Editorial Reviews

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 […]

A whirlwind of an adventure set in the eternally mysterious city of London, The Timepiece and the Girl Who Went Astray by O.R. Simmonds is a bold and meticulously penned thriller. William Wells only wanted a special gift for his girlfriend, but his thoughtfulness sends him spiraling into the midst of a horological battle stretching back generations. Boasting a sprawling vocabulary, visceral descriptions, and a discerning narrative voice that never reveals too much, this time-bending novel will appeal to physicists, anglophiles, treasure hunters, and sci-fi lovers alike. Simmonds echoes the declarative formality of certain English mystery writers, but also displays […]

Author Kaitie Howie delivers a visceral story of growing past pain and learning to love in Broken Like Me, a work of fiction that reads like a gripping memoir. A young mother with deep trust issues spirals into romance with a mysterious stranger who has heavy baggage of his own, leading to a tense, emotional minefield of a read. The flow of the story is smooth, but there are also some odd descriptive and narrative choices, including parenthetical asides and a frequent tendency to tell, rather than show. An experienced editorial pen could eliminate these inconsistencies, but overall this […]

D.K. Dailey launches a thrilling new saga set in the Golden Dreg World universe with Golden Dreg Quake: Baby Box Assassin. In the lead-up to a world-changing quake, a young assassin awakes with a missing three weeks in her memory and a mystery to solve, provided she isn’t wiped off the map by her own crew of deadly assassins first. Drawing from the rich landscape of Dailey’s ever-swelling sci-fi realm, this prequel pulses with excitement, driven by a dauntless new protagonist in Ari. Boasting rough-edged, conversational prose and a tangled plot of deceitful allies and surprising villains, Dailey elevates the […]

Creating a twisted mirror of the wealth inequality that plagues our modern world, Golden Dreg Army Book 1: Enlisted by D.K. Dailey is a thrilling YA adventure, and a worrisome prophecy for the future. Following a world quake, humanity’s dream is to create a society that can withstand anything, but that idealistic vision doesn’t take long to corrode into a vast chasm between the Goldens and the Dregs – the rich and the poor. Peppered with creative details that make this dystopic future feel three-dimensional and all too possible, the story is gripping from the start. The writing is strong, […]

Touching on the timeless battle between blood and loyalty, Return to Cursed Canyon by Samuel Ludke is an emotional, action-packed glimpse into the contentious past. A young Native American boy embarks on an identity-shaping journey through grief and growth, trying desperately to reckon with a life torn between two warring worlds. Pulling readers back to the 19th century, and the uncertain aftermath of the Civil War, this sensitively penned, character-driven novel is a stirring American reflection and a powerful reminder that the lessons of history echo in every generation.

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Zan Safra plunges readers back in time to a golden age of mystery and monsters with Children of the Night, a harrowing but immersively entertaining work of YA historical horror. Safra captures a gothic atmosphere remarkably well, adding to the mythology for some of literature’s most iconic creatures, while weaving a gripping story of friendship, duty, and determination – even to save those who may see you as a monster. At times, the prose is choppy, and the first-person perspective keeps the descriptions and narration somewhat limited, but this memorable novel is enveloping – dark and ominous, while still reading […]

Capturing the energy, pace, and vibrancy of life in Brazil, Rik Stone delivers a thrilling underworld adventure in A Destiny to Die For. Angelita is a smart and savvy hustler who knows how to survive on the edge of danger, but once she finds a stash of drugs worth a life-changing amount of money, the danger on the wrong side of that edge comes looking for her. Written from Angelita’s colorful perspective, the dialogue and character interactions are believable, while some of the confessional moments feel painfully torn from lived experience. With rich descriptive passages, a vividly depicted setting, […]