all about diverse, debut, and indie sci-fi & fantasy books written by women and nonbinary authors

Tag: diverse

Book Review: On Sundays She Picked Flowers by Yah Yah Scholfield
I read this book and I wish I hadn’t because it made me sick. For southern gothic horror fans, this might be exactly what you want but for anyone else, it might not be for you.

Check ALL of the trigger warnings because I didn’t and that was a mistake. I usually check every single one in the detail page in StoryGraph but not this one. For some reason, I only looked at the main page content warnings and thought it would be fine but then when I clicked into the detail afterwards, this is never something I would have picked up.

The contents are truly horrifying. Proceed with caution.

That being said, setting aside my personal preferences for content I avoid, this book is incredibly well written and edited. The writing runs and runs and runs in the best way. It’s descriptive and immersive. It’s flowery and beautiful. It’s varied and not repetetive at all. And it keeps you glued to the page.

It follows a woman escaping her abusive mother, finding respite in a haunted house in the middle of the woods and coming across a new potential friend. But as it goes, her new friend may not be as she seems…

Bullet points:
- southern gothic horror
- sisterhood, mother-daughter relationships
- escaping abuse and creating a new life
- monsters and monstrous behaviors
- queerness and homophobia
- how bystanders enable harm
- horrors of monstrous parents
This book made me sick, then settled a bit, then sick again, and finally at the end found a resolution that left me still somewhat unsettled but a bit less nauseous than before.

It explores the horrors inflicted upon a trio of sisters and how violence perpetuates generationally and innocents suffer at the hands of monsters, who then may become monsters themselves. How others stand by and watch while monsters inflict violence on others instead of stepping in to stop it and how lives could have been changed but weren’t because some looked the other way.

While most of the book, my stomach was in knots, there are rare moments of joy and peace. I loved the moments of tenuous peace Jude finds at the farmhouse in the woods by herself. There are other moments she has that aren’t horrifying but to say those would be spoilers so I’ll leave it there for this review.

Here is where I have to admit though that I skipped some of the explicit content in this book so cannot comment on exactly what happened between Jude and Nemoira at points later in the story. From the brief glimpses of words on page as I breezed through, it sounded raw, visceral, and disturbing but welcomed?

I can’t recommend this for the content that’s within, nor can I use the word good/great to describe this book since it’s a bit misleading and highly subjective. However, if you want to read something impactful and beautifully written, and you can stomach horror enough to read through, this is one to pick up this year and you won’t be dissapointed…
March 2, 2026
Book Review: Our Sister’s Keeper by Jasmine Holmes
From Bindery Books, Our Sister’s Keeper by Jasmine Holmes is a sharp, haunting story of rage and sisterhood. Check trigger warnings, please.

Bullet points for those short on time:
- debut standalone thriller horror magical realism
- sisterhood, womanhood
- early 1900s Mississippi & the times’ perspectives of gender roles
- rage, power, memory, manipulation
- racism, sexism, misogyny
Publisher synopsis:

“A gripping blend of historical fiction and Southern gothic psychological horror, Our Sister’s Keeper is a fierce exploration of Black sisterhood, rage, and resistance.”

My summary:

Newlyweds, Kit and Thea, travel to a seemingly idyllic all-Black Free town in Mississippi to start a new life. However, the town’s ideal is only possible by sacrificing other childless, unmarried women (women who refuse to fit the mould, who question too much, who want for more) and making them carry men’s emotional burdens so their wives can be free to be as the men want, soft, carefree, and baby machines.

Marah is one of these women, trapped in a hellish nightmare. Yet, together with the other women in the same cage, she finds strength to survive and possibly even the hope of freedom…or revenge, if only she can remember who she is…and stop dulling her rage.

Thoughts:

If you are looking for a book to make you stop scrolling, this is it. This was expertly written and edited. As horrifying and harrowing as it was, I didn’t want to put it down. The author’s skill in storytelling is clear!

There’s a lot of history and pain that is part of this book, so please check trigger warnings before opening. I think this is one of those books where you won’t be the same person after reading. It was brilliant, biting, and haunting.

