Can't-Wait Wednesday: The Girl with a Thousand Faces by Sunyi Dean & Seek Immediate Shelter by Vincent Yu

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

The Girl with a Thousand Faces by Sunyi Dean

Publication: May 5th, 2026

Tor Books

Hardcover. 320 pages.

Pre-order: Bookshop.org | Amazon

From Goodreads:

"From the USA Today bestselling author of The Book Eaters comes The Girl with a Thousand Faces, a stunning Gothic tale set in a historical Hong Kong that meshes ancient myths and local legends into a haunting story of ghosts, grief, and women who will not forgive.

When Mercy Chan washes up on the shores of Hong Kong with no family, no money, and no memories, the only refuge she finds is the infamous, ghost-infested slum of Kowloon Walled City. Since then, she has rebuilt her life, working for the local triad as a ghost talker and dealing with the angry and bitter spirits who haunt the district. The filthy gutters and cramped alleyways of Kowloon have become her home.

But the past Mercy can’t remember isn't done with her. An unusually powerful ghost has infested Kowloon’s waterways, drowning innocents and threatening the district. It claims to know Mercy―and secrets from her past that are best left forgotten.

As Mercy is drawn into a deadly cat-and-mouse game with this malignant spirit, she begins to realize that the monster she fights within these walls may well be one of her own making.

'The Girl With a Thousand Faces confirms Sunyi Dean as one of the most interesting voices in genre fiction.'―Gareth Brown, USA Today bestselling author of The Book of Doors"

Seek Immediate Shelter by Vincent Yu

Publication: May 5th, 2026

Scribner

Hardcover. 304 pages.

Pre-order: Bookshop.org | Amazon

From Goodreads:

"A BREATHTAKING DEBUT novel about survival, hope, and second chances in an Asian American community in Massachusetts, when a false missile throws the residents' lives into chaos.

"Propulsive and poetic...A MASTERFUL debut." ―Jenny Tinghui Zhang
“A PROFOUND work about connection.” ―Brian Castleberry
"Compelling and CINEMATIC." ―Abraham Chang

On an otherwise unremarkable morning, the residents of a small town in Massachusetts all receive the same alert: BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.

Confronted with the options of fight or flight, planning or panicking, the people of Beckitt are stripped to their basest instincts and revealed as their truest selves. Russ squeezes his family into the bathtub, leaving his own survival in question; Nina sends an unforgivable text to her daughter; Milly confesses her unrequited love; and David hits the gas, speeding away from his wife and child.

Then the second message comes in: FALSE ALARM. PLEASE DISREGARD. ALL CLEAR. First comes relief, then comes the reckoning, as each person is forced to face the unforeseen aftermath of decisions they thought might be their last.

Vincent Yu’s searing debut follows this eclectic cast of characters over a period of many years, suggesting that the conflicts the missile exacerbated were simmering under the surface long before, and proving the ripple effects of the false alarm will be felt for years to come.

An urgent, fiercely heartfelt exploration of relationships in all forms, Seek Immediate Shelter explores the balance between love and loyalty, betrayal and forgiveness. What choices would you make if you thought your life were on the line? And if you survive, can you ever redeem yourself?"

Anticipated May 2026 Releases

   

May is just around the corner, which means a whole new month of new books! As always, I've gathered some of the month's most anticipated releases for you to peruse, so be sure to let me know which May releases you're most looking forward to (even if it's not on this list!)! I've got a few May ARCs I'm working through already and things are looking good, so I can't wait to hopefully dive into some more. Happy reading, everyone!

