Editorial Reviews

Author Carrie Thorne once again tosses readers into a feel-good love story spiral with A New Day, the fourth book of her Foothills series. Similar in its themes to earlier tales, but notable for its more deeply developed characters, the unabashedly honest narrative tone pulls readers into a small-town whirlwind romance with the potential for so much more. Though some of the plot feels predictable, loyal readers of this series will appreciate the occasional callbacks to old characters, and the ever-expanding charm of Foothills. Ideal for a long guilty pleasure of an afternoon, fans of full-blooded romance, football, and […]

A charming and heart-pumping tale of inopportune timing, undeniable attraction, and the hardest truths to tell ourselves, A Day Late by Carrie Thorne is a quick and entertaining work of romance. Armed with snappy dialogue, longing glances, and narrative voices that are both self-aware and self-reflective, there may be something lacking in the character depth, or the emotional investment demanded of the reader, but watching a classic love triangle unfold is always entertaining, and handled here like a classic romantic comedy. Bursts of humor reveal the author’s wit, while the patient storytelling allows space for playful details and scene-crafting that […]

A laugh-out-loud hilarious guidebook of questions and answers about surviving in a subdivision, Julie Wheaton’s Which House Is Mine Again?: 80 Questions I Never Had ’til I Moved to a Subdivision is a simultaneously tongue-in-cheek and heartfelt memoir about living in cookie-cutter homes. Wheaton covers everything from negotiating with your HOA to writing holiday letters, and discloses the truth behind terms like “pool-sized yard” and “harmonious floor plans.” While obviously a niche subject, even readers who don’t have tract houses will enjoy Wheaton’s hugely comical anecdotes, and those who do will be nodding along at each rapier-sharp observation.

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A highly original YA urban fantasy, The Rise of the Raidin by Susan L. Markloff is an engaging mixture of everyday high school pressures, and the pressure of confronting mythical beasts. Jennifer Monroe may seem like a typical eighteen-year-old, but she’s actually a commanding half-dragon energy wielder in training. When dragons and a cunning villain come to Earth and mount an attack on her high school, Jennifer will uncover the truth about a prophecy that foretells her fate. The story might have one too many characters to keep track of, but the well-choreographed action scenes and snappy dialogue more than […]

An original and identity-affirming tale of night-cursed vampires, complex love, and a bold fellowship of imperfect adventurers, Descent of Ravens by A.C. Andrews is a dark and masterful YA novel. Discovering and expanding their sword-and-sorcery powers to beat back the sinister forces of evil, many of the young kinji in this tale are also navigating their own blossoming sexual identities and gender perspectives. The combination of classic fantasy elements and contemporary cultural themes results in a thought-provoking and norm-challenging story that is both deeply intimate and broadly appealing.

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A philosophical, surreal, and irresistible dive into a Nameless City, The Silent Symphony by Marcel M du Plessis is a mind-expanding narrative too weird to be ignored and too wise to be untrue. A series of cryptic characters choose “fatal acts of desperation” and every shrugging misstep is shadowed by the pervading sense that no one and nothing is what it seems, unraveling itself with Kafkaesque levels of psychological symbolism. Cas, Warrick, and Kat form the novel’s magnetic core of artists, dreamers, writers, and wild ones, taking readers on a cerebral journey through a bizarre and eerily silent world, for […]

A transatlantic drama of mafia ties, Vegas dreams, Nazi gold, and one family’s struggle for legitimacy, The Picture Box by Carlo Armenise is a fast-paced thrill of a novel. Complex character revelations and a straightforward storytelling style make this a culturally immersive read that is easy to devour. The blending of long-buried secrets with new and visceral mysteries, jewelry thefts, and inexplicable tragedies keep the story spiraling in unexpected directions, often pushing forward at a manic pace. The prose is sometimes abrupt, and the dialogue can feel heavily explicit or unnatural, but the relentless pace of this shadowy tale is […]

A perfect combination of medical drama and romance, Braiding Roses is an endearing novel about a doctor whose life plans are waylaid by a rural job posting in the Australian outback, an original and charming focal point for a romance. After a horrific argument with her boss on day one, Amanda fears the worst, but she’s actually in for a period of crucial personal discovery. Sometimes the characters act too young for their ages, especially given the medical setting, but the book’s delightful charisma and captivating development of both character and plot make this a tender, affecting read.

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