Welcome to this month’s Top Picks! Every month, we like to share with you our favourite reads of the month. We’ve rounded up our contributors and asked them each to recommend just one favourite read of the month. A big thank you to Nils for coming up with this feature, and our contributors for taking part! Let’s find out what the team has read this month… Nils: The Tower of the Tyrant by J. T. Greathouse I started off the month by finishing off the Emily Wilde trilogy by Heather...| Fantasy-Hive
“A haunting grows from a tangle of twisted roots. The deepest reach into layers of a forgotten past, long overwritten by more useful stories, believed myth by all but those whose histories drip with pain and rage as they pass from elder’s mouth to child’s ear. The shallowest reach into fresher soil, drawing from injustices still in living, mortal memory. Two pains – old and new – that feed one into the other until the tree sprouts and horror reigns.” When the King of Parwys fal...| Fantasy-Hive
Dan Coxon is an award-winning editor and writer based in London. He has been a finalist for the Shirley Jackson Awards and the British Fantasy Awards (six times), with Writing the Uncanny (co-edited with Richard V. Hirst) winning the British Fantasy Award for Best Non-Fiction 2022. His anthology Being Dad won a Saboteur Award in 2016. His short stories have appeared in various anthologies and magazines, including Shakespeare Unleashed, Beyond the Veil, Fiends in the Furrows III...| Fantasy-Hive
The nights have begun to draw in, pumpkin spice fills the air, dads are guarding thermostats up and down the country, and editor Beth has a cold – that’s right! Autumn is here! And here at the Hive, we couldn’t be happier! There’s nothing we love more than snuggling up with a blanket, a hot drink, and of course a book. But which book?? Well we’ve rounded up the team and asked them to recommend the perfect titles to get cosy with. It could be a book set in autumn, a witchy read, a bo...| Fantasy-Hive
Welcome to THE MONSTER BOTHERER! We are thrilled to welcome back Emma Penman, who exclusively reviews monster romance, and has returned for another week of Monster Bothering. We decided that as all her reviews have a specific aim, we’ll house them all in one handy feature-cage! Whilst not necessarily bothering many monsters herself, Emma will be letting us know which monster romance books are worth bothering with… Content warning: These books are usually explicit unless stated otherwise ...| Fantasy-Hive
This book was a journey. Not least because it’s almost 1000 pages long. Despite all the hype on social media in the last couple of months, I’d never heard of this author and went into the book completely blind, based on the blurb alone. It looked interesting to me. Another fantasy book, right? No. Very much No. First off came the security. I wasn’t allowed to mention this book at all. My ARC was personalised and I had to confirm receipt with the publicist. This review has been emba...| Fantasy-Hive
This one is for every reader who asked for another Lady and Lord Riven adventure. I loved writing it for you! Well firstly, I’m glad other readers clamoured for more before me and so allowed me to pick up this sequel immediately on completing A Marriage of Undead Inconvenience (and a big thank you to Stephanie for sending me the books in exchange for honest reviews to begin with!) “You marched into my house all those months ago in your wedding gown, lectured me about the state of my tea,...| Fantasy-Hive
SenLinYu (she/they) grew up in the Pacific Northwest and studied classical liberal arts and culture. They started writing in the Notes app of their phone during their baby’s nap time. Their collected online works have garnered over twenty million individual downloads and have been translated into twenty-three languages. They live in Portland with their family. ALCHEMISED is their first novel. Hi SenLinYu – welcome to The Fantasy Hive! It was a real pleasure to read Alchemised...| Fantasy-Hive
Vinay reviews Nicholas Binge's time travelling police procedural EXTREMITY: "searingly unputdownable and is easily in the running for best novella of the year"| Fantasy-Hive
I feel like this year I keep repeating something along the lines of ‘I’m not a huge romantasy fan, but…’ because so many books marketed as ‘romantasy’ keep being stellar books in their own right, transcending that (often sniffed at) label. I’m beyond glad that publishers are raising the bar for storytelling to let the authors share their worlds with us regardless of genre. The Knight and the Moth is a perfect example. It has brilliant universe-building, geographically, historic...| Fantasy-Hive