Treat Them as Buffalo by Blair Palmer Yoxall || May 5th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Accumulation by Aimee Pokwatka || May 5th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Franchise by Thomas Elrod || May 12th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Mortedant's Peril by RJ Barker || May 21st -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Bone Door by Frances White || May 12th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Girl with a Thousand Faces by Sunyi Dean || May 5th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Make Me Better by Sarah Gailey || May 12th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Last Contract of Isako by Fonda Lee || May 5th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Homebound by Portia Elan || May 5th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Library After Dark by Ande Pliego || May 5th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

A Parade of Horribles by Matt Dinniman || May 12th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

John of John by Douglas Stuart || May 5th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Coyoteland by Vanessa Hua || May 12th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Cove by Claire Rose || May 5th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Abyss by Nicholas Binge || May 12th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Seek Immediate Shelter by Vincent Yu || May 5th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Canon by Paige Lewis || May 19th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Hunger by Choi Jin-Young || May 12th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Pillagers' Guide to Arctic Pianos by Kendra Langford || May 12th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

I Hear a New World by Alan Moore || May 26th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

One Leg on Earth by 'Pemi Aguda || May 5th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Under a Carnivore Sky by Brianna Jett || May 12th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Dorians by Nick Cutter || May 19th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Song of the Saltings by Rachael King || May 19th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Babylon, South Dakota by Tom Lin || May 26th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Rainshadow Orphans by Naomi Ishiguro || May 26th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

All Hail Chaos by Sarah Rees Brennan || May 12th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

House of Margins by Tlooto Tsamaase || May 26th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Artifacts by Natalie Lemle || May 19th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Teddy Bears Never Die by Cho Yeeun || May 26th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Dead Weight by Hildur Knutsdottir || May 26th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Summer Boy by Philippe Besson || May 26th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

That Which Feeds Us by Keala Kendall || May 5th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Good Eye by Jess Gibson || May 12th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Mercy Hill by Hannah Thurman || May 5th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

A Kiss of Crimson Ash by Anuja Varghese || May 26th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

What are your anticipated May releases?

Review: An Arcane Study of Stars by Sydney J. Shields

 

An Arcane Study of Stars by Sydney J. Shields

Redhook

Publication date: April 28th, 2026

Paperback. 512 pages.

About An Arcane Study of Stars:

"From Sydney J. Shields, the breakout author of The Honey Witch, comes An Arcane Study of Stars, a historical dark academia fantasy filled with ancient secret societies, a swoon-worthy rivals-to-lovers romance, and dangerous deals made after dark. Perfect for fans of The Atlas Six and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.

When Claudia Jolicoeur is rejected from Cygnus University, a devilish stranger named Dorian appears in her nightmares and offers her a bargain: he will get her into Cygnus if she learns how to free him from a prison of stars. He takes a bite of her soul to seal the deal, and Claudia wakes to a letter from the High Sage of Cygnus stating she will take the place of Odette Dufort, a Rhetoric student who passed away.

Her arrival raises suspicions, rumors that she had a hand in Odette's death spread like wildfire, and Cassius MacLeod, the High Sage’s apprentice and Claudia's fellow Rhetoric student, seems hellbent on humiliating her. Determined to clear her name, she searches for any evidence that could prove her innocence. When someone—or something—starts slipping her pieces of Odette’s diary, Claudia uncovers a horrifying truth: over the last century, celestial witches at Cygnus have been murdered. Odette was one of them, and Claudia could be next. For her own protection, Claudia needs to free Dorian—and fast. By night, she studies the stars, slowly unraveling the mystery of Dorian's prison.

By day, she and Cassius wage rhetorical war as debate partners in class. What begins as a fierce rivalry devolves into something deeper, darker, and dangerously sensual. As Claudia inches closer to the truth, she must decide: would trusting Cassius be the last mistake she ever makes?"

 

An Arcane Study of Stars by Sydney J. Shields is a book that I really wanted to love. The premise, setting, and overall concept was fascinating and full of potential, but ultimately I found that the execution just didn’t quite come together for me. The magic and world were intriguing, but inconsistent characterization, jarring dialogue, and some strange plot choices repeatedly pulled me out of the story.

These days, magic schools can be pretty hit or miss for me, but I found this particular premise very promising. The hidden and exclusive nature of this school and the celestial magic--especially the fact that the celestial magic was considered “lost” and not studied anymore--really stood out to me, and I thought Shields executed these elements well. I also found myself really intrigued with the focus on rhetoric, and the philosophical, discussion-based classes we attended with our protagonist, Claudia, were particularly well-written. All of these things together gave the book some needed depth and really hinted at there being so much more in this world and story beneath the surface.

