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Starred Review: AN AMATEUR WITCH’S GUIDE TO MURDER by K. Valentin

Nov 052025
 

Publishers Weekly: An air of dark whimsy pervades Valentin’s thoroughly entertaining debut. In the five years since Mateo Borrero’s less-than-maternal witch of a mother went missing, the 23-year-old has just been trying to get by; not helping matters is the fact that he’s possessed by a demon. Working at a print shop barely pays the bills for him and his best friend and roommate, Ophelia De La Garza, who finds it hard to hold on to a job due to her partially involuntary powers of astral projection. Doing magic makes Mateo’s demonic possession worse, but it’s his best path to earning some fast cash, so he puts up an online ad offering his supernatural services. Enter the wealthy and endearingly naive Topher Nystrom, who hires Mateo to break the bad-luck curse that keeps killing the people around him. As Mateo and Ophelia dig into Topher’s life and the magic that’s affecting him, Mateo’s situation grows worse and they discover things may be more connected than they thought. Valentin puts a light comedic twist on a gripping story filled with dark magic and murder, and a budding romance between Mateo and Topher adds to the fun. Fans of queer romantic fantasy and cozy horror will be delighted.

Review: SEEING OTHER PEOPLE by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka

Nov 042025
 

Library Journal: A reclusive widower and a lonely wanderer open their hearts to love with the help of two ghosts in Wibberley and Siegemund-Broka’s latest, following Book Boyfriend. Morgan is searching for a solution for an unusual problem—she’s being haunted by the ghost of a past lover, and his supernatural disturbances are threatening her home, her current love life, and her peace of mind. Sawyer, on the other hand, would prefer to stay haunted by the ghost of his fiancée forever, but she has other plans. When Sawyer and Morgan meet at a haunting support group, their ghosts seem to want them to work together to solve their unfinished business. The novel successfully blends humor and sadness, especially via the character of Zach, a ghost who becomes more and more compelling and funny as the book goes on.

VERDICT Wibberley and Siegemund-Broka offer a story about love flourishing, despite and because of sorrow, successfully managing a tricky balancing act between grief, romance, and the paranormal. Recommend to readers who enjoy the work of Rosie Danan and Andie Burke.

B&N Best Picture Books of 2025

Nov 032025
 

cover for Don't Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson, illustrated by Dan SantatCongratulations to DMLA author, Neil Sharpson as DON’T TRUST FISH has been listed as a Best Picture Book of 2025 by Barnes & Noble Reads!

October Translation Rights

Oct 312025
 

Chinese rights to Sue Burke’s SEMIOSIS, to Science Fiction World, by Yichan Peng at The Grayhawk Agency, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier for Jennie Goloboy.

Czech rights to Hugo and Nebula nominated author Thomas Ha’s UNCERTAIN SONS AND OTHER STORIES, to Planeta9, by Milena Kaplarević at Prava i prevodi for Michael Curry.

Japanese rights to Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction winner Vajra Chandrasekera’s THE SAINT OF BRIGHT DOORS, to Tokyo Sogensha, by Shreya De Sousa at The English Agency (Japan) in association with Michael Curry.

Portuguese (Brazil) rights to New York Times bestselling author Martha Wells’ NETWORK EFFECT, FUGITIVE TELEMETRY, SYSTEM COLLAPSE, and PLATFORM DECAY, the next four books in The Murderbot Diaries series, to Editora Aleph, by Cristina Purchio at International Editors’ Co. in association with Michael Curry for Jennifer Jackson.

 

Starred Review: TURNS OF FATE by Anne Bishop

Oct 302025
 

Library Journal: The Isle of Wyrd is a place where mundanes can supposedly safely meet the uncanny. Whenever humans disobey the rules, however, Precinct 13 goes out to clean up the mess and pick up the bodies. Not every cop can hack the isle, but newcomer Beth Fahey feels like she’s come home—and the Arcane who control the isle are sure she’s theirs. They also believe that the influence of her past—and theirs—is going to kick off a deadly confrontation on both sides of the Fate River between humans who think the rules don’t apply to them and primeval forces who can’t be influenced, bribed, or bought—only appeased. Bishop’s (“Black Jewels” books) series opener is a story of fate, truth, and consequences, compelling in its description of a world where humans are not in charge yet still have the hubris to believe they are, and where the wild, the weird, and the wonderful are forces that demand obedience and responsibility, as seen through the eyes of a determined investigator who can see both sides of a seemingly insurmountable divide.