Highly recommended. Let the rage go. Burn it all down.

Thank you to Bindery Books/Mareas/Marines for the eARC via NetGalley for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Content warnings:

Racism, sexism, misogyny, slavery, hauntings, torture, whipping, murder, death, severe gaslighting, psychological abuse, drugging, body horror, miscarriage, minor references to the bible/religion, and kidnapping.

About the Author:

I didn’t know this before I read the book, but from what I can find online, the author seems to be a strong evangelical. While the book has themes of outdated views on gender and familial roles, it appears to critique them with a feminist lens. Or at least paying respects to the trauma women have suffered at the hands of men, women who support said men, and systems/societal structures founded on and run by patriarchal ideologies. This and what I know of the beliefs of christians, seems contradictory to me at this time. I add this note for potential readers like myself who may seek to avoid triggers and content from such authors or about such topics.

From the “Mother to Son Book” website: Jasmine L. Holmes has written for The Gospel Coalition, Desiring God, Fathom Mag, Christianity Today, and The Witness. She is also a contributing author for Identity Theft: Reclaiming the Truth of Our Identity in Christ and His Testimonies, My Heritage: Women of Color on the Word of God. She teaches humanities in a classical Christian school in Jackson, Mississippi, where she and her husband, Phillip, are parenting two young sons. They are members of Redeemer Church, PCA.

About the Publisher:

From Mareas led by Marines, Bindery Imprint.

Bindery:

“Bindery is a membership platform for tastemakers of the book world to cultivate community, champion the authors and stories that matter to them, and earn a sustainable income doing so from the most passionate members of their audience. Tastemakers with larger communities, upon invitation, may open a publishing imprint that surfaces new books by authors their communities will love. Bindery partners with the tastemaker to design their imprint brand, solicit submissions, and manage editorial, design, printing, publicity, and distribution everywhere books are sold.”

They offer a standard $10k advance and higher royalty rates relative to most traditional publishers.

Does Bindery’s contract include AI protections?
Yes. We believe strongly in the human arts of curation and creation and are here to support artists. We will never use AI-generated art, narration, or text in our books, nor will our materials be offered for machine learning. Our contracts reflect the Author’s Guild recommended protections in this area.

That being said by Bindery, their backer Baukunst invests heavily in startups and companies applying AI (71%). Do with this knowledge what you will. I will still support Bindery since the company doesn’t use AI and I want to see more of the books they are publishing out in the world. But, I will endeavor to support more other indie publishers that don’t have venture capitalist firms backing them which support AI use…

Also, Baukunst prides themselves the “high” number of female-founded startups at 43%. While this may be on the higher end of the industry, I would say, do better. With intention, this number could be 100% if a firm really wanted it to be. Also, they don’t mention other marginalised communities being backed or supported in their demographics, so is it mostly white founders they are supporting? Where are those stats of theirs? Of course, there’s always a reason why certain things are published, and others are not. I’ll leave it there.

Bindery is backed by Baukunst, a collective of creative technologists advancing the art of building companies at the frontiers of technology and design, along with strategic angel investors from the book publishing and tech worlds.
February 13, 2026
ARC Review: The Quarter Queen by Dr. Kayla Hardy

From Ballantine Books, The Quarter Queen by Dr. Kayla Hardy is a lush, dark historical fantasy debut inspired by the life of Marie Laveau and her daughter, Marie Laveau II. This is a tense story of magic, New Orleans in the 1800s, racism, slavery, and mother-daughter relationships.

From the author’s website: “FOR FANS OF SINNERS 𝘅 CIRCE 𝘅 THE WITCHER”– and really, that’s all you might need to know to pick this one up!

