Review: ALL THE NOISE AT ONCE by Deandra Davis

Feb 122025
 

Kirkus: An autistic Black teen in Florida battles on and off the field to define his own destiny and come to his brother’s aid. Sixteen-year-old Aiden Wright wants to play football with his older brother during their last school year together before Brandon goes to college. But sensory stress during Aiden’s team tryout leads to a meltdown, and he’s only invited to play when two other athletes leave. Meanwhile, Aiden is placed in a life skills class that’s typically reserved for kids who have challenges. There he’s partnered for a project involving getting a part-time job with friendly new girl Isabella, who got in trouble at her old school. When a teammate who’s long been cruel to Aiden because of his autism instigates a fight that escalates, Aiden becomes a victim of police violence. Brandon intervenes, trying to protect him, and is arrested and charged with assaulting an officer. Now Aiden battles complicated team dynamics while he tries to get Brandon exonerated. Aiden is a nuanced character with a well-developed inner life. The brothers’ realistically drawn relationship is both flawed and vulnerable, showing the different facets of their personalities. The coaches and about half the football players are white, and the Wrights live in a wealthy, predominantly white area of town; Davis’ debut explores the intersections of race and socioeconomic differences. An atmospheric gridiron tale that highlights the complexities of team sports, friendship, and bias.

Review: OUT OF AIR by Rachel Reiss

Feb 102025
 

Kirkus: A group of scuba-diving friends from the Florida Keys go on an adventure after high school graduation—but it may be their last. Phoebe “Phibs” Ray is a natural underwater. Her instincts have led her not only to befriend the Salt Squad, her crew of dive shop pals, but also to discover historic gold coins. The Salt Squad—Phibs, Lani, Isabel, Gabe, and Gabe’s twin, Will—have gone viral on social media thanks to Phibs’ find and her photos and videos of their dives. Over this last summer before they embark on different paths, the teens decide to go to Australia. Phibs, who knows nothing about her father and whose mother abandoned her, lives with her grandmother, and unlike her rich, college-bound friends, she isn’t excited about her future: staying home and caring for Gram. But she’s looking forward to this trip to a remote atoll off the coast of Western Australia, not least because she’ll get to spend time with dark-skinned Gabe, her crush (most other characters present white). Their destination is also the subject of gruesome, creepy stories about a mysterious, treasure-filled cave. Alternating timelines slowly and effectively reveal the Salt Squad’s shared secret and the truth about Phibs’ past. Phibs is a compellingly strong, nuanced lead, and her romantic scenes with Gabe are steamy. The book, which delves into environmental themes, ultimately reaches a conclusion that’s unusual and effective.  A deep-sea adventure that snappily blends mystery and romance with social themes.

Review: COLD IRON TASK by James J. Butcher

Feb 072025
 

Library Journal: Grimshaw Griswald Grimsby may have finally achieved his goal as an auditor for the Department of Unorthodox Affairs in Boston, but his first case was full of mistakes and nearly cost him his closest friends. Grimsby is willing to do nearly anything to make things right and patch up these relationships, even stealing from an otherworldly vault, no questions asked. Things get more troubling when Grimsby finds out that his partner, Mayflower, has past secrets that might affect what comes next, and Grimsby’s willingness to keep quiet may be his biggest mistake ever. The novel’s setting in a magical Boston and its interesting characters are highlights of Butcher’s invested writing. Readers might be tempted to compare him to his prolific, bestselling father (Jim Butcher), but he is making his own mark on the urban fantasy subgenre. VERDICT: The third outing for Butcher’s troubled magical protagonist (after Long Past Dues) continues to provide answers and also ask more questions. Solid action and quippy dialogue will keep readers engaged for the long haul.

