- Format
- Paperback
- Pages
- 332
- ISBN
- 9781951971663
- Price
- $20
- Publication Date
- June 8, 2027
Epiphyte
Hailey Spencer
In Epiphyte, Hailey Spencer weaves classic fairytale elements into a meta-horror exploration of storytelling, queer awakening, and many kinds of hunger.
Olivia is struggling to finish her thesis on fairytales and forget her best friend Isabella when she wakes up somewhere new: a cottage where they live together, in the kingdom of a prince who needs a bride. When they decline an invitation to his ball, the day starts again…and again. A bird smashes itself into glass, people blur into archetypes, and Isabella begins to change: consumed by something called the Hunger, and then by unimaginable appetites.
To escape the story—and the teller who thinks she can control them with it—Olivia must obey, untangle, and break its narrative rules. But this fairytale has no simple moral, no way for her to avoid grim sacrifices and transformations of her own.
Praise for Epiphyte
“A dazzling sapphic story of the monstrosities that bloom when we don’t follow our heart’s true path, Hailey Spencer’s Epiphyte grabs sanitized fairy tales by the throat and makes them bleed.” —G.G. Silverman, author of The Blood Year Daughter
“Trapped in the woods in a faraway place that once was and once wasn’t, the protagonists of Hailey Spencer’s spellbinding novel Epiphyte are stuck in a story that won’t end. Can Olivia and Isabella survive long enough to break free? Clever and innovative, Epiphyte is a rich, wondrous work of sapphic folk horror. I was enthralled!” —Lindsay Merbaum, USA Today bestselling author of Vampires at Sea
“A chilling journey beyond the crossroads of folktale and horror—Epiphyte kept me awake late into the night.” —Kelly Robson, Nebula Award–winning author
“A captivating narrative kaleidoscope—sharp and colorful and too mesmerizing to look away. You’ll find yourself lost on a winding path of a ruthless meta-fairy tale that snarls and draws blood at every turn. And when it’s all said and done, you’ll come out the other end with the unforgiving knowledge that in a world of witches, princes and fairies—sometimes the best way to survive is to become the monster. I’ve never felt more feral than getting lost in this novel.” —Vincent Tirado, author of We Came to Welcome You: a Novel of Suburban Horror
“Hailey Spencer’s debut novel is an impressive, engaging blend of sapphic drama, body horror, and darkest-woods fairytale fantasy. Highly recommended.” —Lucy A. Snyder, Bram Stoker Award winning author of Sister, Maiden, Monster
“A gorgeous fairy tale that will haunt you long after the final page, Epiphyte is filled with everything you could want in a dark fantasy story: lyrical prose, immersive world-building, and an estranged friendship that will break your heart. Hailey Spencer is an author you’ll want to keep on your radar; without a doubt, she’s a major talent.” —Gwendolyn Kiste, Four-Time Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Haunting of Velkwood and Everything Looks Better in Red
