LibraryAware November 2025

Recent Releases

The Society of Unknowable Objects
by Gareth Brown

Within the hidden corners of London lies a secret society tasked with finding and protecting hidden magical objects. When the first new object in decades emerges in Hong Kong, the newest member, Magda Sparks, must not only go and recover it, but investigate the possibility that a member has leaked the society's existence to an outsider. Gareth Brown's latest standalone contemporary fantasy will delight fans of fast-paced action, rich atmospheric detail, and plucky heroines.

Quantum Cage
by Davis Bunn

A group of physicists achieve something remarkable - a communication link to aliens that possess a groundbreaking enigma with the potential to transform life on Earth. A team of scientists working on a secret NASA-funded project involving quantum theory bring in accountant Darren Costa to deal with some complex federal paperwork. But when the group reveal that they have accidentally established a communication link across space and time to four aliens, Darren suddenly finds himself becoming far more involved in their work than he expected. In the scientists' glass cage, Darren connects to the aliens and their planet through a series of dream-like visions. Is it possible that an incomplete mathematical formula shared by the aliens is the key to unlocking secrets that could prevent Earth's future extinction and ensure humanity's survival? One thing's for certain, with both humans and aliens facing enemies determined to stop them at any cost, solving the puzzle is now a matter of life and death . . . A race against time to solve an enigma that could alter the course of humanity's existence with a thrilling alien twist, perfect for fans of Quantum Radio by A. G. Riddle and any epic science fiction from Adrian Tchaikovsky.

Dot Slash Magic
by Liz Shipton

A spicy romantic dystopian fantasy mindfuck of an epic read. - SR Breaker, USA Today Bestselling author If a computer could help you wield your own magic... would you use it? A deadbeat coder with a savage sense of humor, twenty-four-year-old Seven Jones has been bumming around Europe since high school, stringing together freelance web work. When a bad breakup derails her life, she's forced to return to community college in San Diego to pull it back together. The last thing she expects to find there is an underground magic club. Skeptical, Seven joins the motley crew of magic weirdos and discovers a complex hidden world, where magic is wielded by artists and athletes, and only the most committed and passionate succeed. Without an artistic or passionate bone in her body, Seven struggles to find her own power...until she figures out how to channel it through an artificially intelligent assistant. Unfortunately, there is nothing the magical community hates more than AI, and when a student mysteriously turns up dead, blame falls on Seven. But Seven isn't buying it. Is her creepy artificial magic really summoning monsters, like her peers claim? Or is someone trying to frame her? With only one person - Logan - on her side, Seven fights terrifying creatures from all sorts of mythologies, while struggling to convince everyone that her AI has nothing to do with them. But how can she convince her peers when she isn't totally convinced herself? Fans of Emily Tesh, Seanan McGuire, and V.E. Schwab's Extraordinary will delight in this bawdy satire about AI, tech fascism, and the magic that makes us human.

The Third Rule of Time Travel
by Philip Fracassi

Scientist Beth Darlow has done the impossible and unlocked the secrets of time travel. Her device allows human consciousness to revisit any moment in their lifetime, but only to observe. However, as Beth's life begins to unravel, she realizes that even just looking can have consequences. This tightly plotted and character-driven science fiction thriller will appeal to fans of Recursion by Blake Crouch and Dissolution by Nicholas Binge.

The Dragon Wakes with Thunder
by K. X. Song

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER - A young woman who wields the unimaginable power of a dragon spirit must decide where her loyalties lie--and where her heart belongs--in this enthralling fantasy that reimagines the legend of Mulan. The explosive sequel to The Night Ends with Fire This hardcover edition includes a gorgeous, shimmering jacket with effects and brilliantly illustrated endpapers.The war may be over, but Hai Meilin is still paying a heavy toll. In spite of securing victory for the kingdom of Anlai, she is imprisoned upon her return. Her crime? Wielding a sword as a woman. In the palace, Meilin is an outcast and a social pariah. But beyond the imperial walls, the legend of the woman warrior has taken on a life of its own. To the east, a new rebel leader needs Meilin to helm his people's revolution. In the south, a former enemy prince, now a prisoner of war, seeks Meilin's aid in restoring balance to the Three Kingdoms. And back home in Anlai, Liu Sky, Meilin's commander and first love, requires Meilin by his side in his bid for the throne. Pulled in all directions by those who seek to use her for their own ends, Meilin vows that this time, she will not be so quick to trust. Yet there is one she cannot help but listen to--for he dwells within her. Beyond any human machinations, the sea dragon Qinglong has his own plans for the spirit realm. During the last war, Meilin wielded his power to cheat death and attain victory for Anlai; now the dragon has come to collect his dues. Meilin's mother warned her long ago: The spirits demand blood. And Qinglong is ravenous.

