The Witch Roads by Kate Elliott

Spore and the Pall are the things most feared in Elen's world. She has a talent for detecting Spore and a hidden secret for dispatching it. Elen and her nephew Kem are on her courier route while Kem decides if he wants to declare as a courier when they find a haunt at a waystation.

A prince of the realm also encounters the haunt – and the haunt possesses him. One problem, the haunt is a much nicer person than the prince and the haunt is on a mission.

I liked this quite a bit. It's very much an high fantasy quest book, but we're not exactly sure what the quest is. Elliott's world building is first rate and I really really want to find out what happens in the next book. (I also really really hope that the haunt comes back!)

Recommended for older teens, some mature themes, but nothing overt or spicy.

I received an ARC copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Potency of Ungovernable Impulses by Malka Older

So this is the third in a mystery series that I can only describe as giving queer Sherlock Holmes vibes. Humanity has spread out to Jupiter due to Earth becoming unlivable, and habitats are orbiting the planet. (We don't learn much about the science behind this. This is absolutely fine, in fact, it reminded me of classic SF – here is the thing, it's enough that you know about the thing for the story.) Pleiti is contacted by a former classmate for help as someone is trying to sabotage the former classmates' academic career.

Academic backbiting never gets old, apparently. Pleiti travels to the habitat without her investigative partner, Mossi and we are plunged into the mystery.

I quite liked this, as I said, it does give off Sherlock Holmes vibes. The mystery is well laid out and I certainly didn't guess whodunnit, which is always nice. Also, I'm 99% sure there was a blink and you missed it Firefly Easter egg, so also fun!

Recommended for Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie fans.

I received an ARC copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame by Neon Yang

Yeva was thirteen when she killed a dragon and was sworn to the ranks of the Emperor's guildknights. Never having removed her armour in public since earning it, she is sent to the neighbouring kingdom of Quanbao to discover if they are harboring a dragon, and if so, to do her duty. But armour cracks and whose duty will Yeva stand by?

This is a lovely queer romance with dragons and a wee bit of Bluebeard – how could I not love it? This reads like a newly discovered fairy tale and I was enraptured by it.

Recommended for older teens and up.

I received an ARC copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Eat the Ones You Love by Sarah Maria Griffin

Reeling from both breaking up with her fiancee and losing her job, Shell Pine moves home and starts to rebuild her life. Walking through the local mall one day, Shell sees a small sign on a florist shop – Help Needed. Even though the mall is losing tenants and is on its way to being condemned, the flower shop owner (Neve) is doing well enough to hire Shell. Neve has a secret, however, and it is deadly.

This did not go the way I thought it would. Lushly written and imagined, this is almost body horror cozy? The POV shifts were a bit confusing at first, but you get used to it quickly.

Recommended, although you might look askance at your flowers for a couple of days.

I received an ARC copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Overgrowth by Mira Grant

Mira Grant (Seanan McGuire's pseudonym) combines body horror, 50's monster movies and alien invasion in this deliciously creepy novel.

Anastasia Miller has been insisting to anyone who asks that she is an alien in human disguise since she was 3, most people take it as a somewhat amusing personality quirk, but we soon find out that it's not just a quirk. When an alien signal is picked up, Anastasia realizes that her family is coming for her and the others on Earth – and they may not be very friendly.

Absolutely recommended, as are all Grant's works no matter what the name on the cover is. Grant does a lot with subtext around found family, children's feelings and needs and listening to same. There's a revelation close to the end of the book that will break your heart, it did mine.

I received an ARC copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Steady Now by Liberty Stowe

A spicy summer read! Wren Baldwin's Maserati breaks down near the small town of Vogel Springs, Texas and she is immediately attracted to the town's mechanic, Hud Bass. Over the scope of this novel, secrets are revealed (what is Wren running from? Why is Hud so resistant to a relationship?) and love blossoms for both Wren and her best friend Anderson.

Recommended for adults due to spiciness.

I received an ARC copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

All the Stars Align by Gretchen Schrieber

Gretchen Schrieber has written a sweet novel about trusting yourself, the way families can stifle you even when they only profess the best for you and is fate really fate?

All the women in Piper's family have met and married their true loves due to the Blessing, and now Piper is trying to find her own Blessing and true love. But is the boy who makes her heart flutter with her Blessing her true love?

I quite liked this concept and also really liked how hard Piper works to fit her life into the confines of what the Blessing seems like to her before realizing that it's okay to want different things than what your family does and it's okay to have boundaries around your family.

A YA novel, I would recommend this for mid-teens and up.

I received an ARC copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.