Bullet points for those short on time:

– debut standalone historical fantasy
– Voodoo, alchemy, catholicism
– bisexual representation
– dark, tense, horrifying
– mother-daughter relationships

Plot Summary:

It’s 1843 in New Orleans, and Ree, the rebellious daughter of Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau, finds herself often at odds with her mother and often in trouble. She is spoiled/entitled, but when something happens to her best friend and then her mother, it’s time for Ree to embrace her fate as the next Queen, to stand up for her people and fight against the barbarism and injustices of the ruling caste. She needs to figure out how to save her mother and survive not only the coming Inquisition led by an old friend, but also the Brotherhood of the White Hand, and something else equally as dangerous, if not more…

Thoughts:

This book had me on edge the entire time. If not for the horrors of 1800s New Orleans, then for the wild scramble of trying to survive and fight back against them. Kayla Hardy’s writing sweeps you right into the atmosphere of each scene so intensely that I couldn’t tear my eyes from the page, even as quite a few things will make you feel ill, deeply uncomfortable and angry.

The transitions jump around a bit, as the book crosses timelines with Ree in the present and then back to Marie Laveau as a younger woman. I LOVED the development of the story, how Ree comes to know her mother better through seeing her past and realises for herself how little she knew about the situation in the beginning.

Overall, this book was an excellent debut inspired by a historical figure more folks should know about. I loved it and would highly recommend this! Historical fantasy is fast becoming one of my favourite genres, and I will be thinking about this one for a while yet. Now, off to pre-order a physical copy. 🙂

Burn it all down.

Thank you to Ballantine for the eARC via NetGalley for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Content warnings:

Racism, slavery, open-door romance, sexual assault, body horror, hanging, violence, torture, murder

About the Author:

From the author’s website:

Kayla Hardy, PH.D., is a mythology expert and award winning multi- hyphenate author and screenwriter originally from Akron, Ohio. She earned a doctorate in English, specializing in creative writing and African American literature, from Binghamton University at age twenty-six. Dr. Hardy served as an adjunct professor at Binghamton University and is an avid scholar and lover of Black folklore, mythology, and Voodoo. Inspired by her Louisiana Creole ancestry and familial lineage of rootwork and magic, Kayla aims to tell diverse-driven horror and dark fantasy stories.

Originally conceived as a television pilot, THE QUARTER QUEEN was the prose winner of the 7th annual Launch Pad Prose competition. She is repped by Emma Kapson at Verve Talent & Literary Agency.

About the Publisher:

The Ballantine Books Group, part of the Random House family, publishes a wide range of fiction and nonfiction that entertains, informs, and inspires. Our goal is to seek out and cultivate the most compelling, varied, and distinctive storytellers—and to bring their work to the broadest possible audience of readers. Our list is comprised of several imprints, including Ballantine, Bantam, Dell, and Delacorte.

Ballantine was founded in 1952 by legendary publishers Ian and Betty Ballantine. From the beginning, we have sought out authors whose work is defined by the intersection of quality and wide appeal.

About Marie Laveau:

Marie Laveau

Additional thoughts:

I was unaware of the story of Marie Laveau before seeing this on NetGalley and requested the eARC. Here is a perfect example of how fiction helps us increase awareness, knowledge, and empathy. While reading this and afterwards, I searched for more about the history of Marie Laveau. I’m grateful to both the author and publisher for bringing this book to the masses!

This will be my 25th review on NetGalley!

February 11, 2026
ARC Review: Black as Diamond by U.M. Agoawike

Black as Diamond is a gem! This is a debut standalone fantasy novel that explores questions around identity, politics, and how the past and power can impact different experiences for a long time.

Bullet points for those short on time:
– debut standalone fantasy
– queer identity & relationships
– quest and “found family” group
– epic world-building
– two magic systems
– indie publisher Bindery
– queer Nigerian-Canadian author
– check trigger warnings

The story begins when Asaru, winged warrior of the eresh keyel, discovers his brother’s squadron disappeared after a curse was unleashed. When investigating in the human world, a bit of the curse infects Asaru. On his path to find his brother, Asaru survives possession, becomes a wanted killer, and is inadvertently bonded through a spell gone wrong to healer-in-training, Wren. Now, they must set out on a quest to find a cure for the curse, find Asaru’s brother, and not get caught by the hunters sent after them…all while unravelling secrets and feelings.

