Bell (The Winter Garden) sets this beautiful and bittersweet time travel fantasy at a magical hotel deep in the Swiss Alps. In 2016, Eve Shaw, a London art appraiser, wrestles with guilt and grief, believing she was responsible for her little sister’s death years earlier. She’s haunted by both a spectral white rabbit that follows her around and the tattoo of a white octopus that moves around her body, and her only comfort is the beautiful music of her favorite 20th-century composer, Max Everly. When a strangely familiar elderly visitor arrives at her office, hands Eve an octopus figurine, and promptly drops dead, the bizarre encounter leads Eve to the eponymous luxury hotel, where, she soon learns, each room leads to a different era. From there, the narrative shifts continuously from 2016 to 1917 and 1935, chronicling Eve’s love story with a younger iteration of the mysterious stranger, who turns out to be Max. As she helps him heal from the horrors of his time in the WWI trenches, she hopes to find a way to keep them together despite their different timelines. The convincing, emotional love story, lavish settings, and a wealth of spooky side characters make this sing. It’s a gem. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 08/01/2025 | Details & Permalink

Hugo Award winner Scalzi makes a surprise return to his Old Man’s War series a decade after the publication of The End of All Things with this tightly plotted story of interspecies negotiations. Ten years have passed in-universe as well, and Gretchen Trujillo, former resident of Roanoke Colony, now works as a diplomat for the human Colonial Union in their relations with the extraterrestrial Obin. When the asteroid housing the 50,000-person Unity Colony—a top-secret trial community exploring whether the participants in the peace treaty between the CU, Earth, and the Conclave of alien species can coexist—vanishes from space, Gretchen and her Obin assistant/bodyguard, Ranare, investigate. It becomes clear that the politics and technology of the hyper-intelligent and extremely patronizing Consu aliens are central to solving the mystery and saving the colony. To learn more, Gretchen agrees to become the Consu’s liaison to what they see as lesser species, pulling on her Obin connections to supplement her knowledge. While this installment is light on politics, Scalzi leans into many other series staples—dramatic fight scenes, technical challenges, and bold personalities—and does a good job providing just enough exposition for readers who have forgotten the backstory while keeping the current situation feeling vital. For diehard fans, this will be a treat. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 08/01/2025 | Details & Permalink

In this melancholy fantasy, Huie (the Thedre trilogy) unspools a dragon’s centuries-long life story. Young warrior Sisal grew up hearing her grandparents’ tales of the monstrous red dragon that has been oppressing the town of Vakfored, hoarding precious materials and devouring any who disobey. Now Sisal is the chosen hero to slay the beast—but when she enters the dragon’s cave, he politely introduces himself as Vakandi Foreldri, once known as Life Giver by the people of Vakfored. He promises to “leave Vakfored alone if you listen to my story.” The dragon goes on to chronicle how, 800 years prior, he saved a group of humans, orcs, and dwarves from wolves and led them to a safe place to start a village. Over the centuries, he protected the townsfolk from monsters and foreign invaders. Vakfored came to excel in art, music, and magic, but always relied on Vakandi for protection, something the dragon realized too late could bring about the town’s downfall. He knew he had to teach the townsfolk to defend themselves, even if it meant they turned on him. It’s a promising premise, and though the prose is a bit clunky, Huie imbues Vakandi’s backstory with a good mix of sorrow and affection on the way to a heartfelt conclusion. This poignant tale is sure to please dragon lovers. (Self-published)

Reviewed on 08/01/2025 | Details & Permalink

Bestseller Harrow (Starling House) evokes the romance, magic, and tragedy of Arthurian legend in this breathtaking chivalric fantasy. Owen Mallory has always loved tales of Sir Una Everlasting, the mythic knight who helped Yvanne, the first queen of Dominion, gain her throne. A scholar at heart, Owen devotes himself after returning home from war to researching Una Everlasting and the history of the Middle Dominion. The Death of Una Everlasting is a book so rare that most serious scholars believe it doesn’t even exist—until it shows up on Owen’s desk one day, delivered with no return address. Desperate to keep the tome to himself, Owen brings it home and begins to translate it, only to have it stolen a few days later. Left in its place is a note card with an address, the search for which sends Owen back in time to the Middle Dominion, where he meets Una herself. As Owen leads Una to the grail and the events he knows will bring about her death, he finds it increasingly difficult to see her as a mythic hero, instead coming to know her as a fully rounded human. Told in alternating first and second person, Owen’s and Una’s timelines twine around each other as the past impacts the present impacts the past—and behind it all is a mysterious guiding hand. This impressively constructed plot keeps the pages flying on the way to a stunning finale. Harrow remains at the top of her game. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 08/01/2025 | Details & Permalink

Aaronovitch successfully mixes things up for Det. Sgt. Peter Grant in the entertaining 10th Rivers of London urban fantasy (after 2023’s Amongst Our Weapons), set in an alternate contemporary Britain where magic is real. Peter, who is also a wizard, heads on vacation to Scotland with his wife, Beverley, a river goddess; their twin toddler daughters; and his parents, who insist on joining them. Naturally, the trip turns into a business holiday; Peter is drawn into a whodunit by his friend, Dr. Abdul Walid, who recruits him to make sense of the murder of a man who, Abdul was shocked to discover, has gills. The killing may be related to a recent series of attacks on sheep in the area by something that leaves bite marks resembling those of a large cat. Aaronovitch’s trademark humor is in evidence through Peter’s witty narration as he connects these two quirky cases. Series fans will not be disappointed. (July)

