Review: Subcutanean by Aaron A. Reed

   

Subcutanean by Aaron A. Reed
Publication Date: February 6th, 2020
Independently Published
232 pages. Paperback.

About Subcutanean:

"A 2021 Lambda Literary Award Finalist. Insecure college senior Orion loves music, books, and his best friend Niko. When the two of them find a secret basement in their rambling old off-campus house, at first Orion’s thrilled. It’s another secret to share, another adventure to maybe, at last, bring them closer together.

But something's wrong: the basement doesn't end. Blandly decorated halls stretch on for miles past peeling wallpaper, empty bedrooms, and countless stairwells always leading down. Soon they realize Downstairs is a snarled tangle of possibilities, more and more opening up the deeper they go. Something down there multiplies everything: architecture, emotions, even people.

Together they must navigate an increasingly dangerous labyrinth that peels back their friendship to raw and angry roots, filled with two-faced doppelgängers, treacherous architecture, and long-buried secrets. Most dangerous of all is Orion's consuming obsession: somewhere down there, is there a Niko who loves him back?

Subcutanean is a unique novel that changes with every printing. Each copy contains a unique telling of the story: no two are ever quite the same."

If you like anything involving the concept of backrooms or liminal spaces (or especially if you liked the recent horror movie Backrooms), then put this one on your radar immediately. Subcutanean is a truly unique (quite literally, in many cases!) experience and manages to be both a compelling read that I absolutely tore through, as well as a fascinating experiment from the author in creating something new and special. Essentially, if you buy this book from the author's website, you have the option to purchase a customized copy that will contain a unique version of the novel. Aaron A. Reed explains it best on his website, but this essentially allows everyone to have their own version of events that occur in this novel, though you can buy a copy from Amazon that is not a single unique version, but I'm sure still just as great as every other copy. And a very important note these days: none of it is AI-generated, so never fear!

I love anything that experiments with anything. No matter whether the execution works or falls a little flat, I love any author/creator who is willing to try something new and add some variety--and fortunately Subcutanean is also an excellent novel that I immensely enjoyed! But let's step back from this aspect of the storytelling and talk a bit about the book and story itself.

Subcutanean follows Orion and his best friend, Niko, as they happen upon the entrance to a secret basement from Orion's bedroom in the off-campus house they rent with some other students. But of course, this basement isn't quite just a basement, and as the two friends begin to explore it, they find that it's large, impossibly large... and the halls and stairs and rooms within it just seem to keep going... Soon enough, the two friends realize things aren't quite as they seem (although perhaps that's not the best way to put it, as it never seemed like anything normal to begin with), and they eventually fall into something more bizarre and uncanny than they could have ever predicted. I think the synopsis from Goodreads might give more detail than my little synopsis here, but I'm specifically trying to keep things as vague as possible for this one.

This hit all the right notes for me. I love a slow, creeping sense of dread and unease that builds up in an otherwise normal atmosphere, and I especially love discovering secret rooms and places that absolutely should not exist, and continue to prove that they shouldn't exist in any capacity the more you learn about them. And there's the idea of doppelgängers and multiple dimensions and all those brain-breaking concepts that I can't seem to get enough, and Subcutanean is absolutely filled to the brim with all of these. It's a genuinely fascinating story that explores an abundance of thought-provoking topics in an engaging way that somehow managers to convey both a sense of terror and awe and also a sort of melancholy and sentimentality that I'm not sure I fully expected. 

There are some moments in this book that really gave me some chills to think about, and some imagery that will stick with me. There's nothing overly grotesque or anything like that, but there are so many quiet moments or offhand descriptions or thoughts that left me with such a strong sense of unease and dread that I found myself pretty much unable to tear my gaze from this book while I was desperate to see where things would go next.

And in addition to all of these elements is some really strong character work with Orion and Niko. You never really know with any horror or horror-adjacent book if the characters will be ones you connect with, and then with a book like this that's very experimental in some ways, I really wasn't holding high hopes for something exceptionally deep or relatable. But I was--fortunately!--very wrong, and I found Orion to be such a well-crafted and well-rounded character that I become genuinely invested in his story and following him on this bizarre journey. Orion and Niko's relationship is complicated, to say the least, but at the end of the day they are best friends, and I really loved how Reed portrayed this friendship in a way that felt real and sincere. We learn a lot about Orion's inner struggles, and one of the more prominent ones we explore is his relationship with his sexuality, which of course adds some questions to how he truly views his friendship with Niko, and adds many more layers to the story.

I am not sure how I feel about the ending--or at least, the ending that I read in my copy. I would love to read some other version of this book to see other directions it takes, but I think I'd keep my ending as the one that's been bestowed upon me by the randomness of the universe. Still, I'd really like to see how things could have been different, and whether I'd find any other version more "satisfying" than my own. At the end of each copy, there is a list of things things that make your copy unique; for instance, mine states that my protagonist was "more optimistic" than in some other versions, which is a fascinating detail to consider, rather than strictly just changing plot beats.