At the same time, I felt like this book was trying to do a lot, between the things I just mentioned as well as some academic rivalries, a burgeoning romance (of sorts? I’ll get into this), a bargain with a demon, and more threads of mysteries here and there, it all just felt like a lot. While I think these all could have worked together, I think they never really all came together in a way that felt satisfying.

The Claudia that we are first introduced to at the start of the book felt very different to the one that was in the rest of the story. While she seemed somewhat more mature and responsible at the beginning of the story, it ended up feeling  incredibly hard to believe that she was a 23 year old woman, as she--and many of the students around her--acted much more like teenagers. There was a lot of potential to have her go through some strong emotional development and I think we lacked that, which left her feeling a bit underdeveloped for me.

She’s a bit bull-headed, but that’s not necessarily something I’d consider to be a bad thing, and I think she did have some aspects of her personality that made her feel capable and intelligent. However, I also found her a bit inconsistently portrayed throughout the story. At times, she seemed impulsive and almost abrasive in her actions, but at other times she seemed almost detached and passive. While these shifts in personalities could be done intentionally to show that a character is confused or struggling, these didn’t feel like they were done with that type of intent, but rather just the result of inconsistent writing and a struggle to make Claudia seem both capable and outspoken, but also still somehow… not.

I will say that I enjoyed aspects of the friendships that are depicted in this book that Claudia develops with her fellow students. There was a nice variety in the friendships and how they were formed, such as some that were formed almost by chance and some that grew much more gradually and showed some real growth and transformation from this involved. I really appreciated seeing these different dynamics and thought Shields did a great job with these.

What didn’t work as well for me was the romantic relationship. It felt a bit sudden with its intensity and sudden acceleration, and the rather abrupt inclusion of BDSM elements felt forced and just didn’t work with the rest of the story. I can almost see where Shields was going with the idea, but it came across more like it was added in just to add to this being an “adult” story.

I think Shields builds atmosphere really well, and I really loved the moments in this book when things felt genuinely dark and ominous and magical. There was a hint at something malevolent beneath the surface that I loved and found compelling. Unfortunately, this was often interrupted by some abrupt shifts into lighter scenes that didn’t feel like they were built in for levity, but rather just odd tonal shifts that felt scattered.

This leads into some of my issues with Claudia’s reactions to some pretty emotionally intense things that happen. There’s one particular scene at the start of the book where Claudia does something pretty, uh, intense (you’ll know if/when you read it), and it ended up feeling weirdly minimized somehow. I kept expecting to return to it in a way that felt like it was really addressing it and Claudia’s emotional consequences, but it just never felt like we dug into it much, which felt really weird, and it didn’t feel like Claudia really cared that much. There were also a few smaller plot elements, such as some diary entries that involved Claudia’s pet snake, that felt a bit convenient and under-explained and just left me feeling a bit unsure of things.

All of that being said, I do want to note that somehow I found the pacing to be quite solid. This is a surprisingly long book with clearly a lot going on, but it never really dragged too much and felt very accessible to get through.

The biggest issue for me, though, was probably the dialogue. It often felt unnatural, overly modern, and at times almost juvenile, which I felt clashed heavily with what was described as a historical fantasy. I also felt like a few lines seemed more like chat speak that would be used when talking to a friend online or texting, and that felt oddly jarring. There were times when I felt genuinely pulled out of the story because the phrasing or delivery of something felt so out of place. I don't have a finished copy so I can't quote some of the exact things that bothered me, but I would be curious to see if there are any adjustments in the final.

Overall, this is a book that, for me, felt like it was constantly almost getting it right. It has so many great things about it, but also so  many things that I think could’ve been fixed with more edits, perhaps. The ideas are strong, the atmosphere can be compelling, and there are glimpses of something deeper and more thought-provoking, but the execution never really comes together. I think readers who are drawn to the premise and atmosphere might enjoy this more, especially if they’re already fans of Sydney J. Shields’s writing, but unfortunately it didn’t quite work for me.

