Epilogue Books

When Trees Testify by Beronda L. Montgomery

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When Trees Testify by Beronda L. Montgomery
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I studied trees for my senior project in undergrad, and I remember the looks I would get when I tried to explain how magical these living beings are. My work explored plant autonomy and the ways humans interpret nature’s agency, but When Trees Testify deepens that understanding in ways I could have never imagined. The book’s poetic assertion that the breath of loved ones can remain alive through scientific processes is an astounding observation. It redefines the boundaries between the human and the natural. It reminds us that our actions are linked to the lives of the ecosystems we shape. When Trees Testify presents trees not as passive organisms, but as active participants—beings with resilience and a shared history.

When Trees Testify by Beronda L. Montgomery, (List Price: $27.99, Henry Holt and Co., 9781250335166, January 2026)

Reviewed by Chloe Strong, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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House of Day, House of Night by Olga Tokarczuk

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House of Day, House of Night by Olga Tokarczuk
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House of Day, House of Night is a reversal of a common narrative structure; here, the setting, the rural Polish town of Nowa Ruda, is the main character, and the townsfolk are the setting within which the town’s legacy is formed. Each story fragment contributes to the never-ending cycle of life and death, of dreams and waking — from an old lady next door with elusive platitudes, to a gender-dysphoric monk on a journey to canonize a saint, to a knifemaking cult that worships the process of decay. Tokarczuk’s brilliant prose highlights the struggles of returning to a post-World War Poland, of feeling like a stranger in your own home, of sensing the ceaseless draw of entropy. Universal and bittersweet, this novel is a work of anthropology: a future classic in my book!

House of Day, House of Night by Olga Tokarczuk, (List Price: $28, Riverhead Books, 9780593716380, December 2025)

Reviewed by Catherine Pabalate, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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The Definitions by Matt Greene

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The Definitions by Matt Greene
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A captivating, dystopian-esque story, The Definitions questions what truly makes one’s identity theirs. After a supposed virus ravages humanity and leaves people with no memory of themselves, victims of this virus are sent to the Center where they relearn things like ethics, language, and art. With no knowledge of who they were before arriving, the narrator waits for memories to return and to be released. But definitions aren’t adding up, and the ethical dilemma solutions seem skewed, and we learn there is something sinister going on. This is a quick read that you won’t want to put down until you find the real reason the patients are there.

The Definitions by Matt Greene, (List Price: $17.99, Henry Holt and Co., 9781250399342, December 2025)

Reviewed by Gabriela Warner, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Hellions by Julia Elliott

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Hellions by Julia Elliott
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Swampy Southern Gothic at its finest. These stories are lush, each driven by magical, wicked, wholly-alive characters so deeply rooted in their surroundings—or their desires—its difficult to see where person begins and wild ends. Discerning and empathetic, Elliott’s eye for the strange wonders that bring folklore and fairytale to life is unmatched.

Hellions by Julia Elliott, (List Price: $17.95, Tin House Books, 9781963108064, April 2025)

Reviewed by Miranda Sanchez, Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Catalina by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio

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Catalina by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio
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Catalina Ituralde is a fascinating protagonist; prepare to be hooked by her twisting, turning narrative. Catalinatells the story of an undocumented immigrant from Ecuador, who is currently in her senior year at Harvard and hopes to be a writer. As she struggles to find her place in the world, Catalina works through her feelings on gender, desire, relationships, belonging, and family bonds. The book’s stream-of-consciousness prose style emulates authors such as Virginia Woolf and James Joyce, while also reflecting the state of Catalina’s jumbled thoughts. If you’re looking for a wry narrative with cheeky dialogue and plenty of literary references, this is the book for you!

