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
Today I have a trio of Summer 2026 horror releases (all written by women)…could these be candidates for my Summer of Horror TBR??
A threatened mother and relentless detective collide in this mesmerizing novel from a rising voice in literary horror, perfect for fans of Gabino Iglesias, Carmen Maria Machado, Augustina Bazterrica, and Stephen Graham Jones.
A mother’s love is the oldest curse
Fortuna Miércoles has finally moved her family to a better neighborhood across the Rio Grande, desperate to outrun the curse that’s stalked her bloodline since her greatest grandmother crossed the desert with a cactus thorn splitting her throat. But burying a family’s violent legacy isn’t so easy. Twenty years ago, girls and women vanished into the Albuquerque night, their bones later unearthed on the mesa. The so-called Reaper was never caught. Now, beneath the dormant volcanoes called the Sleeping Sisters, the killings have begun again.
Detective Jeanette Palacio has spent decades chasing the ghosts of her murdered cousins—alongside the memory of the other women she couldn’t avenge. When a new body turns up in Fortuna’s backyard, both women are pulled into a dangerous, ancient plot. Are the Sleeping Sisters awakening—or has someone in Fortuna’s family set a trap?
Inspired by true events and shot through with a Chicana-Indigenous reimagining of the legend of the headless woman, The Sleeping Sisters is a fevered, feral hymn to motherhood and the monstrous bargains we make to protect those we love.
The Sleeping Sisters by Jennifer Givhan. Releases in August 2026 from Mulholland Books. I love this colorful but disturbing cover! I love that this is based on a true story and has mystery and horror elements. I have another book by this author, but I haven’t read it, so I’ll be adding this to my “must read” list for sure.
The Descent meets The Ritual in a cult aquatic horror about a group of academics trapped in a sea cave who must reckon with eldritch horrors as they are forced to atone for their greatest sins.
ATONE OR DIE.
Grad student Caro has no idea what she wants to do with her life, but when an opportunity arises to act as a research assistant on an anthropological expedition for her professor and lover, Edward Beck, she doesn’t hesitate.
Beck assembles a team of academics and professionals to study the ancient sea-based Cult of the Leviathan, and the expedition descends into the sea caves where the cult are said to have dwelt.
But when the cave entrance collapses, trapping them inside, the expedition will find they are not alone in the darkness. Surrounded by strange artefacts and scattered bones, an ancient trial has been set in motion. One by one, the members of the expedition will be tested and forced to atone for their greatest sin. . . or die.
The Sea Hides Its Dead by Megan Bontrager. Releases in July 2026 from Run For It. This is sort of a whimsical cover for what appears to be a very scary story, but I’m here for it! I’m already stressed out over the idea of a group of people going down into sea caves…
A savage, hypnotic dive into the lives and deaths of a coven of vampires living in 19th Century Paris, perfect for fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Laura Purcell and Elizabeth Kostova
Paris, 1869. The Théâtre Saint-Siméon is the place to be, if you can get in. The black slips of paper that guarantee entry are rare and highly desired, and given only to certain persons. The actors on stage are magnetic and ageless, performing only at midnight and never seen during the day…
Arnault and his clan of vampires have survived for as long as they have by observing a rigid set of rules. At night, they perform on stage at the Théâtre Saint-Siméon, picking off just enough people in the audience to survive. But they understand the city, and how to live in it without being noticed.
Their peace is shattered first with a visit from Béatrice, a witch who forms a strange connection to Arnault; then with the arrival of Victor de Rouvray and his sister Françoise, vampires from a very different world. And, as Arnault grows closer and closer to the beautiful, enigmatic Victor, he risks becoming distracted from the constant bickering of his immortal friends, from the daily running of the theatre, and worse, from the premonitions of blood, death and starvation that he receives at night.
For a terrible change is on the horizon, revolt and revolution are brewing in the streets and soon, the city, and Arnault will never be the same again.
The Red Sacrament by Sara Hinkley. Releases in July 2026 from Titan Books. OK I am getting serious Anne Rice vibes from this story blurb. The vampire theatre and even the characters’ names sound so familiar. But I’m super curious!
I’m looooving the sound of The Red Sacrament! 19th century paris? vampires? YES NEED IT!!
I thought you would! It’s going to be a must read for sure.
The cover for The Sleeping Sisters is wild!! These all sound amazing. Great picks!
I’m so curious about The Sleeping Sisters!
The Sea Hides Its Dead sounds promising…
It’s a fun concept, I hope it’s good!
All of these sound amazing! Thanks for sharing!
I hope we both love them!
I would choose the Red Sacrament!
It sounds so good, right?
You are knocking it out of the park with these choices. Love seeing lots of new horror on the horizon. And even better that they are women authors! Let’s just hang our heads and say a silent prayer for my TBR though.
LOL same! I love gearing up for 2026 horror, I think it’s going to be an excellent year.
These all sounds good but The Sea Hides its Dead in particular.
Lynn 😀
Agreed, I can’t wait to read it:-)
I’m very tempted by The Red Sacrament – especially with the comparison to Certain Dark Things, which is right up there as one of my all-time favourite reads:)).
Very curious about The Sleeping Sisters, given it’s a setting I enjoy. And like you, my first thought when reading about The Red Sacrament was Armand and Anne Rice.
Yay, another couple books added to the watch list! I haven’t read anything from Mulholland for a while too, that one sounds awesome.
Ooh two more horrors to add to my list. The Sleeping Sisters sounds so intriguing and I can never resist a vampire tale. I love that you already have Summer Of Horror options in mind.