Today, TO reviews Claire North's upcoming space opera SLOW GODS: "North gives us a wide-ranging enthralling, resonant and cathartic fable of our own world’s predicament but anchors it with individual characters, both participants and witnesses to events, that we can connect with"| Fantasy-Hive
Jonathan reviews Lucy Rose's debut folk horror THE LAMB: "a remarkable work of art... an all-time horror classic, one we will be talking about for decades to come"| Fantasy-Hive
Nils returns to Heather Fawcett's world of Light Academia for the final instalment in her Emily Wilde trilogy, EMILY WILDE'S COMPENDIUM OF LOST TALES: "an enchanting romantic light academia which swept me through hidden doors to magical realms"| Fantasy-Hive
Beth reviews T. Kingfisher's upcoming Sleeping Beauty retelling, the spellbinding THORNHEDGE: "This is clearly an author well versed in the laws of this tradition who is able to wield them with confidence to tell an achingly beautiful story you won’t expect"| Fantasy-Hive
To celebrate the release of his epic fantasy THE LAST VIGILANT, Mark A. Latham joins our Nils for an interview: "Top of the list was “Miss Marple and Richard Sharpe go on adventures in Westeros”, and that [rather glib] one-liner stayed at the top of my mood board for quite some time."| Fantasy-Hive
Jonathan review A. Rushby's dark historical fantasy with twists of horror SLASHED BEAUTIES: "the perfect mix of old school horror chills and thoughtful social commentary, all delivered through compelling characters and unforgettable monsters."| Fantasy-Hive
Beth reviews S. T. Gibson's newly released dark academia AN EDUCATION IN MALICE: "You will find yourself enmeshed in the obsession that pounds these pages as Gibson grasps you by the hand and leads you into the dark."| Fantasy-Hive
We managed to catch some authors between classes for a roundtable interview on their contributions to IN THESE HALLOWED HALLS, a Dark Academia Anthology edited by Marie O’Regan and Paul Kane| Fantasy-Hive
Today we're thrilled to welcome to the Hive authors from upcoming Dark Academia anthology THESE DREAMING SPIRES to discuss what the genre means to them!| Fantasy-Hive
Jonathan reviews Daniela Catrileo's debut novel CHILCO, translated into English by Jacob Edelstein: "a remarkable work of near-future speculative fiction that grapples with the legacy of colonialism and the collapse of capitalism"| Fantasy-Hive
Today our resident Monster Botherer has side-stepped into Dark Romantasy with Liv Zander's FEATHERS SO VICIOUS: "It’s not an easy fun read but it’s kind of hard to tear your eyes away from the pages when things get interesting"| Fantasy-Hive
Nils reviews the first instalment in Mark A. Latham's new epic fantasy trilogy THE LAST VIGILANT: "a tale where classic fantasy meets a puzzling mystery and delivers an unputdownable read. This book was a true hidden gem."| Fantasy-Hive
Jonathan reviews Rowe Irvin's debut psychological folk horror LIFE CYCLE OF A MOTH: "deeply moving and utterly compelling. It heralds Irvin as an exciting new voice in the literary Weird."| Fantasy-Hive
Beth reviews T. Kingfisher's latest fairy tale retelling HEMLOCK & SILVER, out now from Tor: "displays a skilful fusion of refreshing worldbuilding, imaginative retelling, and unique storytelling"| Fantasy-Hive
Jonathan reviews Bitter Karella's fungal body horror BITTER KARELLA, the debut novel of Orbit's new horror imprint Run For It!| Fantasy-Hive
TO Munro reviews Adrian Tchaikovsky's fantasy quest SPIDERLIGHT, publishing in the UK this September by Tor!| Fantasy-Hive
Today, we're thrilled to be taking part in the cover reveal for Emily Paxman's upcoming standalone post-apocalyptic romance, ALL WE HAVE LEFT! Cover artist: Natasha MacKenzie| Fantasy-Hive
Beth reviews S. T. Gibson's upcoming dark folkloric fantasy romance SAVAGE BLOOMS: "a decadent feast of deceit and desire in a gorgeously realised and atmospheric setting"| Fantasy-Hive
Today, Cat reviews the first in a brand new #romantasy series from bestselling author S. A. Maclean - VOIDWALKER! Out now from Gollancz: "excellent, sassy and genuine characters... a truly entertaining book"| Fantasy-Hive
We can't have a Monster Romance section without a tentacle romance and our Monster Botherer has delivered with Ava Hall's THE KING IN RED: "forced proximity, only one bed, us against the world vibes"| Fantasy-Hive
