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10 years ago eight-year-old royal page Hanalei and Queen Oliana of Tamarind ingested poison and fell into a stasis. It was said that a dragonfruit (the egg of a sea dragon) has the power to undue a person's greatest sorrow - not without a price of course. After the poisoning three eggs were secured, but two were broken. The third egg was stolen by Hanalei's father, who used it to wake his daughter then escape into the night, leaving the queen. 

This Is How You Lose the Time War (2019) is a slim novel that leaves you wanting more. A largely epistolary book, it starts with a letter found amongst the ashes of a destroyed world. Readers will find out that this and the following messages are correspondence between Red and Blue, two skilled agents on opposite sides of a time war.

For generations, Rhea Silvia’s family ruled Alba Longa, but the deaths of her mother and brothers leave her father broken and unable to remain , allowing her uncle Amulius to seize the throne. Forced into service as a Vestal Virgin to prevent heirs that could rule instead of Amulius, Rhea plans revenge. Rhea’s secret affair with Mars, the god of war results in the birth of twins, Romulus and Remus, who will one day reclaim the kingdom.

When I first ran across Dungeons and Drama , I was super excited to sit down and read it. A romance about D&D, a game store, musical theater, AND the cover is colorful enough to grab your eye? [Plus it's part of a series] Heck yeah, right?

Raised by a Serial Killer (2024) by April Balascio is a memoir by the daughter of Edward Wayne Edwards, whose crimes went unpunished for decades until April, who long suspected that her father was a murderer, called a cold case line in 2009, and helped finally bring her father to justice.

A powerful story of redemption, grief, love, and perseverance. Colton Gentry has hit rock bottom. His best friend dies in a mass shooting, his rising country music career implodes (as does his marriage), and he is an alcoholic. After completing a stint in rehab, he returns to his childhood home in small town Kentucky to figure out what comes next. 

Nick Cutter’s latest novel delivers some truly unsettling body horror. Set over a single, tension-filled day, the story follows Margaret, a teenage girl uncovering harrowing truths about her missing friend Charity.  Her day leads to devastating revelations with far-reaching consequences and connections to millionaire tech pioneer, Rudyard Crate, whose childhood flashbacks are wild and horrifying.

Evan is an Insta-influencer with a good eye for romance—particularly, with setting up couples. When shy Natalia transfers to his high school and joins the Gay Straight Alliance that he runs, Evan can tell that she needs a bit of help in the love department. With Natalia under his wing, Evan attempts to set her up with multiple people, despite his best friend, Davi, warning against it. And while Evan focuses on Natalia’s love life, he might be missing out on a romance of his own and pushing his own feelings to the side... 

Tananarive Due’s The Reformatory (2023) is a hauntingly beautiful masterpiece of historical fiction that lingers in your soul long after the final page. Set against the backdrop of a racially segregated South in 1930s Florida, the novel is both a riveting exploration of systemic injustice and a hallucinatory journey into the supernatural.

The Favorites (2025) by Layne Fargo is a loose reimagining of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, set in the world of competitive ice dancing.

Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

Upon a Starlit Tide (2025) is a mesmerizing historical fantasy/dark fairy tale. In 1700s coastal France the protagonist, Luce, rescues a handsome sailor from certain death in the fickle sea. Confusingly she feels drawn to both him and to her loyal friend Samuel, an English smuggler.