From the publisher: "Lately, seventh grader Nizhoni Begay has been able to detect monsters, like that man in the fancy suit who was in the bleachers at her basketball game. Turns out he's Mr. Charles, her dad's new boss at the oil and gas company, and he's alarmingly interested in Nizhoni and her brother, Mac, their Navajo heritage, and the legend of the Hero Twins. Nizhoni knows he's a threat, but her father won't believe her. When Dad disappears the next day, leaving behind a message that says "Run!", the siblings and Nizhoni's best friend, Davery, are thrust into a rescue mission that can only be accomplished with the help of Diné Holy People, all disguised as quirky characters. Timeless themes such as the importance of family and respect for the land resonate in this funny, fast-paced, and exciting quest adventure set in the American Southwest."

From Holly: Anne recommended this to Elizabeth Cooper in Episode 244: You love to read—don’t ruin it, and when she described it as an immersive, apocalyptic fantasy, I knew I needed to pick it up! I described this young adult novel to a friend as “Buffy meets Longmire meets The Hunger Games” and it's some of the most imaginative fantasy writing I've encountered in recent years. The main character, Maggie, is a monster hunter with special powers. When a young girl goes missing, she’s called upon to investigate, and you’re dropped right into the action with her. I was enraptured by the world-building and the Navajo mythologies that Roanhorse introduced, and I can't wait to read more in The Sixth World series.

Roanhorse brings this complex Pre-Columbian American fantasy world to life with gritty characters grappling with prophecies and political intrigue. The holy city of Tova prepares for the Convergence, a rare celestial event when the winter solstice and solar eclipse coincide, under Sun Priest Naranpa’s guidance. Disgraced captain Xiala sets her ship for Tova, carrying a young blind passenger named Serapio. She doesn’t know anything about him, other than it’s imperative he arrive on the day of the Convergence. And then there’s Okoa, a member of the ruling family and whose mother has just died creating a power vacuum his sister is ready to fill. No one and nothing is as they seem and by the time these characters collide, their world will be undone. Content warnings apply.