Escape to the Bookshelf

‘The Unicorn Hunters’ by Katherine Arden

The unicorn hunt was just supposed to be a ploy, a desperate attempt to distract the French King’s envoy so Anne could marry another in secret and keep her kingdom out of French hands. Anne didn’t expect to actually find a unicorn and she definitely doesn’t expect the string of events that follow as a result. With enchantment and sorcery seeping back into the world, Anne is in more danger than she could have fathomed. But, as well as danger, the magic also brings opportunity.

‘Mother of Rome’ by Lauren J.A. Bear

Rhea Silvia was born a Latin princess, until grief and greed stripped her of her title and saw her transformed into a priestess. She then became a mother and, by association, a condemned woman. And finally, in the most unexpected of transformations, she became a wolf. And that wolf became the Mother of Rome. This is the story of how Rome was founded and how it could never have happened without one brave woman who refused to be controlled and who put her sons above all else.

‘The Bone Diver’ by Angie Spoto

The Sealgairs are seal hunters; killing is in their blood. Until a few years ago Kier was no different, and then one bad hunt stripped her of all ability to kill. Now she can’t even harvest a single mollusc from the sea floor, let alone face a seal with a single knife like she once did. Now her parents go out on the family boat alone and Kier stays behind keeping house and feeling useless.

‘The Fortune Tellers of Rue Daru’ by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore

Zina has lived her whole life in her grandmother’s tearoom, selling real fortunes and fake séances. When she realises she might be able to perform a real séance, she finds it impossible to resist – despite her grandmother’s firm warnings. A séance is supposed to offer answers and comfort to the living, but Zina’s séance brings fear, questions, and one very angry ghost who refuses to leave. The ghost insists he was murdered in the tearoom, but who killed him and why? Is the ghost actually her father? Is there really treasure hidden inside her home? And what does any of it have to do with and her mother’s murder from almost twenty-four years ago?

‘Sword Catcher’ by Cassandra Clare

Plucked from an orphanage when he was ten, Kel now lives a life of luxury as Prince Connor’s sword catcher. To the outside world he is Connor’s cousin, but to a select few he is Connor’s bodyguard and, when the need calls for it, his body double. When a situation is deemed too dangerous Kel dons his magical amulet, alongside Connors clothes and Connors personality, to take the prince’s place. When a new threat rises, Kel must identify it and put a stop to it before Connor gets hurt. But it’s difficult to protect someone when they, and everyone around them, are keeping secrets.

‘The House Saphir’ by Marissa Meyer

Mallory makes her living as haunted house guide. The ghost is real and the stories she tells her paying customers are real, though she might be guilty of a bit of embellishment and faked theatrics. And the souvenirs she sells are very much not real, despite the high price she charges for them. There’s also the small matter of trespassing, but that seems a very minor risk. Until, of course, one of her customers turns out to be the very Count who owns the house she makes her living from. Yet instead of pressing charges, he offers her a job: banish a murderous ghost before it takes its next victim. It’s a lucrative job offer, but there’s one problem. Mallory can see ghosts, but she doesn’t actually have the magic required to banish them. Can she pull off the biggest con yet?

‘Never Ever After’ by Sue Lynn Tan

Release Date: 30 October 2025

Orphaned twice over Yining’s only wish is to escape her step-aunt and find a life free of lies, thievery and poverty. Yet when fate offers her a chance at luxury as one of the future King’s concubines in the palace she sees only another cage. With limited options she must decide who to trust: the prince who offers her the world but has a quick temper, or the advisor who offers her true freedom as long as she risks her life for him first.

‘The Women of Artemis’ by Hannah Lynn

Release Date: 21 October 2025

When Otrera’s husband drinks and gambles away all their money and moves them to a ramshackle hut in a tiny village she thinks her life is over. But the kindness of strangers helps her to build a new life, one where she is surrounded by a community of women who teach her to tease out the small freedoms that can be found in their oppressive patriarchal society.

‘The Jasad Crown’ by Sara Hashem

Release Date: 15 July 2025

SPOILER ALERT: This is book 2 in a doulogy. Check out this review instead if you haven’t read book 1: ‘The Jasad Heir’ by Sara Hashem

Sylvia, the chemist’s apprentice and Champion of Nizhal, is gone. Only Essiya remains now, Queen of Jasad. No longer supressed, Essiya’s magic reigns free and it is a force to be reckoned with. Unfortunately it is not her enemies that seem to be the main target, but her mind. With armies rallying against them the Jasadi’s have only one hope: raise the fortress of Jasad. The last person to raise the fortress died, but Essiya isn’t concerned about that. She’ll take a hero’s death over going insane and killing everyone. Her only worry is whether she can hold onto her sanity long enough to raise the fortress. And whether a certain Nizhal Heir will try to stop her, either to save her life or to destroy her people.

‘Embrace the Serpent’ by Sunya Mara

Release date : 26 June 2025

As a child Saphira witnessed her mother’s murder before being kidnapped by the killer. She escapes to the streets where she is taken in by a jewelsmith who sees the potential in her natural talent. He teaches her the finer elements of the craft and offers her a job and a home. In return he takes credit for her work and watches his business flourish. Fortunately for him Saphira is more than happy to keep to shadows, especially if it means the woman who killed her mother won’t be able to find her again.

But Saphira’s masterful work soon begins to attract more notice than either of them could have ever expected. When the Serpent King comes to town looking for both a jewelsmith and a bride, Saphira finds herself thrust into the spotlight amidst a maze of politics and danger.