Last Call at the Nightshade Lounge

Paul Krueger's debut is a sharp, funny urban fantasy about a secret society of bartenders who fight monsters with alcohol-fuelled magic. Bailey Chen has a few demons already: no job, no parental support, and a rocky relationship with Zane, the only friend still around when she moves back home after graduation.

Then Zane introduces her to his cadre of monster-fighting bartenders, and Bailey's demons get a lot more literal. Cocktails are spells here, each drink with its own effect, and coffee is a healing potion — a magic system that doubles as a bar manual, with recipes.

A new-adult fantasy built around a Chinese-American heroine and a Chicago bar scene, praised by reviewers for a cast whose diversity feels lived rather than decorative.