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

Buy the book: Bookshop.org | Amazon

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Abyss by Nicholas Binge, The Pillagers' Guide to Arctic Pianos, Make Me Better by Sarah Gailey

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

Abyss by Nicholas Binge

Publication: May 12th, 2026

Tor Nightfire

Hardcover. 160 pages.

Pre-order: Bookshop.org | Amazon

From Goodreads:

"Severance meets Lovecraft in this surreal tale of corporate horror and existential dread.

Joe always had potential, but he doesn't expect much, and he hopes that his new job as an admin assistant won't expect much of him. But when he enters the offices of Ponos―a company he's never heard of and knows nothing about―he discovers that potential is exactly what they want from him.

A feverish dive into the inhumanity of both late-stage capitalism and the crippling anxieties of modern life, Abyss adds a new level of meaning to 'wage slave'."

The Pillagers' Guide to Arctic Pianos by Kendra Langford Shaw

Publication: May 12th, 2026

Pantheon

Hardcover. 304 pages.

Pre-order: Bookshop.org | Amazon

From Goodreads:

"For readers of Karen Russell, Maggie Shipstead, and Eowyn Ivey, an exuberant, highly imaginative epic about a family that settles, against all odds, in the far reaches of the Arctic and the unexpected industry that keeps them afloat for generations.

In the far reaches of the Territory of the Arctic, the Spahr family lives on a fjord accessible only by kayak and float plane, in a landscape rapidly changing as glaciers melt and sea levels rise. Their home is Jubilation House, aptly they are a family of free spirit and full-hearted love, descendants of the homesteaders who came to this place in a reckless scheme to civilize the Glacial Front. They live off the grid in a converted fisherman's shack, selling pickled octopus and sea crops, barely scraping by. With every day, their livelihood seems ever more precarious.

Then one of their few neighbors dredges up a centuries-old piano, a vestige from the original homesteading expedition, when every family was required to haul a six-hundred-pound instrument as a sign of mannerly society—almost none made it to their final destination. Now, this intricately carved beauty has emerged, perfectly preserved from the frigid Arctic waters, and the antique treasure becomes a priceless collectors’ item. A new economic boom seizes the territory—piano hunting—and the Spahrs throw themselves into the quest with full-throated aplomb. But the costs of their possible salvation soon begin to mount.

The Pillagers' Guide to Arctic Pianos travels through generations, backward to the Spahrs’ homesteader origins and forward to their descendants, eccentrics and optimists all. In a voice as buoyant and vibrant as the characters themselves, Kendra Langford Shaw gives us an unforgettable and inventive ode to the abiding love of family and pull of home, even as the home we love becomes ever more challenging to inhabit."

Make Me Better by Sarah Gailey

Publication: May 12th, 2026

Tor Books

Hardcover. 432 pages.

Pre-order: Bookshop.org | Amazon

From Goodreads:

"You were pure once. You can be made pure again.

Celia is so tired of being alone. All she wants is to have a family―to belong to someone. That's why she's going to Kindred Cove for the annual Salt Festival held by the secluded community that lives there. They promise that healing is possible. They promise that transformation is inevitable. There is no grief at Kindred Cove, because there is no suffering. Nothing is ever lost.

Celia knows that, at that mysterious island surrounded by that impossible, ever-growing reef -- she will find herself. She’s ready to be healed.

She’s ready to be transformed.

She's ready to believe."

Review: Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker

  

Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker

Hanover Square Press

Publication date: April 14th, 2026

Hardcover. 352 pages.

About Japanese Gothic:

"In this lyrical, wildly inventive horror novel interwoven with Japanese mythology, two people living centuries apart discover a door between their worlds.

October, 2026: Lee Turner doesn’t remember how or why he killed his college roommate. The details are blurred and bloody. All he knows is he has to flee New York and go to the one place that might offer refuge—his father’s new home in Japan, a house hidden by sword ferns and wild ginger. But something is terribly wrong with the house: no animals will come near it, the bedroom window isn't always a window, and a woman with a sword appears in the yard when night falls.

