Magissa by Kassandra Flamouri

For as long as she can remember, Chrysa Markou has longed for Pyrga, her native village in the mountains of Greece. But she never thought she would return like this—an orphan, crushed by grief and wracked with guilt over her parents’ deaths. Even surrounded by family, she feels like a xeni—a foreigner. A stranger All she wants is to belong, but Chrysa instead finds herself beset by vicious gossip, family secrets, and a magical heritage that could derail the future her parents wanted for her. To make matters worse, the one responsible for orphaning Chrysa has returned to unleash a reign of supernatural terror over her new home. With the help of a handsome but moody Seer and a pair of burly guard dogs, Chrysa scrambles to protect her village from an onslaught of dark creatures commanded by her parents’ murderer. As the noose of the killer's malice draws tighter, Chrysa grapples with festering doubts: Is she the victim, the hero...or the true cause of her people's suffering? Triumph over evil seems worth any cost, until it threatens to unravel everything Chrysa believed she was fighting for.

The Merry Maids by Stefanie Contreras

SPSFC

Alyvia Tippin is done with her training at the Academy, and ready to serve the Order. Her abilities with movement and telekinesis earn her a spot with The Merry Maids, a small black-ops team that works on the Order's behalf to unofficially clean up official messes. As the new Courier for The Merry Maids, Alyvia's training is immediately put to the test when the Order sends them on a mission to collect the disassembled pieces of an artifact called the Starkiller. The pieces are hidden across the galaxy like a deadly scavenger hunt, and the person who hid them wants Alyvia to destroy the Starkiller instead of turning it over to the Order. Luckily, The Merry Maids have her back. She's going to need it.

Visions of Fate (The Venatrix Chronicles Book 2) by Sylvia Mercedes

Perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Leigh Bardugo, this romantic fantasy adventure will leave you hungry for more. The hunt is on. But who is the hunter and who is the hunted? Ayleth and Terryn survived the Witchwood, but they’re no closer to solving the mystery of the dead shade hunter. In their quest for answers, they discover that a witch has escaped through the Great Barrier and is leaving a trail of corpses in her wake. A murderous witch is only one of Ayleth’s problems, however. Terryn, her infuriating and intriguing rival, will give his all to win their competition. And Kephan, their Outpost Master, conceals more than one dangerous secret. Worst of all, while pursuing a lead, Ayleth finds herself on the hunt for a three-year-old girl . . . a girl possessed by a unique and powerful shade. Suddenly, Ayleth must question the teachings of her Holy Order. Is it always right to kill humans possessed by shades? Even a child? Return to the world of The Venatrix Chronicles, where deadly spirits lurk in the shadows, good and evil wage eternal war, and secrets threaten to tear a kingdom apart. If you love kick-butt heroines, slow-burn romance, breathtaking action, and stories that leave you with a book hangover for days after you finish . . . you need to discover this dark and deadly series. Prepare to turn pages late into the night!

The Gifted by S T Geeves

Power. Who has it? Who wants it? Who fears it? Betrayed by a friend and pursued by a brutal warlord who massacred her people, Einna seeks to fight back. Her headstrong actions only make things worse. Women aren't supposed to be gifted with magic, and weapons are forbidden. In the fight for her life, and with everything gone, can a girl barely of age make a difference? Across the Daymocle Sea, King Ahron’s magic is a secret he must hide at all costs. With war inching closer the Peasant King must act. A powerful alliance seems a solution, if only his bride didn't detest him. In distant lands far north, the Fury is unstable. Could the perpetual storm fall? What happens if a host of cruel predators escape their magical prison? For Einna the Fury is a story, less real than visions of impossible flying lizards. Ahron knows the Fury intimately but has other concerns. Who is the flame-eyed girl spying with magic? Can he unravel a plot and protect his realm without revealing his true face?

Cruelty: Unmasked by Ellen Crosháin.

