Celestial | Herculine: A Novel

Herculine: A Novel

Grace Byron

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A “paranoid, self-annihilating” (Gretchen Felker-Martin, author of Manhunt and Cuckoo) horror debut following a woman who seeks refuge at an all-trans girl commune only to discover that demons haunt her fellow comrades—and she's their next prey!

Herculine’s narrator has demons. Sure, her life includes several hallmarks of the typical trans girl sob story—conversion therapy, a string of shitty low-paying jobs, and even shittier exes—but she also regularly debates sleep paralysis demons that turn to mist soon after she wakes and carries vials of holy oil in her purse.

Nothing, though, prepares her for the new malevolent force stalking her through the streets of New York City, more powerful than any she’s ever encountered. Desperate to escape this ancient evil, she flees to rural Indiana, where her ex-girlfriend started an all-trans girl commune in the middle of the woods.

The secluded camp, named after 19th-century intersex memoirist Herculine Barbin, is a scrappy operation, but the shared sense of community among the girls is a welcome balm to the narrator’s growing isolation and paranoia.

Still, something isn’t quite right at Herculine. Girls stop talking as soon as she enters the room, everyone seems to share a common secret, and the books lining the walls of the library harbor strange cryptograms.

Soon what once looked like an escape becomes a trap all its own. While trying to untangle the commune’s many mysteries, the narrator contends with disemboweled pigs, cultlike psychosexual rituals, and the horrors of communal breakfast.

And before long, she discovers that her demons have followed her. And this time, they won’t be letting her go.

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Posts about this title from Celestial

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • May 7

IT’S CULT TIME!

📚 books mentioned: - The Merry Dredgers by Jeremy C. Shipp - Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison - You Weren’t Meant to Be Human by Andrew Joseph White - Herculine by Grace Byron

👗💄: - dress is from Free People, rented from Nuuly - eyeshadow is Fade Into Hue Palette from Colourpop - mascara is Lash Princess False Lash (Purple) from Essence - lip combo is Lip Liner Stay-n (Clover) from and Lip Elixir (Midnight Lychee) from Sacheu Beauty - (also if you have a question about my makeup or something i’m wearing, most of it is curated in my shopmy!)

thank you to Meerkat Press, Berkley Books, and Saga Press for the gifted copies!

#cultbooks #horrorbooks #horrorbookrecs #nycinfluencer #bookstagram @meerkatpress @berkleypub @sagapressbooks @colourpopcosmetics @essence_cosmetics @sacheubeauty

cult books • books about cults • horror books • unique horror horror books • dark humor books • unique books • diverse books

4 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Apr 29

CHOOSE YOUR BOOK CRISIS! (part 7!)

CHOOSE YOUR BOOK CRISIS! (part 7!) because everything i read involves terrible, terrible dangers.

📚 books mentioned: - Herculine by Grace Byron - The Obake Code by Makana Yamamoto - The Maiden and Her Monster by Maddie Martinez - You Weren’t Meant to Be Human by Andrew Joseph White - Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu - The Transition by Logan-Ashley Kisner - The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo - Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker - The Redemption Center is Closed on Sundays by Andrea Hairston

👗💄: - dress is from Amy Jane London, rented from Nuuly - eyeshadow is a mix of palettes from Colourpop - mascara is 4 Real from Babe Original - lip combo is Suede Matte Lip Liner (Moonwalk) from NYX Cosmetics and PhD Hybrid Lip Glaze (Cocoa) from Haus Labs - (also if you have a question about my makeup or something i’m wearing, most of it is curated in my shopmy!)

thank you to Saga Press, Harper Voyager, Tor Books, Pantheon, Get Underlined, Henry Holt & Co., and Hanover Square Press/HTP Hive for the gifted copies!