I am loving the unique works of craft and art that Bindery is introducing to the world. This one is no different! It’s fresh, novel, and exciting.

I enjoyed getting to know the characters most in this book. Each character that comes along as part of the protagonist’s group is unique in terms of motivations, lived experiences, past trauma, and perspectives.

The way some scenes are written was a bit confusing at times, as the writing style made it a little hard to follow what was happening without re-reading back over it.

I think Publisher’s Weekly said it well with “Readers will have to put in work to keep up, but those who do will be rewarded with tantalising bits of lore on every page and a dynamic and devoted central duo.”

I’m not a fan of romance, so I didn’t care too much for these parts, but that’s a personal preference, and I can’t fault the book for it. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for their next fantasy read!

Thank you to Bindery for the eARC via NetGalley for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Content Warnings:

From the author’s website…explicit gore, murder/death, violence, mutilation, corpses, blood, atypical depression, suicidal ideation, depictions of religion and practices, implied sexual content, sex work (mentioned), non-consensual kiss, non-consensual drug use, ethnic discrimination, near drowning, indentured servitude (mentioned), body horror, emesis, excessive alcohol consumption, poison, physical scars, possession.

Book Cover:

Illustration: Christian Chang 

Design: Charlotte Strick

About the Author:

The media kit wasn’t working, so here is the bio from the author’s website:

U.M. Agoawike is a queer Nigerian-Canadian author of speculative fiction. They also may or may not be an evil duck. Follow them on BlueSky!

About the Publisher:

Imprint: Run by Jaysen, “Ezeekat Press publishes books that invite readers to escape to other worlds where they might find new friends, family, and adventure.”

Bindery: “Bindery is a membership platform for tastemakers of the book world to cultivate community, champion the authors and stories that matter to them, and earn a sustainable income doing so from the most passionate members of their audience. Tastemakers with larger communities, upon invitation, may open a publishing imprint that surfaces new books by authors their communities will love. Bindery partners with the tastemaker to design their imprint brand, solicit submissions, and manage editorial, design, printing, publicity, and distribution everywhere books are sold.”

They offer a standard $10k advance and higher royalty rates relative to most traditional publishers.

Does Bindery’s contract include AI protections?
Yes. We believe strongly in the human arts of curation and creation and are here to support artists. We will never use AI-generated art, narration, or text in our books, nor will our materials be offered for machine learning. Our contracts reflect the Author’s Guild recommended protections in this area.

That being said by Bindery, their backer Baukunst invests heavily in startups and companies applying AI (71%). Do with this knowledge what you will. I will still support Bindery since the company doesn’t use AI and I want to see more of the books they are publishing out in the world. But, I will endeavor to support more other indie publishers that don’t have venture capitalist firms backing them which support AI use…

Also Baukunst prides themselves the “high” number of female founded startups at 43%. While this may be on the higher end of the industry, I would say, do better. With intention, this number could be 100% if a firm really wanted it to be. Also they don’t mention other marginalized communities being backed or supported in their demographics so is it mostly white founders they are supporting? Where are those stats of theirs? Of course, there’s always a reason why certain things are published and others are not. I’ll leave it there.

Bindery is backed by Baukunst, a collective of creative technologists advancing the art of building companies at the frontiers of technology and design, along with strategic angel investors from the book publishing and tech worlds.

February 7, 2026
Book Review: Red City by Marie Lu

This book is one of the most well-written/edited books I’ve read. Full stop.

It manages to maintain excellent pacing throughout the entire work while still building incredible world/magic systems, but also leading readers through robust character development.

Red City is a violent story of rival criminal syndicates based in L.A. that centers around the practice of alchemy and a drug called Sand. We follow two best friends who find themselves on opposite sides without realizing until it’s too late.

There are horror elements in this urban fantasy, including a serial-killer coworker and body horror tied to alchemical transformations. It gets gritty to say the least.

