I am not even a little bit okay right now

Okay, huddle up my fellow lovers of anything queer, tragic, magic and dark academia; this one is for us! Oh, and if undiluted yearning is your thing then you’re not gonna want to miss this either.

I have so many thoughts about this book, but most of them wander straight into spoiler territory, so I’ll keep myself contained. This is a book best experienced in its full, spiralling intensity.

Thoughts Be Bloody is a Hamlet retelling that places Horatio Bithersea at the centre and gives him a depth I feel is missing from the original play - he is also trans in this retelling.❤️‍🔥

The novel explores identity, loneliness, insecurity, loyalty, obsession, and the way fear of returning to isolation can twist itself into fierce devotion. It shows how ferociously we cling to the person who feels like they brought light into a dark room - even when that loyalty forces us to question who we are and who we’re becoming.

It’s a story about wanting, losing, and grieving so deeply it threatens to consume you. And threaded through all of this is a sharp examination of classism: how privilege shapes opportunity, how neglect shapes everything else, and how those divides echo through every hallway of the school and every branch of its magic.

Horatio tells the story himself, but the telling is so vivid that the line between hearing his memories and living inside them blurs. The structure won’t be everyone’s preference - it’s strange, nonlinear, and intentionally disorienting - but Patrick Auden makes that choice work beautifully. The writing itself is alive, pulsing with Horatio’s fear, devotion, and unraveling.

As the tragedy unfolds (and it is a tragedy; it wouldn’t be Hamlet otherwise), Horatio’s reality frays in a way that is exquisitely depicted. My heart sped up in rhythm with his, and the gothic atmosphere wrapped itself around every scene. It’s one of the most atmospheric books I’ve read in a long time, with prose that is both gorgeous and unsettling. I found myself postponing picking it back up because I didn’t want it to end.

The magic system is another standout. It expands steadily without becoming confusing, and the rules are both clear and flexible, shaped by ongoing magical research. The school and its magic aren’t just a backdrop; they’re integral to how the book handles classism and the ways knowledge and power are distributed.

The novel also offers an unflinching depiction of how loneliness, insecurity, and isolation can make someone vulnerable to manipulation. Horatio and Hamlett’s toxic dynamic is a striking example of how easy it is to lose yourself trying to become what someone else wants, especially when that person is charismatic and knows exactly what buttons to press. If you haven’t experienced that kind of relationship yourself, this book offers a clear window into how quickly self‑blame and rationalisation can take root - how easy it becomes to convince yourself that you are the problem, that they’d never do that, and forgive them when they do it anyway.

Of course, this is shaped by Horatio’s point of view, and there’s plenty to analyse from Hamlett’s side as well - but I’ll leave that to another reader.

It only feels appropriate to touch a little on how Thoughts Be Bloody holds up as a retelling of Hamlet. Doing so without spoilers for anyone who hasn’t read, seen, or heard Shakespeare’s play is, of course, its own challenge. Even so, the novel marvelously preserves the structural DNA of the original. The truth is ever‑shifting, and in Horatio and Hamlett we see revenge complicated by hesitation and emotional paralysis.

If it isn’t already clear: I loved this book. I honestly can’t believe it’s a debut novel.

Thank you to DAW and Netgalley for the ARC. The thoughts above are entirely my own.

In Love Lethal, Death Divine, we follow Liana and Melia - two women with seemingly nothing in common except their marriages to Amron (at different points in time) - as they fight for what their hearts want most. At first glance it may look like love drives them, but I’d argue it’s really about freedom: for themselves and for the people they love. The story explores what we’re willing to sacrifice, and how distance from the world you came from can reshape your understanding of it and of yourself.

The world‑building is top‑tier, the prose is gorgeous yet accessible, and the incorporation of Eastern Adriatic history and Slavic folklore is a joy. The characters and relationships are well developed overall, though I do wish we’d seen more of Ferisa and Melia’s relationship as it grew.

Although Amron sits at the center of the story, I wouldn’t call romance the book’s driving force. Time travel, gods, scheming, and political intrigue join together in that role. The ending never feels fixed, which creates delicious tension throughout - and the yearning is just 🤤

My biggest gripe is the lack of time markers at the start of each chapter, which makes the opening a bit confusing. The information is eventually woven in, but later than I’d prefer.

Love Lethal, Death Divine shares a universe with Ghost Apparent and Dark Woods, Deep Water, but it absolutely works as a standalone.

If you love fantasy driven by scheming, gods, political intrigue, complex family dynamics, well‑rounded characters, and a touch of romance, this one will hit the spot.