Hot Key Books

A fabulously creepy, wonderfully camp graphic novel There is a crypt that sits in the darkness . . . A crypt that exists across multiple realms, that houses your worst fears . . . And it's coming to Widow's Creek . . . When seventeen-year-old Barnaby Jones comes out to their parents as nonbinary over breakfast, they expect that to be the toughest part of their day. But that was before Barnaby discovers their best friend, Fi, has been kidnapped by a faceless killer who's been abducting teens all across the small town of Widow's Creek. And then Barnaby unwittingly summons the undead and fabulous Queens of the Crypt through a portal in their bedroom closet . . . But now the Queens-the Phantom, the Countess, Lady Invisible, the Creature, and the Bogeywoman-are here to help. As the horrors creep closer, can Barnaby work together with the scream queens to save Widow's Creek from destruction and unmask the Faceless Frightener?

A lyrical, fantastical horror about vampires from the Philippines . . . and a hunter on their tail. As Filipino vampires known as manananggal, Lily and her brother Caleb understand the value of a secret. After all, to hide is to survive. To lie is to live. They'd never harm another person-but people only believe their worst fears around creatures of myth. So, the siblings stay quiet. They follow their community's rules. Until a monster hunter turns up and kills a fellow manananggal anyway. Until Caleb is marked as the hunter's next prey. Suddenly, he and Lily realize there's always been more at stake than the lives of their people. Because when doing everything "right" is still a death sentence, what can they take as truth? As the hunter nears, the siblings must decide if they'll be driven from the only home they've ever known . . . or fight to protect a community that may already be lost. Two siblings fight to protect their secrets, their community, and most of all, each other, in this evocative novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Patron Saints of Nothing.

The spellbinding sequel to the tarot-inspired graphic novel, where five witches must break a generational curse to reclaim their futures. After uncovering harrowing secrets about their pasts, James, Daphne, Koko, Sunny and Eli are determined to break the grip of the ancestral curse that binds them. And as romances bloom between the friends, their bonds become beacons of hope in the darkness - a reminder of what's worth fighting for when everything is at stake. With the powerful Majors now their allies, the group returns to the place where Eli first discovered his magic: a seemingly abandoned farmhouse filled with echoes of the past. There, they must face the ghosts - both real and imagined - that have shaped them. To undo the curse, they'll have to confront who they were. To survive, they'll have to believe in who they've become. A powerful story of healing, rebellion and the magic of rewriting your own story.

Return to the high seas in the captivating sequel to the bestselling Latinx-inspired romantasy Capitana, where Ximena Reale is trying to bring down an empire. But with her loyalties torn, she finds herself grappling with the true price of freedom . . . and love. XIMENA REALE WAS TRAINED TO HUNT PIRATES. NOW SHE SAILS AS ONE. After claiming the title of Gasparilla and escaping execution at the hands of the Empire, Ximena is hailed as a hero across the Luzan Archipelago. But when the resistance begins to fracture, Ximena must risk everything to save the cause. Her quest leads her to the northern islands, where forbidden magic still thrives and rebellion simmers beneath the surface. With the help of her sister Marquesa, her loyal crew and Dante de León - the infuriating cazador who may be her greatest enemy or her greatest love - Ximena is drawn into a war that could change the fate of the archipelago forever. But as loyalties shift and the cost of freedom grows higher than ever, Ximena must decide what kind of pirate she wants to be . . . and how much she's willing to sacrifice to become it. A must-read for fans of DAUGHTER OF THE PIRATE KING, TO KILL A KINGDOM, TOGETHER WE BURN and COMPASS AND BLADE.

Reid Rousseau was always a winner. Now, he's a former state champion runner with an injury no one can know about and a college scholarship on the line. When he's invited as the guest of honor for Legacy Weekend, a competitive tradition that welcomes high school alumni back to his small mountain town, Reid would rather run away than face his crumbling future-and the girl who broke his heart. Clara Suarez's legacy can't be failure. A year out of high school and aimless, she has one last shot at getting into her dream film school shooting a Legacy Weekend video interviewing her former classmates-including her ex, Reid-about their explosive senior year and the scandal that capped it off. But any time people return to the mountain, drama follows... especially when an anonymous social media account starts airing everyone's dirty laundry. Reid isn't the only one hiding something, and Clara isn't the only one with regrets. Their spark is still strong enough to set off a wildfire, but their secrets might just tear them apart for good.

