Review: A HOME FOR UNUSUAL MONSTERS by Shaun David Hutchinson

Apr 172025
 

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.

Starred Review: ALL THE NOISE AT ONCE by DeAndra Davis

Apr 162025
 

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.)

Starred Review: THE FOLDED SKY by Elizabeth Bear

Apr 102025
 

The cover of The Folded Sky by Elizabeth Bear with a dramatic outerspace scene.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.

Review: THE REBEL’S GUIDE TO PRIDE by Matthew Hubbard

Apr 092025
 

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.

Starred Review: OUT OF AIR by Rachel Reiss

Apr 022025
 

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.

Review: REMEMBER YOU WILL DIE by Eden Robins

Mar 242025
 

Reactor: “The book began to feel not as if it stared at death, but like it had found a way to show how the tendrils of each life reach out and find their way into so many other lives. It was, in the least hokey way possible, life-affirming. And also just brilliantly put together.”

Starred Review: THE STARVING SAINTS by Caitlin Starling

Mar 202025
 

Publishers Weekly: Fans of sapphic romance and gory cannibalistic horror will find unexpected common ground in this masterful medievalesque fantasy from Starling (Last to Leave the Room). Aymar Castle is under siege, leaving the people trapped inside mad with hunger and desperate for any source of salvation. Loyal knight Ser Voyne attempts to maintain order while the king’s alchemist Phosyne urgently searches for a way to create food and serving girl Treila tries to keep her head down while secretly simmering with rage at Ser Voyne. When the castle is unexpectedly visited by the Constant Lady and her attending saints, the feast they bring appears to be exactly the miracle the starving people prayed for. But the truth is much darker, and Ser Voyne and Phosyne soon find themselves fighting to prevent a bloodthirsty bacchanalia that would consume them all, while Treila contemplates fleeing. Starling expertly balances the plot’s contrasting aims, offering gruesome horror and sweeping fantasy worldbuilding in equal measure. The dextrously delineated human hierarchy in the castle and the creepy saints’ bee-based faith system undergird the increasingly shocking events of the plot. The pace is fast, the twists are unexpected, and the complex queer characters—each of whom narrate in wonderfully distinct voices—are easy to root for. This is a feast. (May)

Starred Review: YOU DESERVE TO KNOW by Aggie Blum Thompson

Mar 062025
 

Library Journal: Thompson’s new novel of suburban scandals and secrets (following Such a Lovely Family) is set in a peaceful subdivision outside of Washington, DC. All appears normal for Aimee, Gwen, and Lisa, three neighborhood wives who share weekly dinners, exchange parenting advice, help each other out with their kids while their husbands tag along, and even go on family vacations together. One night after a group dinner in their neighborhood, Aimee overhears an argument between Gwen and her husband, Anton, from the next yard over. The following morning, the neighbors receive the news that Anton is dead—murdered. The subsequent police investigation creates waves among the group. Secrets begin to surface, and everyone’s perfect facades begin to crumble, creating doubt in all of the relationships. Some of the neighborhood’s residents are not who they say they are; many of them are harboring jealousy, judgment, and deceit.

VERDICT Thompson flawlessly creates engaging plot twists and imperfect, realistic characters that readers will love to hate. This is a must-buy for public libraries and perfect for fans of Adele Parks and Lisa Unger.

Review: THE TOMB OF DRAGONS by Katherine Addison

Mar 052025
 

Shelf Awareness: An unassuming hero must move forward after trauma and seek reparations for a historic crime in this emotionally deep, friendship-affirming fantasy mystery. The Tomb of Dragons is the third in Katherine Addison’s the Cemeteries of Amalo series, set in the universe of her breakout novel The Goblin Emperor.

Othala Thara Celehar’s victory over a dangerous evil in the previous book, The Grief of Stones, came at the price of his power to speak to the dead and therefore his standing as Witness for the Dead. Now he must decide who he is without that title. He continues to follow the calling of his god, “even though I wasn’t sure I had one anymore,” as well as advising his mentee, Othalo Tomasaran, who finds herself suddenly thrust into the role of Witness for the Dead. His Archprelate charges him with investigating a large municipal cemetery that has stopped accepting the dead. Celehar finds a sea of disorganized paperwork and orphaned bones at the cemetery office, as well as a supervising prelate overwhelmed by the Sisyphean task of sorting it all out. He will also learn once and for all whether his calling is finished with him when a group of miners forces him to confront a long-dead, vengeful dragon spirit trapped within a mountain. Celehar will have to face down some of the nation’s most powerful players to see justice served.

Addison (The Witness for the Dead) continues to flesh out her world, adding new political and economic details along with her own take on dragons. Celehar finds plenty of mystery and intrigue, or it finds him, even without his power. The core of the story reckons with the complexity of healing, whether from a widespread social injustice or a personal crisis. Celehar’s previous adventure has left him shaken and unsure of his future, but he won’t endure his struggles alone. He is supported by familiar friends, including opera director Iäna Pel-Thenhior, and new ones such as Hanu Olgarezh, an honorable guard captain with eyes of “pale orange fire.” Fans will be happy to see cameos from the Goblin Emperor, among others. While the finale offers some closure, Addison leaves plenty of room to return to Celehar and his continuing escapades. Readers who are up to date on Celehar’s earlier ventures will derive the most enjoyment from this installment. Readers new to Addison’s world should consider enjoying her highly recommended backlist. —Jaclyn Fulwood, blogger at Infinite Reads

Shelf Talker: Katherine Addison’s fantasy mystery series continues with an emotionally complex story of healing and reparation.

Review: YOU DESERVE TO KNOW by Aggie Blum Thompson

Feb 242025
 

Booklist: “Thompson initially creates a genial, sociable atmosphere that quickly turns dark, with steadily escalating tension, unexpected twists around every corner,revelations about how dark human nature can be, and an ending that is as shocking as it is shattering.”

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