There's a lot more I could say about this book, but in the interest of time and not sharing too much, I'm going to leave this review here. I absolutely recommend this to anyone looking for something a little different, something that will make you want to look over your shoulder here and there, but not something gory or full of jump scares or anything. It's a book that will make you a little freaked out and feel uneasy, but also make you think a lot, and also leave you wondering what other possibilities exist in this world. And of course, if you're a backrooms/liminal spaces fan, this is also a must-read (and also relevant to note that this came out in 2020, far before some of the more popular backrooms-related content came out, so let's avoid any cries of 'copying' or it being derivative). Whether you read a unique copy from the author's website or purchase a copy on Amazon/etc., I would love to hear your thoughts about it and what your reading experience was like--and what happened in yours compared to mine, so please do reach out if you read this or have read it!

Buy the book: Author website (custom copies) | Amazon

Double Horror Reviews: The House on the Borderland by William Hope Hodgson & I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

For the past couple years, I try to make sure to share some mini-reviews of the horror I've been reading in October, so today I'm excited to share two older horror classics: The House on the Borderland by William Hope Hodgson and I Am Legend by Richard Matheson! I've been trying to throw in some horror classics amidst the other reads I've been working my way through in October, and I figured I couldn't go wrong with these two authors. I am planning to read more stories from William Hope Hodgson, as he has many novellas and short stories, but I figured I'd just discuss The House on the Borderland today, and same goes for Richard Matheson with I Am Legend, so let's dive in! (And just as a head's up, I'm planning to post a review for Subcutanean by Aaron A. Reed sometime this week or next, along with hopefully Public Access Afterworld--assuming I can finish it in time, it's a big book!--and maybe a couple others, so stay tuned for those!)

The House on the Borderland and Other Mysterious Places by William Hope Hodgson

Night Shade Books (originally published by Chapman and Hall)
Publication: 1908 (original publication year)

Hardcover. 136 pages.

About The House on the Borderland:

"William Hope Hodgson was, like his contemporaries Algernon Blackwood and Arthur Machen, one of the most important, prolific, and influential fantasists of the early twentieth century. His dark and unsettling short stories and novels were shaped in large part by personal experience and his work evokes a disturbing sense of the amorphous and horrific unknown.

While his adventure fiction was very popular during his lifetime, the supernatural and cosmic horror he is most remembered for only became well known after his death, mainly due to the efforts of writers like H. P. Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith, who often praised his work and cited it as an influence on their own. By the latter half of the twentieth century, it was only his weird fiction that remained in print, and his vast catalog of non-supernatural stories was extremely hard to find.

A chilling masterpiece of cosmic horror, The House on the Borderland blends eerie isolation, time-warping visions, and supernatural terror in one of the earliest examples of weird fiction. When two men discover a ruined manuscript near a desolate Irish ruin, they uncover a tale of a recluse who battles unknowable forces beyond space and time. Revered by H.P. Lovecraft, this haunting novel remains a cornerstone of early 20th-century speculative fiction."

**Just a quick note/reminder that I am only reviewing The House on the Borderland for this review--I'll hopefully share my thoughts on other some of Hodgson's other work in the future!

The House on the Borderland feels like cosmic horror at its finest, and should probably be a must-read for any cosmic horror enthusiast. I've been sitting here at my computer struggling to figure out just how to write this review, as this is both a straightforward sort of story, yet also not straightforward at all and I'm not entirely sure where to start. Essentially, we have a man living in a secluded house with his dog, Pepper, and his sister, Mary (to my shame, I must admit that I remembered the dog's name off the top my head, but had to look up the sister's name to remember--what can I say, my interests are clear, I guess).

There are some rather terrifying encounters with some "swine-things" that appear around his house, which made me think that those alone would probably prompt me to pack up and move somewhere else, but alas, not our protagonist. I did feel a strong creeping sense of something distinctly not right throughout this story, especially with how his sister acted after an encounter with the swine-things that I thought excellently conveyed a weirdness that's hard to describe. In addition to these are the more cosmic, inter-dimensionality-type scenes and encounters that take our protagonist on quite a horrific, awe-inducing journey that I can't all begin to summarize. I'll admit that I felt a bit lost in these at times, possibly even moreso than our protagonist, but I did very much appreciate the sheer weirdness and imaginative aspects of them. I've seen a few articles describe these times as even "psychedelic," and I think that's actually a very apt descriptor.

