Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff (★★★★★)

The second book in The Nevernight Chronicles takes the assassin school storyline to the next level, with plenty of assassinations and 100% more gladiator stuff. From a surprise LGBT love story, to a murderous antihero you can’t help but love, plenty of sexy times, all the revenge, and four amazingly huge twists at the end of the novel (only one of which I was able to guess), you are in for one wild ride. Who will survive? What will be left of them? And will we ever find out who is writing the hilariously sassy footnotes?

In An Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire (★★★★★)

This prequel to the gorgeously written and plotted Every Heart a Doorway follows the story of teacher Miss Lundy, way back when she found her own door that took her to the magical world of the Goblin Market. A fun but sad tale, In An Absent Dream — the technical first book in the series chronologically — is beautifully written and heart breaking. Read: another great addition to this absolutely perfect series! Fifty more books in the Wayward Children series, please and thanks!

Cat Person by Kristen Roupenian (★★★★☆)

The short story Cat Person appeared in the New Yorker and went crazy viral, with women recognizing something of their own love lives in the story and men totally missing the point. Now featured in Roupenian’s brand-new short story collection, You Know You Want This, I figured it was the perfect time to see what all the buzz is/was about. While I enjoyed this short, I can definitely understand why this oftentimes uncomfortable read is so polarizing.

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor (★★★★★)

Taylor’s latest series follows Lazlo Strange, an orphan who wants much more than his provincial librarian life … and gets it when he’s whisked on an adventure to the great, wide somewhere. Lushly told and beautifully written, Strange the Dreamer is the super imaginative, incredibly romantic first book in the fantasy duology of the same name that everyone keeps calling “a must read.” Spoilers: they are not lying, it is a must read. One with an ending that will leave you screaming, “Xfhskfdhdfkshfkahsfk!”