Lucy Holland works for Waterstones and has a BA in English & Creative Writing from Royal Holloway. She went on to complete an MA in Creative Writing under Andrew Motion in 2010. Lucy lives in Devon and co-hosts Breaking the Glass Slipper, an award-winning feminist podcast. She is the author of Sistersong.
Upon a Starlit Tide (2025) Kell Woods "Readers will spy familiar stories in Upon a Starlit Tide, but Kell Woods makes them her own. This is not your conventional fairy tale. Instead, a lush, historical novel awaits, supported by a beautifully-rendered sense of time and place. Often poetic, occasionally dark and humorous, Upon a Starlit Tide is for all those who ever dreamed of escaping over the horizon."
The Morrigan (2025) Kim Curran "The Morrigan's strength, frailty, rage and resilience is that of every woman who has ever lived. Curran summons her boldly from the old tales, giving her a voice that is more vital and relevant than ever. The Morrigan may be the most powerful book you will read this year."
The Crimson Road (2025) A G Slatter "Angela Slatter continues to tantalise us with a further glimpse into her intricate and thrilling world of interconnected tales. As well as the sinister Leech Lords, The Crimson Road gives us Violet: a scarred but determined woman fighting against a destiny that men have assigned her. There's plenty of adventure here to keep a reader gripped as they follow Violet into the darkness - both the one that lurks in the world, and the darkness inside herself. Another beguiling tale from an author at the height of her powers."
Daughter of Chaos (2025) (Dark Pantheon , book 1) A S Webb "Although readers will enjoy meeting familiar faces, Webb spins an original and compelling story out of a well-known mythology. This is an impressive debut."
The Fireborne Blade (2024) (Fireborne Blade, book 1) Charlotte Bond "What an enjoyable read! In few words, Charlotte Bond blends fantasy with horror elements to create a complex and memorable world. Maddileh is an understandably prickly character who is easy to root for, and I guarantee you will not see the magnificent twist coming until it hits you in the feels. More please!"
The City of Stardust (2024) Georgia Summers "In opening The City of Stardust, you enter a Gaiman-esque otherworld of scheming scholars and soul-stealing gods, where a daughter's quest to understand her mother's absence is as compelling as her fight against an ancient curse. The ghost of the city undone by pride and a broken promise haunts every page of this memorable and accomplished debut."
Morgan is My Name (2023) (Morgan le Fay, book 1) Sophie Keetch "This is the Arthurian legend as you rarely see it: told not by Uther, Arthur or Merlin, or indeed their male champions, but by the complicated woman they condemned. Keetch's Morgan is vulnerable, courageous and defiant. She makes the legend hers, and I can't wait to accompany her on the next part of the journey. For lovers of the untold story, Morgan Is My Name is a convincing and compelling read."
The Surviving Sky (2023) (Rages Trilogy, book 1) Kritika H Rao "This wildly imaginative book explores a fracturing world through the deeply painful lens of a fracturing human heart. At times brutal, often beautiful, The Surviving Sky offers a thrilling glimpse into a flawed society scrambling to survive. But it is Rao's engagement with our spiritual nature, and the bonds we forge with our inner and outer selves, that really elevates this story above other science fantasies. Don't miss it!"
Dark Earth (2022) Rebecca Stott "Rebecca Stott has written an eloquent and heartachingly poignant story of sisterhood that echoes across the centuries. Evocative and richly mythic, Dark Earth pays homage to the quiet triumph of women working together to build a better world. . . . A truly beautiful book."
Kaikeyi (2022) Vaishnavi Patel "Kaikeyi is a glorious tapestry of a novel. I adored it."
Among Thieves (2021) (Thieves , book 1) M J Kuhn "M. J. Kuhn handles her characters with a surety rarely seen in a debut. Lightning-paced, this novel tosses you onto the dockside with its loveable crew of rogues and misfits. Every one of them's a liar, and it's as much a joy to unravel their own secrets as it is to unpick the bigger secret that beats within the heart of this boldly imagined world. Where there's grit, there's banter. Where there is grim, there is beauty too. You won't want to miss Among Thieves!"
Hall of Smoke (2021) (Hall of Smoke, book 1) H M Long "Long gives us a flawed hero, a woman battling grief, rage and – perhaps most poignant of all – doubt. It is thrilling to stand beside Hessa as she stares into the abyss and begins to reassemble herself there. Long's writing is elegantly understated, filling out Hessa's complex world without ever stranding us – we are with her through every stumble and triumph. Hall of Smoke is ultimately a book about what it means to have your deepest illusions shattered and still scrape together the courage to begin again. A vivid and compelling debut."