I think what impressed me most was how Hodgson managed to capture a true sense of almost otherworldy horror throughout the story, a horror that is at times more classically heart-pounding, and at other times an almost calm, higher-level horror that is on such a grand scale it's hard to fathom--and somehow he manages to move between these different tones in a way that fits the story excellently and tells an excellent tale. I am very excited to read more of Hodgson's work, and although I believe they vary quite a bit, I really enjoyed his writing style and how immensely readable and even relatable it felt. If you've read anything from William Hope Hodgson that you particularly liked, please feel free to recommend it so I can prioritize it (horror or not!).

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

Orb Books (originally published by Gold Medal Books)
Publication: August 7th, 1954

Paperback. 162 pages.

About I Am Legend:

"Robert Neville is the last living man on Earth...but he is not alone. Every other man, woman, and child on Earth has become a vampire, and they are all hungry for Neville's blood.

By day, he is the hunter, stalking the sleeping undead through the abandoned ruins of civilization. By night, he barricades himself in his home and prays for dawn.

How long can one man survive in a world of vampires?"

I have never seen the movie I Am Legend because I have heard about an infamous dog scene that I prefer to avoid and I also assumed it was about zombies, which I have no interest in whatsoever, really, (and apparently I may be wrong about that? It hardly matters, though, I still don't plan to watch it). Regardless of what's in the movie, the book I Am Legend is about vampires, which I'm also not the biggest fan of, but I actually quite enjoyed this one. The only other Matheson book I've read thus far is Hell House, which was fine, but I think I Am Legend is a slightly better read, and I enjoyed it quite a bit more.

I didn't know much about this story or what to expect at all, so being immediately thrown into this world where Robert Neville, our protagonist, is seemingly one of the only survivors of a pandemic that has turned many other people into vampires, was quite an intense way to jump into this one. His struggle for survival in what are quite horrifying and truly demoralizing conditions was depicted in such a raw manner that really made me feel the hopelessness that he was constantly fighting against. While the threat of the vampires is very real, I found Robert's own situation and inner monologue to be just as horrific as the monsters themselves, which made for a surprisingly (and unexpectedly) harrowing read.

I really appreciated Matheson's more scientific approach to them and how we saw our protagonist really studying them and attempting to understand how they came to be or what were the things within them that prompted them to become what they were. I thought it was very well done and thought-provoking and really made it a much more compelling story than I expected. I liked getting to learn more about how things started out before the transformations occurred, as well as seeing how things evolved and seem to be continuing to evolve in different ways. My favorite thing, however, was probably the ending. To my knowledge, it is different from the movie, and I think it is excellent. To me, it truly is what makes this a classic and gives it such a lasting, thought-provoking presence in the horror genre.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Final thoughts: 

Neither The House on the Borderland or I Am Legend are becoming new favorites for me, but I very much enjoyed y time reading them and would absolutely recommend them to any horror fans or simply anyone looking to pick up some solid, shorter reads for the Halloween/fall season. They are well worth the read!

***Content warning for dog deaths in both of these. Both are fairly quick and not very graphic, but still. I'm not sure why I am somehow managing to pick up all the books with dog deaths lately, but I'm pretty tired of it. I just want dogs to be happy and alive--I really don't think that's too much to ask, is it?

Buy The House on the Borderland: Bookshop.org | Amazon

Buy I Am Legend: Bookshop.org | Amazon

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Cold Empty Rooms by Andy Marino, This Wild Wanting by Sophie Gonzalez, & Tiger's Mouth by Lucy Tan

       

Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released!

Cold Empty Rooms by Andy Marino

Publication: November 10th, 2026

Run For It

Paperback. 384 pages.

Pre-order: Bookshop.org | Amazon

From Goodreads:

"From the dark imagination of underground horror sensation Andy Marino comes a haunted house story like you've never read before ...  

'Marino's work is unlike any others in the genre―horrifying, complex, fascinating, and utterly unique.' ―Hannah Whitten, New York Times bestselling author of the Wilderwood series  

Deep in the woods, on the side of a mountain, there sits an old, sprawling manor. Only those who truly need it will find it. Mara and Soren are the latest residents. The two are broke, deeply in love, and desperate for a home. But something is wrong with the house.  

Soren begins to receive messages from a nameless entity that he has dubbed The Great Other. The first direction is simple: Invite more to this home. The second: Relieve them of their sorrow. Mara, too, hears this otherworldly voice. She has been running from her past for a long time. The Great Other offers her the solace she seeks, if she has the courage to walk the home’s shadowed halls. Soon more wanderers begin to arrive: a collection of outcasts, drawn in by Soren’s magnetic ideology.  

Within the shifting walls of this ancient house, something darkly miraculous is unfolding. Wounds have been suffered in this place. Wounds that are. Wounds that will be.  

