Sanford (Plague Birds) centers this flimsy horror-fantasy novella around family drama, cycles of violence, and otherworldly appetites. Teenager Amelia is a ripper, one of a hidden race of predators who feed on violent men the rippers call Alexanders by transforming their mouths into a horrifying maw capable of swallowing entire bodies whole. Amanda is an anomaly, however, due to her ability to experience emotions other than rage; she alone among her kind is able to feel love. Now she and her ailing mother, Danjay, arrive in a new city that proves a hotbed of both Alexander activity and run-of-the-mill religious bigotry. After killing an Alexander, wiping the memories of the man’s wife and child, and moving into the family’s house, they must decide which humans (and which other rippers) they can trust as dark forces close in around them. Sanford handily brings his characters to life, and horror fans will have a lot of fun digging into both the mechanics of the rippers’ anatomies and the worldbuilding that supports the story’s central religious conflict. The plot feels incomplete, however, full of ambitious ideas that are hardly given enough time to establish themselves. Readers will be frustrated. Agent: Lucienne Diver, Knight Agency. (July)

Reviewed on 07/18/2025 | Details & Permalink

Rosson, who put a fresh spin on the zombie apocalypse trope in the Fever House duology, is equally creative with vampires in this brilliant horror novel set in 1970s Oregon. After returning from the Vietnam War, Duane Minor takes a job at a bar owned by his in-laws. He and his wife, Heidi, adjust to their new roles caring for Duane’s emotionally scarred niece, Julia, who witnessed her now incarcerated mother murder Julia’s abusive stepfather. When Duane, who’s just as troubled by all the death he witnessed and caused in battle, learns that his mother-in-law is allowing enigmatic drug dealer John Varley to operate out of the bar, he fears he and his family will end up in trouble with the law. Duane promptly kicks out Varley and his crew, but Varley won’t go down without a fight. In retaliation, Varley kills Heidi, one of a string of brutal murders that leave Duane and Julia devastated—and hungry for revenge. Over the course of the ensuing game of cat and mouse, it becomes clear that Varley is something more than human. Rosson expertly balances action and character development to craft an edge of the seat thrill ride. Readers will be hooked. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/18/2025 | Details & Permalink

In this charming foray into Arthurian legend, Morgan (A Secret History of Witches) turns the focus onto the powerful enchantress Morgan Le Fay, showing how she’s entwined with Arthur’s story from his childhood to his reign. Cast off by her mother when she’s only four years old, Morgana is raised on the Isle of Apples at the Lady’s Temple. The Isle is ruled over by the Nine, priestesses of the Lady who are bound to protect the land and aid supplicants with charms, potions, and other small magic. As Morgana grows up, it becomes clear that she is far more powerful than even the most advanced of the Nine, able to move things with only her thoughts and change her shape at will. Her magic sparks cruel rumors that she must be descended from the fae, who were banished by the Lady for their wickedness. After Morgana ascends to become one of the Nine herself, she is frequently called to Camulod to protect Arthur, her half brother, with Braithe, her magic-less acolyte turned handmaid, at her side. The plot is relatively straightforward, with few twists or surprises, but Morgan still makes Morgana’s life story fascinating and enchanting. Fans of women-focused retellings will be glad to add this one to their personal libraries. Agent: Peter Rubie, FinePrint Literary. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/04/2025 | Details & Permalink

Lambda Literary Award winner Jackson makes his dark fantasy debut (after the romance novel A Dash of Salt and Pepper) with this dazzling and nightmarish tale about the power of art. Painter Lewis Dixon is grieving the recent death of his mother when he receives an invitation from the British Museum to participate in an exhibition that could change his life. It does—but not in the way he expects. The invitation was a lure, disguising what the museum really wants from him. Handsome and mysterious curator Noah Rao reveals that magic is real and that Lewis’s own great-grandfather created a series of curse paintings entitled “The Macabre.” It’s up to Lewis, who has inherited the same magical talent, to track down and destroy these works. What follows is a page-turning, continent-spanning adventure that combines elements of psychological horror and gore with dark humor and a queer romance between Lewis and Noah, whose businesslike demeanor hides a complex and tragic past. Horror and fantasy fans alike will embrace Jackson as an exciting new voice. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/04/2025 | Details & Permalink

In this snarky, sexy series opener, St. Aubin (The Summer of Perfect Mistakes) weaves a supernatural suspense tale with the messy beginnings of a love triangle. Desperate for work and at emotional rock bottom following a difficult divorce, Hannalore “Hanna” Harvey parlays her master’s degree in art history into a role as art gallery owner Mark Abernathy’s personal assistant, only to swiftly discover the job is nothing like she expected. Her mysterious, mercurial, and alluring employer proves unpredictable and possibly even dangerous, though Hanna is initially too busy bringing order to his chaotic world to worry. Then one of Abernathy’s many lady friends is murdered and the ruggedly attractive Det. James Morrison takes an interest in both Abernathy and Hanna. Increasingly disturbed by her boss’s enigmatic behavior, not to mention the corpses that continue to pop up in his wake, Hanna must decide whom to trust, especially as she comes to suspect that Abernathy may not even be human. Though she’s torn between Abernathy and Morrison, Hanna remains able to hold her own—and fiercely devoted to her three cats—in the face of increasingly dangerous circumstances. The humor is wacky and the cast is quirky, but the mystery feels grounded. Though a cliffhanger ending frustrates, it’s sure to leave readers eager for more. This is a promising start. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/04/2025 | Details & Permalink

