(2) YA Ash Woods, the transmasculine alchemist who saved the city from his father’s destructive magic in Infinity ­Alchemist (rev. 3/24), begins this novel now licensed, honored by House Alexander, and cohabiting with the two people he fell in love with, Callum and Ramsay. But Ash is coping with symptoms consistent with PTSD and is worried that the other two will realize they love each other and not him. When Lord Alexander suggests—threateningly­—that Ash become his spy in the outlaw Alchemist Liberation Party, and then the ALP kidnaps Ash to recruit him to spy on Lord Alexander, Ash becomes a double agent to protect Callum and Ramsay from attack but ends up forced to betray each of them. The motivations and pressures brought to bear can be difficult to track at times, but Ash finds he aligns with the goals of the ALP and takes steps he can’t back away from, alienating both of his lovers in the process. Meanwhile, chaos energy left over from Ash’s father’s attack raises the stakes to potential universal destruction. Fast-paced action sequences and a dollop of metaphysics make this exciting sequel a good fit for those who like their fantasy to take big swings.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2025

(2) YA Ash Woods is an unlicensed alchemist, a groundskeeper at a college that will employ him but not admit him to study and train to practice alchemy openly and legally. When Ramsay Thorne, a graduate apprentice, catches Ash working a bit of creation alchemy, he proposes a deal: if Ash will help search for the Book of Source, Ramsay will teach him what he needs to know to pass the licensing exam. In the process, Ash falls for the alchemist. Ramsay (who is genderfluid and uses alternating pronouns) has her own skeletons in her past and now seeks to destroy the Book. When the quest goes awry, Ramsay abandons Ash to the authorities to find the Book herself, and Ash is taken captive, kept under the watch of -- coincidentally -- Callum Kendrick, who broke Ramsay's heart back in boarding school, and whose gentleness Ash also finds irresistibly attractive. This elaborate adventure leads to some surprising places -- alternate universes; a threesome involving Ash (who is transgender), Callum, and Ramsay -- but readers will thrill to the high-stakes predicaments and appreciate the characters' attempts to remain true to themselves, no matter the cost.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(3) YA High-school junior Brynn works as a con artist so that she can afford college and escape her mom's drug-dealer boyfriend. Her swindling talents earn her a spot at secretive boarding school Vale Hall, making her dreams of escaping come true--at a cost. This twisty, high-stakes modern thriller (based on Norse mythology) will make readers question their own codes of ethics.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(3) YA A newly discovered ability to channel the perspective of an unknown serial killer raises a serious dilemma for sixteen-year-old morgue reporter Nathalie Baudin: reveal her supernatural powers and aid the police, or reject them for a life of normalcy? Set in nineteenth-century Paris, a time when the city's fascination with death warranted daily newspaper morgue reports, this eerie historical mystery will appeal to fans of Gothic thrillers.

Reviewer: Grace Enriquez

(4) YA After a serious car accident, Olivia wakes up--but discovers that her consciousness survived the crash in the body of her best friend, Morgan. Suddenly submerged in Morgan's privileged life, Olivia discovers unnerving secrets about the girl she thought she knew. The novel's central mystery, although suspenseful, doesn't really pay off, though other elements of this body-swap thriller will satisfy romance and psychological-thriller fans alike.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(4) YA Four years after the extraterrestrial Luxen invasion, the world is a dangerous, divided place. Still, seventeen-year-old Evie never expects that a night out dancing and a club where humans and aliens mingle will change everything. But Luc, the sexy and mysterious alien club owner, blows apart Evie's whole life. Sharing the world of Armentrout's Lux series, this steamy if formulaic spinoff will hook paranormal-romance fans.

Reviewer: Jenn Matters

(3) YA In nineteenth-century Connecticut, Valentine Deluca must brave the suspicious jeers of townsfolk who cannot forget that her mother was hanged for killing Nigel Bradshaw. But a string of mysterious disappearances--including that of her father and the town reverend who believes that Valentine's mother was innocent--compels Valentine to uncover the truth, with unexpected help from Bradshaw's son. A romantic thriller for fans of Gothic mysteries.

Reviewer: Grace Enriquez

(4) YA Illustrated by Rhys Davies. Ryber is the only Sister at the convent who hasn't become a Sightwitch with the gift of foretelling. When the other Sisters mysteriously disappear into their goddess's mountain, Ryber sets out after them to discover why. This prequel to Truthwitch and Windwitch--a novella of journal entries and drawings from multiple sources--doesn't stand alone, but it will appeal to fans of the fantasy series.

