In Jennifer Gruenke’s fantasy novel, people “do terrible things to stay alive,” hoping they can be forgiven. Eighteen-year-old Ren is a gutter rat, gambler, and pit fighter who survived immolation nine years ago. She now wields her... Read More

In Sally Bellerose’s novel "Fishwives", an elderly lesbian couple looks back on their lives together. Regina and Jackie have been together for sixty years. They are in mediocre health, can’t afford groceries without coupons, and are... Read More

In "Revenge of the Sluts", Natalie Walton’s ambitious young adult novel, a modern-day Nancy Drew takes on high school sexual harassment. An anonymous email with nude photographs of seven girls goes out to the student body of St.... Read More

In "Quincredible", a New Orleans teenager learns to fight for justice—with his superpower and without it. Quin is easygoing and has an interest in electronics; he strives for recognition from Brittany, the smartest girl in his school.... Read More

The free verse micropoems of Joyce Sidman’s new collection praise the blue planet for its geography, geology, and diversity, congratulating Earth for the cleverness of her ecosystems and wondering “What is it like / to feel / the... Read More

In Curtis Bradley Vickers’s harrowing novel This Here Is Devil’s Work, two wildland firefighters and a cattle rustler are thrust together when lightning sparks a blaze. Morgan is a brash but effective member of the Ruby Mountain... Read More

In Jane Rosenberg LaForge’s dark thriller "Sisterhood of the Infamous", two sisters contend with a grisly killing, and their lifetime of resentment boils over. When she was younger, Barbara hungered for fame. She went from the... Read More

A boy becomes an unwitting caregiver as he navigates puberty in Jaap Robben’s coming-of-age novel "Summer Brother". When Brian is thirteen, his disabled older brother, Lucien, comes to live with him and their uncaring, impoverished... Read More