aardvark book club

Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker Genres: Adult, AAPI, Japanese Literature, Folklore, Gothic, Historical Fiction, Horror, Psychological Horror, Mystery Thriller, Thriller Published by Hanover Square Press on April 13, 2026 Format: Hardcover Pages: 352 Source: Aardvark Book Club In this lyrical, wildly inventive horror novel interwoven with Japanese mythology, two people living centuries apart discover a door between their worlds.&nbsp October, 2026: Lee Turner doesn’t remember how or why he killed his college roommate. The details are blurred and bloody. All he knows is he has to flee New York and go to the one place that might offer refuge—his father’s new home in Japan, a house hidden by sword ferns and wild ginger. But something is terribly wrong with the house: no animals will come near it, the bedroom window isn’t always a window, and a woman with a sword appears in the yard when night falls.&nbsp October, 1877: Sen is a young samurai in exile, hiding from the imperial soldiers in a house behind the sword ferns. A monster came home from war wearing her father’s face, but Sen would do anything to please him, even turn her sword on her own mother. She knows the soldiers will …

The Red Winter by Cameron Sullivan Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Low Fantasy, Magic, Mythic Fantasy, Paranormal, Folklore, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+, Historical Fantasy Published by Tor on February 23, 2026 Format: Hardcover Pages: 535 Source: Aardvark Book Club A tragic love story, a bewitching twist on history, and a blood-drenched hunt for purpose, power, and redemption—The Red Winter by debut author Cameron Sullivan is the story of the first werewolf.  In 1785, Professor Sebastian Grave receives the news he fears most: the terrible Beast of Gevaudan has returned, and the French countryside runs red in its wake.  Sebastian knows the Beast. A monster-slayer with centuries of experience, he joined the hunt for the creature twenty years ago and watched it slaughter its way through a long and bloody winter. Even with the help of his indwelling demon, Sarmodel – who takes payment in living hearts – it nearly cost him his life to bring the monster down.  Now, two decades later, Sebastian has been recalled to the hunt by Antoine Avenel d’Ocerne, an estranged lover who shares a dark history with the Beast and a terrible secret with Sebastian. Drawn by both the chance to finish the Beast for good and the …

A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna Genres: Adult, British Literature, Fantasy, Cozy Fantasy, Fantasy Romance, Romance Published by Berkley on July 14, 2025 Format: Hardcover Pages: 352 Source: Aardvark Book Club An enchanting novel about a witch who has a second chance to get her magical powers—and her life—back on track, from the national bestselling author of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches .  Sera Swan was once one of the most powerful witches in Britain. Then she resurrected her great-aunt Jasmine from the (very recently) dead, lost most of her magic, befriended a semi-villainous talking fox, and was exiled from her magical Guild. Now she (slightly reluctantly and just a bit grumpily) helps Aunt Jasmine run an inn in Lancashire, where she deals with her quirky guests’ shenanigans, tries to keep the talking fox in check, and longs for the magical future she lost.  When she learns about an old spellbook that holds the secret to restoring her power, she turns to Luke Larsen, a gorgeous historian who might just be able to help her unlock the book’s mysteries. Luke, who has his own reasons for staying at the inn, never planned on getting involved …

An Arcane Inheritance by Kamilah Cole Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Dark Academia, Paranormal, New Adult, Ghosts Published by Poisoned Pen Press on December 29, 2025 Format: Hardcover Pages: 417 Source: Aardvark Book Club A modern-day dark academia fantasy with a twist, perfect for fans of Babel and A Deadly Education.  Warren University has stood amongst the ivy elite for centuries, built on the bones―and forbidden magic―of its most prized BIPOC students…hiding the rot of a secret society that will do anything to keep their own powers burning bright. No matter who they must sacrifice along the way.  Ellory Morgan is determined to prove that she belongs at Warren University, an ivy league school whose history is deeply linked to occult rumors and dark secrets. But as she settles into her Freshman year, something about the ornate buildings and shadowy paths feels strangely…familiar. And, with every passing day, that sense of déjà vu grows increasingly sinister.  Despite all logic, despite all reason, despite all the rules of reality, Ellory knows one thing to be true: she has been here before. And if she can’t convince brooding legacy student Hudson Graves to help her remember a past that seems determined to slip through …

Local Heavens by K.M. Fajardo Genres: Adult, LGBTQ+, Literary Fiction, Retelling, Science Fiction, Cyberpunk, Speculative Fiction Published by Bindery Books on October 13, 2025 Format: Hardcover Pages: 465 Source: Aardvark Book Club, Fae Crate A corporate hacker. An elusive billionaire. A society trying to survive the American Nightmare.  New York City, 2075. Filipino-American Nick Carraway has just moved to the heart of the fractured New Americas, where he’s struck by the city’s contradictions—shining corporate towers casting bleak shadows over the slums of a crumbling middle class.  When Nick meets alluring new-money Jay Gatsby, he falls for Gatsby’s frank charm and confident aura. But in a city where the wealthy flaunt tech-enhanced bodies to cheat death, surfaces aren’t all they seem—and as a corporate- sanctioned cyberspace hacker, Nick knows that no secret can stay buried forever. He’s the reason they don’t. And his latest assignment? Investigate Gatsby himself.  As Nick becomes entangled in the dark affairs of the elite—and the devastating fallout of their actions on the city’s most vulnerable—he must reckon with the limits of compassion and accountability across class and status. What takes precedence: Love, or truth? Heart, or soul?  A brilliant reimagining of Fitzgerald’s classic tale of glamour, …