Celestial | Into the Drowning Deep

Into the Drowning Deep

Mira Grant

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New York Times bestselling author Mira Grant, author of the renowned Newsflesh series, returns with a novel that takes us to a new world of ancient mysteries and mythological dangers come to life. The ocean is home to many myths, but some are deadly.

Seven years ago the Atargatis set off on a voyage to the Mariana Trench to film a mockumentary bringing to life ancient sea creatures of legend. It was lost at sea with all hands. Some have called it a hoax; others have called it a tragedy.

Now a new crew has been assembled. But this time they're not out to entertain. Some seek to validate their life's work. Some seek the greatest hunt of all. Some seek the truth. But for the ambitious young scientist Victoria Stewart this is a voyage to uncover the fate of the sister she lost.

Whatever the truth may be, it will only be found below the waves. But the secrets of the deep come with a price.

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Posts about this title from Celestial

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Jul 29

queer aquatic books

this is so randomly specific (idk, it just came to me while i was sitting on the subway 😅) … but here are some queer books recs with giant aquatic creatures!!

📚 books mentioned: - The Jellyfish Problem by Tessa Yang - Canon by Paige Lewis - Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

👗💄: - dress is from Banjanan, rented from Nuuly - eyeshadow is The Spring Symphony Palette from Dandy Lions and In A Trance Palette from Colourpop - eyeliner is Velvet Flik Longwear Wing + Waterline Eyeliner Pencil (Goth Girlfriend) from Half Magic Beauty - shimmer are singles (Blooming, Mirage, Lucid Dream) from Ourbella - use the code STEPH for a discount! - mascara is Lash Extensions XL from Milani - lip combo is Matte Fix Lip Pencil (Midnight Seduction) from about-face and So Juicy Lip Oil (Glow Thru It) 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 Berkley Books and Viking Books for the gifted copies!

#fantasybooks #literaryfiction #horrorbooks #nycinfluencer #bookstagram @berkleypub @vikingbooks @orbitbooks_us @banjanan @nuuly @dandylionsco @colourpopcosmetics @halfmagicbeauty @ourbella.us @milanicosmetics @aboutfacebeauty

3 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Jun 1

ready to make a SPLASH into some sinister mermaid stories?

📚 books mentioned: - Chlorine by Jade Song - Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant - The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw

👗💄: - dress is from CeliaB, rented from Nuuly - eyeshadow is Ellis Atlantis Palette from Blend Bunny Cosmetics - shimmer is from Ourbella (Aphrodite and Cosmic Siren) - mascara is from Babe Original - lip is Speak Love Lip-Plumping Glossy Balm from LYS Beauty - (also if you have a question about my makeup or something i’m wearing, most of it is curated in my shopmy!)

#mermaidbooks #mermaidbookrecs #scarymermaids #nycinfluencer #bookstagram @williammorrowbooks @orbitbooks_us @tornightfire @celiabdesigner @blendbunnycosmetics @ourbella.us @babeoriginal @lysbeautyofficial

mermaid book recs • queer mermaids • sapphic mermaids • mermaid horror books • ocean horror • mockumentary books • fantasy horror • queer horror books • fantasy book recs • horror book recs • unique books • diverse books • William Morrow • Orbit • Tor Nightfire

3 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Jan 15

💭 what’s your favorite sort of creature feature?

🩸horror book round-up featuring unique horror beasts and new takes on existing spooky legends!

all of these are fantastic, and i could do a bunch of follow ups with more books if you’re interested, too!

📚 books mentioned: - Jackal by Erin E. Adams - Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant - The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

👗💄: - sweater dress is from Farm Rio, rented from Nuuly - eyeshadow is Ellis Atlantis Palette from Blend Bunny Cosmetics - eyeliner is Vegan Longwear Eyeliner (Ocean) from Pacifica Beauty - lip combo is Outlast Lip Stain (Admire) from Covergirl and Fat Oil Lip Drip Gloss (Chillin’ Like a Villain) from NYX Cosmetics - (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 Bantam (Ballantine) for the gifted copy!

#horrorbooks #horrorbookrecs #creaturefeatures #nycinfluencer #bookstagram @ballantinebooks @bantambooks @orbitbooks_us @sagapressbooks @farmrio @nuuly @blendbunnycosmetics @pacificabeauty @covergirl @nyxcosmetics

horror books • monster books • creature feature horror books • horror book recommendations • supernatural horror books • best horror books • diverse books • Bantam Books • Ballantine Books • Orbit • Saga Press

3 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Dec 1 2025

💭 what’s your favorite book with disability rep?

✨ here are some quick recommendations for Disability December! (and as you all know, i have sooo many more hahaha) >>> make sure to follow @disabilitydecember

📚 books mentioned: - Urban Creatures by Sarah Gray - Haunting Melody by Chloe Spencer - These Vengeful Gods by Gabe Cole Novoa - The Hollow Half: A Memoir of Bodies and Borders by Sarah Aziza - Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant - Conditions of a Heart by Bethany Mangle - Model Home by Rivers Solomon

👗💄: - dress is from Reformation, rented from Nuuly - eyeliner is from Kaleidos - eyeshadow is several singles from Ourbella - (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 Mercuria Press, Ingram, Tiny Ghost Press, Get Underlined, and Simon Teen for the gifted copies!

