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Hell's Heart by Alexis Hall: Cover Reveal

One of my most anticipated books of 2026 is Hell's Heart by Alexis Hall and we just got the (US) cover reveal!

Gideon the Ninth meets Murderbot in USA Today bestselling author Alexis Hall's thrilling SF debut, Hell's Heart! They are monsters, legends, gods. They are our prey. Earth is dead. Which leaves us stuck living in atmospheric domes on planets that will kill us if we blink wrong, or run out of fuel. And by “fuel” I mean “the cerebrospinal fluid of gargantuan, quasi-psychic space monsters”. I joined the hunt hoping to get paid and maybe laid, but mostly paid. Instead, I followed a captain chasing abominations in the skies of Jupiter. We battled the Möbius Beast itself, there in the red eye of the world. Spoiler: we lost.

Hell's Heart will be published on March 10, 2026 and can be pre-ordered here!

Storygraph | Goodreads

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Raised in a Greek legion, Phaidros has been taught to fight for the homeland he’s never seen and to follow his commander’s orders at all costs. But when he rescues a baby from a fire at Thebes’s palace, his commander’s orders cease to make sense: Phaidros is forced to abandon the blue-eyed boy at a temple, and to keep the baby’s existence a secret. Years later, after a strange encounter that led to the death of his battalion, Phaidros has become a training master for young soldiers. He struggles with panic attacks and flashbacks, and he is not the only one: all around him, his fellow veterans are losing their minds. Phaidros’s risk of madness is not his only problem: his life has become entangled with Thebes’s young crown prince, who wishes to escape the marriage his mother, the Queen, has chosen for him. When the prince vanishes, Phaidros is drawn into the search for him—a search that leads him to a blue-eyed witch named Dionysus, whose guidance is as wise as the events that surround him are strange. In Dionysus’s company, Phaidros witnesses sudden outbursts of riots and unrest, and everywhere Dionysus goes, rumors follow about a new god, one sired by Zeus but lost in a fire.

"We don’t last long, but our stories do."

Natasha Pulley's The Hymn to Dionysus is, in perfect Pulley fashion, a pointed novel about grief, memory, and identity, a reflection on PTSD and love, and a labirintine narration that draws you in, confuses you, enchants you, and leaves you begging for more. Pulley's distinctive voice is a soothing caress, mesmerising and hypnothising, as she tackles Greek Mythology with a deft hand and creates a new story that feels like the myth. Her Dionysus is a feral and uncanny creature, an ancient and curious god, kind and terrible.

The sole narrator, Phaidros, finds himself earning Dionysus' attention from a very young age. A vicious soldier and a polyglot, widowed of his guardian and commander, he is suicidal and compelled by duty and honor. He's the quintessential Pulley protagonist, and yes, she definitely has a niche, but what she does with her niche works everytime, like beautiful clockwork. This book has an intricate plot, with twists and turns that weren't predictable even by knowing the actual myths, and it meanders gently, pulling you by your hand, slowly unraveling madness and knowledge and freedom.

The relationship between Phaidros and the strange witch he suspects from the start of being a god develops beautifully, with moments of terrible tenderness and others that are heartbreaking. Phaidros' internal monologue paints him as a desperate, grieving man who can't find in himself to believe he's worthy of anything anymore, dealing with staggering loss and with the sudden duties he takes on because he has to. Slowly he'll learn to find value in himself, all while battling with a draught that threatens to kill all and with a supernatural madness taking on soldiers, as well as with a dynastic crisis.

The author did her research into history and myth, and it shows with her usage of greek words and historical references and with her deft threading of her own special Pulley-ness into the mythological tapestry. Her usage of language and etymology is as always superb, as is her particular kind of magical realism. This book has mask magic and bronze marvels that might or might not be inhabited by gods, and her inclusion of the blind prophet Thiresias in a new and fresh way is handled with grace. The major female character is handled with the usual depth and narrative cruelty. It should feel trite, but despite this, her women are always vibrant and never dulled down, and that is the saving grace.

The Hymn to Dionysus is a marvelous piece of art.

✨ 5 stars

[You can find more of my reviews about queer speculative fiction on my blog MISTY WORLD]

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Prince of Fortune

By Lisa Tirreno

10/10!

My, what a lovely and romantic book. I loved everything about this story, and so much more. The plot was so masterfully woven together I found myself gripped the entire way through! The two characters we have the pleasure of watching fall in love and stay in love are wonderfully rounded out and incredibly mature. Parts of me forgot I was reading a YA novel, truly. I love a good fated lovers during a war trope and this book absolutely delivered, and this book knows how to have fun! I felt like I was watching a perfectly thought out war movie, but it was deeply romantic and also fantastical. Edmund and Aubrey have a very permanent place in my heart, and it's a book I would absolutely read again! Please go read Prince of Fortune

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Sorry I was gone I took a 6 month break from my book to go read JayVik fanfiction. But we are so back, I'm gonna finish Prince of fortune and start another book I promise!!

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Tor Publishing Group is BACK with a guide of books to gift the people in your life…and yourself!

For the friends who love a good scare all year round…

Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle

Evil in Me by Brom

━ ˖°˖ ☾☆☽ ˖°˖ ━

Escape with fantastical folklore…

A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher

When Among Crows by Veronica Roth

Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi

━ ˖°˖ ☾☆☽ ˖°˖ ━

Forbidden romance to keep you warm…

Swordcrossed by Freya Marske

The Stars Are Dying by Chloe C. Peñaranda

━ ˖°˖ ☾☆☽ ˖°˖ ━

Beloved bestselling authors to add to your TBR… 

Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson

In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

Not enough books? Don’t worry, we have another GET BOOKT: THE BOOKENING guide to help you out!

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I love character development, but can adult romance please drop the "I'm just a fucking selfish idiot and need someone else (particularly a HOT someone else) to show me how stupid in being" type of character development.

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Angels Before Man by Rafael Nicolás

10/10

Violently exhilarating to read! I had deep thoughts about the novel and really related to Lucifer up till the violent end. (that was a bit much for me) That anger from being hurt being told it comes from a place of love? Been there. Michael is such a tragic angel in this story and I would kill for his p.o.v. overall, I enjoy a good tragedy, and this delivered. With a grace and elegance so violent you almost forget this is about the fall. The beginning is sweet, perfectly ripe and soft, part one cradles you softly with praise and innocence. Part two is a slow descent. With themes and commentary on abuse, worship, blind love and jealousy. Leading you to a bitter end. Biting into a dark chocolate so devoid of sugar.