Why am I passionate about this?

I love how urban fantasy mixes magic and the real world, and I’m obsessed with stories that explore identity, especially when life throws you a curve ball and you need to recalibrate your existence around questions like “Who am I? Where am I going?” These books are set in contemporary fantasy universes and explore the themes of identity in different ways. Their worlds are bleak, which makes the spots of humor shine brighter and the protagonists’ triumphs all that more satisfying. As Ursula LeGuin said, “There must be darkness to see the stars.”


I wrote...

Final Night: The Revenant Records, Book One

By Kell Shaw,

Book cover of Final Night: The Revenant Records, Book One

What is my book about?

Lukie’s been murdered. And she needs answers. She’s cut a deal with the Underworld to return to the living lands.…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Library at Mount Char

Kell Shaw Why did I love this book?

I love how weird and dark this book is. Carolyn and her siblings were raised by their abusive, adopted father, who trained them each in a single portfolio of magic.

When their father goes missing, Carolyn and her allies explore the truth of his disappearance. I was with Carolyn every step of the way of her journey to claw back her identity from her abusive past. And I can’t stop thinking about the explosive ending, even years after I first read the book.

By Scott Hawkins,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked The Library at Mount Char as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

“Wholly original . . . the work of the newest major talent in fantasy.”—The Wall Street Journal

“Freakishly compelling . . . through heart-thumping acts of violence and laugh-out-loud moments, this book practically dares you to keep reading.”—Atlanta Magazine

A missing God.
A library with the secrets to the universe. 
A woman too busy to notice her heart slipping away.
 
Carolyn's not so different from the other people around her. She likes guacamole and cigarettes and steak. She knows how to use a phone. Clothes are a bit tricky, but everyone says nice things about her outfit with the Christmas…


Book cover of The Spirit Bares Its Teeth

Kell Shaw Why did I love this book?

In this alternate Victorian London, those with purple eyes can see ghosts and spirits. Normally, this would mean Silas would have an elite career, but because he’s a trans man, he’s sent to a horrific girl’s boarding school for ‘treatment’.

I love how this book explores how you can be ‘you’ when everyone sees you as something else. Even though the institution is monstrous, it heightens the importance of Silas’s battle for identity. I really connected with him and couldn’t stop turning the pages, as I wanted to see how he’d survive and triumph.

By Andrew Joseph White,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Spirit Bares Its Teeth as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!

A blood-soaked and nauseating triumph that cuts like a scalpel and reads like your darkest nightmare.

New York Times bestselling author Andrew Joseph White returns with the transgressive gothic horror of our time!

Mors vincit omnia. Death conquers all.

London, 1883. The Veil between the living and dead has thinned. Violet-eyed mediums commune with spirits under the watchful eye of the Royal Speaker Society, and sixteen-year-old trans, autistic Silas Bell would rather rip out his violet eyes than become an obedient Speaker wife.

After a failed attempt to escape an arranged marriage, Silas is diagnosed…


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Book cover of Always Orchid

Always Orchid By Carol Van Den Hende,

Always Orchid is the moving, award-winning finale to the Goodbye Orchid series that Glamour Magazine called "a modern, important take on the power of love." With themes of identity, disability, and the redemptive power of love, Always Orchid is perfect for fans of Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle…

Book cover of The Last Sun

Kell Shaw Why did I love this book?

This is a great story that mixes high fantasy tropes with modern noir. Rune St John is an impoverished aristocrat in New Atlantis and makes his living performing errands for his powerful sponsor. When Rune takes on a missing person’s case, he exposes a conspiracy linked to the fall of his family.

I love this book as it’s got great characters, snappy dialogue (especially when Rune banters with his foster brother Brand), and unique world-building. I enjoyed how Rune’s quest to reclaim his heritage is explored in subsequent books, with secrets introduced in this book having a payoff later in the trilogy.