Please check trigger warnings. I’m really disappointed that one specific content warning was not on the author’s website. This should be standard for any authors/books that contain triggering content, such as (see below). I didn’t see it on Goodreads either. The only warnings I found were on StoryGraph, but since the tags are community-added, it’s hard to know the content level accurately.

While objectively this book is a finely crafted creation, can I say I enjoyed it? Did I enjoy watching two innocent, beautiful souls enter a world of destruction, survival, coercion, retaliation, drugs, crime, violence, etc.? No. But hope always holds out longest, and I devoured this book for glimpses of it.

Order it and support indie book shops here:

Disclaimer: This blog is part of the Bookshop.org affiliate program and I may earn a very small amount for each purchase made.

Trigger warnings detail: SPOILER ALERT!

Click to reveal spoiler
Specific content warnings: There is a side character (Sam’s mother) who’s boss rapes her. It’s off-screen, but what’s on-page is the scene leading up to it, so please bear this in mind. It’s incredibly triggering. She also has flashbacks later on, and the perpetrator shows up in other scenes of the book, so it’s not something that only appears once, but the event and theme pop up again a few times. Additionally, there are scenes with explicit sexual content that I skipped over (because, trauma), but from catching a few words of Sam and Will’s pages, it didn’t sound good. It sounded rough. And I would offer another caution for this as well, for those who may not want their trauma to be triggered. Again, I wish the author had provided content warnings somewhere obvious, like her website or Goodreads.

Of course, there are far more content warnings regarding violence, body horror, and drug use.

About the Author

Marie Lu was born in China but currently lives in L.A. Find more information on the author’s website linked here.

December 2, 2025
Firstborn of the Sun by Marvellous Michael Anson

HIGHLY recommend this book – especially the audiobook. What an amazing performance from narrators Adjoa Andoh and Folake Olowofoyeku!!

This is the first part of an epic fantasy series rich in Yoruba inspiration. Forbidden powers, political maneuvering, and secrets upon secrets. The magic system is well thought out and explained. The political lineage was a bit confusing at first as to who was related to who but eventually as the story progressed, it became very clear. So, if you are confused initially, continue to go with the flow – it’s worth it.

I love the complex world that the author weaves with excellent character building and development, it’s incredible and I can’t wait for more!

Find more information about the author and their books at their website linked here.

Marve has been writing for over a decade and has self-published a thriller, HIS DARK REFLECTION, to critical acclaim. Her debut fantasy novel, FIRSTBORN OF THE SUN, is the first in a trilogy being published by Penguin Michael Joseph in October 2025. This novel also placed her as a finalist in many competitions, including the 2023 Future Worlds Prize for Fantasy Writers of Colour.

Marve is an award-winning filmmaker, and when she’s not weaving fantastical tales, you can find her exploring life as a serial hobbyist, delving into everything from obsessing over myths and histories, collecting books and passionately assembling her own personal library to indulging in an unapologetic obsession with all things Christmas. She is represented by Ciara Finan and Flo Sandelson at Curtis Brown Literary Agency (UK) and United Talent Agency (USA).

She can be found online @justmarvewrites and justmarve.org

November 23, 2025
ARC Review: Burn the Sea by Mona Tewari

Burn the Sea is a rich historical fantasy that calls attention to the true story of Rani Abbakka Chowta, a Queen who led her people and allies in a successful resistance against the Portuguese colonizers in the 16th century.

Mona Tewari’s writing brings history to life in a beautifully woven story of politics, love, loss, and a fight for freedom. I can’t fault the style, the pacing, the world-building. It’s lovely and well crafted. While there were some directions that the plot took that I found frustrating, it might be consistent with the historical inspiration and I think without would have made the plot and character development quite flat.

Instead of a magic system, we have an imagined belief system involving Spirits and this was one of my favorite parts of the book. The interactions our protagonist has with the Spirits is incredibly charming and adds another wonderful layer of depth to the story.

Burn the Sea flips the euro-centric historical script that often “others” those it seeks to conquer. This is told from the side of the people defending their shores against invasion and how they see the would-be colonizers.

