Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare

After many years working on the Shadowhunter Chronicles, Cassandra Clare has come out with a new fantasy book called Sword Catcher. Though this book feels vastly different from her past work, it still contains the essence of any great Cassandra Clare book and her compelling characters. From the beginning, readers are led to care about the characters, learning about their backgrounds that made them who they are and how their different relationships have impacted the course of their lives. The book focuses on the two leads, Kel and Lin, and though they initially seem part of two different worlds, soon their worlds collide. Before this, the reader gets to know both Kel and Lin well from Kel’s interactions with Prince Conor, to Lin’s protective nature toward her best friend. It is because of both of their other relationships that get them into trouble and ultimately bring them together. Alongside powerful characters, Sword Catcher has a fully immersive world for readers to dive into between exploring the world of royals and the world of the Ashkar, the last remaining people with access to magic, Sword Catcher can touch on topics reminiscent of many faced by people in the real world every day and also throughout the test of time. Throughout the novel, Sword Catcher proves itself to be a spell-binding adventure of two people trying to protect those they love with the hand they have been given.

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston delivers all the perfect thriller aspects and keeps the reader’s interest until the very last page. First Lie Wins brings something new to the genre, with twists and turns throughout that readers will only see coming once it is too late. This new thriller builds up an engaging storyline by utilizing two timelines showing the main character, Evie, both in the present and in years past. This was the right way to tell her story because it shows how Evie is in tough water with her boss and the use of the timeline starting eight years in the past, up until the present day, shows how her boss went from trusting her to losing his faith. In the present day, Evie works on her new job assigned to her by her boss, known only as Mr. Smith, all while he works behind the scenes to take her down and he’s willing to stop at nothing to watch her fail. Using the past timeline to captivate the reader, First Lie Wins showcases Evie’s fight to get the life she wants. Though most of the characters are not necessarily good people, they are intriguing to read about nonetheless.

Check and Mate by Ali Hazelwood

Check and Mate is the latest romance novel by Ali Hazelwood, but instead of tackling the concept of a woman in STEM as many of her other books are known for, this time the lead is a woman entering the chess scene. The novel starts with her mixed feelings about the game though it’s not known why, as the novel progresses, the reasoning unfolds nicely with the rest of the plot. In a smart move by the author, Mallory’s backstory is interwoven with her hesitation to jump back into the world of chess and brilliantly incorporates her dedication to her family. Even after getting back involved with chess, Mallory constantly thinks about her family as she cares deeply about them. As she reemerges in the world of chess, Mallory learns she has a lot to manage, such as a new job, a reappearing love of the game, and an unexpected romance. Even though romance is present, and is a big part of the story, it does not overshadow the complicated family dynamics or Mallory rediscovering her love for chess. Rather, it accelerates these elements to make them better and creates an all-around, more engaging story because of it.

Soundtrack of Silence: Love, Loss, and a Playlist for Life by Matt Hay

Soundtrack of Silence: Love, Loss, and a Playlist for Life is a captivating memoir by Matt Hay detailing his experience of discovering he was going deaf as a college student entering adulthood. He shares his experience of what his childhood was like to him failing his first hearing test as an adult. Hay’s narration makes it easy to understand how his hearing problems got overlooked all of those years and why it took so long even after learning about it to get it checked out. Through it all, he maintains his lifelong love for music, and when he learns about his diagnosis, he determines that he wants to memorize his favorite songs before he goes completely deaf. From the beginning, he explains how big of a role hearing everything from the car passing by, to music through headphones, plays in everyone’s lives though most people do not even notice it. Through the format of a brilliant memoir, Matt Hay’s Soundtrack of Silence: Love, Loss, and a Playlist for Life, gives a glimpse into his life and can successfully give a new perspective on music.