Nicolina Torres’s NIGHT OF THE MALLRATS, pitched as for fans of Christopher Pike and Paul Tremblay, a horror novel in which a group of former classmates travel back in time to a suburban mall on Christmas 1994 to investigate the disappearance of their friend and the murder of her boyfriend, to Liz Velez at Harper Perennial, at auction, by Kiana Nguyen at Donald Maass Literary Agency (world English) Film/TV rights: Sugar 23
Booklist: Prolific romantasy author Andrews (Broken Kingdoms series, beginning with Curse of Shadows and Thorns, 2021) offers an exciting first entry in a Norse-inspired series. The power of a melder is one that kings have killed for. Lyra Bien has such power and has tried to keep it hidden it since the night of the raids. But secrets don’t stay secret forever, and Lyra is betrayed and sent to Stonegate, the royal fortress of Jorvondal. Roark Ashwood, a deadly warrior with secrets of his own, is tasked with escorting Lyra and guarding her from potential threats. Roark despises melders, whose power he views as corrupt. And how could Lyra trust a Draven, Jorvondal’s sworn enemy? Undeniably drawn together, though, they begin to really see each other. Lyra imagines the hands Roark uses to speak doing more. Roark begins to fall for the melder with silver in her eyes. But will power and betrayal ultimately tear them apart? Expertly weaving together loyalty, love, and lore, Broken Souls and Bones offers a compelling narrative that will have romantasy readers enthralled.
Congratulations to Darcie Little Badger as Elatsoe was included in this fantastic round-up of Kirkus’s Best Books of the 21st Century (so far!)!
Horn Book: This sequel to The School for Invisible Boys (rev. 1/24) shifts its focus to twelve-year-old Samantha Osbourne, budding agent for the clandestine paranormal research group Kairos, as she navigates adolescence, grief, and…monsters. Sam is sent on a covert mission to recover a top-secret list created by recently deceased, eccentric Kairos agent Lionel Frobisher. Using her unique ability to alter her appearance in others’ minds, Sam disguises herself as Lionel’s cousin Sunny for a visit to his Seattle home. When the strange Draven family simultaneously moves in next door, Sam’s suspicions are raised. Hutchinson’s complex story line interweaves the fantastical (living buildings, magic glasses, deadly stuffed animals) with relatable tween concerns (such as feeling “exposed” in a two-piece swimsuit). Details around the loss of Sam’s parents in a fire and the surprising revelation about the Kairos organization’s true motives add narrative depth. Brief chapters, intriguing dilemmas, and near-constant twists will keep readers on edge throughout this substantial addition to a thoroughly creepy and captivating adventure series.
Publishers Weekly:Though Black high school junior Aiden loves football, he’s always believed that his reactions to overstimulation connected with his autism diagnosis would prevent him from joining his older brother, star quarterback Brandon, on the high school team. When he participates in summer tryouts, his overwhelm from a multi-person pileup triggers a meltdown. Assuming he’s doomed his chances, Aiden moves on, until a confluence of events results in his making the team, a development that not everyone—including some of his new teammates—is happy about. Then Aiden is involved in a physical altercation with a white teammate, and Brandon, having protected Aiden, is wrongfully charged with assaulting a white police officer. With the future Brandon has worked so hard for—and the brothers’ relationship—in jeopardy, Aiden determines to clear his brother’s name. Chapter titles count down the days leading up to and following the incident, grounding readers and injecting immediacy into Davis’s propulsive debut. Aiden’s intimate first-person perspective offers an organic portrayal of a Black autistic teen navigating social stigma and systemic racism. Writing nuanced and complexly rendered characters, family dynamics, and social commentary, Davis delivers a powerful portrayal of identity and siblinghood that’s as gripping as it is thoughtful. Ages 14–up. Agent: Kat Kerr, Donald Maass Literary. (Apr.)
The finalists for the 2025 Hugo Awards Finalists were announced a couple of days ago, and we’re over the moon to see our DMLA authors honored! Congratulations all around!
BEST NOVEL
The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett (Del Rey, Hodderscape UK)
BEST NOVELLA
The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed (Tordotcom)
BEST NOVELETTE
“By Salt, By Sea, By Light of Stars” by Premee Mohamed (Strange Horizons, Fund Drive 2024)
LODESTAR AWARD FOR BEST YOUNG ADULT BOOK
The Feast Makers by H.A. Clarke (Erewhon)
Sheine Lende by Darcie Little Badger (Levine Querido)
BEST SEMIPROZINE
Amanda Downum and E. Catherine Tobler for their work on The Deadlands
Premee Mohamed for her work on Escape Pod
Congratulations to DMLA author, Robert Jackson Bennett as his novel, A DROP OF CORRUPTION rings in as a USA Today Bestseller!
Library Journal: Information exists all over the universe, and Sunya Song’s goal in life is to preserve it. She is an archinformist, a specialist historian who has traveled halfway across the galaxy to save as much as she can of the Baomind, an alien artificial intelligence that is in orbit around a dying red giant. Sunya is surprised—and dismayed—to discover that her academic rival (and ex-lover) Vickee Devine has also arrived, along with Sunya’s alien wife and their two children. When the research station and small fleet of ships come under attack by Freeport pirates, the group must protect themselves as well as the Baomind, which the pirates believe should be destroyed. With danger outside and inside the station, Sunya must find a way to contact help, thousands of light-years away. VERDICT The latest entry in Bear’s “White Space” series following Machine) showcases her smart and introspective command of space opera. Well-developed characters highlight not only the big ideas of artificial intelligence, xenophobia, and data preservation but family dynamics and scientific rivalries.
Booklist:The rebel is 17-year-old Zeke Chapman, who rebels against his overbearing attorney father who, when Zeke came out, sternly admonished him to keep a low profile. Zeke struggles against this stricture, joining his school’s Queer-Straight Alliance, whose three (!) members are his best friend, Sawyer, her girlfriend, Kennedy, and his erstwhile boyfriend, Cohen, now his sworn enemy. Or is he? Meanwhile, things heat up when the Pride event the alliance has planned is summarily canceled by the odiously homophobic mayor. Inspired by his mom’s favorite flapper, Zelda Fitzgerald, Zeke suggests they replace the event with a clandestine (officially illegal) speakeasy party—which is a great success. There is much more to this plot-rich novel, but suffice it to say that Zeke’s evolving character is the focus, being examined in almost granular detail and leaving no question that Zeke emerges as a fully realized, multidimensional character—and, happily, an empathetic and proud one at that.
Booklist: Treasure, dead bodies, and cursed underwater caves—just a few of the hidden dangers of deep- sea diving. Phoebe and her best friends, the Salt Squad, are halfway around the world from their home in Key West as they document their dive off the coast of Marimont Island; this is their last hurrah before college tears them apart. However, after Phoebe discovers a breathtaking underwater cave, it appears that the force actually destined to tear the Salt Squad apart is the curse that lurks in the deep. Vivid descriptions of both the sea life and the surreal experience of being far below the waves create such an intense appreciation for the natural, alluring danger inherent in diving that the appearance of the curse seems logical, rather than fantastical. The tension is airtight throughout, with the artful combination of both a present-day narrative and flashbacks to the night months earlier that cracked the Salt Squad’s foundation, building anticipation for a paired reveal. Each character has a depth rarely found in YA thrillers, which manufactures a compulsive narrative that is both plot- and character-driven. Even striving readers will find it difficult to pause their journey with Phoebe and the Salt Squad through the beautiful, deadly ocean around Marimont.