Karella debuts with a hilarious psychedelic orgy of a novel that drips with the kind of pulp nastiness that makes the cheap horror paperbacks of the past so memorable, but updates the aesthetic with a refreshing heroine and a powerful exploration of transmisogyny within queer spaces. Sarah is a broke trans woman growing and selling shrooms to pay her rent. A wealthy client pays her to go into the notoriously dangerous Pamogo Woods to hunt down the King’s Breakfast, a powerful hallucinogenic that, when Sarah tries it, gives her visions of a goddess she immediately yearns to meet. But when Sarah and her irritatingly earnest guide venture into the darkened woods, they discover something far more sinister than fungi waiting for them. Karella makes the duo’s journey gory and weird enough to satisfy any horror fan, but the real triumph of the book is its wonderfully realized trans heroine. Sarah is smart, funny, and flawed, allowing Karella to organically explore larger ideas about gender and sexuality without losing the irreverent and often comic tone. The result is a strange, sublime truffle that will delight any discerning appetite. Agent: John Baker, Bell Lomax Moreton. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/04/2025 | Details & Permalink

Kitasei (The Stardust Grail) demonstrates her range in this moving portrayal of sibling dynamics set in a disturbing near future. A devastating blight has decimated humanity’s food supplies. In its wake, Skipper supports herself and her ailing grandmother by selling the plastic, metal, and glass waste she scavenges from a large offshore garbage patch. She becomes increasingly concerned about the whereabouts of her oldest sister, Nora, who got a job working for the massive agricultural company Renewal as a product tester and has been visiting less and less frequently. After hearing nothing from her for several months, Skipper gets a letter from one of Nora’s colleagues informing her that Nora has not been seen for a while, and asking if she returned home. Skipper persuades her other sister, Carmen, a nurse, to sail with her across the largely flooded world in search of Nora. The stakes increase when the sisters learn that Nora was embroiled in corporate intrigue involving Renewal’s high-security vault containing seeds “built to endure the end of civilization.” Meanwhile, the close proximity of the voyage brings long dormant tensions between Skipper and Carmen to a head. Kitasei pays as much attention to her protagonist’s nuanced inner life as to the page-turning apocalyptic plotline, creating a tale that feels both intimate and expansive. It’s an impressive feat. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/04/2025 | Details & Permalink

Curlicue plot twists and an Among Us vibe both enhance and plague this space gothic from Coile (William). Robots One, Two, and Three were sent to Mars years before the start of the book to prepare a base. Now humans Dana, Kang, and Blake follow. Dana, the narrator and the team’s “badass” medical doctor, was orphaned at age 15 and has since learned to stifle her emotions while honing her fighting skills. When a mysterious force begins poking holes in the base and engineer Kang turns up murdered, suspicion falls on the bots, who, unbeknownst to Mission Control, have become increasingly human-like during their years on Mars, even taking on names and genders. Robots One and Two, now Shay and Wes, still try to protect and assist the humans, but Robot Three, Alex, abandons them for the open desert. Blake and Wes believe Alex is behind the attacks, but Shay insists that some more malicious force is at work. Mason nimbly juggles themes of sexism, space colonization, and AI sentience for a time, but abruptly drops them when the plot takes a darker turn. As allegiances switch, backstories are revealed, and the real murderer emerges, readers may struggle to keep a grasp on events. Still, with its tough-as-nails heroine and scheming robots, there’s plenty here to hold sci-fi fans’ interest. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/04/2025 | Details & Permalink

This disjointed outing from Alderson (The Witch and His Crow) blends chilling suspense and tepid queer romance into an unsatisfying whole. When William Thorn’s partner, Archie Thomas, dies in a tragic accident, William inherits decrepit Hanbury Manor, the Thomas family residence in the Cotswolds. Mired in grief, guilt, and anger, William decides to spend an experimental week at the decidedly haunted manor. What little peace he finds is soon interrupted by blandly amiable Edward Jones, who has come to the manor seeking the truth of what happened to a long-lost family member. Together the men work to piece together the events in 1939 that led to the permanent parting of two lovers, with one disappearing and the other dying by suicide. This mystery is unfortunately undermined by baffling characterization, puzzling details that lead nowhere, and an unpleasant (if understandably so) protagonist. A shocking twist near the end undermines much of the novel’s final act and will leave many readers frustrated. Gothic horror fans will be better served elsewhere. Agent: Hannah VanVels Ausbury, Belcastro Agency. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/04/2025 | Details & Permalink

A remote Irish island with an insular community of crusty locals provides the perfect backdrop for this riveting splice of suspense and folklore from Sharpson (Knock Knock, Open Wide). Inishbannock is just recovering from a deadly “outbreak” (though an outbreak of what goes unspecified) when one of its victims, Mara Fitch, claws her way out of her grave, having been mistakenly buried alive. At least that’s what her caretakers tell her, since Mara has no memory of the life she lived before. But as Mara tries to rebuild her identity from the stories fed to her by locals, she uncovers inconsistencies that lead her to suspect she’s being gaslighted about both her life and her death. Even more mysterious, she chances upon a series of photos spanning nearly a century of a person who closely resembles her. While Mara tries to make sense of these discoveries, something slaughters the island’s sheep, prompting residents—who seem to know more than they tell—to take up arms. Sharpson marshals a large cast of distinctive characters and weaves the subplots spun from their individual motivations for hiding the truth into a dark history leavened with Irish myth and legend. The result is sure to enchant readers with a taste for folk horror. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/04/2025 | Details & Permalink