Ever since I was a little girl and watched the 1943 version of Jane Eyre on Halloween, I’ve had an affinity for gothic fiction. I love books that keep me up at night, the slow, subtle creep of horror that this genre elicits. Combine that with fantastical elements, or better yet a retelling of an old classic, and I’m in. Writing A Multitude of Dreams, a reimagining of Poe’s The Masque of the Red Death, allowed me to indulge in everything I love about gothic fantasy, and it gave me the perfect excuse to read as much of it as possible.
Princess Imogen has lived a sheltered life, safe from the bloody plague that’s ravaged the kingdom. But Imogen has a secret, and as King Stuart descends into madness, unhappy murmurings threaten to reveal the charade being played within the castle walls.
Nico Mott once enjoyed a life of status, but the plague took everyone and everything from him. If not for the generosity of a nearby lord, Nico may not have survived. But does owing Lord Crane his life mean he owes him his silence? When Crane sends Nico to search for more plague survivors in the castle, Nico collides with a princess who wants to escape. But they’ll have to navigate the web of lies they’ve woven to survive the nightmares ahead.
The story of twelve sisters disappearing from their crumbling manor one by one, House of Salt and Sorrows was among the first young adult gothic fantasies I read, and I loved every second of it.
Craig is a master of writing spooky, suspenseful novels, whether they’re set in a haunted mansion by the sea or a quiet village on the edge of a dark forest. And readers just picking up HoSaS for the first time are in luck – the sequel, House of Roots and Ruin, will be out on July 25th!
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Get swept away by this “haunting” (Bustle) YA novel about twelve beautiful sisters living on an isolated island estate who begin to mysteriously die one by one. This dark and atmospheric fairy tale inspired story is perfect for fans of Yellowjackets.
"Step inside a fairy tale." —Stephanie Garber, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Caraval
In a manor by the sea, twelve sisters are cursed.
Annaleigh lives a sheltered life at Highmoor with her sisters and their father and stepmother. Once there were twelve, but loneliness fills the grand halls now that four of…
T. Kingfisher has one of the most unique and compelling literary voices I’ve read, so I was delighted when I discovered she’d penned a retelling of Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher.
Full of zombie-like hares and an extremely disturbing fungus, Kingfisher combines horror with dry humor to create a novella that is utterly unique and impossible to put down.
From the Nebula and Hugo award-winning author of The Twisted Ones, comes What Moves the Dead, a gripping and atmospheric retelling of Edgar Allan Poe's classic "The Fall of the House of Usher."
When Alex Easton, a retired soldier, receives word that their childhood friend Madeline Usher is dying, they race to the ancestral home of the Ushers in the remote countryside of Ruritania.
What they find there is a nightmare of fungal growths and possessed wildlife, surrounding a dark, pulsing lake. Madeline sleepwalks and speaks in strange voices at night, and her…
Clipstone proved herself a master of the genre with her debut, Lakesedge, and its sequel, Forestfall.
Her upcoming novel, Unholy Terrors, continues her streak of deliciously dark and romantic fantasies. This story of a monster hunter falling under the spell of the very monster she’s sent to kill is full of lyrical prose and impeccable Spooky Season vibes.
There’s even a nod to the goth aesthetic, complete with black nail polish and lipstick. Chef’s kiss perfection.
Everline Blackthorn has devoted her life to the wardens―a sect of holy warriors who guard against monsters known as the vespertine.
When a series of strange omens occur, Everline disobeys orders to investigate, and uncovers a startling truth in the form of Ravel Severin: a rogue vespertine who reveals the monsters have secrets of their own.
Ravel promises the help she needs― for a price. Vespertine magic requires blood, and if Everline wants Ravel to guide across the dangerous moorland, she will have to allow him to feed from her.
When the brilliant artist Charlie Bowater created fan art for One Dark Window, I immediately purchased a copy. And I can absolutely understand the hype.
With a magic system unlike anything I’ve ever read – think haunted tarot cards – and a steamy enemies-to-lovers romance, I will definitely be picking up the sequel, Two Twisted Crowns, when it comes out in October.
For fans of Uprooted and For the Wolf comes a dark, lushly gothic fantasy about a maiden who must unleash the monster within to save her kingdom—but the monster in her head isn't the only threat lurking.
Elspeth needs a monster. The monster might be her.
Elspeth Spindle needs more than luck to stay safe in the eerie, mist-locked kingdom she calls home—she needs a monster. She calls him the Nightmare, an ancient, mercurial spirit trapped in her head. He protects her. He keeps her secrets.
She’s one of the best Jewish fantasy authors writing today, and she isn’t afraid to cover the darkest aspects of humanity (up to and including cannibalism). Juniper and Thorn is a retelling of The Juniper Tree and follows the story of Marlinchen, her sisters, and their absolutely repulsive wizard father.
Combining fairytale elements - there are hints of The Twelve Dancing Princesses, Cinderella, and Slavic folklore here - with Reid’s utterly immersive voice, Juniper and Thorn has earned its spot among my favorite books.
'A tale of fear and survival, hope and yearning and defiance, in timelessly elegant prose. It will enchant you, break your heart, and chill you to the very marrow.' Samantha Shannon on The Wolf and the Woodsman
From the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Wolf and the Woodsman comes a gothic retelling of The Juniper Tree, where a young witch seeks to discover her identity and escape the domination of her abusive wizard father. Perfect for fans of Angela Carter, Catherynne M. Valente and Shirley Jackson _________________________________
A gruesome curse. A city in upheaval. A monster with unquenchable appetites.…
I have always loved reading and its ability to take you far away to a distant time and place and lift you up. As a kid, I never left the house without a book, and the ones that made me laugh were my go-to's. I believe the ability to make people laugh is a truly special talent, especially while making the text relatable, so the reader’s always asking, wow, what would I do in that situation? My readers often tell me that my writing sounds just like me, which is wonderful because there’s no need to pretend. You will always know what you’ll get with me!
A heart-warming and hilarious novel about the highs and lows of marriage, fraud, and goat’s cheese.
Libby Popovic is a country girl who’s now living a golden life in Bondi with her confident financier husband Ludo, and their two children. When Ludo is jailed for financial fraud, and Libby’s friends and family lose tens of thousands of dollars as a result, she feels agonisingly complicit.
Matters go from atrocious to worse when her possessions and home are repossessed, Libby is sacked, and a priceless family heirloom is wrecked. While camping out at the family goat farm, Libby must re-evaluate her life choices. How will she crawl out of financial ruin? Can she make amends? And can she save her family from falling apart?
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