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In a slump and not sure what to read next? Our hand-picked book recommendations make it easy to discover your next great story. Whether you’re into thrilling mysteries, heartwarming romances, or thought-provoking fiction, these recommended reads are sure to captivate you. With expert curation and fresh picks added regularly, you’ll never run out of great books to enjoy.
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At Apropos Books, we take the guesswork out of finding your next favorite book. Whether you love fast-paced thrillers, inspiring memoirs, epic fantasy adventures, or sweeping space sagas, our carefully curated book recommendations ensure there’s always a perfect story waiting for you.
From timeless classics to trending new releases, our book recommendations are packed with must-read titles that readers love. Looking for something fresh? Our list is constantly updated to bring you the best recommended reads available, helping you discover hidden gems, bestselling favorites, and unforgettable stories that will keep you turning pages late into the night.
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127 editor’s picks matching ★ Editors' Pick ★
In a forest shaped by fear and ritual, kindness becomes a quiet act of defiance.
The Girl Who Drank the Moon
Fantasy · Teen + Young Adult
Our take
In a forest shaped by fear and ritual, kindness becomes a quiet act of defiance. The Girl Who Drank the Moon follows Luna, a child raised by a gentle witch after being accidentally infused with powerful magic, as her abilities awaken and long-buried truths surface. This middle grade fantasy balances tenderness and tension, unfolding as a lyrical fable about love, sacrifice, and the cost of misunderstanding.
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About the book
Winner of the 2017 Newbery Medal ★ A New York Times Bestseller ★ An Entertainment Weekly Best Middle Grade Book of 2016 ★ A New York Public Library Best Book ★ A Chicago Public Library Best Book ★ An Amazon Top 20 Best Book ★ A Publishers Weekly Best Book ★ A School Library Journal Best Book ★ A Kirkus Reviews Best Book ★ A Booklist Youth Editors’ Choice
With more than a million copies sold, acclaimed fantasy author Kelly Barnhill’s Newbery Medal winner is a must-read for fans of classic children's literature or timeless fantasy fables, described as “impossible to put down… As exciting and layered as classics like Peter Pan or The Wizard of Oz” (The New York Times Book Review).
Every year, the people of the Protectorate leave a baby as an offering to the witch who lives in the forest. They hope this sacrifice will keep her from terrorizing their town. But the witch in the Forest, Xan, is kind. She shares her home with a wise Swamp Monster and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon. Xan rescues the children and delivers them to welcoming families on the other side of the forest, nourishing the babies with starlight on the journey.
One year, Xan accidentally feeds a baby moonlight instead of starlight, filling the ordinary child with extraordinary magic. Xan decides she must raise this girl, whom she calls Luna, as her own. As Luna’s thirteenth birthday approaches, her magic begins to emerge, with dangerous consequences. Meanwhile, a young man from the Protectorate is determined to free his people by killing the witch. Deadly birds with uncertain intentions flock nearby. A volcano, quiet for centuries, rumbles just beneath the earth’s surface. And the woman with the Tiger’s heart is on the prowl . . .
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A voiceless woman, a disillusioned soldier, and a divided solar system collide under the weight of control and resistance.
The First Sister
Dystopian · Sci-Fi · Space Opera
Our take
A voiceless woman, a disillusioned soldier, and a divided solar system collide under the weight of control and resistance. Known only as First Sister, a priestess bound to the war machine of Earth and Mars, begins to question her role as power shifts around her. Parallel journeys of loyalty and defiance expose fragile alliances and buried truths. The First Sister is a space opera about agency, oppression, and choosing who you serve.
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About the book
Combining the social commentary of The Handmaid’s Tale with the white-knuckled thrills of Red Rising, this epic space opera filled with “lush prose” (Publishers Weekly) follows a comfort woman as she claims her agency, a soldier questioning his allegiances, and a non-binary hero out to save the solar system.