#disabilitydecember #disabledstories #disabledauthors #bookrecs #starrysteph #nycinfluencer #diversebookstagram #nycbookstagram #bookstagram #disabledbookstagrammer #disabledbookstagram @mercuria_press @tinyghostpress @ingramsparkbooks @getunderlined @catapult @orbitbooks_us @simonteen @mcdbooks @nuuly @reformation @kaleidosmakeup @ourbella.us

6 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Nov 10 2025

which one convinced you the most? 🙌

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

📚 books mentioned: - Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu - The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones - Model Home by Rivers Solomon - Vanishing World by Sayaka Murata, translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori - Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant - The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei - You Weren’t Meant to Be Human by Andrew Joseph White - The Phoenix Pencil Company by Allison King - I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me by Jamison Shea - Fire and Ice by Erin Hunter

thank you to Vintage, Saga Press, Grove Press, Flatiron, and William Morrow for the gifted copies!

#onestarreviews #negativebookreview #bookreviews #goodreadsreviews #booktokhumor #nycinfluencer #nycbooktok #starrysteph #SagaSaysCrew #sagapressbooks #SagaSays #grovereader #FlatironPartner @ireadvintage @sagapressbooks @mcdbooks @groveatlantic @orbitbooks_us @flatiron_books @williammorrowbooks @fiercereads @harpercollins

10 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Aug 9 2025

my passion is just shouting horror books at you until you read them. do it.

📚 books mentioned: - Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker - Delicious Monsters by Liselle Sambury - Lakewood by Megan Giddings - Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant - Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White - Delicate Condition by Danielle Valentine - Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark - House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland - Wrath Becomes Her by Aden Polydoros - The Honeys by Ryan La Sala - Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin - My Heart Is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones - Jackal by Erin E. Adams - The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi - Infested by Angel Luis Colón

thank you to MIRA/HPT Hive, Simon Teen, Sourcebooks, Inkyard Press, Scholastic, Bantam, and William Morrow for the gifted copies!

#horrorbooks #horrorbookrecs #besthorrorbooks #horrorbookrecommendations #SimonTeenInfluencer #starrysteph #nycinfluencer #diversebookstagram #nycbookstagram #bookstagram #nycbookstagram @readmirabooks @htp_hive @simonteen @amistadbooks @orbitbooks_us @peachtreeteen @sourcebooks @tordotcompub @scholastic @riverheadbooks @sagapressbooks @ballantinebooks @williammorrowbooks @harpercollins @inkyardpress

15 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Aug 9 2025

what did you read this week? here’s my speedy reading update!

📚 books mentioned: - A Mastery of Monsters by Liselle Sambury - Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant - Killer on the Road/The Babysitter Lives by Stephen Graham Jones

thank you to Simon Teen and Saga Press for the gifted copies!

#readingupdate #readingcheckin #weeklyreading #fantasybooks #horrorbooks #darkacademia #starrysteph #nycinfluencer #SagaSaysCrew #SimonTeenInfluencer #sagapressbooks #SagaSays #bookstagram #nycbookstagram @simonteen @orbitbooks_us @sagapressbooks

3 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Aug 2 2025

choose your (book) crisis!!

because a character never seems to have an easy, happy time in a book that i pick up.

📚 books mentioned: - Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant - The Eyes are the Best Part by Monika Kim - Killer on the Road/The Babysitter Lives by Stephen Graham Jones - The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei - Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia - The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones - Womb City by Tlotlo Tsamaase - I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me by Jamison Shea - A Forbidden Alchemy by Stacey McEwan - Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor

Thank you to Simon Teen, Saga Press, and William Morrow for the gifted copies!

#chooseyourcrisis #chooseyourbookcrisis #chooseyourcharacter #fantasybooks #horrorbooks #scifibooks #bookrecs #bookrecommendations #SagaSaysCrew #sagapressbooks #SagaSays #SimonTeenInfluencer #starrysteph #nycinfluencer #bookstagram #nycbookstagram @simonteen @erewhonbooks @sagapressbooks @flatiron_books @delreybooks @kensingtonbooks @fiercereads @henryholtbooks @williammorrowbooks

10 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • May 1 2025

Hi Celestial friends!\ \ Three quick updates for you all today.\ \ First, our May book club ( Dragonfruit by Makiia Lucier) officially kicks off today! The forums are up and running so you can discuss with spoilers as you finish each part. \ \ Next, the results from our book club summer polls are in! Here's what we're reading this summer:\ \ June: Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger\ \ July: Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant\ \ August: Metal From Heaven by August Clarke\ \ And last but FAR from least, our next readathon starts on Saturday! This is a Sat/Sun/Mon readathon where you join for as much as you can and read as much as you can. It's fun and casual and text-based.\ \ All of these community events take place in our Discord, so make sure you've joined (click here) if you haven't already. :)

Book clubs and readathon updates!

4 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Mar 17 2025

Women in Horror (60 recs!) | recording & thank you

24 books

Posts about this book from across Bindery

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Jul 29

queer aquatic books

this is so randomly specific (idk, it just came to me while i was sitting on the subway 😅) … but here are some queer books recs with giant aquatic creatures!!

📚 books mentioned: - The Jellyfish Problem by Tessa Yang - Canon by Paige Lewis - Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

thank you to Berkley Books and Viking Books for the gifted copies!

3 books

Boozhoo Books\ \ Naomi\ \ • Jul 23

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Into the Drowning Deep is one of my absolute horror books, so when Mira Grant (Seanan McGuire) agrees to blurb, I almost passed out!\ \ These are the gems that were offered:\ \ \ \ And we have a preorder update…. We are at 757!!! Only 243 left to hit 1,000!\ \ you guys I am so excited for Tatiana, this community and this book! I’m so glad you’re here!

