Summertime Screaming, I’ve Got that Horror-time Feeling

In the aftermath of a violent Armageddon unleashed by the very fundamentalist sect that raised him, trans boy Benji is on the run from his past and the dangerous bioweapon that is slowly transforming him into a monster from the inside out. A weapon deadly enough to destroy what little of the world remains. When he finds himself cornered by monsters and rescued by a ragtag band of survivors from the local LGBTQ+ center, Benji strikes a deal with their leader Nick. Benji agrees to use his growing powers to protect the group, and in return they’ll give him somewhere to hide from the cult. To Benji, it seems like the perfect opportunity to escape from his pursuers and finally have somewhere to belong. That is, until he finds out that Nick’s been hiding secrets of his own.

Say it with me: This is some fair folk bullshit. And I mean that in the very best way. Because there are few things in this world I love more than fae-themed horror. Look, Lou may not believe in the old superstitions about goblin merchants hawking their wares on the roadside, trying to tempt young women to eat their euphemistically ripe fruit (among other things), but SOME OF US know better than to take fruit from shifty strangers. That’s all I’m saying. Not Lou’s Aunt Neela though, apparently. And when Neela’s stolen away to the goblin market, Lou finds herself on a rescue mission through a dangerous new world of magic. She has just three days to rescue Neela and get out before the goblin market claims them both.

The sequel to This Poison Heart, This Wicked Fate is currently at the top of my June must haves. This delightfully queer, magical YA series is a must read for those who prefer their horror Gothic, overgrown, and full of secrets. Following the dramatic conclusion of the first novel, in This Wicked Fate Briseis is on the hunt for the last piece of the deadly Absyrtus Heart – her only chance at saving her mother. But doing so means relying on blood relatives who are little more than strangers to her and navigating a whole new world of secret power and hidden enemies.

You know I love to slip in a dark fantasy title when I get the chance, and I’ve been looking forward to El-Arifi’s The Final Strife since it was announced. So of course I had to include on my June list! Set in a cruel, violent world where your place in life is determined by the color or your blood— red for the elite, blue for the poor, clear for the enslaved— three young women set out to defy the roles in which they were born. Sylah, Anoor, and Hassa, all hail from different classes and different walks of life: The blue-blooded girl from the resistance who once dreamed of revolution; the red-blooded daughter of the most powerful ruler in the empire; and the invisible clear-blooded one who harbors dangerous secrets. Together they could upend the course of history, but revolutions are never bloodless.

So LaRocca’s newest novella is the only book on this list that I’ve actually had the pleasure of reading ahead of its publication date, so I can tell you first hand that this book is a seriously fucked up fairy tale that’s going to haunt your nightmares. And I mean that in the very best possible way. It’s a gross, horrifying, and unforgettable exploration of the cyclical nature of grief and generational trauma, and I absolutely loved it. After her father dies, Mara finds herself living in a dark but fantastical world full of anthropomorphized creatures, including a sinister new guest (with far too many legs) who claims he can protect Mara and her mother from the dangerous world outside, but only at a terrible cost.