Some horror books I’m looking forward to later this year!
Thank you to the mentioned publishers for the gifted copies.
MOONFLOW – Bitter Karella (Releasing September 2nd, 2025)
HOW TO SURVIVE CAMPING: THE MAN WITH NO SHADOW – Bonnie Quinn (Releasing August 5th, 2025)
THE NIGHT IS NOT FOR YOU – Eman Quotah (Releasing October 7th, 2025)
MOONFLOW – Bitter Karella (Releasing September 2nd, 2025 – Thank you Run For It and Novel Suspects for the gifted early copy)
Annihilation meets Manhunt in three-time Hugo Award nominee Bitter Karella’s debut horror novel—a gloriously queer and irreverent psychedelic trip into the heart of an eldritch wood and the horrors of (cis)terhood.
I see something out there, in the woods. It does not have a face.
They call it the King’s Breakfast. One bite and you can understand the full scope of the universe; one bite and you can commune with forgotten gods beyond human comprehension. And it only grows deep in the Pamogo forest, where the trees crowd so tight that the forest floor is pitch black day and night, where rumors of disappearing hikers and strange cults that worship the divine feminine abound.
Sarah is a trans woman who makes her living growing mushrooms. When a bad harvest leaves her in a desperate fix, the lure of the King’s Breakfast has her journeying into those vast uncharted woods. But as she descends deeper, she realizes she’s not alone. Something in the forest is waking up. It’s hungry—and it wants her.
HOW TO SURVIVE CAMPING: THE MAN WITH NO SHADOW – Bonnie Quinn (Releasing August 5th, 2025 – Thanks to Saga Press for the gifted early copy)
Welcome to Night Vale meets The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook in a campy, cozy horror novel that will appeal to creepy folklore afficionados and spooky story lovers alike.
I am a campground manager. I don’t have a list of rules because I’m trying to ruin your fun…I’m trying to keep you from doing small, simple things that could result in your horrific and most agonizing demise.
Goat Valley Campground has killed generations of Kate’s family. The land is old, passed down through generations, but the campground’s reputation doesn’t just draw campers year after year. Creatures from folklore and horror have made Goat Valley not just their home, but their hunting ground.
As campground manager, Kate has rules to protect her campers—if the man with the skull cup offers you a drink, accept it or you will die a gruesome death; don’t buy ice from the children with no wagon; and of course, never ever follow the lights. Still, not every camper follows the rules…which means not every camper survives their stay.
Soon decapitated and exsanguinated campers are the least of Kate’s worries; one of the most dangerous inhabitants of the campground is determined to claim the land for himself. Meanwhile, something in the land is shifting, the tides are turning, and the curse that hunts members of her bloodline begins to close in…
THE NIGHT IS NOT FOR YOU – Eman Quotah (Releasing October 7th, 2025 – Thanks to Run For It and Novel Suspects for the gifted early copy)
From the award-winning author of The Bride at Sea comes this visceral tale of feminine rage and magical realism as Layla learns the very human pains of growing up and realizing the world isn’t as safe a place as it should be.
A man’s body is found viciously murdered behind a neighborhood’s corner store, sending shockwaves through the tight-knit community in this small-town neighborhood. All the victim’s family and bystanders want is to make sense of this brutal crime and move on with their lives.
But all seven-year-old Layla wants is a pet donkey. To her, a donkey is the epitome of freedom and being self-sufficient—to think for herself, go anywhere by herself and live an independent life.
As the killings continue, Layla’s world unravels. Rumors start to fly of supposed hoofprints and a woman with hair like black silk. As the ambiguous messages in lipstick and sweet smell of perfume cause the finger of blame to point towards the women, Layla herself grows into a woman.
The kind of woman she has always dreamt of becoming—a woman with sharp instincts. A woman who cannot be tamed.
The night is not for you. It has always belonged to her.
Jessicamap Reviews 
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