Shadow of the Leviathan #3
By Robert Jackson Bennett
** Publication Date 4 August 2026 **
4 stars


When you find yourself eyeballs deep in a book series, you simply cannot wait for the next installment to come out. I find myself this way with the Shadow of the Leviathan series. Time passes, and I leave Ana & Din behind. Then I get a notification about the next novel, and I simply cannot wait to wallow in it.


Book 3 finds Ana & Din investigating a strange murder in the town of Lacanthim. As always they have traveled a long way, and Ana is still as mercurial and odd as ever. Din is starting to experience certain mind tricks that Ana states are simply his enhancements maturing. To Din it is frightening. 


When they reach Lacanthim, they find the roads blocked by angry people. Apparently this murder has caused a long feud between the two gentry families to boil over. Castus, the son of one family, has taken the life of Zansay, a daughter of the other family. It was a brutal murder of which Castus has no memory. Certainly if one were to flay a person as one does cattle, you would remember it. However Castus has no memory. Add in that these are the children of the wealthiest landowners, it has become a cauldron of anger within the town.


In this novel we also finally meet one of Din’s family members. As Din essentially ran away from his family, his sacrifice, to try to provide for them, it is a surprise to both Din and his sister. No spoilers, as it is a relationship you will enjoy.


I truly do believe that this is a series where you ultimately need to start at the beginning to enjoy. There is so much backstory to Khanum and Ana & Din, that to jump in during book three would be challenging. While each novel does give a bit of backstory, picking up right here might be a bit unsettling.


I did enjoy this installment immensely. Bennett has done an incredible job of creating this odd land. It is both fantasy and mystery at its best. Ana is one of the oddest ‘humans’ I’ve encountered in a novel. Din is a trustworthy companion for Ana. Once again, I shall eagerly await book four.


Start at the beginning and enjoy your time in Khanum.

By Jillian Cantor
** Publication Date 4 August 2026 **
​4 stars




Clearly this is book one of a series to come, as the end is a total cliffhanger. That being said, I cannot wait for book two. Honestly, leaving us that way is cruel.


This novel really touches on the craziness of living in a dystopian world ruled by a fascist. It mirrors a lot of things going on in our own world right now, which is mighty frightening. It is a world where women leave school at 14, and men are immediately sent into the military. A world without medicine or science. A world where women are forced into domesticity, faith, and beauty. Where all women are blond and wear white.


Ellie wasn’t supposed to experience this world. After President Lyon was elected, her scientist father decided to freeze the entire family for 10 years, with the hope that when they thawed, the world wouldn’t be as it is before the freezing. Only something goes very wrong. Ellie is suddenly thawed after only three years. Three years and now is in this crazy, authoritarian world that her family hoped to avoid.


Ellie’s brother Scott ran away prior to the freezing. He couldn’t bring himself to be a part of this idea. Fortunately he ran into their old neighbor Mateo. With Mateo, Scott fled into the hills to an abandoned boy scout camp. There along with other escapees, they have been living for three years. Hunting squirrels for food and using fake IDs to buy supplies down in town. It’s precarious, but it’s better than being sheep.


Until Scott hears that Ellie is alive. Now his mission is simple, to save Ellie from a fate worse than death or freezing. Only it’s risky and frightening, and Scott is merely 19. He knows where Ellie is being kept, and nothing will stop him from trying to rescue her.


Really great dystopian novel. Terrifying as can be, if you think about how easy this would all be. There is good character development with Ellie, Scott, and Mateo, even the minor characters are believable in an unbelievable world. I think this book will be popular amongst teens. 


As I always say, YA is for everyone! Hopefully book two won’t be too far away.

By Jean Kwok
** Publication Date 14 July 2026 **
5 stars


I suppose romantasy is now my favorite genre, because these are the books I completely fall into. Also, so far this year, I have devoured several romantasy books that have gotten 5 stars. I guess I’m a convert.


Rubi Morningtail has no past. She lost her memory after the Annihilation, and she’s yet to regain it. She is an Azure refugee in the Silver Tyger dominion. The Silver Tiger Dominion is ruled by a harsh king, and most of the Silvers detest the Azures. Rubi lives with her friend Edith in a small hut in the forest. Edith has been caring for Rubi every since they fled their land, and is the best friend Rubi has. Along with Quinn, another Azure, Rubi has no one else. She is a Yin, and her magic is very weak. But in the tavern where she sings and performs her ribbon dances, she can mesmerize the crowd, earning her some coin.