'Andy Marino understands horror in a way that very few writers do.' ―Keith Rosson, author of Coffin Moon"

I'm curious to see Andy Marino's take on a haunted house, so I'm eager to check this one out!

This Wild Wanting by Sophie Gonzalez

Publication: November 17th, 2026

Wednesday Books

Hardcover. 352 pages.

Pre-order: Bookshop.org | Amazon

From Goodreads:

"Everybody knows about the faerie market that borders the crumbling edges of the mortal world. It is a place where almost anything can be bought . . . by those willing to pay terrible prices. Skills, memories, years of your life―even the freedom of one’s own mind are the currency of choice.  

Declan Bonfeld, the only son of a noble house, has never encountered a price he cannot afford to pay. Until the day he attempts to bargain with a ruthless potion merchant for the impossible: a way to bring back someone he loves. When Declan dares to steal from the tyrant’s shelves with the help of the merchant’s captive daughter, Calla, the two discover a horrifying truth. Once a stolen potion is consumed, the thief pays the price, no matter who drinks it.  

With Declan’s mind and body unravelling piece by piece, Calla must help him outwit her father, the man she has spent a lifetime fearing, before Declan is stripped of everything he is, and she loses the only person who has ever truly seen her.”

I mean, I'm always at least a little bit up for a faerie market...

Tiger's Mouth by Lucy Tan

Publication: November 17th, 2026

Ballantine Books

Hardcover. 320 pages.

Pre-order: Bookshop.org | Amazon

From Goodreads:

"When two young men meet during a tech internship, it sparks an intense friendship—and even more intense competition—in this sweeping novel of privilege, identity, and ambition from the acclaimed author of What We Were Promised.  

Jack Chen, the oldest son of caterers from Queens, is an expert at studying the rich from afar. When he finagles his way into a prestigious internship at tech giant K.O. Systems, he’s prepared to fake everything: his credentials, his confidence, even his past. What he isn’t prepared for is his officemate, Jack Owens, the depressed son of the company’s billionaire founder, who’s only there for a summer reprieve from his father’s scrutiny at the family vacation house.  

Their connection is immediate, built on mutual admiration. Chen sees in Owens the advantages he’s been denied; Owens sees in Chen someone free of the pain he’s been taught to hide. Owens, Chen, and Chen’s girlfriend quickly become close friends, but by summer's end the three can no longer outrun the lies they’ve told themselves and each other. As pressures build throughout the next few years, the two Jacks circle each other like opponents in their favorite board game, Go, each chasing the life the other was born into, from career to family to lovers. But the path to success and matters of the heart can test even the closest of friendships—and not all of them survive.  

Nostalgic, heart-wrenching, and propulsive, Tiger’s Mouth is a nuanced portrait of complex friendship, family dynamics, and love in its most unexpected forms.”

It's been quite a while since I've read anything from Lucy Tan and I'm really intrigued by the sound of this one! I'm curious to see what she'll do with it. 

Review: Solace House by Will MacLean

   

Solace House by Will MacLean
Publication Date: October 13th, 2026
Grove Press
512 pages. Hardcover.

About Solace House:

"You are about to enter a place of strange genius, possible madness, and timeless love . . .

'The Secret History meets The Haunting of Hill House . . . rich, thoughtful, terrifying.'—Nicholas Binge, author of Dissolution

An addictive and brilliant puzzle box of a novel following a group of university students who discover an astonishing secret while clearing out a neglected Victorian mansion

For Alex Lane’s wealthy university friends, the summer break stretches out before them, full of promise and fabulous plans. But for Alex, broke as usual, going home is not an option. So when the university offers him an unusual summer job clearing out a dilapidated Victorian mansion, Solace House, he jumps at the chance. Alex joins an unlikely crew of students, from stoner Clive to uptight, short-tempered Helen, and the extremely peculiar Adam.

Alex is particularly drawn to mercurial, red-headed Ella, and as the students begin sorting through piles of old newspapers and magazines, dusty antiques, and esoteric junk, Alex and Ella become enthralled by the elaborate and eerie journals of the house’s former owner, Edwin Flayne. In these diaries, Flayne details his obsession with his missing mother and his belief in a mysterious realm lying parallel to ours, along with coded instructions on how it might be reached.

As the students gradually uncover the house’s secrets, the rift between those who want to delve further and those who believe they’ve already gone too far grows ever wider."

Solace House follows Alex as the school year wraps up and he finds he has nowhere to go for the summer--not a new discovery, but one he had been dreading just a bit. He eventually falls into an opportunity that takes him to Solace House, an old secluded mansion, where he and a group of other students will spend the summer clearing out the house from what appears to be a rather intense hoarding situation involving its former owner, Flayne. While clearing out the house, the group stumbles upon not just useless junk and collections, but also some more... peculiar items and ideas that hint at something deeper going on with Flayne than anyone might reasonably expect. 

