One of my most anticipated books of 2026 is out now: Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker. I've wanted to read this author since she released The Keeper of Night in 2021, and I'm glad to finally be diving in now. The title Japanese Gothic may recall Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, but that's where... Continue Reading →
Olesya Salnikova Gilmore is an author I've been wanting to read since her debut, The Witch and the Tsar. Now her third novel is out: The Fortune Tellers of Rue Daru takes place in 1924 Paris, where a Russian immigrant family is haunted (literally!) by the past. With a decades-old murder mystery or two, out-of-control... Continue Reading →
Happy book birthday to Linda Hamilton's The Fourth Wife! This debut gothic novel takes readers to 1880s Utah and a polygamous Mormon family. Hazel and her childhood friend Elijah have long planned to marry only each other, but when she's pushed into a marriage to another man, Hazel reluctantly accepts. She's now Jacob's fourth wife,... Continue Reading →
CG Drews recently released their adult debut novel, You Did Nothing Wrong. This psychological horror follows Elodie, the 22-year-old mother to her six-year-old son, Jude. She spent years with her neglectful parents in Australia, but upon meeting Bren, she packed up her life to live with him in the United States. Bren has a large... Continue Reading →
Last May, Carolina Flórez-Cerchiaro released her debut novel, Bochica. Today, the Spanish version is out, and though I'm not yet fluent in the language, I celebrated by reading the ebook in English and listening to the audiobook in Spanish. Set in Colombia in 1936, it follows Antonia in the aftermath of her mother's death. She... Continue Reading →
Years ago I loved The Broken Girls by Simone St. James, and I've been wanting to read more from her ever since. The Sun Down Motel has been on my list the longest, and now that a new book set in the same universe is about to come out, it was high time I finally... Continue Reading →
Last month, Marina Scott released her historical horror novel, The Night Guests. (It was also an Amazon First Reads selection in October.) Set in Omaha, Nebraska in 1903, it follows Nina Wilson in the wake of losing her father. Her twin brother is absent and her mother lives in a delusion that she can communicate... Continue Reading →
Gothic tales always catch my eye, and I've been especially interested in ones set in different countries. This drew me to The Villa, Once Beloved by Victor Manibo, set in the Philippines. Filipina-American Sophie travels to the Philippines for the first time with her boyfriend, Adrian Sepulveda, when his grandfather passes away. The Sepulveda villa... Continue Reading →
One of my most anticipated horror novels this year has been I'll Make a Spectacle of You, the debut from Beatrice Winifred Iker. Set at a Tennessee HBCU, it follows Zora, a grad student in Appalachian Studies who's researching religions, folklore, and hoodoo... and a beast that supposedly lurks the university woods at night. A... Continue Reading →
C. J. Cooke is rapidly becoming one of my favorite authors, and her latest book is my favorite one yet. The Last Witch takes readers back to 1485, where Helena Scheuberin is a young wife trying to finally conceive a child. But just when she discovers she's pregnant, she's arrested on charges of witchcraft. She... Continue Reading →
Kelley Armstrong is an author I've been wanting to read for some time, and my starting point is her newest release, The Haunting of Paynes Hollow. This horror novel takes inspiration from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, giving it a new twist in a different setting. When she was younger, Samantha Payne witnessed her dad... Continue Reading →
Last week KJ Charles released her new Gothic novel, All of Us Murderers. This is my first time reading her, but it will not be my last! This was such a fun and deliciously creepy book! Zebedee has been invited to spend a fortnight at his distant cousin Wynn's home, along with Zeb's brother, sister-in-law,... Continue Reading →
Happy rerelease to Hollow by Karina Halle! First published two years ago, it has just been republished with a gorgeous new cover. Hollow is the first half of A Gothic Shade of Romance duology; the second part, Legend, comes out in December. Hollow is a retelling of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving.... Continue Reading →
I loved Kristen Loesch's first novel, The Last Russian Doll, so I was excited to read her newest book. The Hong Kong Widow is out today, and it is a stunning work of horror. Set between three timelines, it follows Mei from her difficult childhood, to series of séances gone wrong in her 20s, to... Continue Reading →
The Phantom of the Opera meets Chinese mythology? This premise made me excited for Demon Song by Kelsea Yu. This novella is set in Beijing, where Megan and her mom have just escaped an abusive man. They end up working and living in the Huihuang Opera Theater, and soon, Megan spends her free time learning... Continue Reading →
I've been wanting to read Nick Medina since his first novel came out a couple years ago. Now that his third novel has published, I decided to start there. The Whistler follows Henry Hotard, a man in his early 20s who's devoted to his growing YouTube channel about ghost hunting. But after going after a... Continue Reading →
After loving The Hacienda a few years ago, I've been eager to read more from Isabel Cañas. This week she released her third novel, The Possession of Alba Díaz. Set in a mining town outside Zacatecas in 1765, it follows Alba Díaz as she gets to know the family of her new fiancé. It'll be... Continue Reading →
A book I've been anticipating for months is finally here: House of Monstrous Women by Daphne Fama. This horror debut, set in the Philippines, is a feast of creepy atmosphere, an unnatural mansion on a secluded island, and evil passed down between generations. When Josephine, her brother Alejandro, and his longtime girlfriend Gabriella get invited... Continue Reading →
Today Silvia Moreno-Garcia releases her eleventh novel, The Bewitching. By now I've read nearly everything she's released, and I know that, no matter the genre or setting, I'll be in for a mesmerizing tale. Here readers get three timelines: On a rural farm in Mexico in 1908, Alba faces a series of losses and increasing... Continue Reading →
I've been wanting to read Paulette Kennedy since her first book came out a few years ago, and have finally started with her latest novel, The Artist of Blackberry Grange. Set in 1925, it follows Sadie Halloran just after her relationship with a married man ended badly. She ends up going to her great aunt... Continue Reading →
Yesterday the U.S. finally got to see the release of C. J. Cooke's novel, The Ghost Woods. It originally came out in 2022, the final in a trio of books she wrote surrounding themes of motherhood (the other two being The Nesting and The Lighthouse Witches). This Gothic novel follows two timelines, Mabel in 1959... Continue Reading →
There's something about folkloric horror and thrillers that always captures my immediate interest. Such was the case when I first heart about Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce. Set in a small English town in 1989, it follows a recently graduated child psychologist, Mina, and her first patient, a teen girl named Alice who... Continue Reading →
Earlier this month, Neena Viel released her debut novel, Listen to Your Sister. This comedic yet horrifying story follows three siblings, the eldest of whom is now the official guardian of the youngest brother, a troubled teenager. Calla has been having a repeated nightmare for years, and it centers on her two younger brothers. But... Continue Reading →
One week ago, Virginia Feito released her horror novella, Victorian Psycho. The title actually works as a succinct but sufficient summary: In Victorian-era England, a psychotic governess, Winifred, is bent on revenge and murder, and she narrates her evils over the course of three months leading up to Christmas. A word of warning: She does... Continue Reading →
Amanda's Book Corner 