Lauri Starling’s "Poison Forest" recasts the epic high fantasy quest with queer teenagers in love, mixing dark violence with a tempestuous cocktail of hormones, high drama, and happy endings. It’s Princess Thedramora’s death day,... Read More

Two beings forge an unusual friendship to save Earth from a dangerous enemy in Kyle Sullivan’s fantasy novel "Bigfoot vs. Aliens". An unnamed bipedal creature of advanced intelligence enjoys a life of solitude in the forest that he... Read More

A father, daughter, and dog pile into the car, headed for a woodland walk through a place of wonders and mythical beings. Once they’re on the trail, the father mentions Moomjean, one of the forest fairies, to his daughter, sparking a... Read More

Playing with proportions both in its illustrations and in its language (“A goodnight kiss on the forehead never stops kissing”), this picture book uses intricate line drawings in a stark red, black, and white palette to illustrate... Read More

Theo is nervous about his first day at a new school, but having some of his favorite dumplings in his lunch box brings him comfort—until a classmate teases him about the unfamiliar food. Though embarrassed, Theo reaches for... Read More

Parasomnias, or sleep phenomena, are more common than people think, and Alice Vernon’s "Night Terrors" is a fascinating exploration of sleep in these most difficult states. In the course of the book, Vernon draws on her own long... Read More

A collection of stories and poems, R. B. Lemberg’s "Geometries of Belonging" compiles and expands on the immersive fantasy world of the Birdverse. The collection’s greatest strength is its balance–not a single note is wasted or... Read More

In Scott Gould’s novel "The Hammerhead Chronicles", cycling teaches a depressed man how to cope with life, though not in the way he expected. On the day that his almost-ex-wife Peg died, Claude bought a bicycle. It is the only good... Read More