Bizarre creatures herald the end of the world in Bower’s powerfully unsettling debut. They attack from seemingly nowhere, patchwork creatures that look “like someone had stapled different parts of a body together, paperclipping on ears, fingers, all of them backward or twisted, wrong.” Protagonist Sara’s family ran from the city the night these so-called witches appeared, and they have been running ever since, guarding themselves with wards made using herbs and running water. These are the only things that prevent the witches from tearing them apart, but these protections don’t hold forever. Thus far, the family has avoided contact with other survivors, but when an injured girl, Parsley, appears outside the circle of protection offered by the wards, Sara convinces her family to let her stay. The presence of another girl her age breaks up the monotony of Sara’s chores and caring for her younger siblings. But trust does not come easy in a world wracked by monsters, and confiding in Parsley comes with serious risks. Bower conjures a nightmare from the bones of the familiar, and the witches are made all the creepier for the mystery surrounding their origins. T. Kingfisher fans will eat this up. Agent: Kelly Karczewski, UTA. (Apr.)

Reviewed on 02/13/2026 | Details & Permalink

Chen (A Quantum Love Story) shows off his worldbuilding chops in this ingenious 24th-century space opera. Humanity is now in contact with multiple intelligent extraterrestrial life-forms, including the Lumersians, whose bodies are comprised of “planes of pink light” and who have shared their knowledge of photonic energy to help humans harness that volatile power source. Starship Horizon captain Demora Kim was among the first to encounter the Lumersians, and developed a close relationship with one photonic being, whom she nicknamed Chuck and considers a hero. The novel opens with Kim’s exit interview, a part of her forced retirement from the Galactic Cluster Fleet as a result of a decision to disobey orders. The plot then flashes back to explain what happened before the “incident at Base Theta Seven,” including Kim’s struggles to make a photonic engine functional at the request of her superiors, who hope to use it as a weapon in an ongoing war. Chen takes impressive care presenting nonhuman characters, showcasing their often baffled perspectives on humanity. These skillful character portraits make it easy to get sucked into their far-future plight. Readers are sure to be hooked. (Apr.)

Reviewed on 02/13/2026 | Details & Permalink

In this dreamlike science fiction novel, Ober (Doctor Benjamin Franklin’s Dream America) explores a world where all of civilization exists on isolated rocks in what seems to be an endless void. The story opens on a small rock called Fairveil, where Emery receives an unusual visitor: the Sinker, a woman who’s been traveling for a long time through the void. Emery’s son, Del, has a deadly infection, and the Sinker persuades Emery to come with her to a nearby rock to find medicine, teaching her how to sink and rise through the void by positioning her body against its friction. When they arrive, the two hear intriguing stories of a rock that consumes other rocks—a tale that the Sinker seems to recognize. The Sinker leaves Emery to pursue this lead, but before they part, gives her a map and empowers her with the knowledge to make her own way in the void. On their separate travels, the Sinker confronts her past while Emery follows her strangely vivid dreams to uncover fascinating secrets. In the void, no two rocks are alike, and Ober packs his heroine’s immersive adventures with gorgeous, visceral descriptions and a sense of wonder. Combining impressive worldbuilding and thrilling action, including some fun twists and unexpected reveals, this is sure to please. Agent: Peter Steinberg, UTA. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 02/13/2026 | Details & Permalink

Ghana native Ntumy’s captivating debut epic fantasy, and Chronicles of Countless Clans series launch, sucks readers into a crisis for the Anyi clan as their great reservoir of silver-blue lifeblood runs dry. Lifeblood is both the body fluid of the queen of the Anyi and a source of magical power on which the rulers of other clans depend, making everything it touches “brighter, stronger.” With the queen of the Anyi dying and no successor appearing, clan elders reach out to buy back lifeblood they’ve provided other clans, triggering power struggles and the unleashing of the avlevi, the Anyi’s long-subdued secret superweapon. Contained within the body of a young woman, Aseye, the avlevi spirit heads home to the Anyi, while visiting violence on any, either friend or foe, who may impede its way. Trailing behind is Kwame, lost son of a seer and now agent of the Empire of Ka, who’s been instructed to bring Aseye back to the empire, but is also struggling with his growing feelings for her. Ntumy populates her saga with an expansive cast while giving inner life to all her characters, servants and guards included. Her deep, thoughtful worldbuilding is especially impressive. Readers will enjoy getting lost within this vibrant world and eagerly await the next volume. (Apr.)

Reviewed on 02/13/2026 | Details & Permalink

Silverman’s striking debut brings together 12 fairy tale–inflected horror stories that center women and girls who survive, transform, and protect themselves in worlds shaped by violence and desire. In the title story, a frail young woman born during a devastating plague struggles to define herself beside her radiant older sister, whose life seems untouched by suffering. “All Hail the Boy King” also deals with plague; after all adults are wiped out by illness, children replicate the cruelties of the old world. The narrator of “Four Husbands” attempts to fashion ideal husbands for herself from feathers, stone, air, and silk, only to find each creation lacking in ways both intimate and uncanny. “Justisss” traces the aftermath of a brutal assault as the tale’s traumatized heroine finds refuge with an ancient crone whose closest companions are snakes. Throughout, Silverman’s prose is spare yet ferocious, favoring sharp imagery, slippery folktale logic, and emotional precision over explanation, and allowing horror and tenderness to coexist in the same breath. It’s a dark delight. (Apr.)

