Bluebeard gets a gothic horror and sapphic romance twist in this fairytale retelling from the author of Serial Killer Support Group and Trad Wife.
A young ceramic artist moves into her new wife’s isolated manor and gets drawn into dark discoveries that stain her marriage—and her very soul.
Artist Poppy Reed doesn’t care if others think her marriage to Celia Marie Fox, a wealthy art dealer, is impulsive. Sure, they’ve only known each other for six months, and Celia has an infamous romantic reputation, but Poppy is brimming with excitement when she moves across the country to Celia’s home: a formidable, isolated, and art-filled manor called Busirane.
As Poppy tries to celebrate her first weeks of marriage and enjoy her new home, Busirane seems intent on rebuffing her every attempt to settle in. Strange noises and confounding occurrences lead Poppy to believe the house is haunted, a suspicion worsened by Celia’s insistence that Poppy avoid the locked basement.
When Celia leaves for a work trip, Poppy is left alone in the house, then finds herself snowed in. Surrounded by secrets, stalked by faceless statues, and beset by bodiless whispers, she struggles to trust her wife—and her own mind. When Poppy is eventually drawn to the forbidden basement, dark truths shatter everything she thought she knew, throwing her into a desperate bid for survival.
Drenched in dread, this contemporary gothic folktale retelling will have you checking all the locks. Twice.
Praise for A Thousand Monstrous Forms
“There’s a reason you’re seeing Schaefer’s name everywhere, their work is setting the bar for smart, propulsive horror. A Thousand Monstrous Forms is delightfully scary, beautifully crafted, and heartbreaking in the best way.”— Erika T. Wurth, author of White Horse and The Haunting of Room 904
“This sapphic twist on the classic tale of Bluebeard takes us into the chill halls of a lonely mansion with a dark secret at its heart, blurring the line that separates hero and villain, home and cage. A Thousand Monstrous Forms is a captivating investigation of power, control, and the things we are willing to relinquish for love. Schaefer’s Celia is a dazzling invention, a smooth-talking lover who draws in both protagonist and reader against their better judgment with her charm and sophistication. Urgent and relentless, this novel will seduce you with its beauty, then shake you with its horror.” —Elliott Gish, author of Grey Dog
“Propulsive, haunting, and mythic, A Thousand Monstrous Forms wraps its bony fingers around your throat and refuses to let go. Schaefer is an undeniable master of the horror genre, and this foray into the Gothic solidifies their place in the pantheon of greats. A unputdownable retelling!” — Taylor Grothe, author of Lethal Kiss
Content Warnings:
alcohol misuse, abusive relationships (on and off page), gaslighting, violence, blood, body horror/imagined self-harm, queer abuse, being drugged, haunted house, and age gap relationships.
Saratoga Schaefer 