Megan Shepherd

Laika is a Cold Dog—a stray pup fighting to survive on the freezing streets of Moscow. But everything changes the night she is plucked from her alley and brought to a top-secret facility to become a starflyer, a dog trained to travel into space. Terrified and distrustful, Laika wants nothing more than to escape. Then she meets Nina. Nina is a Cold Girl—lonely, bullied at school, and full of questions about her father's secretive work in the Soviet Space Program. When Nina discovers Laika in her father's laboratory, the two outcasts form an unbreakable bond that slowly warms the chill in both of their hearts. But the Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union is growing fiercer by the day. As launch time draws near, Laika and Nina uncover shocking secrets and hard truths that will put their friendship—and Laika's life—to the ultimate test. Based on an incredible true story, this harrowing and propulsive tale will leave you breathless as two unlikely friends find the courage to chase their dreams all the way to the stars.

Sixteen-year-old Juliet Moreau has worked hard to build a quiet, respectable life in London, desperate to escape the gruesome rumors that ruined her family's name. No one ever proved that her father's scandalous medical experiments were real. But when Juliet discovers he is still alive and continuing his twisted work on a remote tropical island, she sets out to uncover the truth once and for all. Accompanied by her father's handsome young assistant, Montgomery, and a mysterious castaway named Edward, Juliet journeys into the heart of the jungle. What she finds there is beyond her darkest nightmares. Her father has been experimenting on animals, transforming them so they resemble, speak, and behave like humans. Worse, a violent creature is stalking the island's inhabitants, leaving a trail of blood in its wake. Torn between scientific curiosity and absolute horror, Juliet must find a way to stop her father's dangerous madness before the jungle prison claims her life. Inspired by H. G. Wells's classic The Island of Dr. Moreau, this dark, breathless Gothic thriller explores the terrifying secrets lurking in our blood.

Cora and her friends have finally escaped the terrifying Kindred station, but their fight for survival is far from over. Crash-landing on Armstrong—a small moon they hoped would be a safe haven—they quickly discover that their new world is anything but a paradise. Ruled by a ruthless, power-hungry sheriff, Armstrong is a violent outpost where human teens are enslaved and forced to work in brutal mines. To win their ultimate freedom and save humanity, Cora must prepare to enter the Gauntlet, a grueling competition designed to test their intelligence and push their bodies and minds to the absolute breaking point. But the deranged sheriff isn't the only obstacle in her path. Other intelligent alien species—the Axion, Kindred, Gatherers, and Mosca—all have their own deadly reasons for wanting Cora to fail. With the fate of the entire universe hanging in the balance and her friends scattered across the stars, Cora must rely on her own instincts to survive. In this gripping, high-stakes finale to the addictive Cage series, winning the competition could change the world—if it doesn't destroy her first.

After narrowly escaping the men who tried to steal her father's twisted research, Juliet Moreau and her friends have fled to a remote, fog-shrouded estate on the Scottish moors. Owned by the enigmatic Elizabeth von Stein, the sprawling manor seems like the perfect safe haven. But Juliet quickly realizes that the mansion is hiding terrifying secrets of its own. From dead bodies hidden in the basement to secret passages and eerie fortune tellers who seem to know her darkest thoughts, the estate is a labyrinth of unexplained oddities. Soon, Juliet uncovers the manor's long, gruesome history of scientific experimentation—and the horrifying role she is expected to play in its future. Forced to confront the darkest corners of her own soul, Juliet must decide where the line falls between right and wrong, magic and science, and life and death. Inspired by Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, this breathless, atmospheric conclusion to the Madman's Daughter trilogy forces Juliet to choose whether she will follow in her father's dark footsteps, succumb to her mother's tragic fate, or finally forge a legacy of her own.

Seventeen-year-old Anouk desperately envies the human world. She longs for the freedom to drive fast cars, wear beautiful clothes, and fall in love. But Anouk can never have those things, because she isn't actually human. She is a Beastie—an animal enchanted into a human girl, bound to a life of servitude sweeping up dust bunnies for Mada Vittora, the cruel witch who spelled her into existence. Anouk's quiet, captive life in Paris shatters the day she finds her mistress murdered in a pool of blood. Worse, Anouk is immediately accused of the gruesome crime. Now, she is on the run through the glittering, dangerous streets of the underground magical society known as the Haute. With only three days left before the spell keeping them human permanently fades away, Anouk and her fellow Beasties must race to uncover the real killer. If they fail, they will lose the only lives they've ever known. But if they succeed, they might just unlock a power greater than anyone ever bargained for in this dark, spellbinding fantasy.