This is the first in a duology and Book #2 has been announced so stay tuned for more!

I would highly recommend to fantasy and historical fiction lovers who adore a female protagonist leading a political fight for freedom against would be oppressors.

Thank you to Boundless Press at Bindery Books for providing this ARC for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Buy from Bookshop.org here.

Disclaimer: This blog is part of the Bookshop.org affiliate program and I may earn a very small amount for each purchase made.

Find more information about the author and their books at their website linked here.

November 23, 2025
ARC Review: Devil of the Deep by Falencia Jean-Francois
This is a MUST read for 2026. A brilliant biting critique on christian faiths that manipulate believers with falsehoods, especially in order to control women and do away with others who don’t fall within their circle of acceptable ways.

Devil of the Deep by Falencia Jean-Francois is an amazing Haitian, LGBTQIAP+, and feminist story of pirates, mermaids, and gods. It sets itself apart with lush world building, mythology and lore, and characters representing those who have found their stories historically pushed out of traditional publishing. This is a beautiful book and I would highly recommend it!
- LGBTQIAP+ representation
- Haitian culture & mythology
- Critique of harmful belief systems
- Feminist / Matriarchal
- Betrayal, romance, swordfights
- A pirates life for me please 🙂 🙂 🙂
Even though I read the eARC, I will absolutely be getting a physical copy to re-read!! (I don’t often re-read books)

Thank you to Left Unread & Bindery Books for providing this ARC for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Buy from Bookshop.org here.

Disclaimer: This blog is part of the Bookshop.org affiliate program and I may earn a very small amount for each purchase made.

Find more information about the author and their books at their website linked here.
November 23, 2025
Book Review: Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri

Book #1 of Tasha Suri’s DEBUT Fantasy Duology

I read this book as part of the Fantasy Finishers Book Club on Fable and I’m so glad I did. Although I will issue a specific trigger warning (see bottom of this post, warning – it’s a spoiler) along with general content warnings.

Surprisingly, this is the first book I’ve finished by Tasha Suri although I do own The Isle in the Silver Sea and started The Jasmine Throne last year.

I am NOW going to need to fast track ALL of her books.

Tasha’s writing is so so good.

Official Synopsis:

“The Amrithi are outcasts; nomads descended of desert spirits, they are coveted and persecuted throughout the Empire for the power in their blood. Mehr is the illegitimate daughter of an imperial governor and an exiled Amrithi mother she can barely remember, but whose face and magic she has inherited. Unbeknownst to her, she can manipulate the dreams of the gods to alter the face of the world.

When Mehr’s power comes to the attention of the Emperor’s most feared mystics, she is coerced into their service, as they are determined to harness her magic for the glory of the Empire. She must use every ounce of will, subtlety, and power she possesses to resist the mystics’ cruel agenda — and should she fail, the gods themselves may awaken seeking vengeance…”

Author’s Official Bio:

Tasha Suri is the World Fantasy Award winning author of The Isle in the Silver Sea, The Burning Kingdoms Trilogy, The Books of Ambha Duology, What Souls Are Made Of and Doctor Who: The Cradle. Once a librarian, she is now a part-time writing tutor and a full-time cat and rabbit wrangler. She lives with her family in a mildly haunted house in London.

Review:

I love the world that Tasha Suri builds in this first installment of The Books of Ambha Duology. There is a map that looks like India split into various parts of the Empire. It’s very much a story of colonialism/imperialism and opression with a central ruler. Within this story, there’s also both religious and political imperialism that are closely tied to each other.

It’s rich in both character development, world building, and plot action. The concept of choice is central to the plot and I enjoyed how in depth the author explores this. Is choice an illusion or something that we can still maintain control over despite others trying to take it away from us?

The writing is well-crafted, smart, and elegant.

I would recommend this book to any fantasy reader although please check the trigger warning discussion below first if you don’t want to read about situations where choices are taken away especially from women.