#fantasybooks #horrorbooks #scifibooks #nycinfluencer #bookstagram @sagapressbooks @harpervoyagerus @torbooks @pantheonbooks @getunderlined @henryholtbooks @hanoversquarepress @htp_hive @amyjanelondon

fantasy books • horror books • science fiction books • murder mystery books • literary fiction books • thriller books • choose your character (book edition) • unique books • diverse books

9 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Apr 15

which one convinced you the most? 🫨

which one convinced you the most? 🫨 part twenty-three of one star goodreads reviews of books i enjoyed!

📚 books mentioned: - On Sundays She Picked Flowers by Yah-Yah Scholfield - No Gods, No Monsters by Cadwell Turnbull - The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo - Herculine by Grace Byron - The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas - Salt Bones by Jennifer Givhan - Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt - Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

👗💄: - eyeshadow is The Lord of the Rings Middle Earth Palette from Glamlite - eyeshadow shimmer is Lucid Dream from Ourbella Cosmetics - mascara is Highly Rated XL from Milani - lip combo is Lippie Pencil (Twisted) from Colourpop and Shine-On Milky Lip Oil Jelly (Pistachio) from Tower28 - (also if you have a question about my makeup or something i’m wearing, most of it is curated in my shopmy!)

thank you to Saga Press and Little, Brown, and Co or the gifted copies!

#onestarreviews #negativebookreview #goodreadsreviews #nycinfluencer #bookstagram @sagapressbooks @blackstonepublishing @henryholtbooks @berkleypub @littlebrown @eccobooks @torbooks

reading one star reviews of books i loved • recommending books using their negative goodreads reviews • 1 star book reviews • bookish humor • diverse books • Blackstone Publishing • Henry Holt & Co • Berkley Books • Ecco • Tor Books

8 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Feb 17

weirdo winter!

💭 are you a weird book lover?

welcome to WEIRDO WINTER. let’s yap about some peculiar & unsettling reads.

📚 books mentioned: - Herculine by Grace Byron - Ghostroots: Stories by ‘Pemi Aguda - The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi

👗💄: - dress is from If By Sea (rented from Nuuly) - necklace is Solstice Gemstone from Christin Marie Studio - eyeshadow is Ellis Atlantis Palette from Blend Bunny Cosmetics and The Spring Symphony Palette from Dandy Lion Cosmetics - lip combo is Staining Lip Liner (Platonic) from Kulfi Beauty and Gloss Up Sheer Finish Lip Gloss (Well Read) from The Lip Bar - (also if you have a question about my makeup or something i’m wearing, most of it is curated in my shopmy!)

thank you to Saga Press and William Morrow for the gifted copies!

#weirdbooks #horrorbooks #fantasybooks #nycinfluencer #bookstagram @sagapressbooks @w.w.norton @williammorrowbooks @blendbunnycosmetics @dandylionsco @christinmariestudio @kulfi.beauty @thelipbar @ifbysea.la

weird books • weird girl lit • strange books • unusual books • horror book recs • fantasy horror books • disturbing books • book recommendations • unique book recs • diverse books • W.W. Norton and Company

3 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Nov 14 2025

trans horror book recs

trans horror is simply ✨elite✨

📚 books mentioned: - The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw - You Weren’t Meant to Be Human by Andrew Joseph White - Unwieldy Creatures by Addie Brook Tsai - Herculine by Grace Byron - Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon

👗💄: - sweater is from Farm Rio - eyeshadow (lower) is a sparklestik from Half Magic - eyeshadow (upper) is fembot from r.e.m. beauty - (also if you have a question about my makeup or something i’m wearing, most of it is curated in my shopmy!)

thank you to Tor Nightfire and Saga Press for the gifted copies!

#horrorbooks #horrorbookrecs #transhorror #queerhorror #transbooks #starrysteph #nycinfluencer #diversebookstagram #nycbookstagram #bookstagram #SagaSaysCrew #sagapressbooks #SagaSays #TorPartner @tornightfire @torbooks @sagapressbooks @jadedibispress @mcdbooks @farmrio @halfmagicbeauty @r.e.m.beauty

5 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Nov 5 2025

book recs inspired by iconic musical theatre moments!