From the multi-award-winning and Sunday Times bestselling author of Steady For This, King of Nothing, What Happens Online and Against All Odds comes a laugh-out-loud new teen comedy about a summer turned upside down!THEY'RE TOTALLY DIFFERENT. EXCEPT IN ALL THE WAYS THAT MATTER. Owais lives a chill life. He's well-liked, funny and everything's a breeze - until his estranged cousin shows up. Loud, unpredictable and one bad decision away from serious trouble, Abass crashes into Owais' laidback world like a hurricane: picking fights, ruining parties, disappearing without explanation and clogging toilets in places he absolutely shouldn't. But as the boys get to know each other and their bond deepens, Owais starts to see there's more to Abass than the chaos - and more to himself than just being the popular guy who coasts through life. Because sometimes, the person who turns your world upside down is also the person who helps you figure out where you're really meant to be . . . PRAISE FOR STEADY FOR THIS:WINNER OF THE BRANFORD BOASE AWARD 2024WINNER OF THE CHILDREN'S DIVERSE BOOK AWARD 2024SHORTLISTED FOR THE YOTO CARNEGIE MEDAL 2024SHORTLISTED FOR THE UKLA BOOK AWARD 2024SHORTLISTED FOR THE JHALAK PRIZE 2024"Crammed with outrageously hilarious wordplay, Lessore's exuberant debut for 12+ is a southeast London celebration of teen awkwardness, creativity and silly joy." - Guardian"Funny, original and heart-warming." - The Times"An engaging, positive and heart-warming read." - BookTrustPRAISE FOR KING OF NOTHING:WINNER OF THE WATERSTONES CHILDREN'S BOOK PRIZE FOR OLDER READERS 2025WINNER OF THE CARNEGIE SHADOWERS' CHOICE MEDAL FOR WRITING 2025WINNER OF THE JHALAK CHILDREN'S & YOUNG ADULT PRIZE 2025SHORTLISTED FOR THE UKLA BOOK AWARD 2025SHORTLISTED FOR AMAZON BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024"Rib-achingly funny, poignant, thoughtful and sly, Lessore's second novel confirms him as a uniquely talented writer." - Guardian"Confirms [Nathanael Lessore] as a major new name in writing for younger teenagers." - The Observer"This teen comedy really is very funny, while also being meaningful and heartwarming." - iPaperPRAISE FOR WHAT HAPPENS ONLINE:NOMINATED FOR THE CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR WRITING 2026SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKS ARE MY BAG READER AWARDS 2025SHORTLISTED FOR THE BRITISH AUDIO AWARDS 2025LONGLISTED FOR THE UKLA BOOK AWARD 2026"Begins as Adrian Mole for the gaming generation and then becomes, through its big-hearted tale of one awkward teenager's split life between reality and the internet, the kind of book you wish that boy from Adolescence had read [...] A brilliant, heartfelt book about now." - The Times"The blend of smart dialogue, believable characters and humour makes big issues immensely readable." - The Observer"Hilarious, thoughtful and deeply felt, this is another superb 13+ contemporary novel." - Guardian

Seyoon Shin knows she's not everyone's favourite teammate - but she does know she's a winner, despite what her deadbeat dad told her on his way out the door. So when Forest Feud - a decades-old wilderness TV game show with a cult following - announces a reboot, she jumps at the chance to win the million-dollar prize. On the way to the campgrounds, she meets Dean Parker, whose hunger to prove himself rivals her own. When the fierce competition forces the two into an alliance, the producers are quick to frame them as a couple. The romantic angle makes them fast favourites on the show, but their chemistry is only for the cameras . . . righ? s the lines blur between friendship and romance, real life and reality TV, neither Seyoon nor Dean can ignore that the finale is fast approaching - and that only one of them can win.