Reviewed on 08/01/2025 | Details & Permalink

Pell’s eerie full-length debut (after the novella Cicadas) adapts the Nathaniel Hawthorne short story “Rappaccini’s Daughter” into a gothic tale that blends themes of familial devotion and skewed feminism with sapphic longing and elements of horror. Cordelia “Cordi” Beecher runs away from the abusive charity school in which she was raised to search for her brother Edward, whose letters to her have mysteriously ceased. Her search takes her from London to small-town Farrow, Edward’s last known location. Despite vague warnings from the locals, she follows his letters to Edenfield Manor, home of Lady Evangeline, a skilled botanist, where Cordi takes a job as a maid. There’s something ominous about the manor, and it’s only compounded by Evangeline’s bizarre house rules, including that all employees must cover their nose, mouth, and hands to “tend to the flowers when called upon,” leaving Cordi even more anxious about what grim fate may have befallen Edward. Still, she persists in her attempts to befriend the all-female staff and snoop in the hidden parts of Edenfield—where she discovers some shocking surprises. Even readers unfamiliar with the original will find the plot somewhat predictable, as Pell has a heavy hand with foreshadowing. Still, it’s easy to sink into the spooky atmosphere, and an impressive final twist will catch even the most genre-savvy unaware. For readers seeking fun queer gothic horror, this delivers. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 08/01/2025 | Details & Permalink

Four queer women hunt a monster that might not even exist in Nolan’s clever but sometimes perplexing debut. After burning out in the corporate world, Delores “Lawrence” Franklin moves with her best friend, Stasia Lanes, to small-town Mistaken Point, which has recently become infamous for the gruesome murders of several young women. Lawrence lands a job at the local arcade, run by the brusque and mysterious Franklin “Franky” Delores, upon whom Lawrence develops an intense crush. Franky doesn’t think the man in police custody actually committed the murders; she believes a literal monster is responsible. After experiencing terrors they can’t explain, Lawrence and Stasia—along with Franky’s dubious friend Pippa—join Franky in her quest to stop the monster. The moody story wends its desultory way through the summer before kicking into a surprisingly high gear in the final act. Weighty issues like systemic misogyny and domestic abuse are raised but mostly relegated to the background, and an ambiguous ending will leave some readers frustrated, but the atmosphere is undeniably well crafted. Those who don’t mind novels that are more vibes based than plot driven will find Nolan an exciting new voice. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 08/01/2025 | Details & Permalink

This cozy romantic fantasy from Wood (Rewitched) explores the strong bonds of found family. After Andromeda “Annie” Wildwood’s family falls into disgrace in the Selcouth witch community, she starts drinking a nightly potion to make herself “perfect,” hoping to avoid further shame. All seems to be going well until she’s tapped by Morena, the coven leader, to train teenage witch Maeve Cadmus, who must learn to control her erratic powers. With reluctance, Annie leaves her beloved London bakery to live in the countryside with Maeve. The coven puts up Annie and Maeve in a quaint if rickety cottage owned by warlock Hal Bancroft—without Hal’s knowledge or consent. When Hal visits the cottage unexpectedly, he’s initially less than pleased to find them squatting, but soon he and Annie strike up a slow-burning romance, bonded by their shared care and concern for Maeve. As the adults learn the full extent of Maeve’s power, they become increasingly concerned about an underground witch group’s sinister plans for her. The novel gets off to a slow start and the true stakes aren’t fully introduced until the middle, but once things pick up, readers will be sucked in. Anyone looking for a lighthearted autumnal romp to snuggle up with will be delighted. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/25/2025 | Details & Permalink

Gailey (Just Like Home) sets this sleek, sexy thriller in a six-person research station in space. Kinsey, the head scientist and researcher, stumbles across the discovery of a lifetime in the desert surrounding their base: proof of life on another planet. Her scientific curiosity has her breaking protocol to bring the sample into the base, where, to the eventual doom of her team, it proves to be an extraterrestrial virus—and far more alive than Kinsey first thought. Isolation and fear of contamination lead to paranoia, compounded by a sandstorm that traps the team inside. The plot becomes a struggle to root out the infected from the healthy, all while Kinsey experiences an exhilarating sexual fixation with the alien virus. Gailey’s genre-aware prose sprinkles nods to The Thing and other sci-fi classics in humorous asides while still maintaining the tension and anxiety of being marooned and helpless. The small cast is skillfully drawn, with wonderfully distinct characters and complicated interpersonal dynamics. The creeping terror of things not being what they seem and people not being who they say they are keeps the suspense simmering. It’s a fun, modern take on first encounter horror. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/25/2025 | Details & Permalink

Ignyte Award winner Clark (the Magic of the Lost series) mixes Iron Age politics with love and the magic of the fens in this well-executed fantasy. Agnir, firstborn child of Garadin Clan Fein, was given by her father to the Chief of Chieftains, Pedhri Clan Aradoc, to keep their clans from war. Raised as a ward of Clan Aradoc, Agnir finds first an ally and then a lover in Pedhri’s daughter, Hadhnri. One afternoon the two escape to the magical Baneswood, legendary domain of the trickster luck-hound, and come across a spring, where they pledge an oath to each other with the sweet water. Though Clan Aradoc has plans for Hadhnri that Agnir can be no part of, the oath leaves the two girls with a sideways blessing: when they craft leatherwork together, they can imbue their pieces with magic that may either protect the bearer or curse them. As Clan Aradoc flourishes, hungry eyes fall on their bounty, threatening the fragile peace. Soon, the lives of all depend on Agnir and Hadhnri’s gifts. Clark’s skill for Viking saga-craft and her clear affection for her sapphic warrior heroines combine into an unforgettable doomed love story. Fans of Clark’s longer works will not be disappointed. Agent: Mary C. Moore, Kimberley Cameron and Assoc. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/25/2025 | Details & Permalink