Category: Book Reviews

Mrs. Earline Baker arrives for her weekly reading in her Sunday best, plum nails, silver curls fresh from the beauty shop, and a palm-shaped bruise across one cheek. It is the second one in two months. Nobody mentions it. The great-aunt of the house sends the teenage reader out on an errand, then explains to […]

An evil goddess wages war on an unsuspecting land in this epic fantasy that argues for the great power of love. Fortress of Wind, the third novel of Christian Cura’s on-going epic fantasy series, jumps into the action right away. With evil goddess Malsumi back in power, worshipped by shadow mages and loyal followers like […]

A deeply original collection of short stories revealing a realm of possibilities unbound by the natural and supernatural When it comes to fantasy, science fiction, and other stories that venture beyond realism, worldbuilding plays a significant role. This poses a particular challenge for shorter fiction, but one consistently, skillfully, and variably managed by Australian author, […]

She comes home from the bar at one in the morning with a container of leftovers, climbs the stairs, and finds her twin sitting in a chair by the window with the light on and her eyes open. She says her sister’s name. Nothing. She says it louder, turns the chair, takes her by the […]

During freshman week the new students are sent to the physical education department, told to undress, and photographed naked from three angles with small metal pins taped along their spines. It is described to them as a posture study. It has been done to every entering class since 1880, nobody will tell them where the […]

Her waters break somewhere off Slyne Head, twenty hours from home, with an Algerian galley in the wake and closing. She sends the man who found her back up on deck, bars the cabin door, and delivers her fourth child alone on a straw mattress while the ship is rammed broadside and boarded. She cuts […]

Death is inevitable, but that doesn’t make it any easier to navigate; this book helps readers travel the tricky and painful waters. Moriah Melín W., a Birth and Death Midwife, is no stranger to the process of death and grieving. With both professional and personal experiences of losing people, she knows the challenges inside and […]

A lifetime of memories restored through poetry dripping with nostalgia Gathering Memories, Collecting Dust is exactly that: a gathering of memories that otherwise would be collecting dust. It’s a collection granting us vignette-like glimpses into life’s little moments and reflections. “We promise to take good care of your baggage. Please retrieve your memories at your […]

A provocative dystopian novel about artificial intelligence, human oversight, and the dangerous pursuit of perfect solutions Carbon Zero explores a possible future where humanity embraces artificial intelligence with little regard for ethical boundaries, meaningful oversight, or long-term consequences. It asks uncomfortable questions: What happens when technology becomes so efficient that society begins to worship it? […]

A heroine’s inspirational journey to find the intersection of psychological and medical care—and to find out who she is outside of who she’s always been In the early days of 1978, Judy DePue vaulted into her solo trek around the globe. A PhD recipient in counseling psychology, she’d begun her career in research at Harvard, […]