Henry used to be a god. Now, he’s just the gardener. Nearly twenty-five years have passed since the ancient Faroust fell in love with Eliza MacTir. Stripped of his powers and forced to work for the family he used to rule, he can’t avoid the woman who ruined him. But when a chance encounter brings him into contact with Eliza’s daughter Áine, a twenty-one year old student looking for a chance to explore herself, he sees a chance to exact revenge. The affair is sweet and Henry knows that when he finally reveals it to Eliza, it will be even sweeter. But Henry and Áine aren’t the only ones keeping secrets. Áine’s brother Caolán, sixteen and rebellious, has his share of demons and not all is well with Eliza and Cornelius. The veneer of the perfect family has cracks and once the truths start to spill, everything Eliza fought for will start to unravel. Secrets cannot be buried forever and the Veil won’t stay shut. Darker forces are watching and waiting…

Lamb, Stag & Wolf by Airic Fenn

Sanctimonious, hypocritical, manipulative—Shelby Blackwood is a priest of the worst sort. To keep his secluded little village peaceful, he’s learned to carefully balance preaching of faith and fear. Ives Thatcher, the reclusive woodsman at the edge of the forest, has neither; the villagers are not pleased. But converting Thatcher proves to be easier said than done when Shelby discovers there is something far more unnatural about him than his pagan ways, and Shelby can’t help himself from being tempted by the large man’s power and allure. Worse still, there’s a newcomer in town, and her curiosity and defiant personality may not just jeopardize Shelby’s secret, but the sanctity of the very system he’s worked to maintain.

Merchants of Knowledge and Magic by Erika McCorkle

On one of the many planes of the Pentagonal Dominion, priestess Calinthe trades in information, collecting valuable secrets for her demonic employer. Calinthe has a secret of her own: she's intersex, making her a target for the matriarchal slavers of the Ophidian Plane whose territory she must cross in her search for hidden knowledge. But thanks to her friend Zakuro's illusions, Calinthe presents as a woman—a comfortable, if furtive, existence in a world determined to bring her to heel. But when, instead of a mere secret, the priestess uncovers an incalculably powerful artifact, Calinthe finds herself in a high-stakes negotiation with the same matriarchs who sought to enslave her. On the table: Calinthe's discovery, a charm powerful enough to transform a mortal into a god… against a secret so deadly it could quell all life on every plane of the dominion. If Calinthe plays her cards perfectly, she and Zakuro could escape Ophidia wealthier than either of them ever dreamed possible. But if she plays them wrong… …she'll learn slavery in her pursuers' hands is a fate far worse than death.

Disseverment by Z.C. Krol

When Tyler receives a mysterious letter in the mail from a man claiming to be his stepfather, he is suddenly plunged back into the nightmares of his past, and has to make an important decision that will change him forever. Disseverment is a psychological horror story not for the squeamish. Z.C. Krol lives in Ohio with his wife and dogs, and is working on another project. When he's not writing, he's probably watching a bad horror movie or reading something creepy. You can email him at zckrol.writing@gmail.com and he'll absolutely respond to you. You can also find him on this new website called Facebook. Bonus points if you send him horror memes.

Cthulhu's Car Park by D.S. Ritter

SFINCS

There's something creeping around in the parking structure. And this time it’s not one of Sam’s nightmare customers. Sam's job as a parking attendant has always been a drag. Until now. A hole straight to hell has opened up and evil lurks in the shadows of the garage. When management fails to help and her trainee gets possessed, Sam turns to her friends and coworkers. But, can a handful of burned out employees save a city? Especially when a tall handsome stranger is thrown into the mix who may know more than he’s letting on? If you’re brave enough to find out whether Sam will discover the secret of the parking garage without dying—or getting fired—get your copy of Cthulhu's Car Park today. Just so you know, this horror novella contains strong language and some violence. And, slime. Lots of slime.

Built on Ruins by Kate S. Toll

Generations after The End, there are two ways of living — Gangs of scavengers roam the Wilds and hunt for relics of lost times, while the re-settlers spend their lives building a new civilization on the ruins of the old. Jan Xiaoli is the leader of Ryningare City — one of the largest and most prosperous settlements this side of the Rift. With the purist movement growing stronger, the scavengers getting more hostile, and the incurable disease spreading, ruling the city feels like sitting on a ticking time bomb. When he meets Shi Saxe, the infamous Vulture, who lives alone in the Wilds, Jan Xiaoli feels as though the storm raging around him is sneaking its way into his heart as well.

