Their Heart A Hive

If you've a love for the gothic, queer centric stories, and unique takes on the vampire, this debut YA novel may just be for you.

It isn’t until meeting Lowen, a lowborn boy dealing with grief and battling bad luck, that the immortal genderqueer aristocrat, Tamorna Rosen Roane, can face the shame of their past lives and move towards catharsis.

Inspired as much by the rugged beauty of south-eastern England as Cornish folklore, this spooky slice of life portrays a queer-normative society with an 18th century flair. 

A story of shanties and secrets, of long dead giants and merfolk that mind the sea, where piskies provide luck and the beast of Brasbudfand stalks the night.

Balancing the macabre and the absurd, this unconventional coming-of-age tale promises twists and turns and lyrical prose aplenty. A story about the power of kindness and empathy and how no one is ever beyond help. 

“A beautiful book in both style and substance. That I was left in tears at the end only speaks to how lovely the story is and how invested I became in the characters and their outcome.”

"There’s a really moving redemption arc, skilfully crafted so that every loss hits hard, drawing the reader in to really emotionally invest in the tale and its complicated characters"

"A vastly underrated queer fantasy with Celtic and cottagecore undertones that at times almost feels like a sweeping gothic with a fantasy backdrop"

Written by trans author Stefanie Carter under the pen name Fox N. Locke with cover art by Teramori.

Word count: 67,500 (approx.)

Content Warnings

Their Heart A Hive contains graphic depictions of sexual coercion, consensual underage sex, and scenes of underage masturbation. It also includes frank descriptions of blood, injury, death, classism, gaslighting, insects, and insect stings. Plus references to parental death, miscarriage, and a life changing accident.

Banner alt text: Their Heart A Hive, A queer, cosy gothic filled with folklore, found family, and spooky slice of life, Read Now