📚 books mentioned: - Herculine by Grace Byron - Saltcrop by Yume Kitasei - Metal from Heaven by August Clarke

🎭 shows mentioned: - Sweeney Todd - Hadestown - Fun Home

👗💄: - dress is from Selkie - eyeshadow is In A Trance palette from Colourpop - (also if you have a question about my makeup or something i’m wearing, most of it is curated in my shopmy!)

thank you to Saga Press and Flatiron for the gifted copies!

#bookrecsfrommusicals #ifyoulikethismusicalreadthisbook #horrorbooks #fantasybooks #scifibooks #theatre #broafwaymusical #starrysteph #nycinfluencer #diversebookstagram #nycbookstagram #bookstagram #FlatironPartner #SagaSaysCrew #sagapressbooks #SagaSays #ErewhonBooks @sagapressbooks @flatiron_books @erewhonbooks @sweeneytoddbway @hadestown @funhomemusical @selkie @colourpopcosmetics

3 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • May 17 2025

ENGAGEMENT BOOK HAUL!!

ENGAGEMENT BOOK HAUL!! i will probably be bragging about this for the rest of my life. 🥰📚💍

THANK YOU to Savannah and Saga Press for this unreal stack!

📚 books mentioned: - You Weren’t Mean to be Human by Andrew Joseph White - Killer on the Road / The Babysitter Lives by Stephen Graham Jones - Herculine by Grace Byron - Night & Day edited by Ellen Datlow - How to Defeat a Demon King in Ten Easy Steps by Andrew Rowe - A Game in Yellow by Hailey Piper - The Lost Reliquary by Lyndsay Ely - The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter by Theodora Goss - Why I Love Horror edited by Becky Siegel Spratford - The Secret Market of the Dead by Giovanni De Feo

#horrorbooks #fantasybooks #scifibooks #stephengrahamjones #andrewjosephwhite #readingroadtorings #bookproposal #bookengagement #nycinfluencer #engagement #sagapressbooks #SagaSaysCrew #sagasays #starrysteph #bookstagram

Posts about this book from across Bindery

Bee's Books\ \ Bailee Russo\ \ • Jun 26

Join for free

Wronggggggg.\ \ Now, we can have a conversation about how publishing house conglomerates and the trend-led mass-market led by an overwhelming white, straight, etc, majority creates a homogeneity of stories...sure. We can talk about that all day long.\ \ But if we do, we also need to talk about how consumers drive that market, and how our choices -- on social media feeds, on review platforms, at the bookstore -- make an impact on those publishing trends. That, I think, is a more interesting conversation.\ \ Because if we put in the effort to follow book reviewers from a diversity of perspectives, to support indie and underrepresented authors, to review the books we read with critical self-reflection, to support our local book vendors, libraries, etc...then we will find a huge, wide world of weird and wonderful literature just waiting for its audience. And in doing so, we can make an impact on publishing as a whole, too.\ \ So, here are a few unique books that I think you might love, featuring cannibalistic nuns, Faustian bargains, shape-shifting mermaids, talking animals, alternate futures, parasitic aliens, swampcore haunted cabins, cryptids, and more.\ \ Herculine by Grace Byron: an all Trans girls commune haunted by demons.\ \ The Reformatory by Tanarive Due: a segregated reform school and the evil inside.\ \ Wife Shaped Bodies by Laura Cranehill: the trad wives are sprouting mushrooms.\ \ A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft: a dark academia quest for a magic spring.\ \ Sky Full of Elephants by Cebo Campbell: a new world where all the white people have disappeared.\ \ The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones: A Blackfeet vampire seeking vengeance.\ \ The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling: a medieval castle under siege and the cannibalistic fever dream that unfolds inside.\ \ What We Feed to the Manticore by Talia Lakshmi Kolluri: a collection of compelling short stories all told from the perspectives of animals.\ \ After Love by Tanya Byrne: a fantastical lesbian love story that literally transcends death itself.\ \ Green Fuse Burning by Tiffany Morris: a grief-stricken Indigenous artist who arrives at a cabin in a remote, swampy forest, before strange things start to happen.\ \ Fate's Bane by CL Clark: sword-wielding, star-crossed lovers from rival clans, inspired by Celtic folklore.\ \ As Many Souls as Stars by Natasha Siegel: a Faustian Bargain between a witch and a demon, and their game of cat-and-mouse that spans multiple lifetimes.\ \ A Feast for the Eyes by Alex Crespo: four teenagers hunting the local cryptic that feeds on secrets.\ \ They Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran: a red algae bloom causes strange mutations in a small Louisiana town.\ \ The Seep by Chana Porter: a parasitic alien invasion that creates a strange utopia, and one woman's quest to stop its spread.\ \ The Gloaming by Kirsty Logan: a hungry sea, a family beset by grief, and a strange woman who climbs up from the water.\ \ Happy reading!\ \ -B