Bringer of the Scourge by M. Daniel McDowell

Chipped Cup SPFBO10

When the end of ages comes for the empire, the princess must rescue herself. Vierrelyne du Talorr, the last living daughter of the tyrant king, waits locked in a tower cell for the prophesied apocalypse only she can prevent. An army of three brittle allegiances, united under a rival prince, aims for the throne and lays siege to the castle in search of the princess and the fabled weaponry of the empire. With the aid of her mentor in music and swords, and a desperate cultist sent to find her before the mercenaries do, Vierrelyne steals that formidable ancient weapon from her family crypt: a holy suit of armor and a diadem infused with the soul of a demon prince--the Bringer of the Scourge. With it, Vierrelyne discovers an unstoppable power, but the demon within is corrosive, hungry, and dangerously persuasive. Vierrelyne is haunted by what it means to tame this power bequeathed to her, and by what means she might conquer it. When that rival prince finds her, it will take all the strength she can muster, for, if the prophecy she dreads is true, the very weapons she wields might destroy everything she holds dear.

Wistful Ascending by JCM Berne

SPFBO8 SPSFC 2022 SPSFC 2023

A superhero space opera for grownups. For fans of Invincible and Marvel Cinematic Universe films who like a little hard science fiction in their superheroes.
If Thor and Harry Dresden combined in a transporter accident.

The Chaos Circus by Renee Dugan

SPFBO6

All Tessa LaRoche wants is to be the most ordinary person on Barrow Island. After a stint in a mental asylum, she's had quite enough of being anything else, thank you very much. But when a commission at her new reporting job forces her into the path of a not-quite-human murder suspect, Tessa finds that the unordinary is not through with her yet. Spirited away by a devilishly charming Nicolai to the Mirror Lands-- a parallel reality manipulated by the immortal Deathless-- Tessa loses one of the most precious tethers to her sanity. In order to reclaim it, she must risk entering The Chaos Circus: a citywide fair where mortals trade years for prizes in vicious attractions from which the Deathless draw their power. But there's a catch: if Tessa can't defeat the Deathless at their own freakish carnival games, she will lose her mind...and Nicolai will lose his life. Forced to rely on one another despite the secrets that come between them, Tessa and Nicolai embark on a dangerous adventure through the deceptively beautiful life of the Circus, where little is as it seems--even the games, their pasts, and the strange whirlwind of memories that Tessa can no longer recall.

The Thread That Binds by Cedar McCloud

The books are restless. At the Eternal Library, books are more than the paper, ink, and thread they're made from--they're full of spirits. Only a handful of people will ever be invited to the Bindery to learn the craft of Illumination: the magical creation of intricate illustrated manuscripts, bound with a secret that will make them last forever. Tabby is a dreamwalker, a witch who escapes into the stories of sleep to avoid a birth family that's never loved em enough. Amane is a cartomancer, a medium who speaks for the Unseen, but doesn’t know how to speak her own needs. Rhiannon is a psychic, an archivist who can See into the past, but only has eyes on the future. Their stories intertwine as they discover the secrets of Illumination, the Library's archives, and those of their mentors--the three of whom are competing to be the next Head Librarian, the Speaker for all the books. How do you know who's truly worth being part of your family? Sometimes we must forge connections in order to heal; other times, those bonds must be broken.

The Living Waters by Dan Fitzgerald

SFFOasis SPFBO9

Wonder swirls beneath murky water. When two painted-faced nobles take a guided raft trip on a muddy river, they expect to rough it for a few weeks before returning to their life of sheltered ease. But when mysterious swirls start appearing in the water, even their seasoned guides get rattled. The mystery of the swirls lures them on to the mythical wetlands known as the Living Waters. They discover a world beyond their imagining, but stranger still are the worlds they find inside their own minds as they are drawn deep into the troubles of this hidden place. The Living Waters is a sword-free fantasy novel featuring an ethereal love story, meditation magic, and an ancient book with cryptic marginalia. It is the first book in the Weirdwater Confluence duology; the second book, The Isle of a Thousand Worlds, comes out January 15 2022.

We’re All Monsters Here by Amy Marsden

SFINCS

When Anna is invited to a secluded retreat full of selfish, greedy humans, of course she doesn’t say no. Not only did she manipulate the CEO of the world’s largest oil corporation, Peter Beyer, into organising the four-day getaway in the first place, but no self-respecting vampire would ever turn down such easy prey. Her weekend gets even better when she meets Saira, one of Peter Beyer’s employees, and they begin a whirlwind affair. Blood and beautiful women are Anna’s idea of a great time. She should have known it was too good to be true. Hunters are dangerous, deadly, and dedicated to eradicating vampires. When a group of them turn up at the retreat, Anna must use her centuries of experience to escape their ever-closing net. Will she get out unscathed, or will they finally catch up to her? Will she give into her intense and unexpected feelings for Saira, or will she leave her to burn as she destroys all evidence she was ever there? A fresh twist on urban fantasy, with an added splash of sapphic romance.