As we reach the end of another month, it's time we round up our contributors and hear what their top reads of the month were for July's #TopPicks| Fantasy-Hive
This week our Monster Botherer Emma is bothering with Lola Glass' reality TV inspired fae mating romance LUST AND LOLLIPOPS (SURVIVAL OF THE MATED): "It, like the TV show it was inspired by, was just pure escapism"| Fantasy-Hive
Today we're thrilled to be featuring another cover reveal for Titan Books - this time, Amy Jane Stewart's debut feminist horror fairy-tale HEX HOUSE.| Fantasy-Hive
TO returns to a favourite author as he reviews Stark Holborn's upcoming Fantasy Western novella FOR THE ROAD: "Holborn’s prose weaves its way through this surreal setting and complex cast binding them together in a delightful reading experience"| Fantasy-Hive
Today we're thrilled to be able to share the cover reveal for Rym Kechacha's upcoming faerie tale fantasy THE APPLE AND THE PEARL, due for publication 3rd February 2026 from Titan Books.| Fantasy-Hive
Beth gets swept up by Juno Dawson's HMRC trilogy and reviews the second instalment THE SHADOW CABINET: "You'll burn through these pages like an elemental, and even a Level 5 Oracle won't see what's coming"| Fantasy-Hive
Beth revisits Juno Dawson's powerful witchcraft and demon fuelled HER MAJESTY'S ROYAL COVEN: "a contemporary fresh story of witchcraft sisterhood that is vitally relevant in current conversations around gender and the queer community"| Fantasy-Hive
Nils reviews Laura Purcell's gothic haunted house mystery THE SILENT COMPANIONS: "Purcell is becoming the queen of gothic writing for me and this book was darkly divine. "| Fantasy-Hive
Today Cat dives into Megan Bannen's fantasy rom-com THE UNDERCUTTING OF ROSIE AND ADAM: "A huge recommend if you’d like a clever and endlessly endearing magical tale of finding yourself and the one you love."| Fantasy-Hive
It's time for this week's Monster Botherer review, and Emma is gushing (yes I'm sticking with it) about Kimberly Lemming's THAT TIME I GOT DRUNK AND SAVED A DEMON: "Lemming has this great style of writing that draws you in close and doesn’t let you go"| Fantasy-Hive
Happy Publication day to THE GRIMOIRE GRAMMAR SCHOOL PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION by Caitlin Rozakis! After loving Dreadful, Nils and Beth couldn't wait to dive into this new offering| Fantasy-Hive
Nils returns to Sylvie Cathrall's world her Sunken Archive duology with the long-awaited sequel A LETTER TO THE LONESOME SHORE: "deeply romantic and magical"| Fantasy-Hive
Beth continues her read through of T. Kingfisher's Saint of Steel series and shares her thoughts on the third instalment, PALADIN'S HOPE| Fantasy-Hive
Vinay reviews Evan Leikam's debut fantasy adventure ANJI KILLS A KING: "a debut to remember"| Fantasy-Hive
Nils returns to Sarah Beth Durst's world of The Spellshop in her upcoming enchanting cosy fantasy THE ENCHANTED GREENHOUSE| Fantasy-Hive
This week our Monster Botherer is asking if Vampires count as monster for monster romances in her review of Steffanie Holmes' slow burn cosy romance FANGS FOR NOTHING| Fantasy-Hive
Beth continues T. Kingfisher's Saint of Steel romantasy quartet, this time reviewing the second book PALADIN'S STRENGTH: "If you like unconventional romances and the cuddle-together-for-warmth trope then this one's for you."| Fantasy-Hive
Today we are thrilled to be taking part in the cover reveal for Alix E. Harrow upcoming genre-defying novel THE EVERLASTING, due for release from Tor in October 2025!| Fantasy-Hive
Nils reviews Ronald Malfi's upcoming psychological thrilled SENSELESS: "let Malfi lead you through a darkly twisted and bizarre tale"| Fantasy-Hive
T.O. Munro reviews Stark Holborn's far future set sci-fi TEN LOW: "There is a great deal to admire and enjoy in this well-crafted story"| Fantasy-Hive
Kat reviews Matriam Petrosyan's speculative fantasy THE GRAY HOUSE, translated by Yuri Machkasov: "a story that celebrates the freedom and chaos of childhood with abandon"| Fantasy-Hive
Every Friday for #WomenInSFF, the Hive team are taking a look at popular tropes in SFF and bringing you their favourite recommendations. This week we're looking at our favourite tropes in Romantasy - that's right, there were too many to pick just one!| Fantasy-Hive
Every Friday for #WomenInSFF, the Hive team are taking a look at popular tropes in SFF and bringing you their favourite recommendations. Our first one, the OG trope - QUESTS!| Fantasy-Hive
Kat reviews Rosalie M. Lin's DAUGHTER OF CALAMITY, but unfortunately, it didn't quite strike a chord with her| Fantasy-Hive