Seanan McGuire (Mira Grant) blurbed What Feeds Below and So Did Her Mom

4 books

ash.reads.horror\ \ ash\ \ • Jul 8

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Are you feeling the heat? I know that where I live, Summer is here in full swing. I'm melting and wishing that fall weather was here already. \ \ While we're all withering under the sun's rays, I've put together a list of five different horror subgenres with some book recs in each that are perfect to read this time of year.\ \ So stay inside, pour yourself an ice-cold drink, and gulp down these books!\ \ Folk Horror \ \ \ \ Photo Credit\ \ Folk horror is perfect for almost any time of the year! With rituals and folklore a plenty, these books will suck you into their pages.\ \ Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss-- A family reenacts the Iron Age deep in the wilderness where the past begins to bleed into the present.\ \ Monumental by Adam L.G. Nevill-- A group of kayakers enter forbidden land and stumble upon an ancient sacrificial ritual.\ \ Withered Hill by David Barnett-- A woman wakes up in s small village with no memory of how she got there and finds out quickly that she can't leave.\ \ Double Walker by Michael W. Conrad-- A couple vacationing in Scotland experience a tragedy while on a hike in this chilling graphic novel. \ \ The Residents Of Honeysuckle Cottage by Elizabeth Davidson-- A couples fresh start to a remote cottage just outside a small village slowly turns into a nightmare.\ \ Slasher \ \ Photo Credits\ \ Is it truly summer if there isn't a slasher movie playing? Did you know that slasher horror books are so IN right now?\ \ My Heart Is A Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones-- A teenage girl obsessed with slashers believes one is starting up in her small town. \ \ Breathe In, Bleed Out by Brian McAuley-- A wellness retreat turns into a deadly slasher.\ \ Under The Blade by Matt Serafini--A woman who survived a summer camp massacre finally returns home after two decades on the anniversary of the slaying, awakening true evil once more. \ \ Heads Will Roll by Josh Winning-- A canceled sitcom star goes to an adult summer camp and gets trapped in the middle of a slasher.\ \ You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron-- A scare camp where guests pay to be scared turns into a real life horror movie.\ \ Ocean \ \ Photo Credits\ \ The ocean will cool you down as the summer sun beats on. Just don't let it devour you like these novels...\ \ Into The Drowning Deep by Mira Grant-- A research crew investigating the last location of a ship discovers deadly sirens.\ \ The Deep by Nick Cutter-- A man travels to the bottom of the Marianas Trench to a research facility to check on the scientists investigating the possible cure of a worldwide disease.\ \ Whalefall by Daniel Kraus-- A man dives into the ocean to search for his father's bones and gets swallowed by a whale.\ \ The Sea Hides It's Dead by Megan Bontrager-- A group of academics in an ancient sea cult get trapped in an underwater cave.\ \ Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield-- A woman comes back changed after being trapped deep underwater in a submarine for months.\ \ Theme Park \ \ Photo Credits\ \ Take a trip to an amusement park this summer and have a chilling time. \ \ Hide by Kiersten White-- A completion for a sum of money playing the game of hide and seek turns deadly if found.\ \ FantasticLand by Mike Bockoven-- A theme park gets hit by a hurricane and the employees trapped in the park quickly turn on one another. \ \ Shock Waves by Matt Kurtz-- An explosion near a theme park releases monsters upon the park.\ \ Ride or Die by Delilah S. Dawson-- A girl trying to impress a popular group of girls winds up in the abandoned part of an amusement park where she might ride to her death.\ \ A Cold Night For Alligators by Viggy Parr Hampton-- A determined CDC epidemiologist goes rogue to tackle a mysterious outbreak in Savannah, only to find himself entangled with a pair of urban explorers.\ \ Survival \ \ Photo Credits\ \ Fight for your life on your trip/vacation.\ \ The Ruins by Scott Smith-- A group of friends get trapped on ancient ruins and must fight for their lives.\ \ This Wretched Valley by Jenny Kiefer-- A woman and her team discover an untouched cliff face and make it their mission to be the first to climb it.\ \ The Anomaly by Michael Rutger-- A tv show that focuses on hidden mysteries try to find a hidden cavern only to find it and get trapped within it.\ \ The Hunger by Alma Katsu-- A retelling of the fateful Donner Party.\ \ The Shuddering by Ania Ahlborn--A group of friends get trapped in a cabin by both a snow storm and deadly creatures.\ \ Join for free or login

Five Horror Subgenres to explore this Summer

25 books

Boozhoo Books\ \ Naomi\ \ • Jun 21

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You can go outside and frolic. You can make a flower crown. Perfect day to join a cult, actually, and I've just decided to start one, so welcome if you're already here. Do a sun salutation or READ. \ \ Here are some books that are perfect for the occasion. \ \ Horror\ \ The Ruins by Scott Smith\ \ I'm sorry, but I have to recommend this book on every summer list. A vacation story gone horribly wrong. It's dark. It's isolated. It's hotter than hell. It is hell. Oh! The body horror! They probably should have listened to Indigenous people. \ \ The Mean Ones by Tatiana Schlote Bonne\ \ A summer camp. What could go wrong and how could that shape your future? A dual timeline culty horror with a very satisfying ending. \ \ Jackal by Erin E Adams\ \ Going back home. Family gathering. Missing children, local legends and family secrets. THE FOREST. \ \ I Was A Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones\ \ A borderline horror romance told from the perspective of the serial killer. How a serial killer is born. Bees.\ \ Diavola by Jennifer Thorne\ \ Italian vacation, remote villa, toxic family. More vacation gothic, please.\ \ Into The Drowning Deep by Mira Grant\ \ MERMAIDS. Killer mermaids. Truly horrifying. A mockumentary gone wrong. WHY IS THERE NO SEQUEL? GIVE ME A SEQUEL. \ \ What are your favorite horrors perfect for Summerween?

Summerween Recommendations for Summer Solstice

6 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Jun 1

ready to make a SPLASH into some sinister mermaid stories?

