About Book Marks
Recent Reviews
Hannah Kaner
Positive Booklist Though brief by fantasy standards, the setting of Godkiller feels epic and lived in, suggesting much more story to be revealed in future installments of the planned trilogy.
Lee Mandelo
Positive Booklist Unsettling ... Mandelo deftly illustrates the disintegration of a marriage while addressing serious questions: can a profit-driven company ever truly fund conservation?
Leigh Bardugo
Rave Booklist \"Bardugo doesn’t flinch from the dark sides of magic and human nature: everything requires sacrifice and everything has a price. Readers will be swept along as the group unravels an intricate puzzle to discover the location of the mysterious Gauntlet, which will open a doorway to hell ... This portrait of a survivor’s dogged determination to accomplish her goal will appeal to readers of dark academia, urban fantasy, and horror.\
Tamsyn Muir
Positive Booklist The book is set over the course of five days in the prelude to an apocalyptic event, with chapters interspersed where the reader learns how the death and resurrection of the people of Earth came to pass. Muir fans will be even more eager for the imperial scope of Alecto once they’ve finished Nona’s quiet character study.
Marlon James
Rave Booklist If Black Leopard, Red Wolf is a penciled comic panel, Moon Witch, Spider King is the version rendered by James the inker: the geography, myth, magic, and people of this epic setting are revisited to add shading and detail in a recursive procedure that results in a vibrant tapestry begging for infinite return trips.
Lee Mandelo
Positive Booklist Summer Sons blends an academic setting with a healthy dose of body horror and powerful themes of redemption and queer yearning in a narrative that starts slowly and speeds over the finish line.
P Djèlí Clark
Rave Booklist Clark deftly explores colonialism and the history of Cairo with an immersive setting that acts as another character in this delightful combination of mystery, fantasy, and romance. Give this to alternate history enthusiasts and mystery readers who enjoy a dose of the magical. Fans of S. A. Chakraborty, Martha Wells, and Zen Cho should be particularly pleased.
M. A. Carrick
Rave Booklist This historical urban fantasy is for those who like their revenge plots served with the intrigue of The Goblin Emperor, the colonial conflict of The City of Brass, the panache of Swordspoint, and the richly detailed settings of Guy Gavriel Kay.
Alexandria Bellefleur
Positive Booklist Well-developed leads, relatable conflicts, a strong supporting cast, and opposites-attract chemistry make for an engaging read. Fans of Alexis Hall’s Boyfriend Material (2020) and Talia Hibbert’s Take a Hint, Dani Brown (2020) will enjoy this Seattle-set love story that reads like a romantic holiday movie.
Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb
Rave Library Journal ... much more than the story of Yousafzai\'s young life. Her narrative examines and elaborates on politics, Pakistan\'s history, friendship, faith, and, above all else, the need for education for girls. Following in her outspoken father\'s footsteps, Yousafzai uses every opportunity to champion the cause for which she became a target ... a wealth of inspirational material ... the best moments are those in which she steps back from discussions of dissension and Taliban brutality and reveals herself to be an ordinary, Twilight-loving girl.
Tamsyn Muir
Rave Booklist Muir’s debut fuses science fiction, mystery, horror, fantasy, action, adventure, political intrigue, deadly dark humor, and a dash of romance with a healthy serving of skeletons and secrets and the spirit of queer joy. This extraordinary opening salvo will leave readers dying to know what happens next.
Leigh Bardugo
Rave Booklist This atmospheric contemporary novel steeped in the spirit of a mystical New Haven is part mystery, part story of a young woman finding purpose in a dark world, and is the first in a potential series.
Guy Gavriel Kay
Positive Booklist The novel’s deliberate pace suits its focus on character notes and preoccupation with moments of decision, interconnectedness, and crossroads in the lives of those involved. Another rich tapestry from a skilled author, A Brightness Long Ago will be welcomed by the author’s longtime fans but should also appeal to other fans of historical fiction.
Tade Thompson
Positive Booklist \"The many narrative threads in this fast-paced future-noir novel will best be understood by readers of Rosewater (2018), but Thompson ably sheds light on the alien agenda while keeping individual personal struggles front and center.\
Elizabeth Bear
Positive Booklist Bear’s narrative skillfully balances world building, believable characterization, themes of the nature of self-determination and morality, and the wonder of discovery—plus space pirates! Ideal for fans of C.J. Cherryh, Ann Leckie, and Iain M. Banks.
Samantha Shannon
Rave Booklist ...spellbinding ... Shannon deftly explores the divides between religion, custom, and territory. This extraordinary saga includes heroism, romance, friendship, pirates, plague, diplomacy, and, of course, dragons. A well-drawn feminist fantasy with broad appeal for fans of the epic and readers of Zen Cho, Naomi Novik, and V. E. Schwab. Highly recommended.
Tade Thompson
Positive Booklist \"In 2012, an extraterrestrial life form lands in London, escaping underground after releasing alien flora and fauna into Earth’s biosphere. Ever since, humans called \'sensitives\' have been able to tap into the xenosphere, an invisible network of floating alien microorganisms, to use psychic powers. In the Nigerian city of Rosewater in 2066, the resurfaced alien opens its biodome each year and heals everyone within its range, with mixed results: physical and mental illnesses are cured, but corpses are also reanimated. Kaaro is a thief-turned-unwilling-operative of Section 45, the government agency that uses him for his power to read minds and find people. Nonlinear flashbacks reveal Kaaro’s personal history as well as that of Rosewater, the city that grew up around the alien dome. Meanwhile, present-day Kaaro deals with a new romantic relationship and several run-ins with criminals as he tries to discover what is responsible for killing off other sensitives. In addition to providing a gritty and intricately plotted science fiction mystery, Thompson’s opening of the Wormwood Trilogy considers what it means to be human.
Lila Bowen
Positive Booklist Satisfying ... Bowen has created a historical fantasy western setting with richly drawn, intersectional characters who brashly forge their own identities in a dangerous territory. Highly recommended for fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the Weird West, and historical fantasy. Some may want to catch up on the first three volumes of the Shadow series before reading this one.