Archives de catégorie : Fantasy

ON STARLIT SHORES de Bex Glendining

In this YA urban fantasy graphic novel, Alex must return to the town where she was born to unravel the magical mysteries her late grandmother left behind.

ON STARLIT SHORES
by Bex Glendining
Abrams Fanfare, September 2025

Alex Wilson hasn’t been back to Indigo Harbor, the seaside village where she grew up, in years. In fact, she can barely remember anything about it. But when her grandmother dies unexpectedly, Alex will have to return to her childhood home to say goodbye.

Accompanied by her best friend, Grim, Alex travels back to her hometown and begins cleaning out her grandmother’s house, but the longer they stay, the stranger things get. Indigo Harbor isn’t your average town—there are falling stars, witches running tea shops, and a name that comes up again and again: Elizabeth. Who was this woman, and how did she know Alex’s grandmother?

As she explores the town and sorts through her grandmother’s belongings, Alex reconnects with her past and tries with increasing desperation to uncover the greatest secret of all, the identity of the mysterious Elizabeth. Tackling grief, acceptance, and how to honor a loved one’s life, Bex Glendining has crafted a beautiful and moving graphic novel perfect for readers who loved The Dark Matter of Mona Starr, Girl From the Sea, and the Magic Fish.

Bex Glendining is an award-winning, biracial, queer, UK-based illustrator, comic artist, and colorist. Their clients include Netflix, Huffpost, DC Comics, Marvel, Penguin Random House, the New York Times, and NPR. When not working, they can usually be found building miniature rooms, playing video games with friends or fussing Cookie, their very spoilt tortoiseshell cat.

THE HEART OF VENGEANCE de Mei Goodwin

A gender-flipped loose retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo, containing a sapphic romance, a love triangle, and inspired by Chinese mythology – with winged horses! Rollicking, original, and hugely page-turning: perfect for fans of She Who Became the Sun and Sue Lynn Tan, and the thrilling romance of a Callie Hart novel.

THE HEART OF VENGEANCE
by Mei Goodwin
Michael Joseph UK/Del Rey US, Spring 2027
(via Mushens Entertainment)

Aviva has trained all her life to become an Ailier, a military officer chosen to ride one of the great winged horses known as the Thousand. The only thing more important to her is being worthy of the love of the court’s Princess, heir to the Vridan nation – one of the richest families in the world, thanks to their seemingly unlimited stores of lustre, the natural substance that helps the family perform feats of magic to keep them in power. When Aviva connects with one of the Thousand on her first try, she and Leyla officially become betrothed. All her wildest dreams are made real.

Her happiness is ripped away when she is arrested for a crime she didn’t commit – being a ‘Usurper’ who uses soul-possession magic – and hauled to a remote prison to have her spirit broken. Trapped on the island, guarded by brutal guards, Aviva knows that she is innocent. They know she is innocent – but they torture her anyway, breaking her spirit. Meanwhile, Leyla is reeling from the news that her beloved committed such a heinous crime. But as she begins to investigate she realises that there is more to the story than she first thought, casting doubt on everything she believed.

As the two are set on a collision path – can love prevail in the face of revenge?

Mei Goodwin is a Chinese-White author, based in London. She started her career as an editor of SFF at one of the largest genre imprints in the UK. Under her real name, she has published novels in every genre from non-fiction, to thriller, to middle-grade. This is her fantasy debut, and the book she believes she was meant to write.

GEORGIE SUMMERS AND THE SCRIBES OF SCATTERPLOT d’Isaac Rudansky

The originally self-published #1 Amazon bestseller, soon to be re-released. In a world where fiction is forbidden and truth is a matter of life and death, one young boy must write a story to save humanity…

GEORGIE SUMMERS AND THE SCRIBES OF SCATTERPLOT
by Isaac Rudansky
Sourcebooks, publication TBD
(via Park, Fine & Brower)

When his father is abducted by a mysterious figure, twelve-year-old Georgie Summers is thrown into the adventure of a lifetime. Georgie’s journey takes him to Scatterplot, a hidden realm where Scribes record human memories to safeguard the truth. But when the evil Flint Eldritch threatens to corrupt those memories and plunge the world into chaos, Georgie must team up with an unlikely group of friends to stop him. As the journey grows increasingly dangerous, Georgie realizes that only he holds the key to defeating Eldritch and saving not just his father . . . but every mind on Earth.