📚 books mentioned: - Chlorine by Jade Song - Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant - The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw

3 books

ash.reads.horror\ \ ash\ \ • May 3

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\ \ Are you in Deep Trouble now? \ \ These reads pair nicely with the ocean-feel found in Deep Trouble. So stay out of the water and maybe read these books from the safe shores of the beach instead.\ \ The Deep by Nick Cutter\ \ \ \ Like Deep Trouble, this one has a science/experiment aspect to it. But be forewarned, this book is gross and very dark. And will also leave you feeling claustrophobic.\ \ Into The Drowning Deep by Mira Grant\ \ \ \ Need some more sea creatures after reading about the half shark half human creature? How about some Sirens who are not a fan of their territory being encroached upon. \ \ Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield\ \ \ \ What if the person you loved came back different from the bottom of the ocean? \ \ Jaws by Peter Benchley\ \ \ \ This classic shark tale will help fill the void the half man half shark left after finishing Deep Trouble. \ \ Whalefall by Daniel Kraus\ \ \ \ Take in the beautiful sights the ocean has in this book before getting swallowed up by a giant Sperm Whale. \ \ Upgrade for $5 or login](https://ashreadshorror.binderybooks.com/item/iNjDKFxyxAgufP7vxBig/)

Deep Trouble Readalikes

5 books

ash.reads.horror\ \ ash\ \ • Apr 11

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🌊 Ocean Horror Books 🌊 \ \ Stay out of the water! The beach is closed due to these horrifying tales

🌊 Ocean Horror Books 🌊

Stay out of the water! The beach is closed due to these horrifying tales of ocean horror.

What’s your favorite ocean horror novel?

#oceanhorrorbooks #horrorbooksta #horrorbooktok #booksta

14 books

Wanderland Reads\ \ Sayer\ \ • Mar 20

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Disabled sapphic people exist. You know this, I know this, but sometimes it feels like the greater book community does not, in fact, know this. We love, date, build relationships, and navigate intimacy in ways that deserve space on the page.\ \ Romance as a genre has not always made room for our stories.\ \ Many books still center on able-bodied characters. And while there is nothing wrong with that, when disability does appear, it often shows up as something to fix, overcome, or use as emotional motivation for another character. Disabled characters become symbols instead of people.\ \ I'd love to see the focus shift to something different.\ \ Stories where disabled sapphic main characters hold agency, desire, complexity, and full lives. Stories where disability shapes the relationship without reducing the character to it.\ \ Moving beyond harmful tropes\ \ A few patterns show up again and again in romance.\ \ The cure narrative treats disability as a temporary obstacle. By the end of the story, the character improves or is “fixed,” often through love. The way I wish love could cure my chronic illness or disability.\ \ The inspiration narrative turns disabled characters into lessons for others. Our role centers on teaching resilience rather than living a full life.\ \ The caregiver dynamic creates an imbalance. One partner exists to provide care, while the other becomes dependent in ways that remove autonomy.\ \ Desexualization appears often. Y'all disabled people FUCK. Disabled characters rarely receive the same level of desire, attraction, or explicit intimacy as able-bodied characters.\ \ These patterns limit storytelling. They flatten characters and reinforce harmful assumptions about disability and worth.\ \ Stronger stories move in a different direction.\ \ They allow disabled characters to want things. To make decisions. To be messy. To experience joy, frustration, attraction, and connection without being reduced to a single trait.\ \ Disability and autonomy\ \ Autonomy should sit at the center of disabled sapphic romance.\ \ Seeing characters navigate questions around independence, support, and control over their own lives. These questions can shape how relationships develop.\ \ A partner may offer help. The key question involves how that help gets negotiated.\ \ Does the disabled character maintain control over decisions?\ \ Do they set boundaries around what support looks like?\ \ Does the relationship respect their independence rather than override it?\ \ Good romance pays attention to these dynamics.\ \ Support does not mean taking over. Care does not mean removing agency. The relationship works because both people respect each other’s boundaries and needs.\ \ For readers, this often leads to more grounded and intentional relationship development.\ \ Disability and intimacy\ \ Romance often relies on narrow ideas about intimacy. Fast pacing. Physical attraction that follows predictable patterns. Assumptions about what bodies should do and how.\ \ Disabled sapphic romance can and should challenge those assumptions.\ \ Intimacy becomes more intentional. Characters communicate clearly about needs, comfort, and limits, and tbh this isn't any different than how it should be with able-bodied characters either. Physical connection may look different from mainstream portrayals.\ \ Some stories focus on slower pacing. Others show adaptive approaches to physical intimacy. Many highlight emotional connection as central rather than secondary.\ \ These shifts do not reduce the romance. They deepen it.\ \ Desire remains present. Attraction remains central. The difference lies in how characters express and negotiate that connection.\ \ The role of communication\ \ Communication carries more weight in these stories.\ \ Characters talk about access needs. They discuss boundaries. They name what works and what does not.\ \ This creates a different type of romantic tension. Instead of relying on miscommunication or avoidance, these stories often build connection through honesty.\ \ Vulnerability becomes part of the relationship from the beginning.\ \ Readers get to watch two people learn how to understand each other in real time. That process often leads to a stronger emotional payoff.\ \ Intersectionality matters\ \ Disability does not exist in isolation.\ \ Race, class, gender identity, and culture shape how disability gets experienced. Access to care, community support, and safety vary widely depending on those factors.\ \ A disabled sapphic character who is also a person of color will navigate different challenges than a white disabled character. A working-class character will face different barriers than someone with financial stability.\ \ Stories that acknowledge these layers feel more grounded.\ \ They show how systems intersect. They also show how community, culture, and identity shape relationships in complex ways.\ \ What meaningful representation looks like\ \ Readers often ask how to identify strong representation.\ \ Look for characters with full inner lives. They have goals, fears, desires, and flaws that extend beyond their disability.\ \ Look for relationships built on mutual respect. Both partners hold agency. Both contribute to the relationship in meaningful ways.\ \ Look for stories where disability exists as part of the character’s life, not the entire story.\ \ Look for joy. Disabled characters deserve happiness, pleasure, and connection without the narrative framing those experiences as rare or surprising.\ \ When possible, look for authors with lived experience. That perspective often leads to more nuanced and grounded storytelling.\ \ Where to find these stories\ \ Disabled sapphic protagonists appear across genres.\ \ Contemporary romance often explores chronic illness, mental health, and day-to-day access needs.\ \ Fantasy and science fiction create space to imagine different bodies, different abilities, and different systems of care.\ \ Historical fiction can explore how disability was understood and navigated in earlier periods.\ \ Speculative fiction often pushes these questions even further, asking how societies might function if access and care looked different from the start.\ \ An invitation to read with intention\ \ Disabled sapphic romance expands how we understand love.\ \ It shows relationships built through communication, respect, and adaptation. It challenges narrow ideas about desirability and intimacy. It reminds readers that care and autonomy can exist together.\ \ These stories deserve attention.\ \ If you have read a disabled sapphic romance that stayed with you, share it. If you want to see more of these stories, talk about them. Recommend them. Support the authors writing them.\ \ What you read and what you share shapes what gets visibility.\ \ And these stories deserve to be seen.\ \ Here are a list of a handful of sapphic stories that I have read and enjoyed, and some on my TBR!\ \ The Unbroken by C.L. Clark\ \ Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant\ \ The Never Tilting World by Rin Chupeco\ \ Thirsty by Jas Hammonds\ \ Treasure by Rebekah Weatherspoon\ \ Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner\ \ Nine of Swords, Reversed by Xan West\ \ Ascension by Jacqueline Koyanagi\ \ Join for free or login

