Alexene Farol Follmuth, also known under the pen name Olivie Blake, is a lover and writer of stories, many of which involve the fantastic, the paranormal, or the supernatural, but not always. More often, her works revolve around the collective experience, what it means to be human (or not), and the endlessly interesting complexities of life and love.Alexene tripped and fell into writing after abandoning her long-premeditated track for Optimum Life Achievement while attending law school, and now focuses primarily on the craft and occasional headache of creating fiction. As Olivie, she has been published as the featured fiction contributor for Witch Way Magazine, as well as the writer for the self-published graphic series Alpha and a variety of other books. As Alexene, her debut YA novel, My Mechanical Romance, is coming summer 2022 from Holiday House.Alexene lives and works in Los Angeles, where she is generally tolerated by her rescue pit bull. She can be loosely defined as the sort of person who picked up sparring as a means to improve writing fight scenes.
The Tarot Trials (2026) (Tarot Trials, book 1) Katee Robert "Epic in scope, deliciously propulsive, and beautifully transportive. Katee Robert is the best at what they do, and they're at full power here. Full of intrigue and unexpected twists . . . They have delivered one of the most enjoyable fantasy series I've come across in ages."
Blacktail (2026) Scott Hawkins "Mesmerizing and strange, like the headiest of folklore. Blacktail is one to savour; one to delight in the eccentricities of; one to sit with long after it ends."
Fabulous Bodies (2026) Chuck Tingle "Another banger from the king of camp horror! Fabulous Bodies is Chuck Tingle flexing his prodigious powers of entertainment, and it's easily his best book yet. Tightly paced, deliciously frightening, and emotionally sweeping, this one's a masterly ride across terror and wonder. I can't wait for wherever Chuck Tingle takes me next."
Trad Wife (2026) Sarah Langan "Gripping, unsettling, enthrallingly layered, and utterly laced with doom - I raced through Trad Wife with fascination and dread, like peeking through my fingers at a tragedy unfolding. As always, Sarah Langan's work is unfailingly empathetic, yet also a fascinating indictment of the public ethos. This is a riveting horror story about bodily autonomy and feminine agency at a time when we need it most."
Seek the Traitor's Son (2026) (Burning Empire , book 1) Veronica Roth "I fall headfirst into every world Veronica Roth creates and Seek the Traitor's Son is no exception-it's her most compelling work to date. The pace is gripping, the scale of storytelling is sweeping, and the romance between the two leads is an agonizing crescendo, from charged restraint to exquisite surrender. Veronica Roth knows exactly how to break your heart-and I, for one, will gladly let her do it."
The Girl with a Thousand Faces (2026) Sunyi Dean "Sunyi Dean's storytelling is gripping and sure, her characters complex and cathartically vengeful, her worlds richly imagined and transportive. The Girl with a Thousand Faces contends with all manner of ghosts, and beautifully examines the nature of grief, rage, and all that must be put to rest in order to truly live."
Japanese Gothic (2026) Kylie Lee Baker "Japanese Gothic is a heady puzzle box of story - the ones we are told and the ones we tell ourselves to survive. Intricate, sensuous, and haunting, the strange truth at the center of two shared mysteries unfurls in fragile, mesmerizing layers. Utterly sublime."
Wolf Worm (2026) T Kingfisher "Horrifying!!! she says, in a marveling tone. Only T. Kingfisher can write horror this lovely, even sweet, while simultaneously nauseating, grizzly, and revolting. Wolf Worm will live in my brain forever, parasitically, just as it should."
An Arcane Inheritance (2025) Kamilah Cole "An intriguing, atmospheric puzzle box of a novel that is both an alluring romantic thriller and an incisive takedown of all that haunts our most hallowed halls."
Red City (2025) (New Alchemists, book 1) Marie Lu "Like power itself, Red City is equal parts seduction and carnage--sexy, brutal, and laced with doom. Lu stages her tale of star-crossed love against a glittering world of ambition and greed, and the result is as devastating as it is spellbinding. I loved it."
Local Heavens (2025) K M Fajardo "Easily one of my favorite books of the year. Fajardo's Local Heavens is not just a cyberpunk reinvention of The Great Gatsby, but a singular revelation in its own right. Creative, incisive, and elegantly crafted, this one will wow you even as it wrecks you-you'll be holding your breath to the end."
The Possession of Alba Diaz (2025) Isabel Cañas "With every book, Isabel Canas asserts jaw-dropping peerlessness at her craft. Chilling and tender, bloody and sensuous, The Possession of Alba Diaz is Canas working at the height of her prodigious powers, expanding her fascinating Gothic oeuvre with her best and most brutal work yet. I devoured it.'-"
One Yellow Eye (2025) Leigh Radford "Compulsively readable. A propulsive, page-turning descent into all that is lovely and grotesque about grief, obsession, and love."
Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame (2025) Neon Yang "A lovely, intricate gem of a fairy tale about finding yourself in another person and traveling distant lands to finally come home. I loved it."
Where Sleeping Girls Lie (2024) Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé "Where Sleeping Girls Lie seductively blends the irresistible camp of Mean Girls with the propulsive campus whodunnit of Wednesday and the vigilante thrill of Promising Young Woman. Àbíké-Íyímídé is an incisive force-and a total vibe."
Looking Glass Sound (2023) Catriona Ward "One of the finest literary craftsmen currently working is writing horror. Looking Glass Sound is a masterclass in atmosphere. Nearly every sentence is faultless, gutting and precise. Come for the family secrets but stay for the humanity, tenderness, and empathy that are so central to Ward's storytelling. This book will truly haunt you long after you read."
A Million to One (2022) Adiba Jaigirdar "Exhilarating, heart-wrenching, and unforgettable. Every page of Adiba Jaigirdar's A Million to One glitters like the Titanic itself, with all the exquisite tension of a first kiss - or an impossible heist."
The Luminaries (2022) (Luminaries, book 1) Susan Dennard "The Luminaries is your next obsession. Part family drama, part fantasy procedural, part helpful guide to monster hunting, all with a dash of romantic tension--this book is all my favorite things combined."
Strike the Zither (2022) (Kingdom of Three, book 1) Joan He "Strike the Zither is a page-turner, full of unexpected twists, with an expansive, intricate world of sisterhood and subterfuge. He's smooth, economical style is the perfect vehicle for this gripping political fantasy, marrying cat-and-mouse intrigue with a tenderness and emotional depth that heightens the stakes of every new reveal. A standout work from a remarkable author."
