Fresh Reads, Honest reviews, Educator-approved
R.F. Kuang delivers a haunting Dark Academia twist on Dante’s Inferno. In Katabasis, two rival students descend into Hell to rescue a mentor—not for love, but for their academic futures. Using only chalk, runes, and their wits, they navigate a monotonous yet terrifying underworld. It’s a 4-star exploration of academic trauma and the lengths we go for validation. Perfect for high schoolers who loved Babel or Piranesi.
Step behind the white picket fence of the 1950s in The Mad Wife. Meagan Church delivers a haunting look at medical gaslighting and the suffocating pressure of domestic perfection. While it moves at a slow, psychological burn, this 3-star thriller is a deep dive into maternal mental health and the dark side of history. It’s a provocative choice for book clubs and mature readers interested in the messy reality behind “perfect” vintage ads.
Elena Aguilar’s Arise is a masterclass in transformational coaching. Moving beyond simple advice-giving, this 5-star professional guide explores how to impact the “3 B’s”—Beliefs, Behaviors, and Ways of Being. For counselors and school leaders, it provides a vital roadmap for navigating equity, power dynamics, and relational trust. It’s an essential read for anyone looking to foster deep, systemic change and build a more empathetic school culture.
M.S. RedCherries’ Mother is a 5-star multimorphic masterpiece that maps the emotional landscape of Indigenous identity and adoption. Through a “patchwork” of poetry and prose, it explores the deep-seated trauma of being separated from one’s tribe and the slow, courageous journey toward cultural reclamation. A vital resource for counselors and educators, this collection provides a hauntingly beautiful vocabulary for the complex search for belonging and home.
Born on Independence Day in the heart of Tegucigalpa, Libertad Morazán is a young poet searching for her own freedom. Set against the real-world 2017 Honduran election crisis, this powerful queer coming-of-age novel explores the heavy intersection of family loyalty, political activism, and the heart-wrenching choice between staying to fight or migrating for safety. A moving and authentic look at how national unrest shapes individual identity.