Editorial Reviews

Rosie and the Hobby Farm by Kolina Cicero, with exquisite illustrations by Khoa Le, is an educational yet poetic picture book about the importance of nurturing a caring relationship with the world around you, which ticks all the boxes for superlative children’s literature. Rosie lives at the Hobby Farm with her dog Keeper where she explores the countryside, meeting a cat, a bird, a horse, a pigmy goat, and many other friends. As the seasons roll on, each animal teaches an important lesson, such as the value of patience and self-care, which is subtly bolded in red, while Rosie gives […]

A well-written and informative introduction to the world of SQL, or Structured Query Language, which is how computers and databases communicate with each other, SQL Quest: A Journey Through Data by Neha Saini is a comprehensive and easy-to-follow overview of a complex topic. Aimed at young learners at least in its initial presentation, the book may be overly detailed for many young readers, but it is a perfect level for teenagers or adults looking to learn about the intricacies of computer science. Packed with imaginative examples, challenging exercises, and clear explanations, the book may not be wholly effective in its […]

An exhilarating sci-fi thriller exploring good and evil on a galactic scale, Awakened Horror by Quill Holland is a twisted and expansive sci-fi novel with a cast of compelling and conflicted heroes. Haunted by a lingering fear that the Empire has somehow survived and is regaining strength, Raith struggles with the revelations of his past life as a brutal oppressor, despite his recent heroics and the victory of the Republic. En route to a diplomatic mission, Raith’s freedom and family are once again ripped away by his reincarnated enemy, but as a nameless existential terror descends on the scattered colonies […]

A gruesome, creative, and easy-to-devour novella by JC Bratton, Who’s Back at the Door? is a chilling tale and a well-crafted sequel to Who’s at the Door? Years after young Jamie Patterson mysteriously disappears from her dorm room, an ominous mirror split by a crack reappears in the life of a parapsychologist who had been investigating the girl’s unsolved case. The dark force within the mirror is roaming free once again, and the good doctor must team up with an unlikely crew to stop Bloody Mary’s reign of terror once and for all. Feeling like a supernatural horror movie on […]

Taking place in Cheeston, a town inhabited by a mice society, Not Yo Cheeze by Amy Winfield is an exhilaratingly fun piece of middle grade fiction. Tone Provolone and Cheddar Chessman’s cheese shop, inherited from their fathers, is almost always empty, but a new catering contract with the powerful Donna Parmesan could finally be their chance to succeed. As the names and clever set-up might suggest, Winfield loves to play with language, and with some added life lessons about standing up for yourself, this is a lighthearted but meaningful read that is perfectly crafted for young readers, which rivals other […]

An extraordinary, tough-as-nails adventure novel, Desperation Island by Keith A. Hamilton is a gritty take on the pirate genre with a contemporary twist – a 21st Century Pirates of the Caribbean, as the subtitle accurately describes. After Ronald Johnson discovers he is a descendant of Francis Drake, he decides to become a pirate and take to the open sea. Renaming himself Ronald Drake, he gathers together a band of comrades, fulfilling his fantasies and his hard-edged ambitions in a series of dangerous adventures, taking cargo from smaller boats before getting on the radar of both law enforcement and the […]

A wartime noir thriller exploring the edges of New York City, O’Shaughnessy Investigations, Inc. by A.G. Russo is a sharply penned and wildly immersive murder mystery. When the dauntless Maeve O’Shaughnessy takes over the family detective agency while her brothers are away at war, the threat of failure forces her to choose strange bedfellows, such as a grouchy ex-cop who really knows how to take a punch, but she’s not afraid to take a risk or two. Following a spiraling series of clues from one end of New York to another, from blackmail plots to boxing rings, this unlikely pair […]

A beautiful reflection on humanity’s responsibility and relationship to the diverse ecosystems of our natural world, Loose on the Landscape: An Ecologist Looks for Meaning in the Wildest Places by Joel Everett Harding is an ecological manifesto and a travelogue that would make both Darwin and Steinbeck proud. From the Susquehanna River Valley and Chesapeake Bay to Florida swamplands and the Andes Mountains, readers bear witness through the eyes of a true guardian of the earth. Transcending mere observation of ecosystems, the prose unearths an astonishing story of geologic history and the nuanced inner workings of our dynamic natural world. […]