Disabled Sapphic Protagonists in Romance

8 books

Wanderland Reads\ \ Sayer\ \ • Mar 16

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Sapphic Speculative Fiction Expands the Imagination\ \ Many people approach queer romance through familiar frameworks. Modern settings. Recognizable social rules. Families that resemble the structures most of us grew up around. I wrote about this a week or two ago, about looking beyond contemporary romance for great sapphic stories.\ \ Those stories matter. They reflect lived experience and present-day struggles.\ \ Yet some of the most thought-provoking sapphic stories appear in places where the rules look completely different.\ \ Speculative fiction offers writers a simple but radical tool. The ability to ask what happens when the world operates under different assumptions?\ \ What happens when gender does not function the way our societies expect?\ \ What happens when colonial hierarchies collapse or never existed in the first place?\ \ What happens when family and community follow different structures?\ \ Sapphic speculative fiction thrives in these questions.\ \ What counts as speculative fiction?\ \ Speculative fiction serves as an umbrella term for stories that imagine worlds different from our own.\ \ Fantasy explores magic, mythology, and alternate societies.\ \ Science fiction looks at future technology, space exploration, and evolving social systems.\ \ Alternate history reimagines historical timelines.\ \ Dystopian and utopian fiction examine political systems taken to extreme outcomes.\ \ Magical realism blends ordinary life with elements that challenge reality.\ \ All of these genres share a common feature. They build worlds where the assumptions we treat as natural begin to shift.\ \ When those foundations move, storytelling changes.\ \ Reimagining gender systems\ \ Many speculative worlds question the rigid gender frameworks common in contemporary culture.\ \ Some settings include fluid understandings of gender. Others remove the strict gender hierarchy. Some societies organize identity through entirely different categories.\ \ When gender works differently, relationships evolve as well.\ \ Characters express attraction without the scripts that dominate many romance narratives. Partnerships develop around compatibility, trust, or shared goals rather than predetermined roles.\ \ For readers, this shift opens new ways of thinking about identity and connection.\ \ Challenging colonial power structures\ \ Speculative fiction often explores empire, conquest, and resistance.\ \ Many worlds center characters fighting against oppressive systems or rebuilding communities after political collapse. Some stories draw inspiration from Indigenous traditions or non-Western perspectives to imagine societies structured around different values.\ \ Within these settings, sapphic characters frequently appear as leaders, rebels, scholars, or explorers. Their relationships unfold inside larger struggles over power, survival, and cultural memory.\ \ Love does not exist in isolation. It grows alongside questions about justice, resistance, and the future of entire communities.\ \ Rethinking family and community\ \ Another striking feature of speculative fiction involves how stories approach family.\ \ The nuclear family model rarely stands as the only option. Characters often live within chosen families, cooperative communities, traveling crews, or political alliances.\ \ Romantic relationships exist inside these broader networks of care.\ \ Two people falling in love may also share responsibilities to their crew, their village, or their resistance movement. Partnership becomes part of a wider web of loyalty and support.\ \ For many readers, this structure feels both imaginative and deeply familiar.\ \ Common tropes in sapphic speculative fiction\ \ Speculative fiction combines romance with adventure and conflict. Certain narrative patterns recur.\ \ A princess guarded by a loyal warrior or knight who begins to question her duty.\ \ Rival soldiers from opposing factions are forced to work together.\ \ A scholar and a fighter navigating a dangerous quest.\ \ Political enemies are forming uneasy alliances during a rebellion.\ \ Explorers encounter unfamiliar worlds and build trust through survival.\ \ These tropes create tension, intimacy, and emotional growth while the larger story unfolds.\ \ Why these stories expand the imagination\ \ Speculative fiction does more than entertain. It shifts perspective.\ \ When readers step into worlds built on different assumptions, the systems shaping their own lives become visible. Gender roles, political hierarchies, and family structures reveal themselves as historical constructs rather than permanent truths.\ \ Sapphic speculative fiction takes this imaginative shift even further.\ \ Queer women appear not as side characters but as central figures in the story of the world itself. They lead revolutions. Build communities. Explore unknown territories. Fall in love while reshaping the societies around them.\ \ These stories ask readers to imagine something larger than representation.\ \ They ask us to imagine entirely different ways people live together.\ \ An invitation to explore\ \ If you have not spent time with sapphic speculative fiction, consider this an invitation.\ \ Explore fantasy worlds where magic reshapes power.\ \ Read science fiction that questions identity in future societies.\ \ Look for stories where love grows alongside resistance, exploration, and discovery.\ \ These books stretch the imagination in ways that linger long after the final page.\ \ I am especially interested in reading more sapphic speculative fiction this year.\ \ Which books expanded your worldview?\ \ Which stories stayed with you long after you finished them?\ \ Here is a list of books I've read and books on my TBR!\ \ \ \ Join for free or login

