Using the pseudonym Dark Dancer, 17-year-old Krescent Dune is forced to fight monsters in underground gladiator-esque battles to pay off the debts her dead parents left behind. Orphaned at the age of 11, Kress has been determined to earn enough silver to leave the isolated island of Kar Atish and make a new life for herself outside of the shadow of her parents’ nefarious reputation. But when she’s promised her freedom for a steep price—guarding a search-and-rescue mission into dangerous tunnels for survivors of a mine expedition who have been missing for almost a year—she soon uncovers ulterior motives related to zargunine, a precious alloy and the building block of Kar Atish society. With only her hostile crew to watch her back as they encounter mythical monsters, Kress must do everything she can to survive the horrors and the revelations that await her deep in the mines. Berwah (Monsters Born and Made) skillfully examines issues of class, colonialism, and greed via the narrative’s attentively rendered setting in this thrilling, action-packed fantasy. Kress is a fierce heroine whose budding romance with a longtime friend adds hope and levity to dire situations, making for a page-turning adventure. Ages 14–up. (Jan.)

An elite monster fighter accepts a dangerous quest in this stand-alone companion to Monsters Born and Made (2022).Krescent "Kress" Dune dreams of leaving the colonized island of Kar Atish, where she leads a brutal life of fighting in the monster pits. The oppressive Collector, leader of the Landers who control the island, mine zargunine, a valuable "alloy of an unknown substance mixed with gold," and they've made the local people Renters, forced to pay to live on their own land. Orphaned Kress knows she'll only find freedom elsewhere, though that will mean leaving childhood friend Rivan. Desperate, she accepts the offer to guard an expedition to rescue lost miners deep underground in exchange for her freedom. In the dark, labyrinthine passages filled with deadly monsters, Kress uncovers long-buried secrets that affect all the islanders. The book's creatures and mythology are intriguing and original, but their incorporation into the story is haphazard, resulting in jarring, intrusive exposition. The Landers' subjugation of Kar Atish and their stripping of its resources are brutally depicted but lack nuance. Although Kress' narration is overly dramatic, some amusing moments help offset frustration over the slowness of her romantic and emotional breakthroughs, which are frequently interrupted. Still, the plot twists are mind-blowingly enticing and will tempt readers to pick up future stories set in this world. Kress and most cast members have brown skin; the Landers are fantasy white.A dark and compelling story hampered by uneven worldbuilding. (Fantasy. 14-18)