A poet’s debut novel, “a quintessential fantasy story,” features an unconventional hero’s trial-filled quest. It’s awfully short for the fantasy genre, though, and that impacts its characterization (and a story that feels “a tad truncated”). —Zoe McKenna reviews Not All Dragons, by David Ly (Hamilton: Poplar Press/Wolsak & Wynn, 2026) $24.00 / 9781998408429
In a poet’s Jerusalem-set first novel, sixteen-year old Aziz seeks “the right side” as he wanders and works—and learns about himself, his family, and his society. “Zaghal invites us into Aziz’s world, shows us what he’s up against, and elicits our compassion for a young man finding his way against all odds,” our reviewer writes. —Janet S. Pollock reviews Seven Heavens Away, by Ashraf Zaghal (Toronto: House of Anansi Press, 2026) $26.99 / 9781487013486
A “diluvial narrative” that flows with references to and musings on Arendt, Woolf, Barthes, Derrida, Cixous, and many others, a novel presents “a history of disappeared locution and a locational archive”: “Overflowing and magically disappearing, Robertson’s indelible river meets Mark Twain’s Mississippi and James Joyce’s Liffey.” —Michael Greenstein reviews Riverwork, by Lisa Robertson (Toronto: Coach House Books, 2026) $24.95 / 9781552455173
“[E]xcellent” debut YA novel reflects an author who “put his heart and soul into this book.” Plus: “Coming to this book in middle age, and as a fairly non-sentimental reader, the novel surprised me when I actually almost cried at one point, so invested was I in this wonderfully well-developed character of Ramin Abbas.” —Trish Bowering reviews Ramin Abbas Has MAJOR Questions, by Ahmad Saber (Toronto: Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, 2026) $29.99 /9781665960694
An immersive and satisfying sequel to a 2015 debut novel finds a youthful protagonist—”a force unto himself,” who’s “always compelling on the page”—in literal wilderness as he sorts himself. —Trish Bowering reviews When the World Was Twice as Big, by Aaron Cully Drake (Gibsons: Nightwood Editions, 2026) $23.95 / 9780889715042
A debut story collection focusses on younger characters who yearn “for something just out of reach.” And while the author “thrives in her propensity for texture—building rugs fibre by fibre, until a child could burn their knees on it,” some of her approach to characterization raises concerns. —Kenna Clifford reviews There’s Always More to Say, by Natalie Southworth (Montreal: Linda Leith Publishing, 2026) $24.95 / 9781773901862
Vancouver-set YA novel relates the dangers of sex traffickers and Snapchat: “The subject material is heavy and dark. If readers are hoping to ignite consciousness and conversations about teen safety on the Internet, however, this is a comprehensive option. The story features authentic characters, vivid examples of how not to use social media, and an unforgiving portrayal of a worst case scenario.” —Isabella Ranallo reviews At Least I’m Trying, by Tara Hodgson (Sturgeon County: Tara Hodgson, 2025) $26.42 / 9781069617705
Reissued 2014 novel recounts a father and son’s journey to a backcountry destination: “In Wagamese’s prose, the descriptions of these places are so skilfully rendered that the ugliness becomes beautiful. In the rhythmic, pulsing language, you can smell the empty bottles, the smoke and ashes, the unwashed bodies, the frying bologna.” —Ryan Frawley reviews Medicine Walk, by Richard Wagamese (Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 2025) $22.00 / 9780771023521
Atmospheric BC-set debut novel grows nearly hallucinatory with grotesque and supernatural elements. Teen investigators Alinta and Ruby ground a (somewhat overstuffed) story with their tight bond and quest to solve a mystery. —Brett Josef Grubisic reviews Woodbine Grove, by Ryan O’Dowd (Hamilton: Manor House Press, 2025) $29.95 / 9781998938193
Delightful while sobering and illuminating, a memoir-in-verse celebrates pop music as it revisits cultural history and queer coming-of-age in the ’80s and ’90s. —Brett Josef Grubisic reviews Soundtrack: A Lyric Memoir, by Michael V. Smith (Toronto: Book*hug, 2025) $24.95 / 9781771669498
With her late-Victorian setting on Vancouver Island, a debut novelist “clearly takes much care in constructing her story, using metaphor effectively to enhance the reader’s appreciation of the wilderness setting and the lengthy cast of characters.” Despite the successes, the novel proved confounding on occasion for our reviewer. —Ron Verzuh reviews A Snake and a Feathered Bird, by Angie Ellis (Saskatoon: Thistledown Press, 2025) $24.95 / 9781771872812
In a “brutally frank, but also hopeful” novel that “nail[s] the adolescent voice—there’s plenty of profanity, a touch of irreverence, and no small amount of self-deprecation,” a teenage girl struggles to manage her compulsions and find equilibrium. —Jessica Poon reviews A Drop in the Ocean, by Léa Taranto (Vancouver: Arsenal Pulp Press, 2025) $19.95 / 9781551519813
Debut novel features “a fast-paced, stream-of-consciousness, interior monologue style” that reveals “layers of complexity in the queer Palestinian immigrant’s experience of life in the West.” The result? A “politically sophisticated and often wickedly funny first novel, grounded in the foibles of human nature and how we respond to them, that’s well worth reading.” —Daniel Gawthrop reviews Three Parties, by Ziyad Saadi (Toronto: Hamish Hamilton, 2025) $34.95 / 9780735250963
In a soft-spoken and subtle debut YA novel, a pre-teen boy learns to understand and care for a pair of ducks. It’s a ‘still waters’ sort of book that runs surprisingly deep. —Brett Josef Grubisic reviews Project Wild One, by Louise Sidley (Leaside: Red Deer Press, 2025) $14.95 / 9780889957633
The sleuthing elements of this YA novel have their appeal, but the real stand outs include the interplay between teammates and the “multi-generational openness and connections.” —Alison Acheson reviews Rhapsody Smith, Ice Angel, by Lorna Schultz Nicholson (Winnipeg: Yellow Dog/Great Plains Press, 2025) $18.95 / 9781773371306
Veteran YA author’s captivating novel features ghosts and villains and a network of caves (not to mention “a good dash of mystery and a wee bit of romance—just the right amount”). —Alison Acheson reviews Cave-In, by Pam Withers (Winnipeg: Great Plains Press, 2024) $18.95 / 9781773371245
Uniquely written debut novel “is a book that plumbs the depths of a young man’s search for meaning that will appeal to those who are looking for an intellectual, character-driven examination of religious belief.” —Trish Bowering reviews Broken Water, by Nick Perry (Durham: Chicken House Press, 2025) $19.99 / 9781990336836
A “most enjoyable read,” this novel set in rural western Australia in the 1960s recounts the tumultuous coming-of-age of Cheryl, the daughter of a hard-working woman who sells bait worms. —Valerie Green reviews The Worm Lady’s Daughter, by Peter Freeman (Salt Spring Island: Ensilwood Publishing, 2025) $19.95 / 9781990415166
In an exhilarating YA novel, Gold Rush riches are the goal for Scottish teenager Callum McBay. With theft, attacks, miscreants, shambling outposts, and one “toad-faced abomination,” there’s plenty of hardship before any reward. —Ron Verzuh reviews The Cariboo Trek of Callum McBay, by Colin Campbell (Vancouver: Tradewind Books, 2025) $14.95 / 9781990598333
Set in Western Canada during the Summer of Love, a coolly stylish novel portrays a juvenile boy’s educational misadventures during an unsanctioned road trip. —Ryan Frawley reviews Amaranthine Chevrolet, by Dennis E. Bolen (Toronto: Dundurn Press, 2025) $25.99 / 9781459754775