Will Georgie be able to wield the power of the Aetherquill to save his father and protect everyone he loves, or will Eldritch rewrite history itself? In Georgie Summers and the Scribes of Scatterplot, author Isaac Rudansky spins an exhilarating tale of strength, determination, and the power of friendship to lift you from the depths of loneliness and despair.

After earning his master’s in industrial psychology, Isaac Rudansky founded AdVenture Media, an award-winning advertising agency headquartered in New York that has written campaigns for clients like AMC Networks, Asurion, Hearst, Sports Illustrated, Nasdaq, and many others. His online courses, each #1 bestsellers in their categories, have attracted over 300,000 students worldwide. He writes for industry-leading publications and leads workshops at marketing events around the world. GEORGIE SUMMERS AND THE SCRIBES OF SCATTERPLOT is the result of years of narrative-driven ad copywriting, imagination, and a belief that middle-grade books should only do one thing: entertain.

SECRETS, SPELLS, AND CHOCOLATE de Marisa Churchill

This fast-paced, whimsical fantasy set in a kitchen-witchery world is perfect for younger YA readers.

SECRETS, SPELLS, AND CHOCOLATE
by Marisa Churchill
Page Street/St. Martin’s, November 2025

All 14-year-old Sylvie Jones wants is to attend her dream cooking school, Brindille School of Culinary Arts and Magic. After years of gossip and threats against her family, Sylvie is ready to prove that she’s got the skills to be a great chef and put an end to the rumors that her famous chef mother cheated her way to victory at the world’s greatest magical cooking competition, The Golden Whisk. But the new head of the Council of Culinary Sages, Jack Bass, has mandated that Sylvie must finish first in her class during a preparatory program or she’ll be banned from attending Brindille. To make matters worse, her mom must compete in the highly-anticipated Golden Whisk All Stars, putting herself back in the spotlight or risk losing her right to cook with magic. But some will go to great lengths to ensure her mother can’t compete.

With the unlikely help of frenemy Georgia Shaw, and rising-star-student Fleur, Sylvie must find a way to The Golden Whisk to help her mother before it’s too late. But betrayal has a taste all its own, and Sylvie will soon discover that not everyone is who they seem. Will Sylvie be able to save her family and her future or will it all end in burned butter and broken dreams?

Marisa Churchill spent a decade of her career working in some of San Francisco’s most notable restaurants, was a competitor on Top Chef season two, and competed multiple times on Food Network Challenge. She is the author of two cookbooks Sweet & Skinny and My Sweet & Skinny Life. Her recipes have appeared in almost every culinary publication, from Food & Wine to Epicurious. Her recipes have also been featured in Oprah.com, Women’s Health, and on numerous TV shows: The Talk, Access Hollywood, Hallmark’s Home & Family, and more.

THE REDWOOD BARGAIN de Markelle Grabo

In this gothic fairy tale, a maid poses as her lord’s stepdaughter to fulfill his bargain with the murderous lord of the woods.

THE REDWOOD BARGAIN
by Markelle Grabo
Page Street/St. Martin’s, March 2026

To free her cousin from an indentured contract, Katrien agrees to fulfill their lord’s bargain with the fabled “Redwood Man.” Three maids before her have posed as his stepdaughter, Lady Zaviera, and met this lord of the forest as promised. But Katrien means to be the first to fool him—and live. Impersonating a lady is no easy feat, especially one as beautiful and aloof as Zaviera. With one month before she’s sent off, Katrien is put through endless lessons, even as the Redwood Man’s suffocating vines overtake the manor and threaten its staff. Zaviera takes a special interest in her training, and their shared interests grow into shared affections. But the Redwood Man awaits his prize. Caught between duty and desire, her future and her past, Katrien must navigate a tricky bargain—or risk failing those she holds dearest.

Markelle Grabo retells the fairy tales that frustrate her, which, based on that guideline, could include nearly all of them. She earned her master’s degree in creative writing for children and young adults from Hamline University and lives in Illinois with her partner and their two cats, Matcha and Kava. She is the author of Call Forth a Fox.