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"A Place No Flowers Grow" by Cheryl Cantafio is a cautionary romance that explores the consequences of mistreating nature. Set in Alaska, the book tells the intertwined stories of Octavia and Roen, star-crossed scientists, and a vibrant arctic fox. Through alternating poetic forms, the author creates a complex song of love, curiosity, failure, and revenge. The book raises important questions about humanity's responsibility to the natural world and is recommended for fans of "The Spell of the Yukon" by Robert W. Service and "The Dead Fox" by Mark Perlberg. [Extracted from the article]

VanderMeer returns to the hallucinatory world of Borne, where an all-powerful company has ravaged a metropolis known only as the City, in this lackluster novel. After the first few chapters, fragmentary subplots bubble up: there is Charlie X, a rogue astronaut from the expedition fighting to hold on to his memories amid a creeping amnesia; a massive sea monster awaits its death; a mysterious journal containing knowledge of demons that foretells the coming of the monster Behemoth is passed between survivors; a total darkness called Nocturnalia threatens to engulf the dead city; and a shapeshifter confronts a cosmic duck over ownership of the journal. It's certainly among VanderMeer's most experimental work, but the novel never coalesces; the characters and concepts are too loosely sketched and the prose is both grandiose and oddly humorless, punctuated by lines such as "A fox is a question that must be answered" and "The duck represented a paradox.". [Extracted from the article]

Jamie just wants people, and especially Elin, to like him, but he has ADHD and sometimes acts in erratic and occasionally explosive ways. Elin and Jamie's increasingly destructive behavior ramps up the story's tension and suspense, while their misguided beliefs that they can "fix" their parents' relationships will likely resonate with some readers. Without a strong focus on endearingly earnest Jamie and his "butterfly mind", Williamson's relevant themes of forgiveness, empathy, and acceptance have a lesser impact. [Extracted from the article]