Agriculture, which is overwhelmingly dominated by the meat industry, is growing so robustly that it will “wipe out all of the world’s forests and savannas” by 2050, reports Friedrich, founder and president of the nonprofit Good Food Institute. Among the disasters already occurring are the pollution of lakes, seas, and oceans due to field runoff; the devastating decline of biodiversity; increasing zoonotic diseases and global pandemics; and the uncontrolled release of climate change-causing carbon. All told, it takes nine calories of crops to make one calorie of chicken, “a staggering amount of food to produce food,” the author notes. But there is hope. Alternatives being developed include plant-based meat; cultivated meat using animal cells; and genetic engineering of meat proteins to bulk up other foods. Around 2020, a few countries, including Singapore, Israel, and Japan, began tackling this new endeavor, including its biggest challenge: making such “alternative meats” taste exactly like real meat. So far, this has not happened—and that is the only way such a paradigm-shifting market can take off. But the author, who grew up in Oklahoma—“the land of cattle and steak houses”—makes many indisputable points. Cars replaced horse buggies shortly after their invention. Cell phones replaced landline phones shortly after their invention. Furthermore, we once freaked out about “artificial ice”—“The natural ice industry branded artificial ice as impure, unnatural, and inferior”—and “artificial light” generated by Thomas Edison’s strange bulbs. But we got over it all. If the price—and the taste—is right, we may—may—get over meatless Big Macs and lab-grown Whoppers.

This cross-genre memoir combines various storytelling techniques, blending italicized dialogue and self-talk, shape poetry, and narrative prose. Duffy journals her divorce as a healing exercise, beginning at the moment of realization that separation was the best course of action for her and her husband, who was gay, and ending in a post-divorce reflection. With an understanding that every divorce story unfolds differently, the author notes that her circumstances required respect for her former partner, honoring the love and the life they shared. This frame of mind admirably guided her through the divorce. Unlike many such stories, the work confronts the grief, pain, and rage of ending a loving relationship, but positively reframes the journey into one of personal growth and a belief in the guiding powers of the universe. Three sections, entitled “exploding stars,” “deep space,” and “fusion,” remain hopeful that the chaos of divorce will eventually result in order. For example, in her poem “the tarot of the rings,” Duffy writes of “the wheel of fortune / a direction that hangs in the balance,” but later, in “the tarot of new beginnings,” she “tear[s] up” as the Sun card’s “immediate influence” confirms that she’s found “a new way to walk in the world.” Duffy’s care for her three children guides her as she teaches them affirmations and tries to channel negative emotions into positive pursuits: “Life went on. And in all of life’s tartness, I made lemon squares,” Duffy says. Instead of wallowing in heartache, this revealing memoir openly discusses common experiences of “divorce culture” with wisdom and insight, inviting others to listen to their inner voices and to share their own stories. Overall, Duffy’s honesty and vulnerability resonate with emotional intensity as she tells of attending to daily life while trying to make sense of her experiences, which remain relatable throughout.

Dante Nimrod Ferno, who hails from the fiery-hot town of Brimstone and has horns, like many other residents, is about to enter Purg Middle School. Accidentally dropping his pants in the school cafeteria when he was 6 made him a laughingstock, and thanks to his nemesis, Phillip, no one has forgotten the incident. Dante, who’s cued neurodiverse, has trouble focusing, but he means well and wants to get along, no matter how much teasing he gets from classmates like the cliquey unicorns. He does befriend a couple of nicer kids, including Virgil, a winged boy from the neighboring realm of Blisshaven, who acts as an accomplice to many of Dante’s plots. Every page features an illustration that breaks up the text, and varied fonts are frequently employed for emphasis, adding to the visual interest. Gordon’s scribbly black-and-white art is lively and expressive. Dante’s maturing personality and better nature come through as he interacts with friends and demonstrates his mastery of comic book superhero lore. He doesn’t solve all the problems in his life, but by the end of the book, his confidence and self-esteem have a fighting chance. Readers will have to wait for the sequel in order to see how he fares from here.

The Anaconda Plan, devised by Union Gen. Winfield Scott, proposed suffocating the Southern ports along the Mississippi with naval blockades. In the center of the Anaconda lay the port of New Orleans, the setting for Ellis’ novel. It’s here, in April of 1862, that we meet Rachel Durand, a young Jewish widow who has lost her husband, Levi, in the Battle of Shiloh. Rachel lives with her younger, pregnant sister Sarah, whose husband, Jacob Mercier, is still away at war. Within a few days, the Union overtakes the Confederate barriers and begins its occupation of New Orleans. Gen. Benjamin “Spoons” Butler—locally referred to as the Beast—is put in charge of the city. When he has the Stars and Stripes hung at City Hall, it provokes a small citizen revolt with dire consequences. Rebellions continue, only more secretly. Months later, with the city suffering from devastating shortages, Jacob returns home severely injured. It’s now up to Rachel to provide for her small family. This is how she finds herself joining a group of New Orleanians who, disguised as peddlers, facilitate trade between the Union and the Confederacy. Ellis’ sprawling drama is a tale of political maneuvers, schemes, backroom deals, and secret alliances. But, most of all, it’s a novel driven by a hefty cast of complex, pivotal characters navigating extraordinary times. The novel ambles slowly but deliberately, bringing readers directly into the harsh details of daily life. Short vignettes set in the White House portray intimate glimpses of President Lincoln, mourning the loss of his son while negotiating the right time to declare the Emancipation Proclamation. Through primary protagonist Rachel, initially a staunch Confederate supporter, we’re introduced to the Jewish community of New Orleans, and the subtle antisemitism to which they are subjected, a topic rarely covered in Civil War novels. Ellis includes a plethora of elaborate AI-generated illustrations, although the captions appear inconveniently in an appendix.

The story opens as Soravelle Davana, once the most feared vampire of the D’Arco dynasty, is awakened from centuries of slumber in an underwater sarcophagus by the death of her twin brother, Mateo. He was her last remaining family member after the loss of their sister, Isi. Using her skills as a former assassin for the Crown, Sora makes her way to the castle her family used to own, only to find that its new occupant is an old enemy, Alobaz “Baz” Hawxley, the man responsible for killing her brother. What starts off as a straightforward revenge tale quickly becomes a game of wills when Sora learns her survival is linked to Baz. Although Sora maintains she’d rather die than submit, Ashta has crafted a morally gray romance from this situation that resists easy answers—Baz is both a conqueror and a captive of his imperial legacy, while Sora is torn between righteous fury and a desire she refuses to name. The author’s lush, dark blend of romance and gothic fantasy explores unwanted desire while sharpening its fangs on themes of vengeance, power, and political intrigue. The central characters are written with deliberate moral ambiguity, allowing their connection to feel raw and authentic rather than romanticized. The narrative pacing sustains a steady rhythm as the stakes are gradually raised. The prose boasts a rich, atmospheric intensity that reinforces the story’s tragic sensibilities, although the story does have instances of clunky dialogue and passages of heavy exposition. The fantastical setting adds texture to plot points, character interactions, and worldbuilding elements (from sentient, vindictive shadows to strange magical creatures), heightening the gothic atmosphere and rendering fate itself as an antagonist. The ways in which the novel treats destiny not as a promise but as an enemy to be resisted are particularly compelling (“Life and Death were known to be wicked gamblers, the more bizarre the scenario, the better”). The tension between vengeance and desire is maintained throughout, allowing the romance to capture readers’ attention through its twists and turns.