Reviews written by Katelyn McCall, Staff Reviewer

YES! YES! TO ALL THESE QUEER FAIRY TALE RETELLIGNS! The Secret World of Briar Rose by Cindy Pham is a YA queer fairy tale retelling of "Sleeping Beauty" that explores the themes of escapism and grief. 100 years have passed since the last heir of...

I swear the 2010's are back with this sudden resurgence of YA dystopian novels (and I'm not mad about it). Storm Breaker by Nisha J. Tuli is a YA dystopian novel that harks on the nostalgia most readers have for Hunger Games and Divergent,...

Oh my gosh, I originally thought that A Curious Kind of Magic was my favorite Mara Rutherford work, but I think The Demonic Inventions of Aurelie Blake has officially usurped it. The Demonic Inventions of Aurelie Blake by Mara Rutherford is a YA novel that...

They often say that history repeats itself. And I could not agree more with the simple fact that YA Dystopian is back baby! The Verdant Cage by Jess Lourey is YA dystopian novel that holds much reminiscence of the Hunger Games, The Maze Runner, and...

Give me the whimsy! A Practical Guide to Dating a Demon by Hannah Reynolds is a YA fantasy romance about a student magically finding themselves accidentally betrothed to a demon. As a scholarship student at the magical Lyceum, Naomi would rather focus on deciphering ancient...

Oh my fairy loving heart! Nettle by Bex Hogan is a YA fantasy novel that mixes faery folklore and myth with an eerie plot that entices the reader to read until the very last page. A wild misfit in the human world, Nettle is enthralled...

OMG, I can't believe I got an ARC to one of my most anticipated reads of 2026! The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer and Tamara Moss is YA murder mystery novel set in an escape-room themed game show. It’s all fun and games until someone...

Dystopian is back, baby! Burn the Water by Billy Ray is a YA dystopian romance that is an an immersive and breathtaking enemies-to-lovers epic romance about war, loyalty, and the power that love has to save... or destroy. The year is 2425 and London is...

With a comp like Caraval mees One Dark Window, I was instantly sold. A Stage Set for Villains by Shannon J. Spann is a YA fantasy novel that's set in a world where the Gods are dead, and in their place are the Players who...

I have been dying to find something to fill the whole in my heart after finishing Arcane, and this book perfectly does so. A Wild Radiance by Maria Ingrande Mora is a YA fantasy novel that is feels like the perfect found family road trip....

Magical outlaws? Alchemy? And danger at every turn? Yes please! Her Sharp Embrace by Katie Koenig is a YA fantasy novel that is set in the glittering city of New Soleil, where beauty masks danger at every turn. The Nightshades, a crew of magical outlaws,...

I don't know why, but this going into this book, I thought it had the vibes of Knives Out meets Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. But boy, was I wrong (in the best way) Our Wicked Gifts by Kathryn Foxfield is a YA fantasy (almost murder...

Classic space-opera-esque YA science fiction is back baby! Red Star Rebels by Amie Kaufman is a YA science fiction novel that condenses a space-opera narrative in the span of eight hours. 8 HOURS TO STOP AN EXPLOSION... 8 HOURS TO FALL IN LOVE. From the...

"A science fantasy "Beauty and the Beast," this action-packed adventure is written in dual point of view and layered with a charming robot, a cuddly three-headed dog, mind-bending twists, and sapphic yearning." I can't have better described this book, than this. Between Sun and Shadow...

Cyberpunk dystopian is back people! And Chloe Gong is leading the chare, and I couldn't be more happy about it! Coldwire by Chloe Gong is a YA dystopian novel about what happens when humanity flees to the virtual world, in order to escape from their...