"Books are all the same now."

15 books

Sunny's Book Truck\ \ CJ\ \ • Jun 21

Join for free

[Hi nerds,\ \ Last night we held our recurring event, Sunny's Salon. This month the prompt was to come prepared to talk about your favorite queer read for Pride month. Below you will find 20ish book recommendations gathered from the Yuma community.\ \ \ \

The Song of Achilles: A thrilling, profoundly moving, and utterly unique retelling of the legend of Achilles and the Trojan War from the bestselling author of Circe.\ \
Homosexual Intifada: A groundbreaking anthology amplifying queer Palestinian voices through art and storytelling that reclaim identity, resist erasure, and challenge stereotypes.\ \
Muñeca: A vivid, surreal Gothic about a queer, Latine, working class witch who sets out to rescue a bespelled heiress and loses control of her powers and her heart in the process.\ \
Cleat Cute: A sapphic rivals to lovers rom com for fans of Ted Lasso and A League of Their Own, where two soccer teammates are at odds before falling in love as their team gears up for the World Cup.\ \
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe: The award-winning, internationally renowned book that is a “tender, honest exploration of identity” ( Publishers Weekly) and distills lyrical truths about family and friendship through the unlikely connection between two teens.\ \
Dogs of Summer: My Brilliant Friend meets Blue is the Warmest Color in this lyrical debut novel set in a working-class neighborhood of the Canary Islands—a story about two girls coming of age in the early aughts and a friendship that simmers into erotic desire over the course of one hot summer.\ \ \ \ \
I'll Give You the Sun: The radiant, award-winning story of first love, family, loss, and betrayal for fans of John Green, Becky Albertalli, and Adam Silvera.\ \
What Move the Dead: A gripping and atmospheric reimagining of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” from Hugo, Locus, & Nebula award-winning author T. Kingfisher.\ \
Cemetery Boys: A trans boy determined to prove his gender to his traditional Latinx family summons a ghost who refuses to leave in Aiden Thomas's paranormal YA debut.\ \
The Black Flamingo: A fierce coming-of-age verse novel about identity and the power of drag, from acclaimed poet and performer Dean Atta. Perfect for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo, Jason Reynolds, and Kacen Callender.\ \
The Spirit Bares Its Teeth: Featuring an autistic trans protagonist in a historical setting, Andrew Joseph White’s much-anticipated sophomore novel does not back down from exposing the violence of the patriarchy and the harm inflicted on trans youth who are forced into conformity.\ \ \ Open Throat: A lonely, lovable, queer mountain lion narrates this star-making fever dream of a novel.\ \ \ \
Pumpkin: Return to the beloved world of Julie Murphy’s #1 New York Times bestselling Dumplin’— now a popular Netflix feature film starring Jennifer Aniston — in this fabulously joyful, final companion novel about drag, prom, and embracing your inner Queen.\ \
Herculine: A “witty, often-chilling, compulsively readable” ( Vogue) horror debut following a woman who seeks refuge at an all-trans girl commune only to discover that demons haunt her fellow comrades—and she’s their next prey!\ \
Stag Dance: In this collection of one novel and three stories, bestselling author Torrey Peters’s keen eye for the rough edges of community and desire push the limits of trans writing.\ \