Catalina by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio, (List Price: $28, One World, 9780593449097, July 2024)

Reviewed by Catherine Pabalate, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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The Volcano Daughters by Gina María Balibrera

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The Volcano Daughters by Gina María Balibrera
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This is a heartwrenching story that will bring you to tears. Graciela and Consuelo are two Indigenous sisters who were taken from their homes to serve under a dictator. When genocide strikes their community, they flee in an effort to make new lives for themselves. Both believing each other to be dead, fate brings them back together years later. This story feels like a fresh wound, and waiting for time to let it heal. This story explores the dark colonial past of a nation while still exploring hope, love, and the importance of family in the end.

The Volcano Daughters by Gina María Balibrera, (List Price: $28, Pantheon, 9780593317235, August 2025)

Reviewed by Gabriela Warner, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf by Ntozake Shange

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For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf by Ntozake Shange
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Ntozake Shange both beautifully and tragically tells stories of Black girlhood that are all too familiar. Shange reminds me to be selfish, that I know my truth and what is true, and to remove white girls from my hopscotch games. “i found god in myself and i loved heri loved her fiercely”

For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf by Ntozake Shange, (List Price: $13.99, Scribner, 9780684843261, September 1997)

Reviewed by Mariah McCann, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Among the Burning Flowers by Samantha Shannon

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Among the Burning Flowers by Samantha Shannon
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There is indeed a queen of epic fantasy, and her name is Samantha Shannon. If this was in question before, Among the Burning Flowers is the final bolster in an already solid throne. Acting as a history of the events that occur immediately before the climax of Priory of the Orange Tree, the novel is told from the perspective of those cast to the edges of the original work. With intricate worldbuilding that pays shrewd attention to everything from the looming mountains to the style of a singular carved button, the chainmail of Virtudom is tightly woven. But despite the glittering and gritty descriptions, what stands out most is the choices of deeply flawed characters. Every point of view is given its chance to both shine and be utterly messy, the two in combination crafting characters that feel real to the point that you could converse with them. Even if you are unfamiliar with the world of Priory, Among the Burning Flowers is well worth the read.

Among the Burning Flowers by Samantha Shannon, (List Price: $29.99, Bloomsbury Publishing, 9781639736010, September 2025)

Reviewed by Sydney Mason, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Pick a Color by Souvankham Thammavongsa

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Pick a Color by Souvankham Thammavongsa
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What sorts of communities can you build when the world refuses to see you? Pick a Color reminds me of Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway: a short novel meandering through the happenings of one single day. However, PPick a Color focuses on the microcosm of a quaint nail salon run by quick-witted, wisecracking Lao women, who build profound relationships in a world of privilege and racially-charged power dynamics. In the mind of Ning, the salon’s owner and a retired boxer, the prose reads like a boxing match, all swift jabs and feints. Through Thammavongsa’s incredible storytelling skills, the reader learns the ways in which Ning and her employees makes themselves known, how they tries to find stability in a fast-paced capitalist world.

Pick a Color by Souvankham Thammavongsa, (List Price: $28, Little, Brown and Company, 9780316422147, September 2025)

Reviewed by Catherine Pabalate, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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All the Way to the River by Elizabeth Gilbert

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All the Way to the River by Elizabeth Gilbert
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All the Way to the River is a love letter to those struggling and trying to be better. Gilbert’s openness about her addiction and pathway to healing sheds light on a type of addiction many women are ashamed to admit for themselves, even with its commonality. She tells the story of the highs and lows of falling in love with another addict, Rayya, and how her death was an awakening to finding peace in her life. Addiction isn’t beautiful, but there is always beauty to be found in those that love you, even in their worst moments.

All the Way to the River by Elizabeth Gilbert, (List Price: $35, Riverhead Books, 9780593540985, September 2025)

Reviewed by Gabriela Warner, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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What Stalks the Deep by T. Kingfisher

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What Stalks the Deep by T. Kingfisher
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It’s all the bests of the Sworn Soldier series — looming dread, compelling narration, and a touch of wry humor — now paired with the Appalachian Gothic. What Stalks the Deep follows Alex Easton deep into a West Virginian coal mine of twisting tunnels, disappearances, and eldritch creatures lurking in the depths.

