The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali
My baba says the only society worth living in is one where everyone has access to food, shelter, clean water, and health services.
The Nightshade God by Hannah Whitten
The magic itself was not evil. It was what you did with it, how you shaped the tools given to your use.
The Book Censor’s Library by Bothayna Al-Essa
‘She’s not sick, but there’s no life in her. I don’t know what to do.’
Removing his spectacles, as he always did when he believed that serious matters were at hand, the old man said, ‘Poor child. Reality is poisoning her blood.’
Shark Heart by Emily Habeck
The surface of love was a feeling, but beyond this thin layer, there was a fathomless, winding maze of caverns offering many paces to see and explore.
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
A very hyped short story for a detailed and heavy topic.
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
They are wired for survival, and perhaps expert at that function, but no other creature here possesses intelligence like mine.
Oathbound by Tracy Deonn
I used to think that the Order as a society was broken, but watching you navigate it, knowing what they’ve done to you because of it, being away from it myself, showed me that it’s not broken. It’s working exactly as designed. A wheel, drenched in hate and control, churning.
Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall
Reader, I nearly fled. Cold iron holds no power over my kind, but we are quite repulsed by dull people.
The Briar Book of the Dead by A.G. Slatter
It’s important, Ellie, that they feel we’re a very benevolent dictatorship. It means we can get away with more.
Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn
Your records show exceptional intelligence and mediocre results. It’s a comfortable place, mediocrity. Never pushing oneself to the limits to see what you can take. Never staring down your fears, never reaching into yourself to find that last bit of courage.
Annie Bot by Sierra Greer
Whatever he says, whatever he does, you need to remember that you are a brilliant, amazing person. You bend over backwards to please that man, and if he doesn't appreciate you, if he doesn't realize how special you are, then you just have to do whatever you need to do to protect your heart.
The Knight and the Butcherbird by Alix E. Harrow
She came to us as any apocalypse does: slowly at first, and then all at once.
Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakis
It occurred to him that a spell to make one’s enemies into idiots via the power of breasts might be immensely helpful. Then again, it might not be a spell. It might have only been the breasts.
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
“Pain isn’t a competition,” I assure him. “There’s always enough to go around.”
The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong
And what was a home but somewhere you wouldn’t have to feel quite so alone.
Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward
How to apologize for wanting some word, some story, some beautiful thing for my own?