Sacred Valley: Obversion by Shaun M Jooste

Unveil the Shadows of Obversion: A Supernatural Horror Book Like Silent Hill In the bone-chilling continuation of the Boatman Saga, a series of psychological horror novels drenched in dread and despair, Sacred Valley: Obversion beckons you back into the cursed fog of a town that feeds on memory, guilt, and grief. As with Silent Hill, this supernatural horror plunges readers into a nightmarish world where personal trauma is made manifest, and salvation may be just another illusion. With every step forward, the truth twists further into the dark. Sacred Valley: Obversion is a standalone sequel to Sacred Valley: Betrayal. Fans of Silent Hill and supernatural psychological horror will be drawn deep into its fog. Reflection of the Truth When the mirror shatters, reality bleeds. Cassandra Sanders awakens in a ghostly town that shifts with every glance, where reflections show a darker world beneath. Haunted by flickers of her long-dead twin sister and pursued by unseen horrors, Cassandra begins uncovering the buried conspiracy that destroyed her family. But each step deeper into Sacred Valley twists her sense of reality, threatening to pull her into a truth she may never escape. Silence of the Innocent Guilt has a voice, and it never forgets. Following cryptic clues, Cassandra is drawn into buildings steeped in violence and betrayal. Behind its rusted bars lurk echoes of her past, confessions she’s long denied, and the spectral child whose fate binds her to the town. To move forward, she must face the truth of her own sins, but in Sacred Valley, repentance is never without a price. Wrath of the Slain Some wounds are too deep for the light to reach. As the horrors close in, Cassandra’s journey leads her to the orphanage where every shadow is a memory, and every memory a ghost. To save her sister and herself, she must confront the child she once failed and the family she lost, each demanding a piece of her soul. But in a town where destruction walks, desecration always follows… and not all who seek redemption will find it. Enter the Obversion Join us in Sacred Valley. The Boatman Saga continues with a descent more personal, and more dangerous, than ever before. Step into Sacred Valley: Obversion, where the fog hides not just monsters, but the darkest parts of yourself. Will you dare to look into the mirror… and face what looks back?

Fabulous, Tx by Michelle Monárrez

A lonely gas station and a sheriff’s department. That’s all that’s left of Fabulous, TX. Officer Anita Padmore stands at a crossroads in her law enforcement career. Should she move up north to work under Ft. Worth PD with the hope of a new career? Or should she stay in the town she loves at a job that promises no future? Before she can decide, her last case walks into town with a bang. A violent shooting at the local gas station has left heaps of bizarre evidence behind and a wounded witness fighting for her life. The case keeps unfolding and Anita soon has more questions than answers—but when Agent Caio Batista with his FBI unit steps in to take over her investigation, it’s clear this case is bigger than she bargained for. Anita is drawn to the agent’s sharp intellect and suave charm, but he’s hiding a secret that could change everything. Can the tale of Anita Padmore and Caio Batista shine some light on what happened to Fabulous?

Fleet Champions by Rob J Hayes

Basic Survival of the Strongest. After surviving the Spire and opening their Second Gates, Iro and Emil are named Heroes of the Fleet, their faces on posters across every ship. But with the benefits of notoriety, comes a dangerous new responsibility. The Raider Fleet, not content with stealing their food and murdering their people, demand ownership of the wing. To avoid an unwinnable war, the Home Fleet agree to a grand martial tournament, Hopper against Raider, and both Iro and Emil must compete. Can they fight their way through the competition to claim the title of Fleet Champion? And why are the Black Cloaks so eager to see who wins? A progression sci-fantasy perfect for fans of Cradle and Iron Prince.

Devil to Pay by R. M. Olson

SPSFC 2024

In a world of pirates and murderous ghosts, one naval cadet must choose between loyalty and survival. In the Level’s Naval Academy, officer candidate Silas Hunt stumbles across a secret that could get him hanged for treason. The only hope he has to save his own life and to find justice is to join up with a ruthless pirate captain, a woman known as Mad Dog—even if it means sacrificing everything he’s spent his life working for. The Verity is just a ship of the line, but for Stacks-born Captain Hollis Ives, it’s not just her first command. It’s her one chance to prove that a woman from the slums can handle a high-ranking naval position—even if it means accepting a posting that’s likely to be a death sentence. Treasure Island meets Master and Commander with a science-fiction twist in R.M. Olson’s thrilling new space opera series, The Devil and the Dark.