Trigger warning – SPOILERS >>> a large part of this book follows a situation where a woman’s right to choose is taken away from her and she must “wed” a man she (Mehr) hardly knows. The Empire is forcing her into this and she chooses it to save her family or it’s likely they will all be killed. Her new husband Amun is also essentially a slave to the Empire and controlled by the “religious” authority. This “religious” authority tries to force them to consumate the marriage because then it will give him ultimate control over Mehr as well. Through the magic system in place. Mehr and Amun are able to avoid this for a while but then the Maha (the religious authority) finds out and tries to force them to do it in front of other people for proof. By this point they have fallen in love though and they do consumate the marriage (but not in front of others). This was hard for me to read at times because of the constant threat of sexual violence, lack of choice, and being forced to do something both Mehr and Amun do not want to do.

This situation twisted my stomach. It hangs over their heads for a lot of the book. I was able to press on because although it was always lurking in the shadows, it wasn’t front and center for most of the book. And in a way, it still remains their choice in the end because I’m sure they would have killed themselves if they didn’t want to do it. Still pretty twisted and sickening and evil situation they find themselves in, which does reflect much of the world and the violence inflicted on women by men especially by the removal of their choices.

It’s a very interesting book and I rate it quite highly at the moment.

Buy from Bookshop.org here.

Disclaimer: This blog is part of the Bookshop.org affiliate program and I may earn a very small amount for each purchase made.

Find more information about the author and their books at their website linked here.

November 23, 2025
ARC Review: Starseekers by Nicole Glover

Starseekers by Nicole Glover is a fun adventure full of magic, cleverness, murder, mystery, friends, family, and of course, villains.

The book’s synopsis leads with:

“Indiana Jones meets Hidden Figures in this brand-new stand-alone historical fantasy set in the world of The Conductors, in which the space race of the mid-20th century will be determined by magic…if not murder.”

Release date: January 2, 2026

Summary: It’s the 1960s and there’s a space race on for the moon. Cynthia Rhodes is a brilliant engineer at NASA and talented celestial magic user who happens upon the beginning of a mystery when a cursed stranger shows up at the local TV station her cousin runs while she is filming an educational magic show with her friend Theo, a professor of arcane archeology. Soon after, there’s an accident and potential sabotage at NASA involving a coworker that could be connected.

Theo and Cynthia jump into solving the mystery but it’s not just them. Joining the journey are Cynthia’s younger sisters, her friends, cousins, and other family members. Suspects pop up left and right as they continue to hunt down clues and chase danger like it’s second nature. Because it is.

The story follows the same family tree as the author’s other works including The Conductors and The Improvisers – also magic & mystery stories. Sleuthing is in the family!

Thoughts: Overall, this book is quite fun but it also includes themes of racism and the civil rights movement. It’s lighthearted banter, blooming romance, lots of action and magic intertwined with reminders of racial violence and discrimination of the time period the story is written in.

I really enjoyed this and found myself thinking within the first 25% how much fun this book is going to be. It’s unique in itself although the comparables reference Hidden Figures and Indiana Jones. I’d add in a bit of Enola Holmes in there as well.

Glover created quite a web of relationships both within the Rhodes family and outside that felt like it we didn’t have just two main characters but a whole crew working together by the end to solve the case. This gave the story a lot of depth in terms of relationships.

Starseekers is a fast-moving plot which has plenty of time for action and interaction between characters, but it doesn’t dive too deep into character development. This book is definitely for those that enjoy great characters without dramatic development arcs but also a plot that moves. There are a number of different components to the mystery to keep readers guessing until the reveal.

One of my favorite components of this story is there aren’t many limits places on the characters. They are able to do pretty much anything they want. The magic used is only limited to how fast they can react and cast spells. I enjoyed this as it gave a sense of autonomy and power to the characters.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys any combination of fantasy, sci-fi, and mystery. As someone who reads these genres exclusively at the moment, it was a perfect mix of elements.

Buy from Bookshop.org here.

Disclaimer: This blog is part of the Bookshop.org affiliate program and I may earn a very small amount for each purchase made.

Find more information about the author and their books at their website linked here.

November 23, 2025