Welcome to Future Fiction, my reimagining of the Waiting on Wednesday meme! There are so many amazing new books coming out, that I can no longer pick just one. My goal with Future Fiction is to share at least three new books each week, a combination of recent cover reveals and books that I’ve recently added to my TBR pile. I’m still going to be linking up with Wishful Endings/Can’t Wait Wednesday, and I also want to give a shout out to Jill at Breaking the Spine for starting the original Waiting on Wednesday meme. I hope you’ll find some new books to add to your TBR piles, and as always, I look forward to hearing what YOU’RE looking forward to:-D
Three gorgeous covers, three completely different books. Take a look:
A thrilling and ominously prophetic debut set in a world when Earth and its resources have been pushed to breaking point, giving rise to a revolutionary—and highly controversial—procedure in which two people’s consciousness can be combined to exist in one body.
How far would you go to never say goodbye?
Laurie is sixty-five and living with Alzheimer’s. Her daughter Amelia, a once fiery and strong-willed activist, can’t bear to see her mother’s mind fade. Faced with the reality of losing her forever, Amelia signs them up to take part in the world’s first experimental merging process for Alzheimer’s patients, in which Laurie’s ailing mind will be transferred into Amelia’s healthy body and their consciousness will be blended as one.
Soon Amelia and Laurie join the opaque and mysterious group of other merge teenage Lucas, who plans to merge with his terminally ill brother Noah; Ben, who will merge with his pregnant fiancée Annie; and Jay, whose merging partner is his addict daughter Lara. As they prepare to move to The Village, a luxurious rehabilitation center for those who have merged, they quickly begin to question whether everything is really as it seems.
An exhilarating, immersive debut from an astonishing new voice, The Merge is a personal story of love, family, and sacrifice, as well as a thought-provoking examination of the limits of control, resistance, and freedom in our modern world.
The Merge by Grace Walker. Releases in November 2025 from Mariner Books. Not only is the cover stunning, but the story sounds intriguing! Also scary, I mean I’m not sure merging is something I’d want to do, lol. But I’m curious enough to check it out.
The Witcher meets Howl’s Moving Castle in this debut original faerie tale of revenge, redemption, and friendship―for fans of T. Kingfisher, Naomi Novik, and cozy fantasy with a dash of gritty adventure.
The night Lyssa Cadogan’s brother was murdered by a faerie-made monster known as the Beast, she made him a promise: she would find a way to destroy the immortal creature and avenge his death. For thirteen years, she has been hunting faeries and the abominations they created. But in all that time, the one Beast she is most desperate to find has never resurfaced.
Until she meets Alderic Casimir de Laurent, a melodramatic dandy with a coin purse bigger than his brain. Somehow, he has found the monster’s lair, and―even more surprising―retrieved one of its claws. A claw Lyssa needs in order to forge a sword that can kill the Beast.
When the witch Ragnhild decrees that Alderic and Lyssa must gather the other ingredients to forge the weapon together, or else the spell will fail, Lyssa gets more than she bargained for. Alderic is ill-equipped for the task at hand, and almost guaranteed to get himself killed.
But as the two of them search for the materials that will be the Beast’s undoing, Alderic reveals hidden depths: dark secrets that he guards as carefully as Lyssa guards hers. Before long, and against Lyssa’s better judgment, they begin to forge a blooming friendship―one that will either lead to the culmination of Lyssa’s quest for vengeance, or spell doom for them both.
Kill the Beast by Serra Swift. Releases in October 2025 from Tor Books. I’m in love with this cover, and wow the story sounds amazing. I love the idea of a “melodramatic dandy” as a main character, this is going to fun:-)
A gothic feminist body horror in two timelines revolving around three Anatomical Venuses—ultrarealistic wax figures of women—that come to life at night to murder men who have wronged them
Seoul, present day. Antiques dealer Alys’s task is nearly complete. She has at last secured Elizabeth, the third and final Anatomical Venus. Crafted in eighteenth-century London and modeled after real-life sex workers to entice male medical students, these eerie wax figures, known as slashed beauties, carry unsavory lore. Legend has it that the figures are bewitched, and come to life at night to murder men who have wronged them. Now Alys embarks for England, where she knows what she must sever her cursed connection to the Venuses once and for all.
