Elodie Harper is a journalist and prize winning short story writer. Her story ‘Wild Swimming’ won the 2016 Bazaar of Bad Dreams short story competition, run by The Guardian and Hodder & Stoughton and judged by Stephen King. She is currently a reporter and presenter at ITV News Anglia, and before that worked as a producer for Channel 4 News. She is married with a young son.
A Snake Among Swans (2026) (Wild Swans, book 1) Hannah Kaner "This book didn't just grip me, it consumed me... Hannah Kaner plunges you into a world that is utterly vivid, magical and terrifying. The stakes are impossibly high, the characters excruciatingly real. There is so much wisdom in its pages, such nuanced and powerful reflection on war, revenge, sexuality and what it means to be human. It's a masterpiece - and just rocketed to one of my favourite books of all time."
Cleopatra (2026) Saara El-Arifi "Saara El-Arifi's passion for and deep knowledge of her subject are always apparent, giving Cleopatra's famous story a new and unique twist."
The Twelve Days of Christmas (2025) Susan Stokes-Chapman "A festive delight, as warming as mulled wine by a crackling fire. These twelve tales weave together beautifully in a joyous, sparkling celebration of love, wit and the true meaning of Christmas."
Hekate (2025) (Goddesses of the Underworld, book 1) Nikita Gill "In a wholly original, incandescent take on the myth of Hekate, Nikita Gill captures the beauty, brutality and otherworldly strangeness of the ancient world like no other writer. This beautifully imagined tale of a Refugee Goddess at times shares the dreamlike quality of Dante's Inferno, as Hekate encounters all the wonders and terrors of the Underworld. Her quest to find her destiny among a kingdom of outcasts was both deeply moving and absolutely captivating. Nikita Gill weaves in contemporary themes of war, displacement, loss and identity in a way that feels totally resonant with the Classical setting. This poem is pure magic."
A Beautiful Evil (2025) Bea Fitzgerald "Nobody is reinventing Greek mythology like Bea Fitzgerald - full of laughter, romance and drama, her books deliver brilliant ancient tales for a modern audience, and all set in the most beautifully realized magical world. I would read ANYTHING she writes."
Hungerstone (2025) Kat Dunn "Utterly captivating. A fabulous Gothic feast of a novel which is so gripping I genuinely struggled to put it down. This book has everything-a compulsive plot, fascinating characters, and a world so dark and atmospheric it makes the real one look drab. A book that will upend your expectations of the genre and leave you wanting more."
Enemy of My Dreams (2025) Jenny Williamson "This is a hugely entertaining Roman world Romantasy--with a hilarious heroine and smoldering hero--whose adventures in love and war are set against the backdrop of the last dangerous days of an ancient Empire."
The Burial Plot (2024) Elizabeth Macneal "The Burial Plot is a masterclass in gothic storytelling. I was completely gripped from the first page, the period detail is utterly immersive and the tale Elizabeth MacNeal weaves is so dark, rich and compelling. Her main character Bonnie is a wonderful creation - flawed, sympathetic, fascinating - and I adored every moment I spent in her company. And the finale of the novel is just fabulous - it gave me chills."
Saltblood (2024) Francesca De Tores "A wholly original vision of a life, Saltblood is not only a gripping tale of one woman's extraordinary adventures, but also a profound meditation on identity, sexuality, survival and what makes us human. The sensory detail of the period is vivid, immersive and sometimes shocking in its intensity. You are on board the ship with Mary, bearing witness to her life, listening to her inimitable voice. Saltblood is a triumph of the imagination."
The Revels (2023) Stacey Thomas "Wonderfully atmospheric and compelling with a fabulous twist on the genre."
Fair Rosaline (2023) Natasha Solomons "I have not been able to stop thinking about this book . . . Fair Rosaline is a gripping, spellbinding and wonderfully immersive book - and one that truly makes you think. I would be very surprised if everyone is not talking about it."
The Square of Sevens (2023) Laura Shepherd-Robinson "This is a fabulously evocative novel, with a heroine who proves the most wonderful company, and a finely spun mystery which keeps you turning the pages. The Square of Sevens invites you into a magical world which you won't want to leave."
Morgan is My Name (2023) (Morgan le Fay, book 1) Sophie Keetch "Beautifully written... with fabulous, nuanced characters. I totally fell in love with Morgan. I also didn't want it to end, but then it's a trilogy so thankfully I have more to look forward to!"
The Misadventures of Margaret Finch (2023) Claire McGlasson "This is a gem of a book, retelling a little known corner of history in the most heart-felt, original way. Claire McGlasson's writing is lyrical, haunting and always fabulously evocative - and the timing, at the very eve of the second world war, lent the ending an almost unbearable poignancy."
Clytemnestra (2023) Costanza Casati "Wow! What a powerhouse of a novel. Savage, passionate and absolutely spellbinding. The recreation of Sparta is astonishing - you feel you are with Clytemnestra, completely immersed in the brutal world she inhabits with her siblings, whose complex relationships are drawn with skill and tenderness. Clytemnestra's rage, heartbreak and determination radiate off the page. I was utterly gripped."
Fannie (2022) Rebecca F John "In this beautifully written novella, Rebecca F. John gives us Fannie's story from a new perspective - Fannie's own. The past is beautifully evoked by John's writing, sometimes with disturbing, visceral intensity. This is a lyrical, heartbreaking retelling."
Cunning Women (2021) Elizabeth Lee "Wonderfully original . . . devastating . . . and fabulously atmospheric too."
Beast (2019) (Six Stories, book 4) Matt Wesolowski "Such a fantastic, creepy read!"
Friends Like These (2018) Sarah Alderson "The exploration of social media envy/fakery was incredibly dark but also caused me several winces of recognition. Compelling, timely, yet very original all at once."
In Strangers' Houses (2018) (Lena Szarka mystery, book 1) Elizabeth Mundy "I loved In Strangers' Houses - poignant, funny and races effortlessly along. Lena is a wonderfully unusual heroine and I can't wait for her next adventure."