October, 1877: Sen is a young samurai in exile, hiding from the imperial soldiers in a house behind the sword ferns. A monster came home from war wearing her father’s face, but Sen would do anything to please him, even turn her sword on her own mother. She knows the soldiers will soon slaughter her whole family when she sees a terrible omen: a young foreign man who appears outside her window.

One of these people is a ghost, and one of these stories is a lie.

Something is hiding beneath the house of sword ferns, and Lee and Sen will soon wish they never unburied it."

I loved Kylie Lee Baker’s previous book, Bat Eater, so I was very much looking forward to Japanese Gothic and had pretty high expectations. While I think Japanese Gothic does a lot of things really well and I generally find it to be a really well-written story, I ended up having some mixed feelings about this one.

The story follows two characters, Sen and Lee, who are separated by centuries but end up connected due to one mildly haunted (of sorts) house. I thought the setup was really interesting and unique, and this premise combined with the oppressive atmosphere that Baker developed provided a lot of potential for something incredibly layered and intense--which Japanese Gothic definitely did deliver on.

If there’s one thing that Baker does just as well in this book as she did in Bat Eater, it’s her ability to create an atmosphere that feels alive and almost overwhelming in its heaviness. Baker’s writing style is incredibly thoughtful and works incredibly well to create some genuinely creepy elements in this book, which contributes to an overall tone that feels haunted and claustrophobic. I felt like I was caught in Lee’s dark mental struggles, as well as the tense currents that were present within Sen’s experiences.

All this being said, I struggled a bit more with the plot and story itself. There were some aspects that just felt a bit disjointed, and for much of the book I found myself unsure of what was really going on plot-wise. And I don’t mean that I genuinely was unsure what was happening, but just that it felt like there was a lot of constant building toward something, but it just felt like I was always waiting for it to really come together, and by the time it did it just lacked something that really felt satisfying. I kept reading largely because of Baker’s writing, which really captivates me, and because I kept expecting something to hit at some point.

I did find Sen’s storyline interesting, particularly her dynamic with her father and family, which added some intriguing depth and layers to the overall plot. I think her sections had a bit more to really follow and get into, whereas Lee’s felt much more static and lacking in things to make me feel more connected to his story. I think Lee’s sections almost leaned too much in flashbacks and time spent within his mind and imagination to where I almost felt like I never really knew who Lee was in the present--and perhaps that was part of the point of the story? But it just didn’t fully work for me, I don’t think.

I really liked how Baker connected the two timelines and thought it was a very interesting liminal-like almost gap in time that caused this interaction, and I was intrigued by that aspect. I found the actual connection between the two characters initially well-done, but it started losing some of its groundedness as the story progressed, which made it harder for me to feel like I could really get behind it.

There are some strong twists and turns throughout the book, and while some felt a bit expected, others held weight that added some truly fascinating developments and were woven well into the story. I think some of those, especially ones closer to the end of the book, were some of the strong aspects of the story. And what I’ve noticed from Baker with this book is that I think she really hits on those intense, emotional, more terrifying moments incredibly well, and this is what really makes her write creeping, haunting horror so well. It just feels so raw and devastating and messy, all of which are excellent for the story.

Overall, Japanese Gothic is one of those books where the writing and the vibes really carried the story for me, and the plot itself was lacking ever so slightly. My review is probably a little all over the place because I've struggled with what to say about this story, but hopefully I've been able to share some somewhat helpful thoughts. It was just missing a little something that would have made it feel that much more compelling and cohesive for me, but was still a strong story that I don’t regret reading at all. I will absolutely continue to read more from Kylie Lee Baker, and I’d recommend this for any fans of her previous work or for those who enjoy a thoughtful, slow-build, atmospheric horror.

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

Buy the book: Bookshop.org | Amazon

Review: The Caretaker by Marcus Kliewer

 

The Caretaker by Marcus Kliewer

Atria Books

Publication date: April 21st, 2026

Hardcoover. 320 pages.

About The Caretaker:

"From Marcus Kliewer, a new “titan of the macabre and unsettling” (Erin A. Craig, #1 New York Times bestselling author), comes a supernatural horror about a young woman who accepts a caretaking job from Craigslist, only to discover the position has consequences far greater—and more dangerous—than she ever could have imagined.

