New for this edition: The short story ‘Sins of the Children’, the fascinating prequel to Shroud.

An expedition to a distant star system discovers a pitch-black moon alive with radio activity. Its high-gravity, high-pressure, zero-oxygen environment is deadly to human life, but ripe for exploitation.

They name the moon Shroud. But they never mean to go there . . . until a catastrophic accident forces Juna Ceelander and Mai Ste Etienne to crash-land on its inhospitable surface in a barely adequate escape vehicle. Alone, and fighting to survive, the two women embark on a gruelling journey in search of salvation.

But Juna and Mai’s tenuous existence is threatened by Shroud’s extraordinary alien species. If they can escape, they’ll have to explain the impossible and translate the incredible . .

Shroud by Adrian Tchaikovsky – 9781035013814

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Follow the river Liss to the small town of Thistleford, on the edge of Faerie, and meet two sisters who cannot be separated, even in death. ‘Oh what is stronger than a death? Two sisters singing with one breath.’In the small town of Thistleford, on the edge of Faerie, dwells the mysterious Hawthorn family. There, they tend and harvest the enchanted willows and honour an ancient compact to sing to them in thanks for their magic.

None more devotedly than the family’s latest daughters, Esther and Ysabel, who cherish each other as much as they cherish the ancient trees. But when Esther rejects a forceful suitor in favor of a lover from the land of Faerie, not only the sisters’ bond but also their lives will be at risk…

Features beautiful interior illustrations.

The River Has Roots – Amal El-Mohtar – 9781529453720

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Fellas, is it OK to kiss your bff while on a quest through the forest you’re unqualified for?

Juniper O’Reilly is good at only two things: demolishing a pint of mead and finding the perfect skincare routine.

Everything else – taking care of the farm, bartering for goods, any sort of manual labour – falls to Juniper’s best friend, the absurdly capable, endlessly patient Mo Elmthorn. But when Juniper accidentally volunteers them both for a quest to kill a fearsome monster, he knows he’s finally gotten in over his head. Juniper hates camping. He hates the dark. And there’s no way all these foraged mushrooms are going to sit well in his stomach.

One thing he doesn’t hate? How good Mo’s thighs look in his questing pants. He doesn’t have time to think about that, though, with a monster to hunt and their futures on the line. But monsters come in all shapes and sizes. When Juniper and Mo realize that the terrifying beast they’ve sworn to kill is just a scared little girl torn from her family, they’re off to find not only the true villain of the story, but maybe even a happy ending.

Thou must read if thou cherish: 👬Totally platonic best friends that just happen to enjoy wrestling with each other …
💖 Idiots to lovers 💞 Golden retriever x black cat energy 🔮 Cosy fantasy worlds 🧝 Impossible quests 🐲 Dragons (both fearsome and cute) 🤣 Laugh-out-loud romances

Bromantasy by Maire Roche – 9780008827472

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A stylistically bold and innovative, cinematic horror novel about greed and paranoia, set amongst the grit and mud of the trenches in WW1.

Private Cyril Bagger has managed to survive the unspeakable horrors of the Great War through his wits and deception, swindling fellow soldiers at every opportunity. But his survival instincts are put to the ultimate test when he and four other grunts are given a deadly mission: venture into the perilous No Man’s Land to euthanize a wounded comrade. What they find amid the ruined battlefield, however, is not a man in need of mercy but a fallen angel, seemingly struck down by artillery fire.

This celestial being may hold the key to ending the brutal conflict, but only if the soldiers can suppress their individual desires and work together. As jealousy, greed, and paranoia take hold, the group is torn apart by their inner demons, threatening to turn their angelic encounter into a descent into hell. Angel Down plunges you into the heart of World War I and weaves a polyphonic tale of survival, supernatural wonder, and moral conflict.

Angel Down – Daniel Kraus – 9781835415382

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A charming, timely, and emotionally resonant LGBTQIA+ cosy fantasy about the importance of community and mental health.

What happens to all the mind-controlled minions when the evil villain is finally vanquished?

They move to the country, become farmers, fall in love… And finally find a safe place to heal.

When Oaklin Nettlewood accidentally joined an evil world-ending cult, mind control magic forced them to do unspeakable things. Years later, the realm’s heroes have finally saved the day, defeated the villain, and shattered the last remnants of the spell…leaving destruction in their wake. And so, with a spell-damaged memory and a whole bushel of trauma, Oaklin escapes to a small farm on the edge of Mossley’s Rest. And swears an oath: After all the things they were forced to do with their magic, they will never use it again.

Ever. The no-nonsense ghost granny who lives in Oaklin’s house has other ideas. As she coaxes Oaklin out of their shell and back into the world, they find companionship (a grumpy horse and a very good dog) and friendship (a local bard and magical baker who should just kiss already). And tentative romance (a paladin-librarian who makes Oaklin’s heart come alive for the first time in ages).