First Sister has no name and no voice. As a priestess of the Sisterhood, she travels the stars alongside the soldiers of Earth and Mars—the same ones who own the rights to her body and soul. When her former captain abandons her, First Sister’s hopes for freedom are dashed when she is forced to stay on her ship with no friends, no power, and a new captain—Saito Ren—whom she knows nothing about. She is commanded to spy on Captain Ren by the Sisterhood, but soon discovers that working for the war effort is much harder when you’re falling in love.
Lito val Lucius climbed his way out of the slums to become an elite soldier of Venus but was defeated in combat by none other than Saito Ren, resulting in the disappearance of his partner, Hiro. When Lito learns that Hiro is both alive and a traitor to the cause, he now has a shot at redemption: track down and kill his former partner. But when he discovers recordings that Hiro secretly made, Lito’s own allegiances are put to the test. Ultimately, he must decide between following orders and following his heart.
With “a layered, action-filled plot and diverse characters” (Library Journal), The First Sister explores the power of technology, colonization, race, and gender andis perfect for fans of James S.A. Corey, Chuck Wendig, and Jay Posey.
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Old secrets surface in a world ruled by immortal bloodlines where power decides who survives.
Spark of the Everflame
Romantasy
Our take
Old secrets surface in a world ruled by immortal bloodlines where power decides who survives. Spark of the Everflame follows healer Diem Bellator as her mother’s disappearance pulls her into the dangerous politics of godborn royalty, rebellion, and forbidden attraction. This is a plot-driven romantasy built on slow-burn tension, moral compromise, and a heroine forced to choose between safety, truth, and desire.
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About the book
***NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER, USA TODAY BESTSELLER, AND AMAZON TOP 15 BESTSELLER***
When old secrets catch fire, everything will burn.
In a mortal world colonized by the gods and ruled over by their cruel, magical offspring called the Descended, healer Diem Bellator yearns to escape her poor village.
Her mother’s sudden disappearance—and the discovery of a dangerous secret about her past—offer Diem an unexpected opportunity to enter the dark world of Descended royalty and unlock a web of mysteries left behind by her mother.
With the dying King’s handsome yet enigmatic heir watching her every move and a ruthless rebel alliance recruiting her to join the growing civil war, Diem must navigate the unwritten rules of love, power, and politics in order to save her family—and all of mortalkind.
Spark of the Everflame is the first book in The Kindred's Curse Saga, a four-book epic fantasy romance series that follows feisty heroine Diem Bellator in her fight against oppression, her struggle to survive in a royal palace full of intrigue, and her journey of self-discovery and finding true love. This enemies-to-lovers romantasy features a unique magic system, dragon-like mythical creatures, hilarious banter, mysteries that will leave you theorizing for weeks, and a true slow (slowwwwwww) burn. This book will appeal to fans of plot-heavy, character-driven series such as A Court of Thorns and Roses, Throne of Glass, From Blood and Ash, Gild, Fourth Wing, and The Serpent & the Wings of Night.
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Best for readers who like epic fantasy shaped by apocalypse, oppression, revolution, and dangerous power.
The Fifth Season
Fantasy · Post-Apocalyptic
Our take
Winner of the 2016 Hugo Award and called “intricate and extraordinary” by The New York Times, in a world where earth's power is weaponized, a woman with a secret ability searches for her kidnapped daughter amid global catastrophe and betrayal in The Fifth Season, with a 4.5-star rating from more than 41,900 Amazon reviewers. Best for readers who like epic fantasy shaped by apocalypse, oppression, revolution, and dangerous power.
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About the book
At the end of the world, a woman must hide her secret power and find her kidnapped daughter in this "intricate and extraordinary" Hugo Award winning novel of power, oppression, and revolution. (The New York Times)
This is the way the world ends. . .for the last time.
It starts with the great red rift across the heart of the world's sole continent, spewing ash that blots out the sun. It starts with death, with a murdered son and a missing daughter. It starts with betrayal, and long dormant wounds rising up to fester.
This is the Stillness, a land long familiar with catastrophe, where the power of the earth is wielded as a weapon. And where there is no mercy.
Read the first book in the critically acclaimed, three-time Hugo award-winning trilogy by NYT bestselling author N. K. Jemisin.
