John Staughton, Senior Reviewer

The sassy and divine superhero in a perpetual state of self-discovery returns in Athens Ophelia the Partitioner: The Diamond-Bodied Prince by Zachary Aneiress. Parading into the last year of high school, wrestling with society’s bigoted demons, and still carving out time to occasionally save the world keeps Aneiress quite busy, but untangling the spell that has been cast on his own curious heart may be the biggest challenge to date. Addressing contemporary issues all young people face, while exploring the more complex challenges of the LGBTQ and BIPOC communities, and doing it all with a fresh, unabashed attitude, this latest […]

Demere Coker muses on the nature, purpose, and longevity of connection in Irrational Love, a methodical and meditative collection of reflective poetry. Along with poems that pine for lost love, there is also a self-aware exploration of the poetry itself – an acknowledgment of metaphor, simile, and meter on the page, and their dual relevance to the changing shapes of love. While the heartfelt and often longing sentiments in these brief and declarative poems are tender, they also rely on familiar imagery and straightforward descriptions that could use more creative license. Some of the pieces in this collection are […]

Part near-future dystopia, part visionary future thriller, Mind Painter by Tom B. Night welcomes readers into humanity’s imagined realities on two different planets. Driven by the eternal quest for home, and a paradoxical plot where Earth’s ex-pats want to re-colonize the blue planet, this richly layered story is fantastical, yet grounded in deeply relatable issues. Climate change is stimulating desperation and conflict on our planet, and in less than a decade we could be facing struggles similar to what Night has depicted here. Add in wildly creative prose that brings the 24th century Martian landscape to life, a cast of […]

Finishing out the Love@Work series with a bang, Work With Me by Pax Sinclair is a wild and blushing romp that will leave you hot under the collar. Chloe decides to take a risky gambit in her game-playing romance, complicating her own heart and professional life in the process, even as she tries to manipulate the emotions of her ex-dreamboat lover, and current boss. The steamy and perpetually charged narration, as in Sinclair’s other work in this series, makes the reading experience feel like a dirty little secret. Despite the occasional overuse of internal monologue, this femme-driven novel is sexy, […]

An experimental, philosophical, and poetic sojourn into the self, The Tower & The Star by B.D. Hildreth is a dark and reflective collection of verse like few others. A lone voice wanders in nothingness – bathing in light, seeking connection, imagining purpose, and creating meaning in isolation, armed with poetic narration that is both epic and enigmatic. There is a storyline of self-discovery here, buried beneath imagery and mystery and tangled verse, which forces each reader toward their own unique interpretation. No two experiences of these stanzas will be the same – an intentional puzzle on the part of Hildreth, […]

A trio of friends leap into a mystical and dangerous adventure to better their troubled lives in The Scavenger by Aidan Lucid. A coming-of-age story with heavy allegorical elements, this YA novel highlights the power of friendship amidst struggle, and reveals the hidden consequences of chronic trauma, bullying, and abuse in young people. The story may have undertones of “be careful what you wish for,” but the themes Lucid explores are important and timely. Blending fantastical elements with relatable relationships, authentic dialogue, and common struggles too often left undiscussed, this book does what YA literature should always strive for – […]

A quick and important story about common anxieties that young children face, The Little Brown Spider in Which Way to Go? by Dennis Derobertis is a beautifully illustrated primer for kids before they start attending school. Michael is worried about not knowing which direction to turn after getting off the bus at school, but a new friend helps him find the way. While this worry is understandable for kids, the language and focus are somewhat repetitive, which is necessary and common in children’s books, but happens a bit too often here. However, the illustrations are exquisite, and the titular spider […]