The Follower of Flowers: A Flowers of Prophecy Novel by Natalia Hernandez

As a child, the Name-Bearer had one duty; to receive and deliver the names of the future monarchy from the Flowers of Prophecy. But on the day of the Naming Ceremony, the Flowers refused. They claim another child was born more worthy of the Naming, and the Name-Bearer must find him and deliver him to them in order to restore peace to her land. Now, ten years later, the Name-Barer and her companions are on a quest to find the Unnamed Prince and fulfill the prophecy. But with a bounty on their heads, an increase in monstro activity, and a long dangerous journey through enemy territory, they may be in for more than they bargained for. In order to survive, they will have to rely on strangers, unlikely new allies, and those they once loved – and hope that their trust in them has not been misplaced. With so much opposition, will their courage – and their friendships, survive?

The Chronicles of Spoony, Vols. 1-3 by Jim Larsen

Spoony is a kid with a heart of gold. He loves hugs, he loves affection, and he values friendship and family. But there is something about him that isn’t quite right. He can’t kick a ball, he can’t play Duck Duck Goose, and he confuses regular people for clowns. He thinks a fictitious character on an old TV show is his dad, and he just has a general way of ruining things for other people while remaining blissfully unaware. His mom isn’t much better. Embarrassed by the drunken one-night stand that created Spoony, she has perpetrated numerous lies to save face and avoid humiliation over the truth that Spoony’s father real father is the lanky Burt Peppermill, and that an overindulgence of lime flavored Jell-O shooters led her to lower her standards enough to let him touch her in that way. All her lies, however, come crashing down on them both the day Spoony finally kicks a ball in P.E. class, resulting in a trip to the emergency room where a number of surprises await. The Chronicles of Spoony, Vols. 1-3 offer delightfully dark reminders of how our words and actions around children shape their beliefs and affect their lives in profound and often invisible ways.

Scarlett and the Dark Woods by Mary Mecham

She is one of the protected elect. He is a shunned shapeshifter. Can Scarlett rescue her grandmother before her own heart is stolen? When her grandmother is cast out as unworthy after facing Hamelin’s annual Shunning, Scarlett knows she must brave the dangers of Darkwood Forest if she’s to have any chance of saving her. Her perilous adventure becomes a race against time; she needs to find Gran before the previously shunned get to her first. Scarlett’s efforts come too late. As her magic dwindles the farther into the forest she ventures, she becomes hopelessly lost and is forced to accept help from Greyson, the shapeshifting wolf who is stalking her every footstep—and who Scarlett suspects of knowing Gran’s location. If she manages to save her grandmother, Scarlett will be faced with an impossible choice: join Gran and live her life as an outcast or return to the rest of the elect, safe but alone. As she struggles to find the right path forward, Scarlett realizes that more than her grandmother’s future is at stake. Her heart is too. Can Scarlett resist her inexplicable attraction to the shunned wolf she despises long enough to protect the woman who raised her?

The Last Lunar Witch by S.F. Henne

Gryphons And Grimoires

I only wanted to control my magic, but a single potion catapulted my life into chaos… I’m Nyssa Thornheart, a witch with broken magic. I escaped to the big city to pursue my passion for alchemy and hide from my coven until I fix my powers. If my unstable gifts are exposed, they will be stripped away. To live without magic, that’s a fate worse than death. So I drank a long-forgotten potion in a desperate bid to harness my volatile powers. But when I’m cornered by thugs, I unleash a rare and dangerous magic, tearing the veil between our world and a demonic realm. My new powers are growing stronger and resisting every attempt to subdue them. Now I’m a hunted witch, pursued by both demonic creatures and the authorities determined to protect the realm from the threat I pose. Can I master my magic or will I have to sacrifice my powers before the city falls to demons? For fans of Heather G. Harris and Lindsay Buroker, The Last Lunar Witch is the first book in the fast-paced Lunar Order Chronicles. An urban fantasy series filled with strong women, found family, inner growth, and cozy vibes mixed with heart-pounding action. Dive into S.F. Henne’s gripping adventure now!

