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Unsettling and evocatively written, The Quelling by C.L. Lauder is an affecting work of dystopian fantasy, and an enticing first installment of a new trilogy. The planet of Aurora Saura is overrun by two parasitic invaders: the monstrous Tarrohar and the insidious, body-possessing Rhemans, whose victims are known as “The Quelled.” 19-year-old Kyjta must form an alliance with the enemy – the rebel Rheman Kranik – to rescue her friend Calipsie and confront the Rheman leader head-on. With chapters alternating between the perspectives of its two compelling protagonists, The Quelling is an intricate and skillfully realized piece of imagination, unveiling […]

A Sip of Magic by Kate Swansea is an enthralling work of romantic fantasy with a delightfully unique premise. Serena is a witch who wants to open a tearoom in Pembrooke, but she doesn’t get the welcome she had hoped – Jared, a handsome but strict member of the Magic Council, is trying to sabotage her in order to protect the secret of magic from the rest of the community. Can Serena and Jared see eye to eye, and can magic ever exist in the open? With effervescent prose, an enchanting backdrop, and an original cast of characters, the novel […]

The Moon Behind the Clouds by Vasilis Taouxis is a heartbreaking feminist novel set in Iran after the Islamic Revolution. Since her mother and brother’s sudden death, Azadeh’s father has spiraled down into depression and has stopped caring for her. When Azadeh becomes a victim of rape, the trauma triggers an early onset of her bipolar disorder, and her position in her radicalized community becomes extremely fragile. Inspired by a true story, Taouxis’ novel is a brutal, honest, and vivid account of the horrors and injustices suffered by a young girl believed to be guilty simply because she’s a woman, […]