Helene Wecker grew up in Libertyville, Illinois, a small town north of Chicago, and received her Bachelor's in English from Carleton College in Minnesota. After graduating, she worked a number of marketing and communications jobs in Minneapolis and Seattle before deciding she wanted to write something longer than a press release. Accordingly, she moved to New York to pursue a Master's in fiction writing at Columbia University. She now lives near San Francisco with her husband and daughter.
The Seventh Veil of Salome (2024) Silvia Moreno-Garcia "This is a darkly thrilling gem of a novel, a page-turner that winds ever more tightly around its twin heroines as they navigate biblical court intrigues and 1950s studio scandals. Like the best Hollywood epics, The Seventh Veil of Salome catches you in its spell and won't let go until the credits roll!"
The Jinn Daughter (2024) Rania Hanna "Lyrical and magical, The Jinn Daughter captivates with its fierce imagination and its visceral prose. Hanna spins a folkloric tale of family bonds and the power that the dead hold over the living. An extraordinary novel that will linger long after the final page!"
The Warm Hands of Ghosts (2024) Katherine Arden "A page-turner of the highest order . . . a masterpiece of historical realism seamlessly blended with the supernatural that delivers spine-tingling heroism as well as a searing study of war's cruelties and the necessity of remembrance . . . a haunting, fantastic read!"
Sword Catcher (2023) (Chronicles of Castellane, book 1) Cassandra Clare "Sweeping yet intimate, rich with romance and intrigue, Sword Catcher is Cassandra Clare at her magical best. In pages packed with sumptuous descriptions, Clare gives us a kingdom's worth of characters-including Kel the 'sword catcher,' trained to protect his prince at all costs, and Lin, a young physician of an outcast people-forced to navigate a web of tangled loyalties between the loved ones they cherish and the powers they serve. This book will break your heart and leave you wanting more!"
Edith Holler (2023) Edward Carey "Brilliant and shiver-inducing, Edith Holler is a delightfully macabre achievement, equal parts Charles Dickens and Sweeney Todd. Through Edith's keen eyes we come to know her family theatre and its many denizens - each a masterpiece of oddity - as well as the frightening newcomer who threatens to topple her very world. A bravura performance."
The Art of Prophecy (2022) (War Arts Saga, book 1) Wesley Chu "In this superb fantasy saga of tough, old martial-arts masters and inexperienced young heroes, Wesley Chu has given us a richly inventive page-turner that delights on every page. The Art of Prophecy is Wesley Chu at the height of his imaginative powers, and I can't wait for the next installment!"
The Actual Star (2021) Monica Byrne "Sweeping, mesmerizing, The Actual Star is a travelogue of souls, an epic that leaps lightly between the centuries. From the royal children of an ancient Mayan dynasty to the nomadic pilgrims of a far-future religion, Byrne draws her interconnected characters with compassion and depth, weaving their stories into a mystery with echoes in past, present, and future. At the center of it all is Leah, a young American woman whose search for her roots in Belize will have repercussions far beyond her lifetime. A magnificent achievement!"
The Chosen and the Beautiful (2021) Nghi Vo "Nghi Vo's stellar transformation of The Great Gatsby recasts the 'careless' Jordan Baker as a woman of depth and sharpness, a socialite forced to live in the margins of others’ lives. In Vo’s telling, the glitter of Gatsby’s parties conceals a sinister struggle-one where the players must survive on charms both literal and figurative, and the line between the invented and the real is endlessly blurred. Like Jordan’s own paper creations, The Chosen and the Beautiful captivates with its artistry and its power."
Gather the Daughters (2017) Jennie Melamed "An heir to the speculative creations of Margaret Atwood and Shirley Jackson, Gather the Daughters is a darkly compelling read."