Reviewed on 02/13/2026 | Details & Permalink

Set in a world where carefully chosen words and phrases can conjure magic, Kauwe’s smart and satisfying urban fantasy debut combines gripping mystery, tantalizing romance, and sharp cultural critique. Clan head Kealaokaleo “Kea” Petrova, 25, lives with her family on the Homestead, an independent Hawaiian community on the Southern California coast, where she makes a living by trading unregulated Hawaiian-language spells on the black market. When she is summoned before the Los Angeles Casters Board, she thinks she’s going to be punished but instead finds that her friend Basilio has called her there as an expert witness to prove his innocence in the recent murder of revolutionary Angelo Reyes, leader of the Tagalog clans. When the Board threatens to “eliminate” the entire Homestead because Angelo was killed with a Hawaiian spell, Kea, furious and desperate, volunteers to solve the murder to save her people and preserve her language. The resulting investigation is a high-octane adventure that brings her near death more than once, all under the suspicious eye of Board member and lead investigator Sora Kaiser. Sora is infuriatingly condescending and cautious, but when the two discover a magical connection, it sparks a sizzling enemies-to-lovers romance. Fascinating linguistic-turned-magical theory, electrifying moments of intimacy, and a thrilling whodunit set this apart from the pack. (Apr.)

Reviewed on 02/13/2026 | Details & Permalink

A woman assumes her brother’s identity to compete in a violent reality show in this straightforward near-future adventure from Park (Capitalists Must Starve). Kim Wooram, a gifted engineer-pilot, is locked out of the competition to pilot South Korea’s largest mech, or giant robot suit, because of her gender. After she disguises herself as her twin brother, Kim Boram, and enters the competition, her experience and skill means her victory is all but assured. Instead, the drama comes from concealing her secret while her every move is being recorded and discovering what’s really going on with the national mech, the eponymous Project V. The competition proves just as much about popular favor as mechanical know-how, feeding into Park’s light satire of the entertainment industry and the reality show format as Wooram’s single-minded focus and refusal to cater to fans set her apart from her competitors. While her hyper-competency and clever solutions can be entertaining, Wooram rarely struggles and undergoes little development. This, combined with the sometimes stilted translation, makes it difficult to fully invest in Wooram’s progress. Still, lovers of mech sci-fi looking for a breezy feminist power fantasy will find something to enjoy. Agent: Ivan Mulcahy, International Creative Agency. (Apr.)

Reviewed on 02/13/2026 | Details & Permalink

Keane’s confident debut heralds the arrival of a gifted horror author. Lucie Moore’s work at an Ohio real estate firm has suffered from her need to spend time tending to her ill mother, who is vividly described as having been born “into a world that took little bites out of her body and mind every single day in exchange for the ability to pay rent.” With Lucie’s boss, Ellis Katsaros, indicating that her job is in jeopardy, Lucie sets out to demonstrate her worth by photographing an Appalachian land parcel as part of an appraisal being done for a conservation group—despite her friend Emma’s warning that a man recently disappeared in the area. Upon arrival, Lucie discovers odd symbols adorning a fence and faces off with a possibly rabid coyote. She escapes the animal and finds temporary refuge in the home of a stranger before horrific violence finds her. Lucie proves a well shaded and sympathetic protagonist, making it easy to invest in her plight. Keane’s talent for sunlight horror impresses as the plot builds to a genuinely surprising but fairly clued denouement. Richard Chizmar fans will be thrilled. (Apr.)

Reviewed on 02/13/2026 | Details & Permalink

Adams (the Book Retreat Mystery series) skillfully blends a satire of suburban life in 1980s Long Island with horror as several women clash with Mrs. Smith, a creepy recluse with outsize influence in their small town. Mrs. Smith is actually a monster, the Mother of Eels, who, when she swims, is “a harpoon in animal form.” Her neighbors, unaware of her true nature, set out to prevent Mrs. Smith from foiling their various plans. Natalie Scott, for instance, hopes her new occupation as a real estate broker will free her from the drudgery of being a housewife, but the decrepit state of Mrs. Smith’s mansion threatens the market value of homes in the neighborhood. Elaine Bernstein wants her son Charles’s bar mitzvah to be spectacular enough to make his schoolmates desperate to attend, but she needs Mrs. Smith’s permission for a fireworks display. As these women work to get Mrs. Smith to change her ways, she seeks to “devour the flesh of nine man-children” so that she can be reborn in the tradition of her ancestors. Only Icelandic housekeeper Una Einarsson, who believes in sea monsters, and Natalie’s 12-year-old daughter, Jill, stand in her way. Adams crafts a humorous portrait of small town life and tops off the fast-paced plot with a satisfying ending that doesn’t pull punches. This impresses. (Apr.)

Reviewed on 02/13/2026 | Details & Permalink

Shields (The Honey Witch) conjures a vast web of tantalizing mysteries at a magic university. Claudia Jolicoeur, who’s grieving her mother’s death and evading her drunken father’s attempt to marry her off to a man 50 years her senior, applies to Cygnus University, where gods imbue magical powers in students. She hopes to study Astrologia, magic drawn from the stars, but her application is rejected. Then the demon Dorian appears to her in a dream and offers a bargain: he’ll get her into Cygnus if she’ll promise to use what she learns there to free him from his century-long imprisonment in the Realm of Nightmares. The next morning, Claudia is told there’s a vacancy at Cygnus, but they’ve shut down the Astrologia program and she’ll have to study Rhetoric instead. Upon arriving, she learns the vacancy was due to the death of a student named Odette. Worse, Claudia’s new classmate Cassius, apprentice to the High Sage, accuses her of murdering Odette for her spot. Now Claudia must clear her name while also secretly breaking into the Astrologia tower to teach herself magic and solving the mystery of the disappearance of Sidarphion, god of Astrologia. The elaborate worldbuilding, persistent protagonist, simmering enemies-to-lovers romance between Claudia and Cassius, and twist-filled plot keep the pages turning. The author’s fans will be well pleased. (Apr.)

Reviewed on 02/06/2026 | Details & Permalink