Aspiring botanist Jessa Caldwell didn’t want to find a mystery and the Otherkind. But what can she do when her mentor is marked with the red harbinger of death that has already claimed lives all over the city? Sarah Chislon’s Tattoo of Crimson creates in-depth character questions and plot puzzles as Jessa tries to solve a mystery to prevent her mentor’s murder while navigating societal expectations. Complex relationships and social conventions tangle in this unique world inspired by Regency England and the Inquisition era, but overlaid with fae creatures.

Best for: Women who enjoy gaslamp fantasy, magic-tinged intrigue, and murder mysteries.

Discern: Violence in fights, murders, fae-creatures that use magic called “glamour.”