Worlds Where Sapphic Stories Rewrite the Rules

26 books

ash.reads.horror\ \ ash\ \ • Feb 5

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\ \ I love horror. It's able to feature all sorts of genres and subgenres within its pages. With Valentine's Day coming up next week, I wanted to feature a few horror books with romance as part of the main plot or a sub plot.\ \ Spit Back The Bones by Teagan Olivia King\ \ This haunting Debut features a woman who reluctantly returns back home after her sister goes missing. There she rekindles an old flame, along with fighting a bog monster.\ \ Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Canas\ \ A tale of star crossed lovers who get trapped fighting vampires in the Mexican-American War. Pretty much any of Canas' works would fit into Horror Romance. (The Hacienda and The Possession of Alba Diaz)\ \ The Haar by David Sodergren\ \ For all you monster romance lovers out there this one is for you. It follows an old woman who lost her husband years ago. Now the small village she's lived in whole life is being threatened by a rich man buying out the land. And in walks a fish-like, shapeshifting monster...\ \ Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison\ \ Werewolf horror with humor and a splash of romance! This one will have you howling.\ \ Bloom by Delilah S. Dawson\ \ A "meat" cute at a farmer's market turns into sapphic love...or does it...\ \ A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson\ \ This one follows the brides of dracula as they move past their toxic relationship with him and turn what was once jealousy into a passionate romance.\ \ Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno Garcia\ \ Mexcican Gothic by this author works in this category as well! Silver Nitrate involves cursed media and lifelong friends who have feelings for one another.\ \ Hiding Lies by Stephanie Rose\ \ This romance is TOXIC, but super addicting. It's a cat and mouse novel involving a forensic photographer and s serial killer.\ \ Dead Silence by SA Barnes\ \ Think Alien meets Ghost Ship with a splash of romance! A crew finds a lost intergalactic cruise ship that's been missing for two decades. They decide to board the ship and fly it back, wanting to win fame and fortune... But theres a reason the ship has been missing...\ \ Into The Drowning Deep by Mira Grant\ \ A found footage esq novel involving killer sirens and a dash of some sapphic romance.\ \ What horror book that features a bit of romance do you love? \ \ Join for free or login](https://ashreadshorror.binderybooks.com/item/qMZNiJjlNY6fOUtH9bHM/)

Love in the time of Horror

12 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Jan 15

💭 what’s your favorite sort of creature feature?

🩸horror book round-up featuring unique horror beasts and new takes on existing spooky legends!

all of these are fantastic, and i could do a bunch of follow ups with more books if you’re interested, too!

📚 books mentioned: - Jackal by Erin E. Adams - Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant - The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

thank you to Bantam (Ballantine) for the gifted copy!

3 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Dec 1 2025

💭 what’s your favorite book with disability rep?

✨ here are some quick recommendations for Disability December! (and as you all know, i have sooo many more hahaha) >>> make sure to follow @disabilitydecember

thank you to Mercuria Press, Ingram, Tiny Ghost Press, Get Underlined, and Simon Teen for the gifted copies!

6 books

ash.reads.horror\ \ ash\ \ • Nov 25 2025

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Cryptid Horror Books

I put up a tripe/Subgenre request in my stories to see what you all are looking for as far as book suggestions go. One category you all wanted to see is Cryptids.

The above books all deal with a type of Cryptid! What are some that I missed/are your favorites?

16 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Nov 10 2025

which one convinced you the most? 🙌

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

thank you to Vintage, Saga Press, Grove Press, Flatiron, and William Morrow for the gifted copies!

