#castorstarr

The Red Winter by Cameron Sullivan is a fantasy take on The Beast of Gévaudan, a historical event/piece of folk lore that I have a bit of a fascination for- so I'm always totally delighted to see people writing books inspired by it! (Which is not all that often, so more delightful still!). This is also pitches as being queer, kinda dark, and full of humor, written as the memoir of a morally gray (fallen?) Monster-Slayer.

Hell's Heart by Alexis Hall is the popular romance author's (though I'll confess I have yet to read any of her romances) scifi debut! It's also a bizarre take on Moby Dick, and it's sapphic, so I'm seated. Honestly, for someone so into Moby Dick retellings and analysises (anali????) I should probably eventually read Moby Dick. For now, though, it'll be drugs and space whales 👌🏽

Vile Lady Villains by Danai Christopoulou is a leap of faith for me, because mashing iconic characters together doesn't tend to do it for me but this is horror romance with Lady M as the main player, so I'll certainly be giving it a go. Basically Lady M time travels via the Weird Sisters to escape prosecutions (instead of, you know, suicide, like in the play) and finds herself meeting Klytemnestra, a woman who can probably kind of understand her whole uhh deal.

The Beast You Let In by Dana Mele primarily got onto this list by my sheer faith in Mele, after being haunted for years by her novel Summer's Edge. Seeing how she wove that book together makes me feel like she's going to DESTROY a book on potential posession, riding on total guilt. This is a story about a girl not protecting her twin sister, and her sister disappearing only to return claiming to be the ghost of an infamously murdered girl.

The Gravewood by Kelly Andrew is Andrew's newest "bubblegum horror"/horror romance set in her own strange universe. This time, she's taking on vampires and an eerily isolated town. And, as always, she's got HOH rep front and center.

What We Are Seeking by Cameron Reed was already going to be an anticipated read, but then I read her short story "The Girl That My Mother is Leaving Me For" and now I'm unimaginably excited to read something full length by her. This is a planetary scifi about a strange new world, the inevitably of change and the fear of transformation, and queer hope.

I Could Give You the Moon by Ann Liang is mostly on here because I love Liang, but also because this is revisiting character's from Liang's debut- If You Could See the Sun! This is a YA magical realism romance where two teens share a vision of the future that shows danger for one and hope for the other. Liang writes messy characters, and these two teens who are determined to use each other are bound to be hard not to get pulled in by.

Cherry Baby by Rainbow Rowell is another book anticipated due to intense love of the author. I would willingly read anything RR writes, so this one has been preorder basically since it was announced. Cherry Baby is about a plus sized woman, who feels smothered by the fans of her husband's semi-biographical comic, reconnecting with someone from her past, and one who has no idea of the story her husband has written her into.

Wife Shaped Bodies by Laura Cranehill is horror about a newlywed woman, raised in a constraining, mushroom based community, who is walking the line between the rules and expectations of her community and her husband, and the intense blossoming connection she's forming with a rebellious woman.

Permanence by Sophie Mackintosh is about two adulterers who find themselves whisked away to- and trapped in- a place meant just for affairs. With no access to the outside world, it could be paradise for the lovers- but is it worth leaving their real lives behind?

Thrall by Rebecca Mahoney is another of Mahoney's fantasic mental health based magical realism YA books, and it must be a good year for vampires, because this one finds a college freshman being bitten at her first campus party. This one has a college radio DJ, also once bitten, offering both community to the girl, and a way to get back at their attacker- who might be behind the disappearances if women around town. This has the look of a slanted Dracula adaptation too, fingers crossed!

The Velvet Knife by Maureen Johnson is the newest Truly Devious book! The last one left Stevie in a pretty dramatic personal situation, so I'm interested to see how she'll be dealing in this one. However, of course, the murder mystery is going to be the star of the show- and this one is based around a cult!

Rolls & Rivalry by Kristy Boyce is the newest (the third!) of Boyce's D&D-based YA romances, and I will happily read any more she puts out. This one has the extra fun of being set at a band camp, with a little childhood friends to rivals sprinkled in.