EXCITING OPPORTUNITY: Caretaker urgently needed. Three days of work. Competitive pay. Serious applicants ONLY.

Macy Mullins can’t say why the job posting grabbed her attention—it had the pull of a fisherman’s lure, barbed hook and all—vaguely ominous. But after an endless string of failed job interviews, she's not exactly in the position to be picky. She has rent to pay, groceries to buy, and a younger sister to provide for.

Besides, it’s only three days’ work…

Three days, cooped up in a stranger’s house, surrounded by Oregon Coast wilderness.

What starts as a peculiar side gig soon becomes a waking nightmare. An incomprehensible evil may dwell on this property—and Macy Mullins might just be the only thing standing between it, and the rest of humanity.

Follow the Rites...

Follow the Rites...

Follow the Rites...

..--- / ..... / ---.."

The Caretaker has easily been one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and I’m very happy to report that I loved it.

I really loved Kliewer’s previous book, We Used to Live Here--it was exactly what I wanted from a psychological horror story. It completely threw my mind for a loop and I couldn’t stop thinking about it, so naturally I was extremely excited when The Caretaker was announced. It’s definitely a very different story, but it still very much has some similar vibes and style to it, and I think he did an excellent job with this follow-up release.

This is a fantastic psychological horror. We follow a young woman named Macy who takes a job--albeit a bit of an odd one in disguise--from a Craigslist ad, which is probably always a risky thing to do, but here we are (I mean, it’s always likely a Craigslist ad will lead to an interesting story, right?). She’s asked to be the caretaker of a house for one weekend, which seems easy enough. But then she learns the strange tasks she has to complete to honor the wishes of the owner’s rather eccentric-seeming late husband. She’s a bit skeptical going in, but the pay is more than she can pass up, so she accepts, and this is where our story takes off.

I liked that Macy is generally pretty smart, but also stubborn enough that she still made choices that left me so unbelievably annoyed. But that’s the best part, because every person has a very different approach to how they handle things and their anxiety levels, and therefore the decisions made are always different and we get to see how different scenarios play out.

This is one of those stories where you feel like you know everything that’s going to happen, but you also don’t because you just have a feeling things will be different. It feels simple, but also not. As things start unfolding, there’s a very strong sense of losing control that really hit hards, and that’s what made this such a compelling read for me. You never really know where things are going or if they’re ever going to stop, and the way everything escalates is so captivating and doesn’t make any sense at all (in the best way possible). The Caretaker really just keeps you guessing the entire time, but it does so in a way where you feel like you know the next outcome, but somehow you still don’t quite know it. It’s wonderful and something I really love in books like these.

I’m actually finding it a little difficult to say too much more about this book because this really feels like the type of story you need to go into knowing as little as possible, and almost anything I say will feel like a spoiler, so I’m doing my best to keep it vague but still give you some good feedback.

Kliewer’s writing is thoughtful, accessible, and conveys everything it needs to without being too verbose--or without saying too little. He manages to create an incredible creeping unease in ways that just make the pages fly by. It doesn’t feel like a traditional haunted horror story or anything clearly defined, but it still crafts the delightful feeling of things being off in a really effective, psychological manner. You know something is wrong the entire time, but you don’t know what it is. There’s a monster, but where? Is it supernatural in nature? Is it something else entirely? It doesn’t neatly fit into a box, and I love that about The Caretaker (and also what I loved about We Used to Live Here!). They just feel different in the best way.

I will say that the ending was one of my favorite parts of this book, and it really is what made this book such a winner for me. I really appreciate what Kliewer chose to do. I know a lot of people didn’t love the ending of We Used to Live Here, but I think in some ways this one is a bit stronger and will still be polarizing, but for different reasons. It felt utterly fitting to the story, and it honestly just made me even more sure about reading everything Kliewer chooses to write.

If you liked The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay, I think you should give this one a read. If you didn’t like it, I still think you should try this--it’s different enough, but there are some vibes and ideas that overlap that I feel like makes it an interesting and somewhat relevant reference point.