10 books

ash.reads.horror\ \ ash\ \ • Nov 5 2025

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\ \ Hi all and welcome to my review of One Bad Night published by Aardvark Bookclub. \ \ In case you're unfamiliar with Aardvark Bookclub, they are a monthly subscription box similar to Book of The Month. Not only do they have fantastic book selections each month (including horror books), but they also do a fantastic job with their social media. I love trying to decode the hints they drop each month of what their books will be. Last month they dropped their first ever short story collection. A horror themed anthology featuring some fantastic names in horror fiction. All the authors previously had a book featured in the Subscription Box.\ \ I LOVED this anthology. There was not a single bad story featured.\ \ Below, I plan to break down each story and give my thoughts. I'll do my best to keep this spoil free!\ \ Two Observers of The Slaughter Rights On Gannet Island by Kay Chronister\ \ \ \ To kick off the collection we follow an anthropologist and his wife as they look for a new and groundbreaking discovery for a book. They catch wind of an island where once a year a mysterious ritual is preformed. The couple is allowed to stay and view the ritual as long as they don't interfere.\ \ Kay Chronister is the author of The Bog Wife and Desert Creatures. Chronister's short story featured was a great way to open! I found myself enthralled by this mysterious, isolated community and the strange ritual they do. For animal lovers be warned there is cattle sacrifice in this one. I think this story is perfect for fans of Midsommar.\ \ My Lithopedia by Del Sandeen\ \ \ \ This one helped me learn a new word! In My Lithopedia, a woman learns that she had an unborn twin sister that was extracted as a stone baby during her mother's autopsy. The woman decides to take the stone baby home and things quickly go awry from there.\ \ Del Sandeen is the author of This Cursed House. This one gave me chills. Can you imagine carrying a calcified fetus in your body for decades? And the medical gaslighting in this one is the most horrifying thing of all. Why are pains often dismissed and not investigated? Anyway, this story was wild. I loved the slow descent into madness the story told. I love a good unreliable narrator!\ \ Lady Jawbone by Kylie Lee Baker\ \ \ \ Imagine a world so dark that the only light you see could also be your demise. This is the world Baker has built in Lady Jawbone. It follows Lilou who works in a hellish phosphorus match factory. The only light comes from dim candles and the scalding oven. One day a strange, new worker appears promising an escape to a world full of light.\ \ Kylie Lee Baker is the author of Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng ( a favorite of mine). Lady Jawbone captures isolation and bleakness perfectly! I loved the shimmer of hope this stranger offered the characters in this dark world.\ \ A Necromancer’s Guide to Reconnecting with Your Ex by Rachel Harrison\ \ \ \ What better way to reconnect with your ex than death? Roxanne is able to see and communicate with the dead. When her ex appears out of the blue after years without talking, they take a little time to reconnect. Especially since he's dead...But when he ask Roxanne to resurrect him, she has to grapple with what it means to truly let go.\ \ Rachel Harrison is the author of several horror books such as Black Sheep and So Thirsty. Harrison does a fantastic job capturing grief and the what ifs. Death hits us hard. We do questionable things out of grief--something Pet Sematary by Stephen King captures so well. While this story isn't the scariest out of the collection, it definitely packs a punch for all the people who think "what if I did this instead of that?"\ \ Red Tide by CJ Leede\ \ \ \ This story will make you think twice about working in an aquarium. A woman running from her past gets a job at an aquarium in a small town. When the red tide rolls in, she learns about the mythic "spectre fish" which is a carnivorous mer-fish. When everything around her starts going wrong, she starts to wonder if this legend has some truth behind it.\ \ CJ Leede is the author of American Rapture and Maeve Fly.This one was creepy! It definitely gave me some Into The Drowning Deep vibes with the killer mer-creatures! Leede does a fantastic job capturing beautiful yet gruesome imagery in her work. \ \ 47 Pineview Way by Jennifer Thorne\ \ \ \ An anxious mother drops her son off at his first ever sleepover party. The next morning when she goes to pick him up, the house is gone. The other parents begin losing their memories of their children, but she holds strong in hopes of find her son.\ \ Jennifer Thorne is the author of Diavola. This story captures the anxieties of parenthood perfectly. Sometimes intrusive thoughts pop into our head. Things like--maybe it would've been easier if they were never born. But if given the opportunity would we actually allow that to happen? Or would we fight for the ones we love?\ \ A Meditation on the Existence of Certain Cutlery (There is No Spoon) by SA Barnes\ \ \ \ Commander Janna Field is on a covert mission to the lunar south pole—or so she thinks. Toggling between two realities, Janna must determine whether she’s trapped on the moon’s surface, struggling to breathe in a damaged space suit, or whether she’s actually the victim of an immersive training simulation gone wrong.\ \ SA Barnes is the author of several space horror novels including Ghost Station and Dead Silence. This one messed with my mind! It was so hard to tell what was actually happening. I love a good psychological horror and this did not disappoint. And the isolation of space made it even more chilling. \ \ One Bad Night by Stephen Graham Jones\ \ \ \ And the last story in this collection is One Bad Night by Stephen Graham Jones. Just a heads up animal lovers, this one does deal with a sick, old Corgi! Steck, an aging, lonely man becomes fixated on a sinister green parrot after it predicts the death of his beloved dog. Torn between his dying father and dog, Steck is confronted with an impossible choice.\ \ Stephen Graham Jones is the author of over 35 novels/novellas. This one was just sad for me. The difficulty of losing both a father and a beloved family pet at the same time is something no one should ever have to face--but we do anyway. I think the true horror of this one is how closely it resembles the horrors of real life.\ \ Thanks for reading this review! If you've read this collection let me know your thoughts down below!\ \ Join for free or login](https://ashreadshorror.binderybooks.com/item/ka6RzE5eAypN2R7EL2A1/)

One Bad Night: A Deeper Dive

12 books

ash.reads.horror\ \ ash\ \ • Oct 24 2025

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Found Footage Horror Books

🎥 Found Footage Horror Books 🎥

I’m such a huge fan of found footage. I love how realistic it can make a horror movie/book feel.

The above books all feature a type of found footage. Whether it’s media, newspaper articles, transcripts of video recordings, journals, etc, these books will make you feel like you’re watching a movie.

And some of these—like FantasticLand are even more enhanced/immersive in audiobook format.