It's all fun, puzzles and games until someone ends up dead... Six months ago, season four of the hugely popular reality TV show THE ESCAPE GAME ended in horror when contestant Alicia Angelos was found murdered in the escape room on set. Now season five is underway, and new contestants are ready to put their skills to the test solving the show's trickiest escape rooms. There's Adi, the cryptographer; Carter, the math whiz influencer; Beck, the escape room enthusiast and wannabe game master, and . . . Sierra Angelos, the girl who got away with her sister's murder. Or so everyone believes. But Sierra's not just here to win. She's here for justice . . . and revenge. As the contestants progress through the rounds, they begin uncovering clues that hint at the identity of Alicia's true killer: the stakes aren't just high in this competition, they're deadly. If these teens want to escape, win and survive, they must solve the biggest mystery of all: who killed Alicia Angelos?

'Intensely readable, outrageously enjoyable action.' - GuardianThe tenth and final explosive episode in the latest sure-fire hit series from the bestselling author of Cherub. Teen rebel and social-media star Robin Hood is in exile in Holland, limited to public campaigning for the rebel cause. In the meantime, the Sherwood Forest rebels have been waging a long bitter war against President Marjorie Kovacevic's troops. And hundreds of thousands of civilians, women and children, have been locked up in squalid open-air prisons. But if the President wants to remain in power, she must do whatever it takes to completely destroy the rebels in Sherwood Forest. Robin gets a chance to rejoin the rebels and is smuggled in a hair-raising sea crossing to team up with his old band once more. His plan to destroy a military weapons factory turns into a plot to foment a popular uprising and stage a massive prison breakout. Soon a last-ditch effort to break the deadlock of never-ending fighting and oppression is gaining momentum like an out-of-control rollercoaster. The stakes could not be higher. What ensues is the mother of all battles that reaches a cataclysmic finale in which the outcome remains on a knife edge until the very last page.

A young thief attempts a daring casino heist during a high-stakes magical tournament and finds herself torn between two warring brothers. At the Liar's Den, secrets are power . . . Lola St. James is the world's best kept secret. When her father's loss in the magical Liar's Dice Tournament - a high-stakes competition where players are forced to gamble with their deepest secrets - made her a target, she was rescued by the Thief, the notorious leader of the Tentacles. Now, living under the pseudonym Astra, she is determined to prove herself and become a full-fledged Tentacle. But when a critical heist goes sideways, the only way forward is for Lola to compete in the Liar's Dice Tournament herself. Lola is confident in her ability to pull off the job, but the Thief's mysterious and powerful brother, the Liar, runs the game and he turns out to be more than she bargained for. As her attraction for him grows and illusions run wild, she will be forced to confront the secrets of her past, the truth of the brothers' history, and the lies she tells herself.

Enola Holmes is back for one final mystery, and she faces a deadly foe - from the series that inspired the films, starring Millie Bobby Brown. Read them all before the next film lands!When Enola Holmes hears a muffled clanging sound coming from a 'safety coffin' in a chilly cemetery, she follows the sound to a crudely dug fresh grave. She starts digging . . . and inside a coffin she finds a girl who is drugged but not quite dead. But how to find where the girl belongs - or where she is running from - when she can't remember anything about who she is? Only Enola could persevere to solve the mystery, in the face of a gang of heavies on her trail and her brother Sherlock's strict warning to stay away from the case. 'A story of a young girl who is empowered, capable, and smart . . . the Enola Holmes book series conveys an impactful message to kids and teenagers all over the world that you can do anything if you set your mind to it, and it does so in an exciting and adventurous way.' - MILLIE BOBBY BROWN