To be fully honest, my dream in some capacity is to get paid to spend a summer doing something like this, even though I know the reality of some hoarder situations could be quite... horrendous. But in this specific context, I would love to do it, especially with how weird things get. Uncovering some weird man's eccentricities and the possibility of other dimensions? Count me in.

I really enjoyed getting to know our motley crew, which included Alex, Clive, Leo, Malcolm, Adam, Ruth, Helen, and, of course, Jilly Cowie. Alex is a great character to follow because he's a nice blend of someone who actually has a personality and isn't some cardboard figure passively watching everything around him, but also isn't over the top outgoing or making stupid decisions at every turn. He's a bit immature in his thinking at times, which fits perfectly with his age and current place in life, and he has a great sense of humor, which often comes through in the many discussions and the banter between the characters. 

And speaking of, each character was very deftly crafted and I think MacLean did a really great job of creating unique characters that actually have interesting personalities and backgrounds. The only exception to this, for me, was Malcolm, whom I kinda forgot about here and there and at this point I'm not sure I could tell you off the cuff what his deal was. Helen also seemed to get a little caricature-esque at times, but I think the drama she brought also added something to the story that was needed. Nonetheless, I found this group truly engaging and I liked spending the summer with them as they engaged in this rather odd job together.

This was really such an odd setup in some ways for our characters, but I loved having a sort of miniature, semi-academic community in an isolated setting. It's like the dark academia setup without having to incorporate classes and other restrictions, it's almost like free rein to have an isolated group of young students and see what happens when they are left to essentially discover things on their own. 

And what they're discovering is fascinating! Between Flayne's strange collections, the journals they uncover, and the increasingly peculiar ideas surrounding other dimensions, there's so much to investigate and piece together. I loved how even the seemingly mundane discoveries could hint at something much larger, and how the characters were left trying to determine what was genuinely significant versus what might be simply another one of Flayne's eccentricities... which could also be significant in its own way (I promise this will make sense if you read the book). 

I'll also note that it made me mad as hell whenever Jilly or someone wanted to burn Flayne's things. I get that things are creepy, but as someone who also struggles to get rid of things, I found that so much of it seemed like it was worth investigating or appreciating rather than simply throwing it away. It frustrated me that they couldn't at least take pictures of some things since this is set before smartphone cameras were everywhere, but I guess that's the beauty of experiencing the present sometimes. These are all just normal reader feelings that I think you're supposed to feel a little bit, so I'm not complaining, but I just needed to express my feelings anyway.

I love stories like this so much. Any story that has so many intricate details baked into the very bones of the story where it's clear that so much careful thought and plotting have gone into everything, and where seemingly no detail is included by accident, is exactly the type of story that I love getting lost in. There are breadcrumbs and minute details everywhere you look, and I just love something that really takes the time to explore an idea and a setting with such intensity and care. There's a passion in this that I really loved, and I loved exploring everything along with the characters.

When I say this book is a slow burn, I'm not just saying it in the sense that it's a big book with a lot to say. I really, really mean it--if you aren't enjoying the story, it will feel like it's dragging, but if you are loving every second of it like I was, then you'll appreciate every paragraph. But holy hell is this a slow burn; it is not for the fainthearted. Despite it being a slow burn, the writing is fortunately completely captivating and completely drew me in. MacLean's writing is so compelling and just drips with hidden meaning, whether intentional or not (though I'm pretty sure everything is intentional, of course!). I loved the weirdness of it all at times, though I should clarify that it's a very "normal" story with a very accessible style and plot to follow, but there are so many hints and underlying notes of oddness and intrigue that felt like a constant nod to the reader not to get complacent.

I do think things start to drag a little bit at the 60-70% mark. Then the pacing picks up again, and the last portion is very different from the start of the story, but still compelling. I felt like Alex's personality changed a bit after a certain transition period, which threw me off a little, but maybe I just hadn't seen him in those types of situations before.

As much as I truly enjoyed this book overall and wholeheartedly recommend it, there are some things that I didn't love as much. While I think the ending very much works just fine for this story, I have to admit that I found it to be a bit disappointing in some capacity as well. I feel like the entire story leading up to the final quarter or so of the book was so thoughtful, full of tension and buildup, slow but steady in pacing, and continuously promised and hinted at so much.. and then the way it panned out just felt like it didn't quite reach the level of payoff I'd been hoping it would achieve. (And also... not that the truth of Alex's background isn't horribly traumatic, but I did think it might have a slightly larger role than it ended up having.) I think a few specific things involving some characters felt like they petered out slightly as well, but there's a fine balance between that and overexplaining, so I understand the choices the author made.

