Cherae graduated from Indiana University's creative writing MFA. She's been a personal trainer, an English teacher, and an editor, and is some combination thereof as she travels the world. When she's not writing or working, she's learning languages, doing P90something, or reading about war and [post-]colonial history. Her short fiction has appeared in Beneath Ceaseless Skies, FIYAH, PodCastle and Uncanny. You can follow her on Twitter @c_l_clark.
Call Me Traitor (2026) Everina Maxwell "A liar, a lover. A soldier and a second chance. Read this book, then thank me as you pick pieces of your heart up from the floor."
The Raven Scholar (2025) (Eternal Path Trilogy, book 1) Antonia Hodgson "The Raven Scholar is as clever as its namesake - each beloved character, each twist and each turn, is a shiny new gift. It is magnificent."
Metal from Heaven (2024) August Clarke "Surprising absolutely no one, Metal from Heaven is such an excellent book. I adored every heartbreak moment of Metal from Heaven. It's a bitter triumph with an oil-slick beauty. This one's for the dykes. It hits a lot of tender spots, beautifully done. If you trust me, read this book."
The Fireborne Blade (2024) (Fireborne Blade, book 1) Charlotte Bond "A quick, delicious bite of a dragon-slayer fantasy with clever worldbuilding and twists that'll catch in your throat... if you're not careful."
The Wings Upon Her Back (2024) Samantha Mills "I've been hoping for a novel from Samantha Mills for years, ever since first stumbling upon her short story 'Strange Waters.' The Wings Upon Her Back didn't disappoint, giving us a thoughtful, wrenching, and beautifully crafted story of disappointment, failure, and redemption."
Daughter of the Bone Forest (2024) (Witch Hall Duology, book 1) Jasmine Skye "Daughter of the Bone Forest pulled me in from the first chapter and didn't let go until the end-a unique and enthralling magic system, a complicated world, and characters you can't help but root for. I loved it!"
Bookshops & Bonedust (2023) (Legends & Lattes, book 2) Travis Baldree "Bookshops & Bonedust is the perfect follow up to Legends & Lattes; it's a pleasure to meet a Younger Viv and watch her grow slowly, stubbornly, into the orc we love so much. Some bittersweetness is inevitable, but Baldree reminds us that the past-even our mistakes-is the fertile soil where we plant the seeds of a beautiful future."
The Deep Sky (2023) Yume Kitasei "There are so many things to love about Yume Kitasei's debut, but I especially adored how real every moment felt: the politics of boarding school and our future world; the lapsed friendships and estranged parents; the guilt of surviving, of being chosen. In The Deep Sky, Kitasei puts us under the microscope not in judgment but with a fair and caring eye; she looks for the best in us."
The Lies of the Ajungo (2023) (Forever Desert, book 1) Moses Ose Utomi "The Lies of the Ajungo is a tightly-packed, devastating punch, a masterful use of the novella as form and a heartbreaking tale of the lies we hold on to--the lies that help us live and the lies that hold us back."
Kalyna the Soothsayer (2022) (Failures of Four Kingdoms, book 1) Elijah Kinch Spector "Kalyna is a character after my own heart: a conniving liar whose love for her family threatens to be her downfall. Hilarious and heartbreaking by turns, Kalyna the Soothsayer is a reminder that if you can't see the future you want, sometimes you have to make it."
The Stardust Thief (2022) (Sandsea Trilogy, book 1) Chelsea Abdullah "You'll be charmed immediately by the characters and pulled in by this exploration of how the stories we hear and the stories we tell ourselves - beautiful and heartbreaking alike - shape us. Perfect for fans of S.A. Chakraborty's City of Brass."