8 HOURS TO STOP AN EXPLOSION ... 8 HOURS TO FALL IN LOVE. From the New York Times bestselling co-author of Illuminae and Aurora Rising comes a high-octane, high-chemistry, sci-fi adventure about a stowaway girl and the richest boy in the galaxy, racing against the clock to outwit a gang of mercenaries. It's 2067, and the Graves family has transformed Mars from a lifeless rock into a chaotic patch of settlements - equal parts national pride, and corporate power grab. Enter Hunter Graves: handsome, ambitious, and with spectacularly bad timing. He shows up unannounced at the United Nations base just in time for a toxin alert to set off every alarm they've got. Then the evac pods leave without him. Also stranded: Cleo, a sharp-tongued stowaway with no intention of dying today, and even less patience for overconfident trust fund boys. But the enemy of your enemy is the jerk who might just help you survive. There is no toxin. There is a team of invading mercenaries planning to blow up the base - and every trace of their crime - in eight hours. Now, Hunter and Cleo have one shot to stop the explosion, escape alive, and deal with the inconvenient fact that they're falling for each other. The clock is ticking.

A captivating and swashbuckling romantasy for fans of DAUGHTER OF THE PIRATE KING and TO KILL A KINGDOM. Ximena Reale is certain of one thing: the only good pirate is a dead one. Ximena has spent her life training to become one of the black-cloaked cazadores, seafaring hunters who capture the pirates pillaging the Luzan Empire. But although Ximena is the top candidate at la academia, that will not be enough for a daughter of the notorious Reales - pirate captains who were executed for their crimes against the Empire. So when Gasparilla, the most infamous pirate in Luza's history, attacks the capital, Ximena offers to catch him in exchange for being named a cazadora. The Empire accepts, on one condition: she must compete for her cloak against Dante de León, the pompous and infuriating son of the High Minister. Knowing this is her chance to prove herself once and for all, Ximena must set out on a dangerous quest across the archipelago to hunt Gasparilla. But no matter how far she sails, her family's pirate legacy continues to haunt her, and she soon has to question the very laws she's always fought to uphold . . .

In a world ruled by ancient spells and silent power, five young witches are about to discover that the truth is the most dangerous magic of all. James, Daphne, Koko and Sonny have always known the Arcana - a secretive society of witches governed by the enigmatic Majors - as home. Eli Jones, however, hadn't even known other witches existed . . . until he meets James. Inducted into the Arcana, Eli soon finds more than just spells and secrets within its walls, including the family he never had and a blossoming romance with James. But beneath the Arcana's magical surface, something sinister is stirring. And when the group delves deeper into the mystery surrounding the deaths of their parents and the Majors' ascent, they discover that the Arcana's power comes at a cost - and they may be the ones fated to pay it. To break the curse, they'll have to confront the past. To save each other, they'll have to risk everything. A stunning graphic novel about the families we choose, the love we fight for and the courage it takes to break the cycle.

Newly available in paperback: the captivating world of Elfhame that started with The Cruel Prince, captured in colour, with stunning illustrations by Rovina Cai. Once upon a time there was a boy with a wicked tongue... Before Cardan was a cruel prince or a wicked king, he was a faerie child with a heart of stone. In this sumptuously illustrated tale, Holly Black reveals a deeper look into the dramatic life of Elfhame's enigmatic high king. This tale includes delicious details of life before The Cruel Prince, an adventure beyond The Queen of Nothing, and familiar but pivotal moments from The Folk of the Air trilogy, told wholly from Cardan's perspective. This new instalment in the Folk of the Air series is a return to the heart-racing romance, danger, humour and drama that enchanted readers everywhere.

The invitation arrives out of the blue. In it, Matilda discovers a father she's never met. Kingsley Cello is a visionary, a reclusive artist. And when he asks her to spend the summer at his seaside home, Hidden Beach, Matilda expects to find a part of herself she's never fully understood. Instead, she finds Meer, her long-lost, open-hearted brother; Brock, a former child star battling demons; and brooding, wild Tatum, who just wants her to leave their crumbling sanctuary. With Kingsley nowhere to be seen, Matilda must delve into the twisted heart of Hidden Beach to uncover the answers she's desperately craving. But secrets run thicker than blood, and blood runs like seawater. And everyone here is LYING.