VERDICT Highly recommended for lovers of dark fantasy and weird urban fantasy, especially fans of Bishop’s “World of the Others” series.

2025 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction

Oct 292025
 

DMLA congratulates Vajra Chandrasekera as RAKESFALL is announced as the 2025 winner of the Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction!!

The Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction is an annual prize given to a writer for a single work of imaginative fiction. This award is intended to recognize those writers Ursula spoke of in her 2014 National Book Awards speech—realists of a larger reality, who can imagine real grounds for hope and see alternatives to how we live now.

Review: SEEING OTHER PEOPLE by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka

Oct 222025
 

Kirkus: Morgan has been a nomad all her adult life, haunted by past failures and seeking new places to escape them by taking landscaping jobs around the country. But being followed by the ghost of Zach, a one-time hookup, is a new experience even for her. Then she meets Sawyer, who’s been mourning his fiancée, Kennedy, and clinging to her ghost in the house in Los Angeles’ Silver Lake neighborhood they’d planned to redesign together. In trying to free both their ethereal companions and themselves, Morgan and Sawyer agree to work together. Sawyer will let Morgan stay in the studio attached to his haunted house and help her figure out her ex’s unfulfilled wishes so Zach’s ghost can pass on; Morgan will landscape the garden Sawyer planned to create with his fiancée so Kennedy’s spirit can be at peace. As they crisscross Los Angeles in their quixotic quest, Sawyer starts to develop feelings for the free-spirited Morgan even as he fears losing his tie to a happy past. Morgan, meanwhile, is thinking of putting down roots, drawn to Sawyer as he puts himself back together. For a new love to grow, both need to conquer their fear of loss. Despite long meditations on death and grief, the novel has some funny moments, thanks to Zach, who used to be a surfer. The third act breakup and subsequent resolution bogs down the narrative’s early momentum and could have used some pruning. The L.A. setting is integral to the plot, serving almost as a character; the location and its careful use in the narrative feel like a rarity in contemporary romance at the moment.

For readers looking for a sentimental romance with ghostly leanings.

New York Public Library’s Top 20 Horror

Oct 172025
 

Enjoy the Spooky Season! Thomas Ha’s UNCERTAIN SONS and Neil Sharpson’s THE BURIAL TIDE lauded in the  New York Public Library’s 20 Best New Horror of 2025!

UNCERTAIN SONS:

Ha’s collection offers readers a subtle yet terrifying reading experience, highlighting the horror of humanity and the environment in which we live. Not for the faint of heart, but perfect for readers looking for a quieter horror read.

THE BURIAL TIDE:

After clawing her way out of her own grave, Mara Fitch is reacclimating to the life she barely remembers on the island of Inishbannock. As forgotten memories seep into her dreams, she begins to uncover secrets the townsfolk don’t want her to know.

 

 

METAL FROM HEAVEN wins Lambda Literary Award!

Oct 152025
 

DMLA congratulates august clarke as METAL FROM HEAVEN wins Lammy for Best LGBTQ+ Speculative Fiction for the 2025 Lambda Literary Awards!

The Lammys celebrate more than 150 LGBTQ writers across 26 categories spanning a number of genres, lived identities, and experiences. It proudly recognizes works by self-published authors and independent and academic presses alongside works supported by traditional big 5 publishers.

Review: QUEEN DEMON by Martha Wells

Oct 102025
 

Booklist: Witch King (2023) introduced readers to Kai and his crew of disgruntled witches and other assorted enemies of the former Hierarchs. Wells continues their story here, recounting how scholar Dahin has a theory that means they need to go to the archaeological site of the Hierarchs’ origin, and quickly. Meanwhile, an accompanying time line from the past tells a story of Bashara and Kai and their journeys together in the older war, before the events of the first novel. New threats rise up to bring the old world’s violence and pain coming back to the fore as Wells sets up for a series climax. Readers will benefit from having learned the breadth of world and character details in the first volume and, without the need to study here, will blaze more easily through the action and politics. The past story line begins to feel auxiliary to the primary one but does include good character development. Fans of character-rooted high fantasy will enjoy this series led by a demon with a surprisingly soft heart.

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