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Ideal for readers looking for rebellion, brutal competition, political intrigue, and large-scale science-fiction action.
Red Rising
Dystopian · Sci-Fi · Galactic Empire · Space Opera
Our take
A New York Times bestseller called “relentlessly entertaining,” this dystopian science-fiction novel follows Darrow, a laborer from Mars’s lowest caste who infiltrates the ruling Golds to destroy the society that enslaved his people, with a 4.6-star rating from more than 107,000 Amazon reviewers. Ideal for readers looking for rebellion, brutal competition, political intrigue, and large-scale science-fiction action.
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About the book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Pierce Brown’s relentlessly entertaining debut channels the excitement of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card.
“Red Rising ascends above a crowded dystopian field.”—USA Today
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR—Entertainment Weekly, BuzzFeed, Shelf Awareness
“I live for the dream that my children will be born free,” she says. “That they will be what they like. That they will own the land their father gave them.”
“I live for you,” I say sadly.
Eo kisses my cheek. “Then you must live for more.”
Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations. Yet he toils willingly, trusting that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children.
But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and lush wilds spread across the planet. Darrow—and Reds like him—are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class.
Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity’s overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society’s ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies . . . even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.
Praise for Red Rising
“[A] spectacular adventure . . . one heart-pounding ride . . . Pierce Brown’s dizzyingly good debut novel evokes The Hunger Games, Lord of the Flies, and Ender’s Game. . . . [Red Rising] has everything it needs to become meteoric.”—Entertainment Weekly
“Ender, Katniss, and now Darrow.”—Scott Sigler
“Red Rising is a sophisticated vision. . . . Brown will find a devoted audience.”—Richmond Times-Dispatch
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A battle-hardened warrior who fears nothing finds herself drawn back toward the one place and past she has never wanted to face.
Red Sonja: Consumed
Fantasy · Sword and Sorcery
Our take
A battle-hardened warrior who fears nothing finds herself drawn back toward the one place and past she has never wanted to face. In Red Sonja: Consumed, rumors of buried horrors and a voice in her dreams pull Sonja home to confront what was left behind. This fantasy adventure blends brutal action, dark supernatural menace, and a heroine forced into reckoning as much as combat.
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About the book
"Gail Simone writes like a storm gathering. Thunder is coming!" ―John Scalzi, New York Times bestselling author
"Fierce and fascinating. This is the story Red Sonja has always deserved. Unmissable." ––Felicia Day
Red Sonja, the iconic, fiery, she-devil with a sword, is reinvented for a new generation of readers in this action-packed epic fantasy by legendary comic book writer Gail Simone.
The warrior Red Sonja, the famous fiery She-Devil of Hyrkania, has never concerned herself with the consequences of her actions. She’s taken what she wanted, from treasure to drink to the companionship of bedfellows. She’s fought who deserved it (and sometimes those who didn’t). And she’s never looked back.
But when rumors start bubbling up from her homeland—rumors of unknown horrors emerging from the ground and pulling their unsuspecting victims to their deaths—and a strange voice begins whispering to her in her sleep, she realizes she may have to return to the country that abandoned her. And finally do the only thing that has ever scared her: confront her past.
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A hidden manuscript.
Verity
Psychological Thriller
Our take
A hidden manuscript. A disturbing confession. A truth too horrifying to ignore. Verity (4.6 stars on Amazon, #1 New York Times Bestseller) is a chilling psychological thriller from Colleen Hoover. As Lowen uncovers Verity’s darkest secrets, she must decide—keep them buried or expose a truth that could destroy everything. Read now before the spoilers find you.
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About the book
A hidden manuscript. A chilling confession. A truth too horrifying to ignore.
Struggling writer Lowen Ashleigh never expected the job of a lifetime—to complete the bestselling book series of Verity Crawford, a famous author left incapacitated after an accident. But when Lowen moves into the Crawford home to sort through Verity’s notes, she stumbles upon something far more sinister—an unpublished autobiography Verity never meant for anyone to read.