Drop your favorite found footage book below

#horror #horrorbooks #horrorbooksta #horrorbooktok

10 books

Boozhoo Books\ \ Naomi\ \ • Aug 16 2025

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[Hello My Friends,\ \ I've been working on so many thing but Return to Office has been kicking my butt, so I'm a bit behind on sharing!\ \ I'm so excited to be able to share our first WOMEN IN HORROR BOOK BINGO CARD!\ \ If you've been around for awhile, you are familiar with my Indigenous Book Bingo Cards (we currently have 3!) These are available in my Instagram Stories and in our Community Discord! (Join now if you haven't already!)\ \ I had so much difficulty limiting this to 25 books, so if you fear your favorite female author is missing, don't! There will definitely be more rounds of this game!\ \ I was STUNNED to see that with a total of 191 works being nominated for the Stoker Award best novel that only 26 WOMEN have been nominated since inception! (33 total as some were nominated more than once). That number is egregious. When Tananarive Due won in 2023 for The Reformatory, the last woman who won in the category was Caitlin R Kierman (who is problematic and not recommended) in .....2012!!! There have been times when every nominee in the category were men. There has NEVER been a time when every nominee was a woman.\ \ Women write incredible horror every year. Let's work together to help people read more women. I'll come up with some prize options and will post them in the Discord! There will be one more card coming this year, likely in December!\ \ Our Community Discord also hosts our Women in Horror book club. This month we are reading The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno Garcia and next month we are reading The Possession of Alba Diaz by Isabel Canes (and I've partnered with Berkeley to do a giveaway, so stay tuned!) I've also been working on some upcoming chats! If you're an author who would like to participate in chats, please reach out directly.\ \ If you appreciate the work that I'm doing there are three ways to support!\ \

Go Shopping From This Post. I receive a small percentage from any purchase you make on Bookshop or Amazon from this post, including books not listed.\ \
Upgrade your membership to the $5 or $12 tier. This community is striving to make change in the publishing industry. We are dedicated to publishing YA and Adult fiction by Indigenous authors and horror books written by women. Voices that need amplifying! We are currently guaranteed publishing one book per year. My goal is to be able to publish 4. My current goal is to reach 10,000 total subscribers. If you cannot afford a paid tier right now, please refer your friends join as free or paid members! And if you're reading this and not subscribed, please do so now!\ \
All paid subscribers get behind the scenes access to the publishing industry and as we only recently selected a book, this is amping up now! Paid subscribers also get early copies of the books. Additionally, $12 and $25 subscribers get their name on the collaborator page!\ \ \ Thank you so much for being a member of this community!\ \

She's Heeeere! Women in Horror Book Bingo

24 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Aug 9 2025

my passion is just shouting horror books at you until you read them. do it.

thank you to MIRA/HPT Hive, Simon Teen, Sourcebooks, Inkyard Press, Scholastic, Bantam, and William Morrow for the gifted copies!

15 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Aug 9 2025

what did you read this week? here’s my speedy reading update!

thank you to Simon Teen and Saga Press for the gifted copies!

3 books

Boneyard Picnic\ \ Natalie Meagan\ \ • Aug 6 2025

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\ \ Upgrade for $5 or login](https://boneyardpicnic.binderybooks.com/item/o9VhzStPhA8IU9ltZpNx/)

Book Bag | Beach Reads for Weirdos

Grab your SPF, yall. We are headed to the beach and bringing some weird reads with us!

11 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Aug 2 2025

choose your (book) crisis!!

because a character never seems to have an easy, happy time in a book that i pick up.

Thank you to Simon Teen, Saga Press, and William Morrow for the gifted copies!

10 books

Boozhoo Books\ \ Naomi\ \ • May 19 2025

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Women in Horror. Do our tastes align?

Women in Horror edition! Drop your score below! Did you know that my publishing imprint on Bindery has expanded? We are publishing books by Indigenous authors AND horror books written by women?! And you can help us, by showing up to support (even as a free follower!) I have almost 6,000 followers here and it would be everything if all of you would go and follow me right now! #womneinhorror #horrorbooks #bookrecs

30 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • May 1 2025

Book clubs and readathon updates!

4 books

Wanderland Reads\ \ Sayer\ \ • Apr 7 2025

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Sapphic Reaching Challenge Recommendations: Horror

Happy Sapphic Sunday! I’m here with another recommendation list for the Sapphic Reading Challenge. If you haven’t joined us yet, you can find the challenge on storygraph and the grids in my highlights.

What books would you add to this list?

#sapphicsunday #sapphicreadingchallenge #sapphicbooks #queerlit #readqueerallyear #diversifyyourshelf #wlw

15 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Mar 17 2025

Women in Horror (60 recs!) | recording & thank you

24 books

Boozhoo Books\ \ Naomi\ \ • Mar 16 2025

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Hello Friends, \ \ I had a great chat earlier with fellow tastemakers about women in horror, our favorite reads and upcoming releases we are looking forward to (I tagged many of them in this post!)\ \ If you weren't able to make it, you can check it out on Youtube here\ \ Follow the other tastemakers on Bindery here:\ \ Aubrie\ \ Natalie\ \ Steph\ \ We had so much fun and hope to get together again soon! If you have any topics you'd love to hear us discuss, drop your suggestions below!\ \ BOOKCLUB ANNOUNCEMENTS\ \ As you know Women in Horror and Good Day To Read Indigenous (book clubs found on Discord here have their books picked out through May! \ \ Next week, I will be planing the reads for the remainder of the year. $12 and $25 subscribers get to nominate books, so look out for that post tomorrow!\ \ Quiet Time Book Club will meet tomorrow at 5pm PST/8pm EST on Zoom.

RECORDING: Women In Horror Panel

YouTube link to Women in Horror Celebration, all of the (most of the) books discussed, info about our Discord bookclubs

62 books

Not So Well Read\ \ Courtney\ \ • Jan 10 2025

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Mermaids, sirens, and selkies

Current literary obsession: mermaids, sirens, and selkies.

Not sure why, but I’ve recently become obsessed with stories about women and the sea. I’ve read a few books on these topics in the past, but have been really enjoying diving into some of the newer ones that have come out over the past few years. I’m about 60% of the way through Emilia Hart’s newest (out 4.1.25) and it’s definitely scratching that itch. I cannot put it down.

Have you read any books about these myths? What were your favorites?

10 books