D'Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding: D'Vaughn and Kris have six weeks to plan their dream wedding. Their whole relationship is fake.\ \
Wife Shaped Bodies: Sorrowland meets Manhunt in this literary horror debut in which an isolated newlywed, covered in fungal fruiting bodies, strikes a precarious balance between following her husband's strict rules and pursuing an intense connection with a woman who makes her question everything.\ \
Astrid Parker Doesn't Fall: An interior designer who is never without the perfect plan learns to renovate her love life without one in this new romantic comedy by Ashley Herring Blake, author of Delilah Green Doesn’t Care.\ \ \ \ \
Cackle: A darkly funny, frightening novel about a young woman learning how to take what she wants from a witch who may be too good to be true, from the author of The Return.\ \
Giovanni's Room: James Baldwin’s groundbreaking novel whose frank exploration of sexuality and self-acceptance was decades ahead of its time—named one of The Atlantic’s Great American Novels of the past 100 years.\ \
Strange Beasts: In this fresh-yet-familiar gothic tale—part historical fantasy, part puzzle-box mystery—the worlds of Dracula and Sherlock Holmes collide in a thrilling exploration of feminine power.\ \
Looking for a Sign: A newly single queer woman moves to New Orleans and sets off on a mission to find her most compatible match by going on a date with someone of each astrological sign in this rom-com from the Lambda Literary Award–nominated author of Queerly Beloved.\ \
Saturn Returning: A smoldering, soul-splitting debut that tracks three friends through the celestial chaos of adulthood, love, and queer identity.\ \
Legends & Lattes: The much-beloved BookTok sensation, Travis Baldree's novel of high fantasy and low stakes.\ \ \ \ Love what we do? Become a paid subscriberfor less than a cup of coffee a month. Your ongoing support helps us plan ahead, fund causes we care about, and create meaningful programming for our community.](https://sunnysbooktruck.binderybooks.com/item/qhqwdGtxh5zmTWfKXN0w/)

What our community is reading for Pride

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22 books

Bee's Books\ \ Bailee Russo\ \ • Jun 1

Join for free

Some unique books for your TBR stack #weirdlit #weirdbooks #uniquebooks #bookrecs #lgbtbooks

7 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • May 7

IT’S CULT TIME!

thank you to Meerkat Press, Berkley Books, and Saga Press for the gifted copies!

cult books • books about cults • horror books • unique horror horror books • dark humor books • unique books • diverse books

4 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Apr 29

CHOOSE YOUR BOOK CRISIS! (part 7!)

CHOOSE YOUR BOOK CRISIS! (part 7!) because everything i read involves terrible, terrible dangers.

thank you to Saga Press, Harper Voyager, Tor Books, Pantheon, Get Underlined, Henry Holt & Co., and Hanover Square Press/HTP Hive for the gifted copies!

9 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Apr 15

which one convinced you the most? 🫨

which one convinced you the most? 🫨 part twenty-three of one star goodreads reviews of books i enjoyed!

thank you to Saga Press and Little, Brown, and Co or the gifted copies!

8 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Feb 17

weirdo winter!

💭 are you a weird book lover?

welcome to WEIRDO WINTER. let’s yap about some peculiar & unsettling reads.

📚 books mentioned: - Herculine by Grace Byron - Ghostroots: Stories by ‘Pemi Aguda - The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi

thank you to Saga Press and William Morrow for the gifted copies!