Inside its pages are disturbing admissions about Verity’s past, her marriage, and the night that changed her family forever. As Lowen’s connection to Jeremy, Verity’s grieving husband, deepens, she faces an impossible choice: keep the truth hidden or expose a secret so horrifying it could destroy them all.
A #1 New York Times bestseller with 4.6 stars on Amazon, Verity is a gripping psychological thriller that will haunt you long after the final page.
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Max Kuemper keeps his head down—school, hockey, and burying his past.
Save the Game
LGBTQIA+ · Romance · College Romance · Gay Romance · New Adult
Our take
Max Kuemper keeps his head down—school, hockey, and burying his past. Luke Kelly plays the field, both in baseball and dating. But when their paths cross during a late-night shift, sparks fly. As secrets unravel, they must confront what it means to be vulnerable. A heartfelt story of love, healing, and second chances.
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About the book
After a traumatic event and a rough sophomore year, Max Kuemper just wants to keep his head down. School and hockey are the only things he can handle. The last thing he needs is anyone getting too close—especially when he’s determined to bury his past and never let his secret surface.
Enter Luke Kelly: confident, flirty, and effortlessly charming. Whether it’s dating or baseball, Luke knows how to play the field. But when he meets Max during a late-night shift at work, his usual carefree approach takes a backseat to something deeper. Max’s quiet intensity pulls him in, even as he senses the walls Max has built.
But secrets have a way of surfacing. And as feelings deepen, both Max and Luke must confront what it means to be vulnerable—and whether their connection can survive the truth.
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Betrayal reshapes rebellion when power demands more than courage.
Golden Son (Red Rising Book 2)
Dystopian · Sci-Fi
Our take
Betrayal reshapes rebellion when power demands more than courage. In Golden Son, Darrow moves within the brutal hierarchy of the Gold elite, forced to navigate shifting alliances, political treachery, and his own hunger for vengeance. As war looms, he must decide whether revolution will mirror the cruelty he seeks to destroy, in this high-stakes continuation of the Red Rising saga.
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About the book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Red Rising hit the ground running and wasted no time becoming a sensation. Golden Son continues the stunning saga of Darrow, a rebel forged by tragedy, battling to lead his oppressed people to freedom.
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR, BUZZFEED, AND BOOKLIST • “Gripping . . . On virtually every level, this is a sequel that hates sequels—a perfect fit for a hero who already defies the tropes. [Grade:] A”—Entertainment Weekly
As a Red, Darrow grew up working the mines deep beneath the surface of Mars, enduring backbreaking labor while dreaming of the better future he was building for his descendants. But the Society he faithfully served was built on lies. Darrow’s kind have been betrayed and denied by their elitist masters, the Golds—and their only path to liberation is revolution. And so Darrow sacrifices himself in the name of the greater good for which Eo, his true love and inspiration, laid down her own life. He becomes a Gold, infiltrating their privileged realm so that he can destroy it from within.
A lamb among wolves in a cruel world, Darrow finds friendship, respect, and even love—but also the wrath of powerful rivals. To wage and win the war that will change humankind’s destiny, Darrow must confront the treachery arrayed against him, overcome his all-too-human desire for retribution—and strive not for violent revolt but a hopeful rebirth. Though the road ahead is fraught with danger and deceit, Darrow must choose to follow Eo’s principles of love and justice to free his people.
He must live for more.
Praise for Golden Son
“Stirring . . . Comparisons to The Hunger Games and Game of Thrones series are inevitable, for this tale has elements of both.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Brown writes layered, flawed characters . . . but plot is his most breathtaking strength. . . . Every action seems to flow into the next.”—NPR
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A strong match for readers drawn to sapphic epic fantasy, political intrigue, revolution, and Indian-inspired magical worlds.
The Jasmine Throne
Fantasy · LGBTQIA+ · Romantasy · Lesbian Romance
Our take
“Raises the bar for what epic fantasy should be” (Chloe Gong). Exiled princess Malini and servant Priya, a powerful priestess hiding her past, become entangled after Malini discovers Priya’s true nature. Together, they pursue a throne, protect a family, and challenge an empire, with a 4.4-star rating from more than 3,300 Amazon reviewers. A strong match for readers drawn to sapphic epic fantasy, political intrigue, revolution, and Indian-inspired magical worlds.
