The Sacred Space Between

Exploring religious trauma through an enemies-to-lovers romance, Reid’s evocative debut is as gothic as a cathedral and as haunting as the moors. Raised by the watchful elders of the Abbey, deeply devout Maeve has been trained as an iconographer, creating the paintings of saints that the Abbey’s faithful pray to. Now she’s tasked with visiting Jude, an exiled saint, and painting his updated icon. Jude, however, is decidedly hostile to the idea of her staying at his house and digging into his secrets. But when Maeve reveals the strange trance that comes over her when she paints, Jude realizes he must be honest with her about the terrible price the Abbey exacts from its faithful, rewriting their memories and perceptions of reality each time they pray. As a saint, Jude’s memories similarly erode each time someone prays to him. Meanwhile Maeve, who has more magic than she understands, is in terrible danger from her superiors. Between the two of them, they hold the key to bringing down the whole Abbey—if only they could remember it. Though the complex worldbuilding raises more questions than it answers, it’s deeply satisfying to watch Maeve start to question all that she’s been taught. Reid’s dreamlike twists of logic and vivid imagery will linger in readers’ minds. (Nov.)