By K. D. Edwards,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Last Sun as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In this debut novel and series starter, the last member of a murdered House searches for a missing nobleman, and uncovers clues about his own tortured past. Rune Saint John, last child of the fallen Sun Court, is hired to search for Lady Judgment's missing son, Addam, on New Atlantis, the island city where the Atlanteans moved after ordinary humans destroyed their original home. With his companion and bodyguard, Brand, he questions Addam's relatives and business contacts through the highest ranks of the nobles of New Atlantis. But as they investigate, they uncover more than a missing man: a legendary…


Book cover of Sworn to the Night

Kell Shaw Why did I love this book?

This book marks the start of an amazing trilogy set in modern-day New York. The story follows Marie, a cop on the trail of a serial killer, and Nessa, a woman trapped in an abusive marriage who becomes intrigued by witchcraft. As their lives unfold, it becomes clear that neither of them are who they think they are. Instead, they are eternal lovers, cursed to reincarnate endlessly, experiencing brief moments of happiness before tragedy inevitably strikes.

One of the standout aspects of the story is its use of familiar tropes, especially the theme of rejecting identities imposed by others and reclaiming one’s own destiny. The narrative begins in a gritty, realistic setting but gradually expands into a wider fantasy universe, which adds depth and intrigue. The shift from grounded realism to an epic fantasy backdrop is seamless and elevates the story to another level.

The romance was particularly compelling, focusing more on emotional depth than physical passion, which resonated with me. The characterization was also excellent, especially when characters from Schaefer’s broader urban fantasy multiverse made their appearance. It felt like a massive crossover event, akin to a big-budget Marvel movie, but with a much more coherent and satisfying storyline.

By Craig Schaefer,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Sworn to the Night as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Marie Reinhart is an NYPD detective on the trail of a serial killer. When she sleeps, though, she dreams of other lives; she dreams of being a knight, in strange wars and strange worlds. On the other side of the city, Nessa Roth is a college professor trapped in a loveless marriage, an unwilling prop in a political dynasty. She's also a fledgling witch, weaving poppets and tiny spells behind closed doors. When Marie's case draws her into Nessa's path, sparks fly. What comes next is more than a furtive whirlwind affair; it's the first pebbles of an avalanche. Nessa…


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Book cover of The Birthright of Sons: Stories

The Birthright of Sons By Jefferey Spivey,

The Birthright of Sons is a collection of stories centered around the experiences of marginalized people, namely Black and LGBTQ+ men. Although the stories borrow elements from various genres (horror, suspense, romance, magical realism, etc.), they are linked by an exploration of identity and the ways personhood is shaped through…

Book cover of Shadowrun Legends: Changeling

Kell Shaw Why did I love this book?

I love this not only for the nostalgia (I first read it in the 1990s as a teenager) but also for its themes of exploring identity in the Shadowrun urban fantasy universe. One day, Peter wakes up and transforms into a troll.

His entire life changes, and becomes a career criminal (well, that’s what you do in Shadowrun) while searching for a cure to become human again. But does he really want to go back? Even today, I still enjoy re-reading this one.

By Christopher Kubasik,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Shadowrun Legends as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

OUT ON THE STREETS…

By 2053, the return of magic to the world has filled the streets of Chicago with beings and creatures from mythology. For those in the politically dominant mega-corporations, the underworld, and everywhere in between, it is a time of chaos and wonder—and incredible opportunities ripe for the taking.

For fifteen-year-old Peter Clarris, transformed by his Awakened genes from a human into a troll, the forces of magic are a curse to be broken with science. Torn from the comfortable biotech fast-track of his childhood, he becomes an pariah, shunned by friends and strangers alike. Now, living…


Explore my book 😀

Final Night: The Revenant Records, Book One

By Kell Shaw,

Book cover of Final Night: The Revenant Records, Book One

What is my book about?

Lukie’s been murdered. And she needs answers. She’s cut a deal with the Underworld to return to the living lands. But when Lukie returns as an undead revenant, twenty years have passed. Her former sleepy beach-side town is now a roaring tourist hot spot. Her memory is full of holes, and she doesn’t know which of her old friends to trust. Worse, a monster hunter is stalking her. 

Lukie has to stay one step ahead or return to the Underworld without knowing who killed her and why…

Book cover of The Library at Mount Char
Book cover of The Spirit Bares Its Teeth
Book cover of The Last Sun

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