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About the book
WINNER OF THE WORLD FANTASY AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF 2021 BY PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, LIBRARY JOURNAL, BOOKLIST, AND THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
A ruthless princess and a powerful priestess come together to rewrite the fate of an empire in this “fiercely and unapologetically feminist tale of endurance and revolution set against a gorgeous, unique magical world” (S. A. Chakraborty, author of the The City of Brass).
Exiled by her despotic brother, princess Malini spends her days dreaming of vengeance while imprisoned in the Hirana: an ancient cliffside temple that was once the revered source of the magical deathless waters but is now little more than a decaying ruin.
The secrets of the Hirana call to Priya. But in order to keep the truth of her past safely hidden, she works as a servant in the loathed regent’s household and cleaning Malini’s chambers.
When Malini witnesses Priya’s true nature, their destinies become irrevocably tangled. One is a ruthless princess seeking to steal a throne. The other a powerful priestess desperate to save her family. Together, they will set an empire ablaze.
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Old: Lucian Blackthorne is scarred, broken, and feared as the Devil of Blackthorne Manor.
Master of Salt & Bones
Romantasy
Our take
Old:
Lucian Blackthorne is scarred, broken, and feared as the Devil of Blackthorne Manor. But when our lives intertwine, I see the truth: his amber eyes burn with a pain only I can ease. His touch tempts, his whispers intoxicate, and his will breaks me. He says we’re doomed, but in this dark tale, I’m here to save him.
New:
Step into the dark and twisted world of Master of Salt & Bones by Keri Lake—a modern gothic spin on Beauty and the Beast that’s all brooding vibes and haunting secrets. At Blackthorne Manor, Isadora Quinn is running from her past, while Lucian Blackthorne, the scarred recluse everyone whispers about, hides from his own. When their worlds collide, buried traumas resurface, secrets come to light, and things get deliciously complicated. Suspenseful, steamy, and downright chilling, this story will keep you hooked—and maybe just a little spooked. Welcome to the manor; you might never leave.
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About the book
Meet the Devil of Blackthorne Manor…
As a little girl, I dreamed of a knight on a white horse who would rescue me from my cursed life. But fairy tales have a way of twisting into something darker.
My knight is Lucian Blackthorne, scarred and broken, living alone in a castle of bones overlooking the sea. The villagers call him a devil—and perhaps he is, with amber eyes that burn into me and a voice that tempts me into sin. His touch is heaven, his words are fire, and his will is my undoing.
Lucian says we’re forbidden, a tragedy destined for no happy ending. But I see the truth: he’s the one who needs saving. And maybe, just maybe, I was born to save him.
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After a rough summer, former hockey star Sam Jameson is ready to focus on his NHL career—until Troy Nichols, the team’s star forward, enters the picture.
Changing the Game
LGBTQIA+ · Romance · Gay Romance · Sports Romance
Our take
After a rough summer, former hockey star Sam Jameson is ready to focus on his NHL career—until Troy Nichols, the team’s star forward, enters the picture. Sparks fly, but is this just a rebound or something real? As passion and pressures collide, Sam and Troy must decide if they’re ready to take the ultimate shot at love.
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About the book
Former college hockey star Sam Jameson is starting over after a rough summer. With his NHL dreams derailed and a brutal breakup behind him, he’s ready to put his head down and focus on his new role with South Carolina’s team. But then there’s Troy Nichols.
Troy, the team’s star forward, is everything Sam didn’t expect—and can’t ignore. When sparks fly between them, Sam faces a whole new challenge: navigating feelings he didn’t see coming and deciding if he’s ready to let someone in again.
Is this just a rebound, or could it be something more? As the pressures of the game and their personal lives collide, Sam and Troy must decide if they’re willing to take the biggest risk of all: falling for each other.
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