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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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109 editor’s picks matching Travis' Picks
Blood Over Bright Haven follows the first woman admitted to an elite mage order as she and a displaced outsider uncover a truth that could upend magic itself.
Blood Over Bright Haven: A Novel
Dystopian · Fantasy · Sci-Fi · Travis' Picks
Our take
Blood Over Bright Haven follows the first woman admitted to an elite mage order as she and a displaced outsider uncover a truth that could upend magic itself. This dark, cerebral fantasy blends power, prejudice, and sacrifice, earning 4.5 stars on Amazon and more than 122,000 ratings on Goodreads and recognition as an Elle Best Book.
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About the book
The first woman ever admitted to a prestigious order of mages unravels a secret conspiracy that could change the practice of magic forever, in this standalone dark fantasy from the author of The Sword of Kaigen.
“Powerful, thought-provoking. . . . Fans of R.F. Kuang’s Babel will find much to admire here, from the intricate magic system to the unflinching exploration of societal issues.”—Booklist
AN ELLE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
For twenty years, Sciona has devoted every waking moment to the study of magic, fueled by a mad desire to achieve the impossible: to be the first woman ever admitted to the High Magistry at the University of Magics and Industry.
When Sciona finally passes the qualifying exam and becomes a highmage, she finds her challenges have just begun. Her new colleagues are determined to make her feel unwelcome—and, instead of a qualified lab assistant, they give her a janitor.
What neither Sciona nor her peers realize is that her taciturn assistant was not always a janitor. Ten years ago, he was a nomadic hunter who lost his family on their perilous journey from the wild plains to the city. But now he sees the opportunity to understand the forces that decimated his tribe, drove him from his homeland, and keep the privileged in power.
At first, mage and outsider have a fractious relationship. But working together, they uncover an ancient secret that could change the course of magic forever—if it doesn’t get them killed first.
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Best for readers who like epic fantasy shaped by apocalypse, oppression, revolution, and dangerous power.
The Fifth Season
Fantasy · Travis' Picks · 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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Volcanoes.
Devolution
Horror · Sci-Fi · Travis' Picks · Post-Apocalyptic
Our take
Volcanoes. Isolation. Bigfoot. Devolution by Max Brooks (World War Z) is the survival horror thriller you didn’t know you needed. Told through recovered journals and dark research, this 4.5-star bestseller explores the bloody truth behind a forgotten massacre in the Washington wilderness. Finalist for the Locus Award. Click now to discover why Bigfoot is not the cuddly cryptid you imagined.
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About the book
Mount Rainier erupted. Then something far worse came down from the mountains.
Devolution is Max Brooks’ gripping, genre-bending Bigfoot horror novel that blends survival thriller, investigative journalism, and blood-soaked suspense. Told through the recovered journal of Kate Holland and paired with chilling research, the story of Greenloop—a high-tech eco-community turned massacre site—unfolds in terrifying detail.
Trapped by volcanic devastation and cut off from civilization, the residents of Greenloop face something far more primal than isolation: a brutal tribe of Sasquatch with a taste for human flesh.
From the author of World War Z, Devolution delivers relentless tension, unforgettable characters, and a Bigfoot tale that feels horrifyingly possible.
Believe or don’t. But if Kate’s account is real… you’ll never hike the woods the same way again.
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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 · Travis' Picks · 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 · Travis' Picks · 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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Gideon the Ninth throws swordplay, necromancy, and gallows humor into a gothic sci-fi blender.
Gideon the Ninth
LGBTQIA+ · Sci-Fi · Travis' Picks · Space Opera
Our take
Gideon the Ninth throws swordplay, necromancy, and gallows humor into a gothic sci-fi blender. Trapped serving her bone-witch nemesis, Gideon joins a lethal trial where immortal power is the prize and betrayal is guaranteed. Sharp, chaotic, and wildly original, this is lesbian necromancers in space doing absolutely nothing the easy way.
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About the book
Gideon the Ninth is the first book in the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Locked Tomb Series, and one of the Best Books of 2019 according to NPR, the New York Public Library, Amazon, BookPage, Shelf Awareness, BookRiot, and Bustle!
WINNER of the 2020 Locus Award and Crawford Award
Finalist for the 2023 Hugo Award for Best Series!
Finalist for the 2020 Hugo, Nebula, Dragon, and World Fantasy Awards
“Unlike anything I’ve ever read. ” —V.E. Schwab
“Lesbian necromancers explore a haunted gothic palace in space!” —Charles Stross
“Deft, tense and atmospheric, compellingly immersive and wildly original.” —The New York Times
The Emperor needs necromancers.
The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman.
Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead nonsense.
Tamsyn Muir’s Gideon the Ninth unveils a solar system of swordplay, cut-throat politics, and lesbian necromancers. Her characters leap off the page, as skillfully animated as arcane revenants. The result is a heart-pounding epic science fantasy.
Brought up by unfriendly, ossifying nuns, ancient retainers, and countless skeletons, Gideon is ready to abandon a life of servitude and an afterlife as a reanimated corpse. She packs up her sword, her shoes, and her dirty magazines, and prepares to launch her daring escape. But her childhood nemesis won’t set her free without a service.
Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Reverend Daughter of the Ninth House and bone witch extraordinaire, has been summoned into action. The Emperor has invited the heirs to each of his loyal Houses to a deadly trial of wits and skill. If Harrowhark succeeds she will be become an immortal, all-powerful servant of the Resurrection, but no necromancer can ascend without their cavalier. Without Gideon’s sword, Harrow will fail, and the Ninth House will die.
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Best for readers who like morally gray characters, superpowers, former friends turned enemies, and dark revenge-driven fantasy.
Vicious
Fantasy · Sci-Fi · Travis' Picks
Our take
Called “Fresh, merciless, and, yes, vicious. Wow.” by Mira Grant, Vicious follows former college roommates Victor and Eli, whose experiments with extraordinary abilities leave them enemies pursuing competing ideas of revenge and justice. Best for readers who like morally gray characters, superpowers, former friends turned enemies, and dark revenge-driven fantasy.
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About the book
V. E. Schwab's New York Times bestseller Vicious is a masterful tale of ambition, jealousy, desire, and superpowers.
Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong.
Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?
In Vicious, V. E. Schwab brings to life a gritty comic-book-style world in vivid prose: a world where gaining superpowers doesn't automatically lead to heroism, and a time when allegiances are called into question.
"A dynamic and original twist on what it means to be a hero and a villain. A killer from page one…highly recommended!" —Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of Marvel Universe vs The Avengers and Patient Zero
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A rigged Game.
Sunrise on the Reaping
Dystopian · Sci-Fi · Teen + Young Adult · Travis' Picks
Our take
A rigged Game. A doomed tribute. A rebellion waiting to ignite. Sunrise on the Reaping, the highly anticipated fifth book in The Hunger Games series, takes readers back to the 50th Quarter Quell—where Haymitch Abernathy must fight for survival against impossible odds. Fans of the series, don’t miss this epic return to Panem. Pre-order now!
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About the book
A rigged Game. A doomed tribute. A rebellion waiting to ignite.
For the fiftieth annual Hunger Games—this year’s Quarter Quell—twice as many tributes will be sent to fight to the death. In District 12, Haymitch Abernathy tries to ignore the looming threat, focusing only on the girl he loves. But when his name is called, his world shatters.
Thrown into the Capitol’s brutal arena alongside three other tributes from his district, Haymitch quickly realizes he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that refuses to back down. As alliances form and betrayals loom, he’ll have to fight not just for survival, but to send a message—one that could shake Panem to its core.
The highly anticipated fifth book in The Hunger Games series, Sunrise on the Reaping is a thrilling return to Suzanne Collins’ dystopian masterpiece.
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Thomas’s drawings have come to life.
Don’t Let the Forest In
Literary Fiction · Horror · LGBTQIA+ · Romance · Teen + Young Adult · Travis' Picks · Body Horror · Dark Romance · Gay Romance
Our take
Thomas’s drawings have come to life. And they’re killing people. When Andrew follows his best friend into the forbidden woods, he discovers a horrifying truth—together, they must fight the monsters or risk losing everything. But as their obsession deepens, the creatures grow stronger. A New York Times bestseller, The Boy Who Steals Houses is dark, mesmerizing, and utterly unforgettable.
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About the book
Once upon a time, Andrew gave Thomas his heart. Now, he might have to destroy him.
Andrew Perrault finds refuge in the fairytales he writes—dark, twisted stories that only his best friend, Thomas Rye, truly understands. But something is wrong with Thomas. His parents have vanished, blood stains his sleeves, and his once-vivid artwork has fallen silent.
Then Andrew follows Thomas into the forbidden woods and discovers the horrifying truth: Thomas’s drawings have come to life, and they’re killing anyone who gets too close. Now, the boys must battle these monsters night after night, desperate to contain them. But the stronger their obsession grows, the more deadly the creatures become.
An Instant New York Times Bestseller, Don't Let the Forest In is a mesmerizing blend of psychological horror, dark romance, and eerie fairytale magic.
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Max Kuemper keeps his head down—school, hockey, and burying his past.
Save the Game
LGBTQIA+ · Romance · Travis' Picks · 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 · Travis' Picks
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 mind-reader conscripted into the military.
Ocean’s Echo
LGBTQIA+ · Sci-Fi · Travis' Picks · Space Exploration · Space Opera
Our take
A mind-reader conscripted into the military. A duty-bound soldier ordered to control him. But instead of obeying, they fake the bond. In Ocean’s Echo, a standalone sci-fi adventure from Everina Maxwell, Tennal and Surit’s deception spirals into a war, a conspiracy, and an impossible choice. Can two unwilling weapons of war change the fate of worlds?
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About the book
A mind-reader and a mind-controller. A fake bond that could save them—or destroy them both.
Tennalhin Halkana is a flirt, a disaster, and a security risk. As a reader, he can read minds and navigate chaotic space, making him both valuable and dangerous. Drafted into the military against his will, he’s ordered to sync with Lieutenant Surit Yeni, a principled soldier and an architect—someone who can control minds. But Surit refuses to force the bond. Instead, they fake it.
Their deception is pushed to the brink when a mission unearths a terrifying power that could change the balance of the galaxy. Now, their fake sync may be the only way to survive.
A thrilling standalone sci-fi adventure set in the world of Winter’s Orbit, Ocean’s Echo delivers intrigue, romance, and high-stakes action.
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