Month: October 2020

Still the winner of the “most delightful cover ever” award, Soria’s dark fantasy novel features a city and a people ruled by the ancient prophecies of the elder seers, issued from behind the closed doors of the citadel even as the people wage a war in the streets. It has been over a decade since the last infallible prophecy came to pass and left unrest and anger in its wake. Now Cassa and her friends must solve the mystery of the final infallible prophecy before their city and all they’ve known is destroyed in its wake.

It’s dark, it’s queer, and I’m here for it. Csorwe, sacred tribute, turns her back on the Shrine of the Unspoken and the sacrifice that should have been hers. She follows the powerful mage who offered her her life in exchange for her assistance in his quest to destroy an empire and reclaim his power. But old vows are not easily broken, and gods have a nasty tendency to remember those who have betrayed them.

Lin is the daughter and former heir to her father’s throne, presiding over an empire controlled by mighty and horrible bone shard magic. When her father refuses to recognize her claim to the throne, even as his own power fails him and revolution threatens to split the Empire apart, Lin vows to master the dark power of the bone shard magic and surpass even her father in skill. But that much power comes at a terrible cost, and Lin must decided how far she is truly willing to go to claim her seat on the throne.

Giesbrecht’s novella is a delight of dark fantasy goodness. In the dying city of Elendhaven, on the edge of the sea, a monster stalks the shadows and does his master’s bidding. A creature in the shape of a man but who cannot die like one, twisted by magic and and shaped by his master’s cruel cunning. Together they will have their revenge on Elendhaven, no matter the cost.

Chupeco you might recognize as the talented author of the Girl from the Well YA horror series, and I’m happy to say that her dark fantasy Bone Witch series is every bit as dark and delightful. Also, there’s necromancy. And if you stick around here long enough you’ll realize that Jessica never says no to necromancy. Tea can raise the dead, but at a price. She has a gift for necromancy, which means that she is a bone witch, but though her abilities allowed her to resurrect her brother from the dead, they also mean that she is feared and shunned by those around her.

You might remember Craig’s debut novel making the horror rounds earlier this year. It was even nominated this summer for the Ladies of Horror Fiction Award for Best Young Adult novel. Inspired by the fairy tale of “The Twelve Dancing Princesses”, House of Salt and Sorrows is dark, Gothic, and filled with magic. Annaleigh lives in a manor by the sea with her sisters, her father, and her stepmother. Where there were once twelve sisters roaming the halls there are now only eight, and the tragic death toll just keeps climbing. Every night Annaleigh’s sisters sneak out and spend the night dancing at mysterious balls with unknown partners. And one by one they die. Who – or what – have they been dancing with?