After a night in the tavern, a massive tyger appears at their doorstep. In trying to save Edith, Rubi wounds Flame, the Tyger Queen, drawing the ire of Blake Axefire, the most dominant Tyger warrior there is. Wounding the Tyger is a crime punishable by death. Blake knows this and takes Rubi as a prisoner back to the castle. Her fate somewhat sealed, she is forced to participate in a brutal ceremony called the Bonding, where the warrior Tygers choose their riders. Rubi is terrified, but Blake reminds her, as she enters the arena, you’re not dead yet.\


Rubi was destined for a mission greater than she can imagine, to save their world from destruction by the evil Serpent King. Will she be able to rise to the occasion?


Dominion is the first romantasy for author Jean Kwok, and she hit it right out of the park. The world she created, based on the elements of the earth, is magical. The characters are well structured and believable. Rubi is so sad at her core. She has lost so much, but she is determined to make the best of it. Blake Axefire is both infuriating and mesmerizing. Edith is the stalwart, always making sure Rubi is taken care of.


All in all, this was fabulous. For a first time romantasy author, I have zero complaints. I cannot wait for the next installment of this series. 
​

By Chiara Bullen
** Publication Date 7 July 2026 **
​4 stars




Honestly, when I first started this novel, I wasn’t sure I was even going to finish it. It seemed a bit contrived and tedious. I cannot tell you how wrong my first impressions were.


Ainsworth is not what he seems. While he has become quite the scholar for the Skarrow Library, he comes from very humble beginnings. His love for history and his desire to succeed have gotten him where he is now. Happily partnered with Enach, another scholar, Ainsworth now visits the finest restaurants and wears exquisite clothing.


When Ainsworth finds a letter from a relative regarding the Misnich Inn, he feels maybe this is his chance to make a name for himself. The Misnich Inn sits at the foot of Mount Vengeance, a historic place for adventurers. Ainsworth finds himself headed there at a moment’s notice to research and write about this Inn and the people who visit it before making the trek up the mountain to face whatever is there.


Only the Inn isn’t what he expected. And those adventurers he hoped to write about, just don’t exist. But there is something there. Something about this Inn that Ainsworth can’t let go. The question is whether or not he can make something of what he’s found here.


Definitely fantasy, where the ‘people’ are somewhat human, somewhat animal. Ainswroth himself has antlers from his grandmother’s line. It’s a tad odd, until it isn’t. Until this book simply becomes a story of people trying to find real happiness. The question that everyone has to face is what makes you happy? Truly happy. 


Although I was so perplexed when I started, once I really got into the story, I couldn’t let go. Every character brings something to the tale, some human characteristic that makes them more real. Makes the story more real. Yes, it is about ‘humans’ that can shift into birds or cats. But at the heart of the story is nothing but heart. Finding your happy place. 


Really enjoyed this one. 

By Emily Lloyd-Jones
** Publication Date 7 July 2026 **
​4 stars




I always say it when I review, YA is for everyone. Especially well written YA. This novel has it all.


Augusta Pine is not a real person. She is a wraith, or ghost, employed by a government agency. She didn’t choose this life, not really. Augusta made a horrible choice when she was 15. She hacked into a self-driving vehicle’s computer system, resulting in someone’s death. So she had a choice - prison or become a wraith. What choice did she have?


But over the years, Augusta has become a valuable asset to the ISD. She’s a brilliant hacker, tough as nails, and refuses to fail. Plus the fact that she’s still a kid doesn’t hurt either. No one expects her to be who she is. She always uses it to her advantage. 


Only now she’s in a near impossible situation with many lives at stake. Will she be able to pull off another miracle?


Such a fun novel. Augusta may have started out in the worst of circumstances, but her pluck and wit will forever endear her to the reader. It’s hard to not like her. To not want to be like her. She does what she needs to do, nearly fearless. I loved how she was written as a good person in spite of the circumstances that led her to be a wraith. 


The world that Augusta inhabits is completely high tech, decades or more in our future. It’s all believable tech though. Nothing that out of our realm, which makes this not really sci-fi. Lloyd-Jones did a fabulous job creating this world and these characters. It’s a very special book.


Absolutely recommend, and not just for teens.