Acts of God
by Kanan Gill

The twenty-first-century heir to Kurt Vonnegut, Kanan Gill's debut, Acts of God, is a madcap futuristic romp that dares to question the meaning of existence--with equal parts reverence and hilarity.Private detective P. Manjunath thinks like fire and works like dust as he sets out to investigate existential cataclysms unfolding all over the globe--not knowing that the ripples in reality he sees are being caused by Dr. Krishna, a scientist in a utopian future and technically the God of their world. As Manjunath's investigation disrupts God's plans, a Danish police officer attains enlightenment, a lapel pin gives disruptive advice, a sentient wall provides the key to creativity, a pill cures the human condition, and everyone in the world develops a lisp at the same time. A blend of philosophical provocation, inventive lyricism, humor, and chaos, Acts of God marks the evolution of one of the finest voices in comedy.

House of the Beast (Standard Edition)
by Michelle Wong

Born out of wedlock and shunned by society, Alma learned to make her peace with solitude, so long as she had her mother by her side. When her mother becomes gravely ill, Alma discovers a clue about her estranged father and writes a message begging for help. Little does she know that she is a bastard of House Avera, one of the four noble families that serve the gods and are imbued with their powers--and her father is a vessel of the Dread Beast, the most frightening god of all, a harbinger of death. In a desperate exchange for her mother's medicine, Alma agrees to sacrifice her left arm to the Beast in a ceremony that will bind her forever to the House and its deity. Regardless, her mother soon passes, leaving Alma trapped inside the Avera's grand estate, despised by her relatives and nothing but a pawn in her father's schemes--

Ghost Cell: An Ander Rade Novel
by Zac Topping

Blade Runner meets John Wick in this sci-fi action adventure following a super-soldier whose very existence has been outlawed by the same society that created him Ander Rade is doing his best to stay under the radar after the mess in Atlanta when he's contacted by the Special Activities division for the Genetic Compliance Department. The mission: infiltrate a secret organization of rogue mods known as the Ghost Cell in order to find out what they're doing and who they are doing it for. The catch: Rade's old team leader, Sevrina Fox, is a member. But Rade's been searching for her since his liberation from the fight pits, and he refuses to betray her now. So in exchange for his cooperation, the GCD agrees to extend their promise of an official pardon for his rogue status to her as well. As if gaining acceptance into the Ghost Cell isn't challenging enough, Rade is forced to walk a tightrope between avoiding suspicion and minimizing collateral damage from the organization's violent and unsanctioned operations. But as his investigation gains steam, he soon realizes that the Ghost Cell's true ambitions are far more dangerous than anyone thinks, and that the time to act is running out. With powerful forces out to stop him, Rade must decide if there are limits to his loyalty to Sevrina, and whether that line has already been crossed, and above all, how far he's willing to go for a pardon he's not likely to live long enough to see.

New Witches

The Late-Night Witches
by Auralee Wallace

Cassie Beckett's life is anything but magical. With a wild younger sister, three unruly kids, and an absent husband, she's really not looking forward to the witching month of October. At least the gorgeous, foggy Prince Edward Island is always quiet. That is, until the vampires arrive. As the creatures sink their teeth into Cassie's tenuous grip on normalcy, she's forced to come face-to-face with long-disregarded family secrets. The legacy gifts her with power, but also a lofty responsibility: rid the island of vampires, or let them win. (Both options suck, in more ways than one.) Armed with her family, newfound friends, and a baby in a spectacularly garlicky onesie, Cassie must learn what it is to be a witch and how to fight for what she loves before time runs out. Because on Halloween night, the stakes will be higher than ever before...and it's up to Cassie to finish what the witches that came generations before her started--

A Resistance of Witches
by Morgan Ryan

As World War II rages around her, a witch abandoned by her coven must journey to find a book of unspeakable power before it lands in Nazi hands Stubborn, plain-spoken and from an unimpressive family, Lydia Polk never expected to be accepted into the Royal Academy of Witches. Now, with Hitler's army rampaging across Europe, the witches of Britain have joined the war effort, and Lydia is key to the cause: she must use her magic to track down magical relics before Hitler and his sycophants can.

An Intrigue of Witches
by Esme Addison

Introducing the Secret Society mystery series, and kick-ass red-headed heroine Sidney, a Black historian poised on the brink of discovering her true past...and her hidden witchy powers!--

Rochester Hills Public Library
500 Olde Towne Rd
Rochester, Michigan 48307
248-656-2900
www.rhpl.org/