Andrew Joseph White is a queer, trans author from Virginia, where he grew up falling in love with monsters and wishing he could be one too. He received his MFA in Creative Writing from George Mason University in 2022 and has a habit of cuddling random street cats.
Andrew writes about trans kids with claws and fangs, and what happens when they bite back.
And the River Drags Her Down (2025) Jihyun Yun "A river-stained book about sisterhood, selfishness, and the human desire to be understood and loved . . . Heart-wrenchingly beautiful."
The Dead of Summer (2025) (Dead of Summer, book 1) Ryan La Sala "The Dead of Summer contains La Sala's signature multitudes: sometimes delightfully campy, always stomach-turningly horrifying, with dread rising like the tide. The perfect beach read to really get that adrenaline going."
Vesuvius (2025) Cass Biehn "Biehn has pulled off a tremendous feat: crafting a tumultuous and aching romance set in one of the most doomed places of the known world. Vesuvius is for every reader who loves bittersweet boys prying happiness out of the uncaring hands of fate."
Motheater (2025) Linda H Codega "When an Appalachian reader says a book feels like home, Motheater is what they mean: magic tied deep in the mountains, history written on the bones, everyday folks facing down titans. This debut is absolutely beautiful."
Rest in Peaches (2024) Alex Brown "Full of blood, guts, parrot costumes, and twists that will make you gasp - the perfect Halloween comedy for all you queer slasher fans!"
Don't Let the Forest in (2024) C G Drews "CG Drews has crafted a beautiful, horrific novel out of underbrush and ink stains and blood. Perfect for any reader who has looked into the sharp mouths of disturbing fairy tales and found themself entirely at home."
Coup De Grace (2024) Sofia Ajram "The literary equivalent of a high-fever delirium, of picking at a wound, of an acid burn in the back of your throat. Ajram will have your nightmares wrapped around his finger, and you will be reluctant to come up for air."
The Dark We Know (2024) Wen-Yi Lee "The Dark We Know is a book made of shattered rock, claustrophobic family pressure, and the desperation of children trying to survive the weight of their grief. An eerie, introspective, and beautifully atmospheric addition to the best of YA horror lit."
So Witches We Became (2024) Jill Baguchinsky "Perfectly illustrating the righteous fury of young women with creeping shadows and hungry waters, Baguchinsky's first step into YA horror slams in like a storm, leaving you anxious and breathless in just the right way."
Portrait of a Shadow (2024) Meriam Metoui "Metoui has woven a twisting tale of desperation, sisterhood, lies, and what you're willing to give up - or destroy - in pursuit of what you want most. This book left me reeling - and you'll never look at a white painting the same way again."
The Color of a Lie (2024) Kim Johnson "Heart-pounding. Gut-wrenching. A fast-paced historical thriller both grappling with the horror of segregated America and celebrating the bravery of everyday citizens fighting for a better world - an absolute must for every bookshelf."
Where Sleeping Girls Lie (2024) Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé "A harrowing mystery about a school festering with rot and a girl ready to walk right into its ugliest depths, with twists that made me gasp out loud. Àbíké-Íyímídé is back with a knife-sharp novel pointed right at the heart of society's darkest corners."
A Botanical Daughter (2024) Noah Medlock "This book is the most fun a reader can have while still gritting their teeth in fear! Enchantingly eerie and upsettingly lovely, A Botanical Daughter is an intoxicating hybrid of blood, botany, and old-timey charm."
Infinity Alchemist (2024) (Infinity Alchemist, book 1) Kacen Callender "Callender steps into YA fantasy with a rush of adrenaline and power. A high-stakes world of magic and deception where characters are queer, trans, polyamorous, and loved without question; this is a blast of heart-racing magic you won't want to miss."
Gorgeous Gruesome Faces (2023) (Gorgeous Gruesome Faces, book 1) Linda Cheng "An electrifying debut made of sweat, sparkles, and blood - and an unsettling look at the bone-crushing pressure young girls face in the world of entertainment. Cheng's debut is a chilling tale full of turns you'll never expect."
Godly Heathens (2023) (Ouroboros , book 1) H E Edgmon "Sharp as a blade, twice as vicious, and an outstretched hand all at once; a reminder to messy, angry kids that they can find their power no matter what they must do to survive. Absolutely unhinged and utterly unforgettable."
Brainwyrms (2023) Alison Rumfitt "The literary equivalent of swallowing a mouthful of maggots and liking it. Rumfitt is a master of disgust, twisting the horrors of transphobia into a hellish masterpiece, and you won't be able to look away."
Before the Devil Knows You're Here (2023) Autumn Krause "Rich, lyric prose; eerie monsters and devils; a stake planted in American myth with apple cores and sap. A bizarre and beautiful folktale that will have readers breathless with all its twists and turns."
A Hundred Vicious Turns (2023) (Broken Tower, book 1) Lee Paige O'Brien "A twisting, creeping mystery full of tenuous friendships, difficult choices, and beautiful magic: for every trans kid longing for an enchanted school to accept them as they are, A Hundred Vicious Turns is here. A spellbinding debut you won't want to miss!"
I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast is Me (2023) (I Feed Her to the Beast, book 1) Jamison Shea "A hungry novel that smears your teeth with blood and ambition, then asks if you'd be willing to rip them out. Jamison Shea has cemented themself as a force to be reckoned with - and reminds us that when your enemies go low, you can always bury them there."
A Crooked Mark (2023) Linda Kao "A dark, twisting coming-of-age sure to leave readers glancing over their shoulder for the Devil. Kao perfectly illustrates the struggles of choosing your own path through a lens of fire and knives, and you won't want to put it down."
We'll Never Tell (2023) Wendy Heard "A fiery, queer, breakneck thriller that will leave you tasting smoke and Hollywood grit on the back of your teeth--a look into who gets left behind when the media makes a spectacle of someone's pain, and what you might do to make that pain worth it. Exhilarating."
We Don't Swim Here (2023) Vincent Tirado "Righteous revenge and horrors of the past collide with chlorine and small-town secrets in this riveting thriller. The perfect book for anyone beginning to question what gets called monstrous-and why. Unsettling and heartrending."
Court of the Undying Seasons (2023) A M Strickland "A dark, luscious mystery that will pull readers into a labyrinth of love, betrayal, and blood. A.M. Strickland has crafted a dizzyingly dark reminder that it's family that makes us human - even if you choose the family yourself, even if you're no longer human at all."
Unseelie (2023) (Unseelie duology, book 1) Ivelisse Housman "Housman opens a portal to aworld of glimmering faeand blistering magic where, to our autistic protagonist, humanity is just as daunting as the fantastical. Both meaningful and whirlwind-fun, Unseelie sparkles with mystery, adventure, and enchantment."
Direwood (2022) Catherine Yu "Drenched in blood-slick gothic dread and chewing under your skin to unsettle you down to the bones, Direwood is as sharp and hungry as the vampires inside it. Go on, open the door. See what happens."
