating an overall believable and compelling cast.
Blurb: Moments of joy, devastating grief, and desperate hope make Daughters of Green Mountain Gap a moving historical fiction as well as a quiet tale of deep wisdom.
Plot/Idea: Zephyr Trails is an endearing historical story of a woman who sets out to find her father, previously confined to Andersonville Prison, in the aftermath of the Civil War. Ehrlich brings the old west setting to life while maintaining the central conflict and a sense of forward momentum.
Prose: Ehrlich's prose is buoyant, lyrical, and vivid, evoking a sense of hardscrabble living without relying on overly folksy descriptions or dialogue.
Originality: Zephyr Trails offers a fresh premise, as a daughter seeks the whereabouts of her father. The author provides consistent historical verisimilitude, while delivering an engaging chronicle of the Old West.
Character/Execution: Ellis is a well fleshed-out protagonist. Her search for her father is rounded out by her career as a writer and her desire to take part in Western expansion through the messenger service. While the author invokes white settlers' fears about indigenous people, her main characters acknowledge white prejudice as well as the tribal specificity and individuality of the Native characters they encounter.
Plot/Idea: Radio Free Olympia is an enigmatic, place-driven novel that integrates lyrical vignettes with poetry and mythology.
Prose: The writing style and tone of this novel is varied, alternately whimsical, brash, and sometimes even abrupt. Dunn alternates between these styles in a kaleidoscopic fashion that can border on chaotic. Readers of poetry who savor writing on a sentence-by-sentence level, will relish in the unique storytelling.
Originality: Radio Free Olympia possesses a unique versatility that is grounded more in a sense of place than in a steady progression of plot points.
Character/Execution: The many characters, human and otherwise, serve as near archetypes within the narrative. Dunn beautifully captures the spirit of the Pacific Northwest, both in terms of its rugged history, indigenous cultures, and dense wilderness. Though Dunn does not necessarily delve too deeply into any one character's psyche or show a significant amount of personal or collective development, readers will be left with an understanding of where they've come from and where they stand by the conclusion of the novel.
Plot/Idea: The Fallen Woman's Daughter is a rich novel about family bonds, centering on Nora and Patsy, who are whisked away from their mother, Gertie, and placed in a girls’ home. Neither understands the events leading up to their family being torn apart—or the pain in store for them in the future—but their love for Gertie stays constant, despite the heartbreak they suffer individually and together.
Prose: Cox forms striking descriptions that build layers into the story, lending the main characters a vivid realness that will stick with readers long after the last page. The prose is crisp and clear, with a bright tone that pushes the plot forward.
Originality: The interlacing of generations throughout this engaging novel is moving, as Cox allows her characters to see each other more fully through each other’s eyes—and their experiences together. The thread tying the women together over the years is moving to follow.
Character/Execution: Cox’s characters are eloquently drawn, each with believable motives that make them both authentic and appealing. Nora’s strength and resolve to look after her sister and carve some kind of life for them from literally nothing is impressive to see; meanwhile, Gertie’s initially blasé attitude toward life comes across as disheartening, but she eventually shows pluck that makes her lovable as well—and garners her a sweet, transformative ending of her own.
Plot/Idea: The Curse Of Maiden Scars finds Renna Covert, an 18th century workhouse orphan turned courtesan, struggling to understand her past, survive the machinations of people determined to use her, and hold onto a semblance of self in the midst of a challenging existence. None of these come easy, and before long, Renna faces danger from all directions as long-buried family secrets, from a past she can't remember, are finally unearthed.
Prose: Croft's prose is lovely—even when describing painful moments—and transforms the most gruesome parts of the story into lyrically beautiful scenes. She never shies away from the brutal reality of what women faced in 18th century England, showcasing Renna's quick mind and resilience amid a time in history when women were persecuted and abused.
Originality: The Curse of Maiden Scars is a noteworthy tale, reconstructing itself over time to much more than the story of a poverty-stricken orphan. The book becomes a commentary on society's ills: prostitution, mistreatment of the mentally ill, indifference toward the ravages of poverty, and more, with Croft ably using Renna's life to educate readers in a way that's neither overly obvious or heavy-handed.
Character/Execution: Renna is a sympathetic heroine who readers will root for from page one. She is scarred inside and out, and her headstrong naivete gets her into more trouble than anyone would wish—but that's precisely why she is so memorable. The supporting cast are, like Renna, fully drawn characters in their own right, from best friend Max to authority figure Mother Shipton to Renna's three suitors: Alistair, Henry, and Donovan, all of whom badly want Renna, but for very different reasons.