Starred Review: A DROP OF CORRUPTION by Robert Jackson Bennett

Feb 052025
 

Publishers Weekly: Bennett’s wonderfully clever and compulsively readable sequel to 2024’s The Tainted Cup offers another winning blend of fantasy and classic detection, featuring off-beat sleuths who call to mind Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin but operate in a realm under constant threat of destruction from eldritch marine creatures known as the leviathans. Ana Dolabra, “a woman so brilliant she lives most of her days blindfolded and rarely leaves her rooms, for fear that common life shall overwhelm her mind,” and her legman, Dinios Kol, who has been genetically augmented with the ability to perfectly recall what he sees and hears, are the Khanum Empire’s go-to case-cracking duo. Bennett again gives them a baffling murder to solve: Immunis Mineti Sujedo, part of a Treasury delegation on a high-stakes mission, vanished from his locked room, only for his partial remains to surface five days later. The investigators must ascertain how he disappeared, who killed him, and why. Other deaths follow, muddying the waters. Bennett skillfully integrates humor and magic into the complex puzzle plot and plays fair with planting clues for the reader. Randall Garrett fans will be hooked. (Apr.)

Starred Review: THE TOMB OF DRAGONS by Katherine Addison

Jan 292025
 

Library Journal: This cozy fantasy mystery, set in the world of The Goblin Emperor, picks up where the previous book, featuring Witness for the Dead Thara Celehar, left off, with Celehar uncertain of his future after the loss of his abilities from his run-in with a deadly ghoul. But Celehar still has his intelligence, his dogged determination, and his contacts in the city. Serving as his Arch-Prelate’s troubleshooter, Celehar investigates the 50-year complete dysfunction of a city cemetery, gets kidnapped, and finds his abilities have miraculously returned when he faces a dead dragon who needs a witness to bring justice against a corporation capable of bringing down the whole empire. In theory, this series shouldn’t be cozy because Celehar has a knack for ending up in epically awful trouble, but he is such a cozy character, just getting the job done and taking each task as it comes to its conclusion. His self-effacing modesty makes him a delight to follow even as it drives his friends to distraction. VERDICT: Readers who are enthralled with the new cozy fantasy trend or love a cozy mystery will be delighted with Celehar and his latest investigation.

Starred Review: YOU DESERVE TO KNOW by Aggie Blum Thompson

Jan 232025
 

Publishers Weekly: In this captivating standalone from Thompson (Such a Lovely Family), tragedy and scandal rock a neighborhood in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. Gwen Khoury, Aimee Stern, and Lisa Greco-King enjoy weekly get-togethers with their husbands and children, but at one such gathering, tensions rise after Lisa questions Aimee’s parenting and Gwen’s husband, Anton, has too much to drink. At the end of the evening, Anton gets uncomfortably close to Aimee and whispers “You deserve to know” in her ear before leaving. The next day, the police inform Gwen that Anton’s corpse was found near a local bar. Suspecting homicide, investigators question Gwen and Anton’s neighbors, discovering that Aimee’s husband, Scott, was one of the last people to see Anton alive. Soon, the women start to turn on one another, and flashbacks reveal cracks in their friendship that predate the skirmish in the book’s opening scene. Thompson drops her fully fleshed-out characters into a mile-a-minute plot peppered with blindsiding twists, making the novel easy to devour in a single sitting. This is domestic suspense at its finest. (Mar.)

Review: DON’T TRUST FISH by Neil Sharpson

Jan 222025
 

School Library Journal: What makes a good unreliable narrator… in a picture book? One might argue that it’s very much the same qualities that make a good unreliable narrator in a work of fiction for older readers. There’s the choice the author must make as to whether or not to show their hand early or leave the reveal right up until the end. Then there are all the little details that appeared earlier in the book, leaving the reader to doubt everything they were told. That may sound a little heavy for a title whose intended audience is probably still a little unclear on the whole tying-your-shoes deal, but believe me when I say that when it comes to a book like Don’t Trust Fish, I feel inclined to pull out all my literary criticism tips and tricks. There are some picture books that you read that make you chuckle when you see the cover. There are some picture books where they might get one legitimate laugh out of the adult reader. There are some picture books that are funny to young readers. Now consider a book that makes everybody, and I do mean everybody, laugh from the cover onwards. THAT, my friends, is a picture book worth celebrating! That is a rarity! That… is I Don’t Trust Fish.

