In the lands of Caldera, memories can be traded or suppressed for a price. That’s why Dorian Ashwood recruited the gifted Sephone Winter to help him forget his past, in J. J. Fischer’s novel Calor. Book 2, Lumen, quickly resumes this party’s quest for the lost Reliquary while evading Lord Draven, the villain who killed Dorien’s wife. Lumen draws on challenging personal emotions among political intrigues, expanding this world with inspirations from fairy tales and mythology. Fischer’s second Nightingale Trilogy novel delves deep into biblical hope versus the pains of memory in this dystopian fantasy world.

Best for: Teens and adult fans of fantasy with complex emotions and worlds.

Discern: Images of real trauma after brutal deaths as well as abuse, slow-burn romance and a “love triangle,” battle violence, implied sexual abuse by villains.