And none of this is to say that it's not a good ending at all, but for a story that really promises "labyrinths" and secrets and mysteries, I think it delivered on that for about 80% of the story with excellent execution, and then just faltered slightly at the end. That's possibly what prevents this from being a true 5/5 for me, but it's still a book I'd consider a new favorite and one I will absolutely continue to recommend for a long time to come.

I'm not sure what genre exactly to classify this as, as there are definitely hints of horror, mystery, almost some dark academia vibes, some Gothic and even thriller vibes at times--honestly, it's just a great read and I think it will appeal to readers who love puzzles, thoughtful, intricate stories, charismatic and engaging characters, and especially those who love the fantastic. It's the type of book that will absolutely leave readers wanting to theorize and have lengthy discussions about it. 

*I received a copy of Solace House courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This has no effect on my rating or enjoyment.*

Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org

Can't-Wait Wednesday: All the Beastly Things by Eilish Quin, There Used to Be People Here by Kennedy Cole, & The Wolves of War by John Gwynne

       

Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released!

All the Beastly Things by Eilish Quin

Publication: November 17th, 2026

Atria Books

Hardcover. 320 pages.

Pre-order: Bookshop.org | Amazon

From Goodreads:

"In a post-apocalyptic matriarchy that has erased men, a young novitiate faces a crisis of faith when her best friend begins receiving mysterious visions of an archangel—and must choose between the faith that shaped her and the forbidden longings that could destroy it.  

The year is 2171, and the Earth is not what it once was. After climate collapse, plague, fascism, artificial intelligence, and nuclear fallout reduced civilization to ash, nature has reclaimed the Earth. Small monastic communities have emerged from the carnage—self-sufficient, female-only religious utopias governed by a strict codex and surrounded by walls to keep the wilds at bay. The new world is harmonious, and blissfully free from structures of oppression such as hierarchy, capitalism, and time.  

Seventeen-year-old Igraine has never known life beyond the cloistered walls of the Field or seen a human male. Brilliant and devout, she spends her days in the gardens and scriptorium beside her closest companion, Ophelia. Their studies will culminate in twin posts at the Lunar Abbey—a gothic cathedral on the Moon reserved for the most venerated Sisters.  

Their futures fracture when Ophelia begins receiving visions of a mysterious, alluring, and damningly masculine archangel. As the girls contend with cryptic fragments of revelation and devastating rumors about the Order’s darker origins, their bond becomes precarious and Igraine must confront her unraveling faith in a system that demands her complete surrender."

I don't know much about this one, but I've been seeing it slowly start to pop up in various book spaces and I'm getting more and more curious about it.

There Used to Be People Here by Kennedy Cole

Publication: November 3rd, 2026

Berkley

Hardcover. 368 pages.

Pre-order: Bookshop.org | Amazon

From Goodreads:

"In 1970s Mississippi, a Black detective and his temporary partner are assigned to a case that shifts from murder to paranormal conspiracy with life-altering repercussions.  

Wenton, Mississippi: A man enters the bathroom of a local gay bar and doesn't come back out. Instead he's found cold, on the floor, and facing the wall. And no one seems to know how this happened.  

Samuel Barkley is Wenton's only Black detective. Assigned to the case, Samuel's one goal is to keep his head down with eyes on moving up in the police ranks. But it's not easy with Harvey, a new, temporary partner who Samuel can't seem to like...or hate. Nor with the cold, questioning eyes and fake smiles from those in town. Persistent. Judging. Wrong. Samuel is reaching his breaking point.  

As his investigation leads him to a curious plane crash cover-up, Samuel's placid existence is turned on its head. Because what crashed in Wenton isn't a plane. There are others here. They like it here. And if Samuel can't stop them, they will find a way to stay.  

With shades of The X-Files and S. A. Cosby, There Used to Be People Here deftly explores race, queerness, and existing as other in a society that demonizes everything different.”

When I first saw "detective" in this blurb I almost just skipped it and moved on because I'm not a big fan of detective/police/crime stories, but fortunately I kept reading and realized this is much more than that, and I'm so curious to check it out now!

The Wolves of War by John Gwynne

Publication: November 3rd, 2026

Orbit

Hardcover. 496 pages.

Pre-order: Bookshop.org | Amazon

From Goodreads:

"King of heroic fantasy and New York Times bestselling author John Gwynne returns with a blockbuster epic fantasy inspired by Slavic mythology and packed with ancient magic, heroic sacrifice, and thrilling adventure.  

'Gwynne is a rare breed of writer whose gift lies not in his panoply of talents, but in his authenticity. The Wolves of War is a beautiful book.'– Pierce Brown, #1 New York Times bestselling author  

'A tour de force by one of fantasy's greatest writers.' – Jay Kristoff, New York Times bestseller author  

THE WOLVES OF WAR ARE BARING THEIR FANGS   

The Clans once lived freely, honouring their gods and traditions. Then the northern invaders unleashed a tide of blood and fire. Now the Clans are a conquered people.   