Queen of the Dawn by S.M. Gaither

"The light cannot always overcome the dark. But it can rise to meet it.” Against all odds, Casia Greythorne has survived battles with gods and monsters alike, and the most powerful crown in the Kethran Empire is now securely in her grasp. Yet a seemingly impossible task still looms: finding a way to rid her world of its darkest god so she actually has a future to rule over. The path to sealing that god away has been revealed, but to follow it will mean venturing into a deadly and strange new realm, facing old fears and enemies, and deciphering ancient magic that raises more questions than answers. Meanwhile, chaos continues to spread throughout the empires. Armies rise and fall. The bonds between allies begin to fray—and hope along with it. And with every bloody battle, the final cost of saving their world becomes clearer. Dawn is coming, but will Casia and her friends survive to see the new day?

Legends of Andolin: Adella of the Campos by A.M. Portman

A WOMAN IN A DESPERATE SEARCH Adella's life had been peaceful on the frontier of Valenna. But when mysterious raiders attack and burn her town down, her brother goes missing. Leaving everything behind, she sets off in a desperate ride across the plains to find him. A MERCENARY IN DIRE NEED OF HER HELP Kol, a highly-skilled Sornian soldier, needs Adella's help if he wants to live to see another day. A traitor to his country with nowhere else to turn, he agrees to guide Adella across the wilderness of the Campos. A HIGH-SEAS ADVENTURE When Adella is captured by the enemy, she inadvertently lets a powerful artifact fall into the wrong hands. Risking everything to find her, Kol takes a gamble and joins forces with the mysterious Captain Declan, a notorious reaver known for plundering Sornian ships. Each must face the same choice: Save the life of someone dear to them, or retrieve the artifact and prevent the awakening of Mundil and the rise of the Twelve Calamities... In a world of intrigue, mystery, and betrayal, will the choices they make lead to disaster? Legends of Andolin: Adella of the Campos is the first in an all-new series that takes you on a captivating adventure filled with excitement, danger and, most importantly, sea serpents. Read it today!

How to Flaunt Your Chains and Surrender a Vein by D. N. Bryn

‘What else is this shed for, if not torturing unsuspecting vampires?’ Rahil Zaman has good reason to keep his distance from the world—and his fangs are only part of that. He hides in his crumbling home, acquiring blood through the risky one-night stands he finds on hunter-infested hookup apps. After one such fling turns sour, Rahil ends up trapped in the work shed of the one match he wishes would respond to his flirtations. Finding the hot twink he’d been ghosting inside his work shed was not on Mercer Bloncourt’s agenda. Between his work as a craftsman and his tumultuous relationship with his chronically-ill daughter, he doesn’t have the time or heart for a relationship. But Rahil is not the only intruding presence in Mercer’s life. A hostile hunter and a manipulative research scientist both insist—on threat of his daughter’s life—that he recreate versions of his ‘holy silver’: a vampire-killing metal forged in the wake of his wife’s murder, bound up in all the grief and destruction he’s striven for years to overcome. To complicate matters, Rahil is the rare vampire who’s immune to the deadly silver, providing Mercer the perfect lab rat to test a kinder vampire-affecting metal. As Rahil and Mercer rush to the forge, they must face their past wrongs once more, and in time, discover that no mistake is worth the sentence of eternal loneliness.

Moon Soul by Nathaniel Luscombe

"I don't think I can justify it any longer. I'm going to quit my job." August has never been good with change and isn’t sure who she is beyond her job of reading memories in the sand. When she comes to the conclusion that she has to quit her job, she’s left with an overwhelming sense of emptiness. What follows is the quiet chaos of a girl regaining control over her life on a small desert moon. Deciding to take a job in the hanging gardens of the Spire, August discovers more to life as she meets new friends, forms a different connection with her home, and faces an unexpected visitor from her past. Rich in relatable emotions and experiences, inspiring in message, and written in prose that will hook you from page one, Moon Soul is a science fantasy novella unlike any you’ve read before. It will leave you feeling seen and understood.

