Wednesday, August 27, 2025

Can't-Wait Wednesday: You Weren't Meant to Be Human by Andrew Joseph White, We Are Always Tender with Our Dead by Eric LaRocca, & The Faerie Morgana by Louisa Morgan


        

 Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released

You Weren't Meant to be Human by Andrew Joseph White
Publication: September 9th, 2025
Saga Press
Hardcover. 336 pages.
Pre-order: Bookshop.org | Amazon

From Goodreads:
"Alien meets Midsommar in this chilling debut adult novel from award-winning author Andrew Joseph White about identity, survival, and transformation amidst an alien invasion in rural West Virginia.

Festering masses of worms and flies have taken root in dark corners across Appalachia. In exchange for unwavering loyalty and fresh corpses, these hives offer a few struggling humans salvation. A fresh start. It’s an offer that none refuse.

Crane is grateful. Among his hive’s followers, Crane has found a chance to transition, to never speak again, to live a life that won’t destroy him. He even met Levi: a handsome ex-Marine and brutal killer who treats him like a real man, mostly. But when Levi gets Crane pregnant—and the hive demands the child’s birth, no matter the cost—Crane’s desperation to make it stop will drive the community that saved him into a devastating spiral that can only end in blood.

You Weren’t Meant to Be Human is a deeply personal horror; a visceral statement about the lives of marginalized people in a hostile world, echoing the works of Stephen Graham Jones and Eric LaRocca."

This sounds weird as hell and reviews for it have me crazy intrigued, so I'm eager to check this one out!


We Are Always Tender with Our Dead by Eric LaRocca
Publication: September 9th, 2025
Titan Books
Hardcover. 304 pages.
Pre-order: Bookshop.org | Amazon

From Goodreads:
"Michael McDowell's Blackwater meets Clive Barker's The Great and Secret Show in the disturbing first installment of a new trilogy of intense, visceral, beautifully written queer horror set in a small New England town.

A chilling supernatural tale of transgressive literary horror from the Bram Stoker Award® finalist and Splatterpunk Award-winning author of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke.

The lives of those residing in the isolated town of Burnt Sparrow, New Hampshire, are forever altered after three faceless entities arrive on Christmas morning to perform a brutal act of violence—a senseless tragedy that can never be undone. While the townspeople grieve their losses and grapple with the aftermath of the attack, a young teenage boy named Rupert Cromwell is forced to confront the painful realities of his family situation. Once relationships become intertwined and more carnage ensues as a result of the massacre, the town residents quickly learn that true retribution is futile, cruelty is earned, and certain thresholds must never be crossed no matter what.

Engrossing, atmospheric, and unsettling, this is a devastating story of a small New England community rocked by an unforgivable act of violence. Writing with visceral intensity and profound eloquence, LaRocca journeys deep into the dark heart of Burnt Sparrow, leaving you chilled to the bone and wanting more."

Eric LaRocca can be a little hit or miss sometimes, but I can't help but always need to read his books! I also just read Blackwater a month or two ago so I'm really intrigued by that comparison now.



The Faerie Morgana by Louisa Morgan
Publication: September 16th, 2025
Redhook
Paperback. 528 pages.
Pre-order: Bookshop.org | Amazon

From Goodreads:
"In this atmospheric and bewitching novel, Louisa Morgan reimagines the story of Morgan Le Fay, one of the most enigmatic and powerful women in Arthurian legend.

To the other priestesses of the Nine, a powerful council at the Lady’s Temple, Morgana is haughty and arrogant as she performs feats of magic no human should be capable of. Rumors start that she must be a fearsome fae.

To King Arthur, Morgana is a trusted and devoted advisor, but his court is wary of her and her prodigious talent at divination. But his wife sees Morgana as a rival and a malevolent witch.

To Braithe, Morgana’s faithful acolyte, she is simply the most powerful priestess Camelot has seen.

Morgana doesn’t know why she’s so different from everyone else, and she doesn’t much care. But when she aids Arthur to ascend the throne before his time, she sets off a series of events that will change everything Morgana believes about her power."

I honestly tend to really struggle with Arthurian tales for some reason--maybe the subject just doesn't actually vibe with me despite my attempts?--but I love Louisa Morgan so I'm crossing my fingers for this one!


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