What Stalks the Deep by T. Kingfisher, (List Price: $19.99, Tor Nightfire, 9781250354921, September 2025)

Reviewed by Flora Arnsberger, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Katabasis by R. F. Kuang

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Katabasis (Standard Edition) by R. F. Kuang
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Katabasis is the latest iteration of a long literary tradition of descents to Hell, taking its place along Dante’s Inferno, Orpheus and Eurydice, the Aeneid, and countless others. The list, although not exhaustive, lends itself a reverence to the act of descending. Kuang honors the classic motif while giving it a fresh spin, crafting a delightful addition to a proud legacy. Her expertly articulated worldbuilding melds with a command of language and logic that carefully treads the barrier between traditional fantasy and the academic novel. The novel’s protagonists, Alice and Peter, are PhD candidates at Cambridge studying analytical magic. When their advisor suddenly dies with no replacement forthcoming, there’s only one logical option: going into Hell to retrieve his immortal soul. As they traverse the depths, the core question of the novel slowly emerges, how much are you willing to sacrifice to fulfill your darkest ambitions? Fervent readers of Kuang’s work will not be disappointed by her latest tour de force, and first-timers will be delighted by the care put in every word of the novel.

Katabasis by R. F. Kuang, (List Price: $32, Harper Voyager, 9780063446243, August 2025)

Reviewed by Sydney Mason, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Hazel Says No by Gross Jessica Berger

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Hazel Says No by Gross Jessica Berger
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”Hazel says no” is the title, but also the simple act that causes so much craziness in this small town. A book that is told in different perspectives and shows how one event can affect people in different ways. It is a book that is very timely and at the same time feels like a story we all know way too well.

Hazel Says No by Gross Jessica Berger, (List Price: $28.99, Berger Gross, Jessica, 9781335015129, June 2025)

Reviewed by Brianna Lloyd, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Disco Witches of Fire Island by Blair Fell

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Disco Witches of Fire Island by Blair Fell
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A magical, moving, and wildly fun novel, The Disco Witches of Fire Island blends queer history, grief, self-discovery, and disco-fueled witchcraft into an unforgettable story. Set in Fire Island Pines during the HIV/AIDS epidemic, Blair Fell masterfully balances heavy themes with humor, heart, and a vibrant cast of characters. Drawing from some of his real-life experiences and relationships, Fell’s book will break your heart while lifting your spirit, and maybe even make you want to dance.

Disco Witches of Fire Island by Blair Fell, (List Price: $19.99, Alcove Press, 9798892420341, May 2025)

Reviewed by Bianca Eckhoff, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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My Name Is Emilia del Valle by Isabel Allende

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My Name Is Emilia del Valle by Isabel Allende
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My Name Is Emilia del Valle by Isabel Allende follows Emilia, a bold and curious young writer who pushes the boundaries of what’s expected of women in her time (19th century). As one of the first female journalists, an assignment takes her from San Francisco to Chile, her late father’s homeland. Emilia is drawn into a country on the brink of civil war and into the heart of her own identity. I didn’t know I wanted to read about the Chilean civil war until Isabel Allende had me hooked. Her writing is descriptive and clear without being overly flowery, and I loved Emilia’s character; she’s not only a fierce woman ahead of her time, but someone I could see myself being friends with, which brought a sense of comfort to an otherwise heavy story. Allende does a remarkable job showing how war ravages not just countries, but the hearts and minds of everyone it touches. There is an element of romance that does not overshadow the story, but seamlessly adds another beautiful layer to it. I equally loved watching Emilia reclaim her Chilean roots. It’s clear this book was written not just to illuminate history, but also as a love letter to Chile from Allende through Emilia’s journey.

My Name Is Emilia del Valle by Isabel Allende, (List Price: $30, Ballantine Books, 9780593975091, May 2025)

Reviewed by Bianca Eckhoff, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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