There are animals in this world that you can rely on. It has fur, is warm-blooded, and feeds its babies milk? That’s a mammal. Cold-blooded with scaly skin and lays eggs? Reptile. Feathers? Birds. Easy peasy. Then… there are fish. Fish don’t follow the usual rules, so you know what that means? “Don’t trust fish!” Don’t trust ‘em! Thanks to this book, you will learn the myriad reasons not to trust these sneaky denizens of the deep. Whale sharks? They’re the size of buses. “That is not okay”. Fish watch us. They plan. They scheme. With scintillating details and delightful art, young readers are given ample reasons not to trust our underwater brethren. But who, precisely, is imparting this information?

Review: BOOK BOYFRIEND by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka

Jan 212025
 

Publishers Weekly: Married writing duo Wibberley and Siegemund-Broka (The Breakup Tour) beguile in this empathetic enemies-to-lovers romance. After book marketer Jennifer Worth ends her unsatisfying relationship, she decides to spend a week at an immersive fan experience based on her favorite romantic fantasy series, wanting an escape into a world where love is passionate and real. She’s shocked when she arrives to find her work nemesis, Scott Daniels, also in attendance and cosplaying as one of the men of her dreams. As they search for clues through the elaborate themed scavenger hunt, their constant sparring turns to white-hot attraction. Now Jennifer wonders if her own romantic fantasies, which she’s long dismissed as unrealistic, might be achievable after all—with the one person she least expected to fall for. The authors convincingly portray Jennifer’s romantic angst and Scott’s swoony attempts to woo her. A robust supporting cast rounds out the love story as Jennifer makes new friends who are all as obsessed with the series as she is and becomes embroiled in drama brewing among the experience’s actors. This is a treat. (Feb.)

Starred Review: DON’T TRUST FISH by Neil Sharpson

Jan 172025
 

cover for Don't Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson, illustrated by Dan SantatPublishers Weekly: This animal guidebook send-up starts innocently enough, with a portrait of a dairy cow alongside a simple description of mammalian characteristics: “This animal has fur. This animal is warm-blooded.” Entries for a reptile and bird follow before a page turn reveals an outsize fish. “This is a FISH,” bold-faced type declares. “DON’T TRUST FISH.” Sharpson (When The Sparrow Falls) expands: “Fish don’t follow any rules…. They are rebels and outlaws.” A hint about the screed’s possible source soon appears: “Some fish eat poor, innocent crabs who are just trying to have a nice time in the sea.” Further sins are documented: “The angler fish attracts poor defenseless crabs by glowing. This is called ‘bioluminescence.’ It’s also called ‘cheating.’ ” Caldecott Medalist Santat fires up the comedy with goggle-eyed vignettes of crafty fish, spying fish, disguised fish, and more. “They may already be in your home,” attends an image of a goldfish surveilling a family’s children, then escaping down a tunnel to report to its boss. The claims push ever further into conspiracy territory before the hand-wringing, claw-waving crab is revealed in this rapid-fire comedy of piscine paranoia. Ages 3–7. (Apr.)”

Review: METAL FROM HEAVEN by august clarke

Dec 032024
 

Library Journal: Marney lost her family and her best friend when their employer, ichorite baron Yann Chauncey, broke their strike with a massacre. She, the sole survivor, is lustertouched, a hallucinatory illness that develops in ichorite workers. After building a career as a bandit, Marney sees a chance for revenge when Chauncey’s daughter invites eligible suitors to compete for her hand in marriage. She’ll have to fake a noble identity and conceal her past long enough to outlast the competition, charm an heiress, and strike her enemy down. This novel is a rollicking, anti-capitalist fever dream with vivid prose that grows hallucinogenic at points from Marney’s illness and all-encompassing grief. The worldbuilding is as intricate as the language, with vying factions and different religious traditions that complicate her quest for vengeance. 

VERDICT: Clarke’s (“Scapegracers” series, writing as H.A. Clarke) adult debut, an irreverent queer fantasy novel, will thrill readers and appeal to fans of the “Locked Tomb” series by Tamsyn Muir, while the fusion of technology and magic and clash between industrialists and outlaws is reminiscent of Netflix’s Arcane.

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