Juliet Moreau has survived her father's terrifying island of horrors, but the nightmare has followed her home. Back in the foggy, gaslit streets of London, Juliet is desperately trying to rebuild her life and leave her family's dark legacy behind. But a string of gruesome murders is tearing the city apart, and the killings bear a chilling resemblance to her father's twisted scientific experiments. To make matters worse, Juliet is battling a worsening illness of her own—a dangerous affliction tied to the very secrets she has been trying to outrun. As she races against time to find a serum that can cure her, she is drawn into a deadly game of cat and mouse with a killer who seems to know her every move. Inspired by the classic tale of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, this tantalizing gothic thriller explores the hidden, monstrous natures of those we love. Juliet must confront the terrifying truth about her own bloodline and decide exactly how far she is willing to go to save herself.

Cora and her friends have finally escaped their extraterrestrial cage—but they are far from free. Following a disastrous escape attempt, Cora, Lucky, and Mali have been demoted to the lowest level of human captivity. Now, they are trapped in a deadly, safari-themed environment known as the Hunt, forced to serve new alien masters alongside wild animals and other dangerous outcasts. While Cora is forced to perform as a lounge singer and Mali works as a safari guide, their friends are facing their own terrifying trials. Nok and Rolf are trapped in an enormous, heavily monitored dollhouse, and Leon has reluctantly teamed up with a ruthless crew of black-market traders. Separated and constantly watched, the group must struggle to survive in a twisted game of cat and mouse. When her former captor, Cassian, secretly offers to help Cora develop her latent psychic abilities, she is faced with an impossible choice. To prove humanity's worth and win their freedom, she must decide if she can trust the very alien who betrayed her in this gripping, high-stakes sci-fi adventure.

There are winged horses living in the mirrors of Briar Hill hospital. Only Emmaline can see them, hiding within the reflections of the elegant rooms that once belonged to a princess, but are now filled with sick children taking shelter from the war. It is her most closely guarded secret. But one morning, Emmaline climbs over the wall of the hospital's abandoned gardens and discovers something impossible. A magnificent white horse with a broken wing has left the mirror-world and entered her own. The horse, named Foxfire, is terrified and hiding from a sinister force—a dark, shadowy Black Horse who hunts by colorless moonlight. To protect her magical new friend, Emmaline must surround Foxfire with treasures of brilliant, vibrant shades. But finding bright colors in a gray, war-torn world is no easy task. Beautifully blending historical reality with breathtaking fantasy, this deeply moving tale of magic, courage, and hope will show you that there is always color in the world—you just have to know where to look.

One year has passed since Sally married her beloved Jack Skellington and officially stepped into her role as the queen of Halloween Town. But even with Jack by her side, ruling a kingdom is not easy. Sally feels her seams stretching thin as she tries to balance her royal duties, her newfound family in Dream Town, and her deep desire to bring all the citizens of the Hinterlands together. When a simple potion demonstration at Sally's inaugural Halloween exhibition goes horribly wrong, her world unravels fast. Sally and her new rag-doll apprentice, Luna, fall through a mysterious portal and crash-land in a strange realm called Time Town. There, they uncover a sinister plot: someone has tampered with the magical clock that controls Halloween Town itself! Now, Sally is trapped. She cannot return to the present-day version of her home unless she tracks down the culprit and resets time. You will be swept up in this thrilling, spooky adventure as Sally races against the clock to save Halloween Town before it is lost forever.

When Cora Mason wakes up in the middle of a scorching desert, she has no idea how she got there. As she begins to explore, she discovers an impossible, patchwork world—a freezing tundra borders the desert, a lush jungle grows next to a farm, and a strange, empty town sits under the watchful gaze of eerie black windows. Cora soon realizes she isn't alone. Four other teenagers have been taken: a beautiful model, a tattooed smuggler, a secretive genius, and a military brat who seems to know far too much about Cora's past. None of them know why they were chosen, and all of them are hiding dangerous secrets. As the unlikely group clashes and struggles to survive, their mysterious jailer finally appears. He is a handsome young guard named Cassian, and his arrival reveals a truth more terrifying than they could have ever imagined. Their captors aren't from Earth. The five teens have been abducted by an otherworldly race and placed in an extraterrestrial zoo—and humanity is the newest exhibit.

Ever since she discovered her dangerous affinity for magic, seventeen-year-old Anouk has been desperate to become a full-fledged witch. It is the only way she can save her friends, who are trapped in their original animal forms after a devastating battle. But the path to true magic is paved with deadly obstacles. To rescue the people she loves, Anouk is forced into a sinister bargain that includes a political marriage with her sworn enemy and a treacherous plot to overthrow London's fiercest, most ruthless coven of witches. To prove her worth and claim her power, she must survive a lethal trial by fire. But in the glittering, cutthroat world of the Haute, power always comes at a steep price. As Anouk unleashes her magic and forms uneasy new alliances, she realizes that the cost of saving her friends might be her own humanity. Packed with dark enchantments, wicked betrayals, and thrilling twists, this spellbinding conclusion to the Grim Lovelies duology will leave you breathless.