Reviewer: Jeannie Coutant

(3) YA When Ang's boss is framed for the murder of Bar-Selehm's prime minister, the seventeen-year-old former steeplejack is determined to clear his name. But with a racist coalition government at the helm and a mysterious illness sweeping the nonwhite neighborhoods, it won't be easy for her. This conclusion to the timely alt-history fantasy trilogy (Steeplejack; Firebrand), led by a remarkable female protagonist of color, is both eloquent and exciting.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(3) YA Students are injured by police--and African American protagonist Moss's boyfriend is killed--in a series of escalating altercations in California's West Oakland High School. Moss, who suffers panic attacks due to his father's earlier murder by police, finds the courage to fight back. A large, diverse cast of characters and many plot threads shed light on issues related to police brutality from multiple angles, and the climax is compelling.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) YA Two years after their high-school breakup, musicians Vee and Cam are awkwardly reunited during a nationally televised battle-of-the-bands tour. Through alternating perspectives and shifting chronologies, this breezy but heartfelt debut explores what happened then--and what might be possible now. Music fans and aspiring rock stars will especially enjoy this new-adult road-trip novel.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(4) YA In this To Catch a Killer sequel, sleuth Erin helps her uncle run a CSI summer camp; it's an entertaining distraction, but it doesn't keep Erin from meddling in her boyfriend's convict father's murder case. Erin and her friends are still improbably skilled in a variety of crime-solving skills, but those who are able to suspend disbelief will find a quick-paced, fairly satisfying teen whodunit.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald

(3) YA In a polluted, dystopic future America, smuggler Marin comes from a line of corsarios (pirates). Riots over the Relocation Act--moving impoverished "Shorelings" to the man-made island Pacifica--connect Marin with the president's son Ross, who ultimately needs Marin's help on a desperate sea-faring quest. The dark, atmospheric story's theme of internment (expanded on in the author's note) echoes history, while the climate change–ravaged dystopia rings unsettlingly possible.

Reviewer: Jeannie Coutant

(3) YA After Thrace falls, Attia is enslaved in Rome and must hide her identities--as the heir to Thrace and as the mysterious gladiator, Spartacus. Her plans for escape and revenge against Rome are disrupted, however, by her growing affection for champion gladiator Xanthus and other members of their owner's household. This epic, action-packed historical reimagining ends with hints that Thrace will rise again in future volumes.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(3) YA Stranje House series. In the series' third volume (A School for Unusual Girls; Exile for Dreamers), Lady Jane and her talented schoolmates head to London and interrupt a Napoleonic conspiracy related to a naval launch. The ladies' wit and wiles reveal a delightfully female political network throughout the Regency court. Jane's romantic entanglements and misunderstandings amid her spycraft are worthy of Austen or Heyer.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(4) YA Stormheart series. Aurora agrees to an arranged marriage into another Stormling family to protect her secret powerlessness and protect her people from deadly storms. When Prince Cas proves deceitful, Aurora flees and discovers an underground market dealing the storm magic she lacks and subsequently joins a group of rogue storm hunters. Carmack's series-starting fantasy features a unique world of storm magic and a (tacked-on) romance.

Reviewer: Jenn Matters

(3) YA Reluctant witch Cam's mother invites her to join her wicked coven, only for a hex to immediately descend on the group. Cam and a talented (and rather domineering) young witch named Poppy work together to solve the mystery of the hex. The third novel (Seriously Wicked; Seriously Shifted) continues do-gooder Cam's moral disposition to use "vegetarian" spell ingredients, which keeps this modern-day witch tale lighthearted.

Reviewer: Jeannie Coutant

(4) YA Having learned they may be "the mythical Cahr Awen"--a duo prophesied to heal magic in the Witchlands--Threadsisters Safi and Iseult (Threadwitch) are desperate to stop a looming war. But with a powerful Windwitch after the throne and a Bloodwitch on their trails, they may never reunite. Intricate world-building and multiple points of view should help readers through this dense fantasy's draggier parts.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(3) YA Seventeen-year-old steeplejack-turned-political-spy Ang (Steeplejack) infiltrates an elite social club to catch a government thief. Her investigation ultimately uncovers a larger refugee-trafficking plot that endangers Bar-Selehm's most vulnerable populations. Hartley blends timely social and political issues with mystery and adventure to create a thoughtfully composed and vividly described quasi-fantasy.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(3) YA Mana (Flying) doesn't know whom to trust when a dying alien gives her a crystal and tells her to find other enhanced humans like herself. Chased by aliens and humans, Mana struggles to prove she's not a danger to humanity. Mana's frustrations and fears ground the funny and action-packed story, keeping it tongue-in-cheek instead of goofy.

Reviewer: Lauren Chambers