London, 1763. Abandoned and penniless in Covent Garden, wide-eyed Eleanor and another young woman, Emily, are taken under the wing of beautiful and beguiling Elizabeth, one of the city’s most highly desired courtesans among the rich and powerful. But as Eleanor is seduced deeper into a web of money, materialism, and men, it seems that Elizabeth may not be the savior she appears to be.
As the timelines begin to intersect, it becomes clear that the women’s stories are linked in deeper, darker ways than it initially seems. And that the only method for Alys to end the witchcraft that binds her legacy is to gather all three models in one place and destroy them.
However, these haunted, murderous dolls might not be ready to burn.
Slashed Beauties by A. Rushby. Releases in September 2025 from Berkley. OK sign me up immediately for this book! Doesn’t it sound fantastic? And super weird, which is probably why I’m drawn to it.
Kill the Beast has a lovely cover, and I like the sound of the story too. Cosy fantasy with adventure definitely has to go on the TBR list
I really love the cover as well, I can’t wait:-)
I’m definitely adding the last two of these to my TBR. Anything with fairytale vibes is irresistible to me and the other sounds so intriguing. Although describing it as a body horror does make me nervous. also the UK cover is a major letdown having just seen yours
I just checked out the UK cover and I agree, this US is much better!
The Merge: “set in a world when Earth and its resources have been pushed to breaking point” Hmm… sounds kinda familiar, don’t you think? Aside from people’s consciousness merging into one body. I don’t think we’re there yet.
Oh I love the sound of Kill the Beast! I read The Witcher meets Howl’s Moving Castle and I was like yup I’m in, but then I read the synopsis and I want to read it even more! The part of Alderic being a melodramatic dandy with a coin purse bigger than his brain made me chuckle for sure.
Slashed Beauties sounds equally as good as the others. Ultrarealistic wax figures of women that come to life at night to murder men who have wronged them? Yes, I’d like to read this!
Of all of these, The Merge scares me the most! And yep, hopefully we never will be there.
All of these look very interesting! I do kinda of like eco horror/dystopia, though the melding of consciousnesses weirds me out lol.
It’s a super weird idea and gives me some anxiety, lol.
Some great choices this week. I’m definitely adding Kill the Beasts and Slashed Beauties to my ever-growing wish list.
Thanks Barb, let’s hope they are as good as they sound:-)
Slashed Beauties sounds amazing and so does Kill the Beast!
Slashed Beauties is going to be a must read for me!
Interesting picks! The Merge is the one I’m most intrigued by. What a bizarre concept! Definitely makes me want to know more.
I’m not sure I’ve run across the idea in the Merge before, so I’m definitely considering reading it:-)
I think I could never read the Merge Tammy as it sounds too realistic!
Ha ha it’s sort of a scary idea!
The first one is creepy in its own way! Enjoy!
Agreed, it’s a very weird but cool idea.
Kill the Beast is more my cup of tea than the other two, and it sounds fun. But Slashed Beauties sounds intriguing, too!! Thanks for sharing them!!
I’m most curious about Slashed Beauties, it sounds different from my usual read:-)
Not at all sure whether Kill the Beast will work for me but I really like the sound of it and I’m curious to try it.
Yes, it definitely sounds good, and the cover is different enough to attract my attention:-)
Slashed Beauties has such a pretty cover but I have my eye on Kill the Beast. That sounds like it will be good.
Kill the Beast does sound like a lot of fun:-)
Oooh I NEED The Merge! It is new to me too, so thanks for putting it on my radar! The other two might be too fantasy for me? BUt I am still intrigued!
The cover game this week is on fire!