By Caitlin Taylor So
The weather outside is…well, you know. But brace the cold if it’s true where you are and if not (lucky you), waltz on over to your nearest bookstore to search for these December and January releases. Finish 2025 strong and start 2026 with a spring in your step and new stories to carry with you. (And before you know it, spring will be just around the corner.)
- Persephone’s Curse by Katrina Leno – December 2, 2025
Four Farthing sisters are descendants from Persephone, the Goddess of the Dead herself — at least that’s what they’ve been told. They do have a ghost in their attic, for one. When one sister falls in love with said ghost, and another banishes him to the Underworld, the four sisters will reckon with who they are and how much magic and responsibility they each and collectively hold.
- Dark Sisters by Kristi DeMeester – December 9, 2025
Meet these three mysterious and daring women: Anne Bolton, Mary Shephard, and Camilla Burson. Anne, a healer currently facing prosecution for witchcraft, is making deals with dark entities. Mary, who appears to be the picture perfect wife on the outside, starts an affair with Sharon that can only end in disaster if discovered. Camilla, the daughter of a preacher, is determined to uncover an ancient power — against her father’s wishes, of course — as his flock spirals into chaos. While the actions of these women will have reverberating consequences, there is nothing that will truly get in their way.
- Rings of Fate by Melissa de la Cruz – January 6, 2026
If you can’t get enough of the fake relationship trope and want to immerse yourself in fantasy, here’s a story for you: Aren Bellamore longs to be free, from her job at the Raven’s Beak tavern and from unwanted marriage proposals. Prince Dietan needs someone to help shoulder the burden of his Rings of Fate, ancient weapons cursed with magic that is draining him alive. Together, Aren can get her freedom, and Prince Dietan can reverse his curse. This quickly becomes the least of their problems, however, as nothing can prepare them for what they must now face as a pretend couple.
- Gaslit by Megan Davidhizar – January 13, 2026
Sometimes the worst feeling of all arises when no one believes you or is taking you seriously. Ella was supposed to spend time with her friends like a normal seventeen year old until a crippling headache led to a brain tumor diagnosis. Instead, she decides to babysit her cousin for the night, but when she gets to the house, something is immediately off with the door open, no lights turned on, and a concerning smell coming from inside.
Ella charges in to find her aunt and cousins unconscious from a gas leak. As Ella’s symptoms worsen in the aftermath of this tragedy, she can’t shake off the feeling that the gas leak was no freak accident and that whoever is responsible is out to get her next.
- Better the Devil by Erik J. Brown – January 20, 2026
Safety is a privilege not everyone can afford. A queer, homeless, runaway teen gets caught for shoplifting. In a desperate attempt to not be sent back to his hyper-religious parents, he assumes the identity of a missing child as seen on a poster in the police station: Nate Beaumont.
The Beaumonts arrive and welcome him into their loving home — so far from the experience he had with his actual family.
But little by little, weird things start happening (vandalism, alarms going off at night) that may suggest someone out there knows Nate isn’t really back because the real Nate wasn’t just kidnapped. He was murdered.
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Born and raised in Queens, Caitlin Taylor So is a Chinese-Vietnamese writer who is passionate about prioritizing and amplifying marginalized voices. She graduated from Emerson College with a degree in publishing and marketing. Her writing can be found on Business Insider, PopSugar, WebMD, Medscape, The New Absurdist, and Her Campus Media.