It’s probably obvious, but I really loved this one. I can’t recommend it enough, and I can’t stop thinking about it. I think for the right reader, this will be a huge hit--and I’m very glad I’m the right person for it.

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

Buy the book: Bookshop.org | Amazon

Can't-Wait Wednesday: The Dorians by Nick Cutter, Under a Carnivore Sky by Brianna Jett, & The Library After Dark by Ande Pliego

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

The Dorians by Nick Cutter

Publication: May 19th, 2026

Gallery Books

Hardcover. 400 pages.

Pre-order: Bookshop.org | Amazon

From Goodreads:

"On a remote island in the Canadian wilderness, five elderly volunteers from different walks of life are given a tantalizing offer: to stall their biological clocks or even reverse them, restoring their lost youth. The chance to put death on pause—forever, perhaps. The remarkable secret lies in the high-tech harnessing of an ancient and extraordinary biological agent…one with no conscience, yet possessed with a single-minded purpose that has helped it persist for eons: the will to survive. The dark heart of unbridled human ambition finds its apex in an unholy experiment that now tests the limits of both creator and subject, eclipsing all bounds of morality and sanity…."

This sounds like it could get pretty weird, and knowing Nick Cutter... it will be. 

Under a Carnivore Sky by Brianna Jett

Publication: May 12th, 2026

Page Street YA

Hardcover. 304 pages.

Pre-order: Bookshop.org | Amazon

From Goodreads:

"I’m the only one left hunting the monster, the only one left with a chance of saving us all.

Raised in a town surrounded by a labyrinthian, man-eating swamp, Lili craves nothing more than to track down the monster lurking in its depths and kill it.

The monster’s curse claims the flesh and bone of every adult in town, stealing them away, piece by piece. For generations, people have tried to kill it or escape the town altogether, but every path out of town leads them right back in.

Caleb, a bookish boy with dreams of freedom, is hungry to escape. He thinks that with Lili’s help and knowledge of the swamp, he can make a map to freedom. And Lili hopes that with a better sense of its territory, she might finally find and kill the monster.

Together, they chart the swamp’s shifting terrain. Sharing in the danger and the beauty of the landscape sparks a friendship between them―and then something more. However, what they discover disrupts everything Lili thought she knew about the town, her father, the monster―even herself. The truth at the root of the curse could devour them all. And Lili must decide if risking her life to be the town’s savior is worth sacrificing her own chance of escape."

I know I don't really read YA anymore, but I'm a little bit of a sucker for a premise like this, so.. I'd definitely check it out!

The Library After Dark by Ande Pliego

Publication: May 5th, 2026

Bantam

Hardcover. 368 pages.

Pre-order: Bookshop.org | Amazon

From Goodreads:

"'Irresistible—bright and sharp and rife with danger, like a shard of mirror.'—A. J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window

Not all fairytales were meant for children.

Aria Stokes is finally feeling settled—she lives in a tiny New York apartment, works as a bookseller at a local shop, and has even taken a leap of faith in love by indulging her attraction to bookstore regular Jasper. And he seems to already know her so well.

As a Valentine’s Day surprise, Jasper gets the two of them tickets to an exclusive, after-dark tour of the Daedalus Library—the grandiose establishment famed for its immersive genre-based reading rooms and, more notoriously, its rumored hauntings. While Aria normally loves all things ghastly, this place holds more dark secrets than she’d prefer Jasper to know. Like that the last time she was here, she left a body behind.

But when the automatic-door entry malfunctions and Aria, Jasper, and the five other people in their tour group become trapped in the library, they are forced to venture through the storied rooms and hidden passageways of the Daedalus in search of escape . . . and Aria quite literally has nowhere to hide from the shadows of her past. Then the group learns there’s a murderer in their midst.

Now, as she tries to break out of the library’s intricate reading rooms, Aria has to decide who she can trust—and what secrets are best kept buried—if she wants to make it out alive."

I just got an ARC of this, so I'm excited to check it out--this sounds like a fun little mystery in the perfect setting! I'm always up for a locked room premise.