Magic even seems possible again. Though, it’s strictly for foraging magical mushrooms and protecting the farm from bugs. Healing comes in gentle waves, and Oaklin doesn’t have to do it alone. So what does it mean when an inquisitor comes to town to hunt former cultists just as Oaklin begins to think that maybe, just maybe, they deserve a happy ending after all?

Welcome home, weary traveller.

Tropes: Cosy Fantasy. Queer Romantasy. Magical Countryside. LGBTQIA+. Perfect for fans of  T. Kingfisher and Travis Baldree.

Field Guide for the Formerly Villainous – Autumn England – 9781464280634

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A skull’s grin is eternal…

The year is 1635. Sister Ursula, a young nun fleeing the ruins of her convent, and Elsebeth, a sharp-witted peasant, escape a band of marauding soldiers and disappear into the Bavarian forest.

War scorches the land, and no one survives it alone. Amid the devastation, they find something in the arms of a dying man: the gilded skull of a saint. It is said that if you reunite the saint’s skull with her body, a wish will be granted.

Desperate for salvation, and each with secret desires of their own, Ursula and Elsebeth follow a ragged map across the blighted countryside.

But darkness follows them. A necromancer, drawn to the relic’s power. The saint herself, whispering at night. And as the lines between blessing and curse blur, the women must face a harrowing truth: the magic they seek comes at a cost. At the journey’s end, they’ll face an impossible choice. One that could tear apart everything they know…or bind them to each other forever.

As beautiful and tender as it is dark and terrifying, Bone of My Bone showcases one of queer horror’s most exciting writers in her most chilling tale yet.

Tropes : Folk Horror Fantasy /Dark Fairytale / Sapphic Love / Historical Fiction / Supernatural Books.

A sapphic folk horror tour de force.

Bone of My Bone – Johanna van Veen – 9781464275517

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Perfection is a spell. It’s time to break it.

Andromeda Wildwood is practically perfect in every witch way.

As the proud owner of a bustling London bakery, Annie’s life is a haze of pink, magic and impossibly high standards. She devotes her powers to pleasing others, no matter the magical toll it takes. But Annie’s charmed existence is about to get delightfully messy . . .

Annie is tasked by her coven with mentoring a troubled teenage witch, and she couldn’t be more different from fiery, stubborn Maeve.

Or from Hal, the gruff but handsome owner of the woodland cottage where they must temporarily reside. As the unlikely trio slowly bond, outside forces begin to take an interest in Maeve’s extraordinary powers. Will Annie risk everything to protect the true magic she’s finally found?

Uncharmed by Lucy Jane Wood is one of those book that’s perfect to curl up with.

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When Lucy arrives at her sister’s house in a wild panic, she doesn’t find the solace she’s desperately seeking – only an abandoned house, in a town steeped in mystery. As Lucy searches for her sister, instead she uncovers tales of missing men. Stories of women drowned just off the coast two hundred years before.

Rumours of their voices on the waves. Can the voices lead Lucy to her sister – or are they trying to pull them both under?

The Sirens by Emilia Hart – 9780008499174

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Raeve’s thirst for vengeance continues to burn, as does her love for Kaan Vaegor – a staunch beacon from a past she’s yet to face. With Rekk’s blood still fresh on her hands, she learns the world will face its most devastating moonfall yet, forcing her to pick a path: Chase death. Or life.

Desperate to save his kingdom from ruin, Kaan’s crown has never felt so heavy. His many larks to scattered friends and family remain unanswered, and time is running out. As allies merge and enemies surge with bloodlusting agendas of their own, secrets brew hot enough to burn, but none so mighty as the truth nesting within the icy depths of Raeve’s long forgotten past.

Something … Other. Something with the knowledge to change it all.

The Ballad of Falling Dragons (Moon Fall Serie #2) – Sarah A. Parker – 9780008710330

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Katabasis, noun, Ancient Greek: The story of a hero’s descent to the underworld.

Alice Law has only ever had one goal: to become one of the brightest minds in the field of Magick. She has sacrificed everything to make that a reality: her pride, her health, her love life, and most definitely her sanity. All to work with Professor Jacob Grimes at Cambridge, the greatest magician in the world. That is, until he dies in a magical accident that could possibly be her fault.

Grimes is now in Hell, and she’s going in after him. Because his recommendation could hold her very future in his now incorporeal hands. And even death is not going to stop the pursuit of her dreams….

Nor will the fact that her rival, Peter Murdoch, has come to the very same conclusion.

With nothing but the tales of Orpheus and Dante to guide them, enough chalk to draw the Pentagrams necessary for their spells. And the burning desire to make all the academic trauma mean anything, they set off across Hell to save a man they don’t even like.

But Hell is not like the storybooks say. Magick isn’t always the answer, and there’s something in Alice and Peter’s past that could forge them into the perfect allies… or lead to their doom.

Katabasis – R. F. Kuang – 9780008501907

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