A Wild Radiance out now from Peachtree Teen; 368 Pages
Content Warning: Grooming, murder
About the Author: “Maria Ingrande Mora (they/she) is the acclaimed author of The Immeasurable Depth of You, an Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award finalist. Their YA debut, Fragile Remedy, was selected as Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection. Their graphic novel series, Ranger Academy, featured one of the first nonbinary characters in the Power Rangers universe. Their forthcoming young adult fantasy, A Wild Radiance, [was] released January 2026. A graduate of the University of Florida, Mora lives in St. Petersburg with three cats and two teenagers” (Bio from author’s website).
Find Maria Ingrande Mora on the following platforms:
At the House of Industry, Josephine Haven has always wanted to be a transistor, using her intense electric-abilities and aggression to protect those marching toward progressing society. But after being chosen as a conductor, she’s set on proving that she can control herself—that she can make the world a much better place. Getting assigned onto the mission in Frostbrook out in the country, practically a backwater town, is only a minor setback. Her plans of establishing her worth get thrown out the window when she meets Julian and Ezra, the strict Senior Conductor in Frostbrook and the vagabond wild-magic Animator. Growing close to them entangles her in a world of resistance and new possibilities, but she must decide for herself which is more important: progress, or keeping people safe?
A Wild Radiance is a fascinating discussion of politics delivered in a wonderfully built fantasy world. While I initially found interest in this book because of the promise of queer characters, as I was reading the plot surrounding the House of Industry and how magical advancements were actively harming the world, the politics really piqued my interest. I was reminded of N.K. Jemisin’s The Fifth Season, with how horrific the consequences of power (physical and metaphorical) could be, though I believe Mora did an excellent job keeping it palatable for young readers. As for Josephine, I loved her character. I enjoyed how she was an FMC that was allowed to feel violent and aggressive, without it being glorified or admonished. Every time Josephine acted out, it felt justified. I also enjoyed Josephine’s relationship with Ezra and Julian. I personally don’t enjoy love triangles in my fiction—half the time because they don’t ever really feel like a triangle, so much as they do a corner. But this was a love triangle I was happy to see unfold. Josephine’s care for Julian despite how he gets under her skin for the smallest of things, her intense desire for Ezra and how it grows stronger when secrets are revealed, Julian and Ezra’s past relationship revealed and how they both have some lingering feelings for each other, it all made the triangle feel more real. It was all entertaining to see unravel and come together. A world of magic, corrupt government, and a cast of wonderfully queer characters—A Wild Radiance is a ride from start to finish.
Grace McCool, Pine Reads Review Writer & Editor