All Hail Chaos by Sarah Rees Brennan will kill me, and I will let it. This is the sequel to Long Live Evil, a book that sucked me in entirely, and then completely destroyed me with its ending, so I'm kind of desperate for my preorder of this one to be in my hands. As you can guess from the title, this is bound to be, just like the first book, insanely chaotic.

Make Me Better by Sarah Gailey follows a woman drawn to an island by a wellness cult- and you better believe it's horror. You may be sick of reading this by now, but this is definitely one I added to my anticipated reads just from the author, but it's because I absolutely adore Gailey's brand of horror/thriller writing, and even though this isn't new territory overall, I know they're going to kill it in excution.

Seek the Traitor's Son by Veronica Roth is Roth's newest fantasy book, and the start of a series. As a big fan of Roth's fantasy writing (Chosen Ones is amazing, and the whole Curse Bearer novella series is an all-time favorite), I'm hesitantly excited. "Hesitantly" because this is billed as "dystopian romance", and while I did love Divergent as a teen, I'm not sure I have the appetite for that at this point, especially with the romantasy angle- but we'll see! This is about a prophecy (always good) that seeks to direct the main character's life, and pits her against a ruthless general.

Shapes of Love by L.V. Peñalba is a QPR "romance" that finds a teen popstar reuniting with a former friend and being forced to fake date. I'm always excited for more aspec rep and this one sounds fluffy and possibly able to make me super emotional.

Villain by Natalie Zina Walschots is the long, LONG awaited sequel to Hench, a book about temps working as henchmen for villains, and an injured civilian becoming radicalized against the privileged super heroes. The first book was morally grey as hell and kind of insane, and I'm so excited to see Anna grow as a super villain.

The Unmagical Life of Briar Jones by Lex Croucher is the anachronistic bop writer's foray into dark academia. A girl, denied access to magical school, while her best friend was accepted, and who has been sidelined for years, finds herself suddenlu granted access to the academy- as staff- and her childhood best friend turned villain.

Such a Lucky Girl by Wendy Heard- another autoread author- is YA horror all about sweet, sweet revenge. Left behind by her former best friend, Bella, now a far flung influencer, preaching "luck" to her many fans, Kerry's discovery of a book on "shadow work" gives her the tools to bring Bella down.

Adam, Mine by K. Ancrum has actually been an anticipated read for me for over a year, because K. Ancrum is an amazingly poetic author, and this is a queer Frankenstein story (always gonna hit). Nothing else is really announced about this book in terms of plot, but Goodreads listed Beowulf as a book fans also like, so if I wasn't in before (I was), I certainly am now.

Rootbound by Margaret Owen might not be my usual kind of thing- a Disney retelling- but it has 2 very important things going for it. First off, Tangled is probably my favorite of the ~modern~ Disney movies. Second, Margaret Owen is one of my favorite authors ever, and I would follow her quite literally everywhere. I also absolutely love the romance in Tangled and the dynamics Owen writes, so I'm out of my mind picturing how she's going to write this.

Victorious by V.E. Schwab is the third and final Villains book, and it may warrant a reread of the other two before I dive back into spending time with my favorite aspec morally gray villain.

What You Will by Rachel Lippincott is romantasy, yes, but it's romantasy based around Twelfth Night, and I think everyone is aware that queer Twelfth Night adaptations are my kryptonite, especially when sapphic. It's also meant to be "vengeful" and Lippincott, co-author of She Gets the Girl, called it her "fruitiest book yet" so yeah.

Fallen Beauty by Astrid Scholte is a bit of a spin on Dorian Gray, with magical reanimation and immortal rulers, while also being trapped in a tower Rapunzel style. This is actually one of two Dorian Gray inspired books I know if in 2026, and this was the one that made the list because it's got court drama.

You're No Better by Andrew Joseph White is AJW's newest book, so an auto-read for everyone in my circle of the readerly internet. This one's about a teen with a serial killer father and some very invasive podcasting that's happy to point the finger, but unlike most books where they're trying to show the kid as an overcorrection of the wicked person who raised them, I'm pretty sure this main character is gonna be fairly messed up with some particular impulses.