Ivan cares not for wars or kings. His only concern is the safety of his family, especially his daughter Halia, whom he would protect with his life. Halia has been trapped in her own body since birth, yet at night she has dreams of running with wolves and speaking with fae creatures of the forest. Many believe her cursed, but Halia's awakening powers may be the only way she and her family can survive the coming storm.   

For the wolves of war are stalking the horizon. Two princes have become mortal enemies, and an iron-toothed witch haunts the shadows. As mighty nations clash, Halia must master her strange magic to protect those she loves. To do so, she must accept a terrifying truth.   

Sometimes, the only way through the darkness is to embrace it.”

This is probably one of fantasy's most anticipated fall releases, and I can't wait to get started on my ARC of this one! 

Mini-Review: This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno

    

This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno
Publication Date: October 12th, 2021
FSG Adult
272 pages. Paperback.

About This Thing Between Us:

"'A surreal excursion into heartache and horror narrated by a man undone by grief . . . Along with allusions to Rod Serling and The Exorcist, there are shades of H. P. Lovecraft, Stephen King, zombie literature and, at least once, A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy . . . You don't want to read this book right before bed.' ―Sarah Lyall, The New York Times Book Review

'This intense cosmic horror with a touch of Mexican American folklore is incredibly creepy and moving.' ―Margaret Kingsbury, BuzzFeed

It was Vera’s idea to buy the Itza. The “world’s most advanced smart speaker!” didn’t interest Thiago, but Vera thought it would be a bit of fun for them amidst all the strange occurrences happening in the condo. It made things worse. The cold spots and scratching in the walls were weird enough, but peculiar packages started showing up at the house―who ordered industrial lye? Then there was the eerie music at odd hours, Thiago waking up to Itza projecting light shows in an empty room.

It was funny and strange right up until Vera was killed, and Thiago’s world became unbearable. Pundits and politicians all looking to turn his wife’s death into a symbol for their own agendas. A barrage of texts from her well-meaning friends about letting go and moving on. Waking to the sound of Itza talking softly to someone in the living room . . .

The only thing left to do was get far away from Chicago. Away from everything and everyone. A secluded cabin in Colorado seemed like the perfect place to hole up with his crushing grief. But soon Thiago realizes there is no escape―not from his guilt, not from his simmering rage, and not from the evil hunting him, feeding on his grief, determined to make its way into this world.

A bold, original horror novel about grief, loneliness and the oppressive intimacy of technology, This Thing Between Us marks the arrival of a spectacular new talent."

In This Thing Between Us, we follow Thiago after his wife's sudden and traumatic death as he now inhabits a world that feels empty with the one person who mattered most to him no longer in it. He struggles with his grief in many different forms, from anger to guilt to many other emotions that I'm sure anyone who's suffered a loss can probably relate to. He eventually moves from his and his wife's home in Chicago to a secluded area in Colorado, but it is here that he ends up having to face his grief and more horrors of the universe. 

What I liked: I really liked this book's exploration of grief and trauma. This was obviously a very big part of the overall story and theming, and Gus Moreno tackled it excellently. Thiago pain felt horribly raw, and it very much permeated the entire story and made for the type of story that's not "scary monster" scary, but rather an eerie, cosmic horror, grief-tinged scary that really sits with you deep in your bones. Moreno has deftly executed a thoughtful, compelling story that I had a very hard time stepping away from. I felt so drawn to Thiago and seeing where each day would take him, and eventually what the strange things he was noticing happening meant and why they were happening. 

What I didn't like: The ending got a little bit odd--not necessarily in a way that was hard to follow, but moreso just in a sense that it didn't quite fit the overall atmosphere and vibe that I felt the first half to three-quarters of the book had been developing. It just felt very thoughtful and carefully plotted and written, and then suddenly it felt a bit... chaotic? I may have just not loved the direction it took, but it still had some strong parts within the ending that I think worked well and still left the story feeling very meaningful. Also, if the "Itza" part of the blurb is what's making you want to read this book, then just know it's nearly a present role int he story as you might think (it has a large role, but it's not a role that's consistently active throughout the story). The only thing that I didn't like at all and I don't have as much of a silver lining for is that there is a dog death, and it's all pretty quick and sudden and I didn't care for it. Then there's some stuff after the dog event with a "dog" (sorta like what I described in my review for The Nudge) that I also didn't love. So dog lovers, do be aware of this going in. 

Overall, I absolutely recommend this as a more slow-paced horror that spends plenty of time exploring our protagonist's mental state and pondering grief, purpose, and more thoughtful ideas. If you're looking for gory, in-your-face horror, then this might not be quite what you're looking for, but I'd still encourage you to give it a try!

Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org

Review: The Nudge by Joseph Fink

   

The Nudge by Joseph Fink
Publication Date: September 1st, 2026
Podium Publishing
144 pages. Hardcover.

About The Nudge:

"A new horror novella from the creator of Welcome to Night Vale and Alice Isn’t Dead featuring original illustrations from Night Vale series artist Jessica Hayworth.

On the open road, evil doesn’t chase you. It waits . . .

Late one night, a wounded man checks into a remote roadside hotel. He’s running from something he can’t explain or escape. And over the course of a night, he’ll tell the hotel’s proprietor how his life fell apart.

It started with his wife. Subtle changes. Smiles that didn’t belong to her. Then violence―sudden, intimate, almost casual. Therapy offered hope. Recovery seemed possible. Until it wasn’t. He believes a hidden influence has attached itself to him, one that never forces, never commands. It whispers. It suggests. Nudges people toward their worst impulses.

Now the man wanders the country as a fugitive, hoping to break free from the evil that’s wormed its way into him. But as our narrator’s story unfolds, he begins to question whether he’s fled far enough . . . 

Tense, atmospheric, and chilling, The Nudge is a slow-burn tale of suspense that will linger like a whisper in the dark, long after the story is over."

The Nudge is a short little horror novella that I sat down and read in one sitting--something that I very, very rarely do, which I think is very indicative of how much it captured my attention. I had not read (or listened) to anything by Joseph Fink prior to this and stumbled upon it one day, requested it from my library, and then, as has been noted, immediately devoured it. And although I'm talking about how quick it was to read, it's not exactly a fast-paced story, either, but feels like a bit of a slow burn that moves quickly because you can't put it down, if that makes any sense. Regardless, because it is so short,  I want to do my best to avoid giving away too much about the story, so I'll try to lay out my thoughts in the most spoiler-free way that I can. 

Our story starts when a man shows up to a tucked away motel while on the run from something--and no one, not even this man, really seems to know exactly what it is, though of course he has some idea. As the man checks in and is led to his room by the hotel owner, he begins to slowly share his story about he has ended up at this particular hotel. 

The entire novella is formatted as a conversation between our protagonist and the hotel owner, so there's a nice mix of storytelling from our protagonist with some added in conversation and commentary from both men as they navigate the hotel (a seemingly more arduous and complex task than one might anticipate, but we'll get to that) towards the man's room. I really loved this narrative style and found it entirely engaging, as I already love listening to people talk and tell stories about themselves and their experiences, so I found myself pretty hooked on this conversation between thee two. I found that it created a delightful amount of suspense and tension, as something about hearing the terrifying and unnerving experiences straight from the person themself added some element of rawness and true fear to the experience. It was easy to put yourself in his shoes, and that is what really made this feel so intense at times. There's also a required level of patience as we wait for him to let the entire story unfold while at the same time moving through the hotel, which of course added to the suspense of it all.

It also doesn't hurt that what this man shares was deeply unsettling, and imagining something similar happening in my own life is truly a horrifying thought, as this story's horror really plays with tweaking the norm and turning the things we most love in our lives and that we find most comforting into the things that are now causing us the most terror. Fink does an excellent job of somehow conveying this through the conversation between the two men, while also interspersing some occasional humor and wit that acted as a perfect balance.

And while our protagonist tells his story, we're also somewhat experiencing a secondary story around the hotel itself, as it certainly is far from normal. It's quite a journey that the hotel owner leads our storyteller on to make it to his room, with confusing hallways and many peculiar bits about the hotel that make it far from normal. We also get to learn a bit about the hotel's own history, which adds a greater slanting sense to this story and managers to make everything feel just slightly off and crooked (as if our protagonist's story didn't do that enough on its own). 

I won't say too much more about the story itself because I don't want to give away anything, but I wanted to make sure to share my general thoughts about The Nudge because of how much fun I had with it. If you're looking for a quick little horror that you can easily add to your TBR and that has a really nice bite to it, then this is one you should absolutely pick up. It's not the most terrifying thing I've ever read, but I think it lands firmly as one I would recommend for anyone who enjoys when their horror is just a little bit weird, but still enjoyably scary and definitely captivating.

And last but not least--there are illustrations! I love when books have any illustrations of any kind, and I was delighted by the occasionally images interspersed throughout this story, as I felt they were exceptionally fitting and added so much more depth, dread, and connection to the story in their own unique manner. 

**A quick content warning note: there is technically a dog death in this one that I really hoped wouldn't be the case, but it's also the type of thing where it isn't technically the dog... but still, just keep that in mind. It's brief and only a very small bit of the story to where I still made it through okay, but I find it important to share so people who are sensitive to those things (such as myself) are forewarned. 

Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org