Aestus, Book 1: The City by S. Z. Attwell

SPSFC 2022

An underground city, built centuries ago to ride out the devastating heat. A society under attack. And a young solar engineer whose skills may be the key to saving her city…if she doesn’t get herself killed first. When Jossey was ten, the creatures of the aboveground took her brother and left her for dead, with horrible scars. Now, years later, she’s a successful solar engineer, working to keep her underground city’s power running, but she’s never really recovered. After she saves dozens of people during a second attack, she is offered a top-secret assignment as a field Engineer with Patrol, but fear prevents her from taking it…until Patrol finds bones near where her brother disappeared. She signs on and finds herself catapulted into a world that is far more dangerous, and requires far more of her, than she ever imagined. The creatures and the burning heat aboveground are not the only threats facing the City, and what she learns during her assignment could cost her her life: one of the greatest threats to the City may in fact lie within. With thousands of lives at stake, can she act in time? Aestus is an adult dystopian science-fiction series set centuries after climate change has ravaged much of Earth. An epic story of vengeance, power, shifting loyalties, and survival that looks at just how far people will go to protect what they love, brought to you by science writer S.Z. Attwell, Aestus paints a picture of a world in which far too little has changed.

Coldlander by Jacob Tanner

Yarla, a middle-aged has-been, lives so far from the failing Low Temperature Temple that it's almost inhospitable for coldlanders like herself. Ice nearly melts, and it's getting worse, when she'd prefer things a few hundred degrees colder. But when a stranger from the boiling-hot side of the planet arrives with a key to the Temple, she begrudgingly takes it upon herself to travel south and fix what is broken. With her new hot-suited ally, Lazarus, she must fight her way to the Temple through deadly wildlife, the rude coldlander culture, her own impatience, the consequences of age, and one very unhelpful teenage girl.

Legends of Andolin: Rising Tides by A.M. Portman

THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES With the Heart of the World safe at the Capital, Lady Adella Grimless and her friends turn their attention to the looming war with Sornia. Pressed by the increasing threat in the Campos, Adella, Kol and Armand each part ways to face dangers from both land and sea on their own. OVER DANGEROUS LANDS Kol embarks on a perilous mission across the frontier, and learns the truth about his tragic past. Meanwhile, Armand heads to Raymouth to deliver a message, but soon finds himself on a reaver ship heading for troubled waters. AND TREACHEROUS SEAS As the Sornian army closes in on Elldon, Adella travels to Pentz to seek assistance, but things don’t go as planned. When she faces death in the watery depths, one thing becomes clear: The legends of Andolin are real… And disaster is coming.

Proliferation by Erik A. Otto

SPSFC 2024

Population centers have been leveled and society has regressed to a pre-industrialized state. An advanced city rises from the ashes, enabling the rebirth of more such cities, each one subtly different, the result of an experiment in finding the best machine-governed utopia. Sovereign forces mobilize to exploit their power, and others, to contain them. At the heart of this struggle is an unlikely pair; a dejected anthropologist whose life’s work has finally become useful, and a snarky pirate forced to serve a monastic cult. To survive, they must not only navigate escalating conflict, but also understand the broader implications of the rising machine cities for all of humanity.

Sending Love Letters to Animals and Other Totally Normal Human Behaviors by Chase Connor

Ryan Offsteader had one major problem, but now that he’s out of the closet and no one in his family or school actually cares, his problems are few. Life is a cycle of family, school, homework, Journalism Club, his friends, hanging out, and waiting for life to begin. It’s a simple, boring life at times, but his problems are few. When Ms. Tabatabai, his English teacher and Journalism Club mentor, announces to the class that there will be a project where students pair up, Ryan and his best friend, Jules, assume they will work together. Ms. Tabatabai has other plans. Students will be paired off randomly. Ryan is left without a partner since his English class has an odd number of students. However, Ms. Tabatabai assures him that he will have a partner since a new student is enrolling. It’s not an ideal situation for Ryan since he is used to working with Jules on every project, but it’s not the worst. Until the new student shows up and Ryan realizes this isn’t their first time meeting. Ms. Tabatabai announces to the students that they are to get to know each other and write a paper about their partner. An oral report in front of the class will be expected once the project deadline arrives. There’s just one caveat—the pairs must get to know each other without speaking. How they do this is up to them. Points will be given for creativity. Ryan’s partner does everything he can to make the project impossible, Ms. Tabatabai assigns Ryan to a new project in Journalism Club, his friends want to occupy all of his time, and, if all that wasn’t enough, he’s tasked with helping the Drama teacher, Mr. Melvin, organize the spring singing recital, A Night on Broadway. Unless Ryan can confront his history and right a wrong, his whole world could fall apart. Will he choose to confront his past, or will history repeat itself?