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The Sunken, the Adored
Not yet published
Expected 25 Aug 26A chilling Lovecraftian horror story from the author of
Midnight Rooms
, in which a recently freed slave from America making a new life for herself in 1700 Venice finds the mysterious plague that killed her former master may have followed her to Italy . . . and now stalks the canals.
Venice, Italy, 1700. The only survivor on a slave ship, Mercy disembarks in Italy, carrying two precious possessions: the first-ever camera that makes daguerreotype plates and a letter regarding an appointment meant for the dead slave holder.
The letter takes her to Umberto, an Anatomist. In his basement workspace, she learns he hired the man who formally owned her to capture images of dissected corpses. But that man is dead. With no other recourse for her or Umberto, Mercy assumes the position. In return for the sample plate she took, Umberto takes her to the home of the Contessa, a British woman who married into her title. Charmed by Marcy, she invites the young woman to stay for the season to take pictures.
Formally enslaved, Marcy finds this new life of freedom heady, as she takes on the mantle of a photographer and guest in a decadent house of pleasure under the hospitality of an aristocrat. Under the Contessa’s roof, she meets a diverse cast of friendly and strange individuals with whom she forms new bonds and friendships.
But all is not well in her new life. Something dark and hungry stalks the canals that snake through the city, biting at her heels. The same death that rode the waves with her now surrounds her in this strange place. What is this malevolence that haunts her? As she tries to understand this macabre force, she must grapple with a greater that the horror that endangers her friends is herself.
The Sunken, The Adored is dark, eerie, and wholly original—at once unsettling and irresistibly addictive.
Venice, Italy, 1700. The only survivor on a slave ship, Mercy disembarks in Italy, carrying two precious possessions: the first-ever camera that makes daguerreotype plates and a letter regarding an appointment meant for the dead slave holder.
The letter takes her to Umberto, an Anatomist. In his basement workspace, she learns he hired the man who formally owned her to capture images of dissected corpses. But that man is dead. With no other recourse for her or Umberto, Mercy assumes the position. In return for the sample plate she took, Umberto takes her to the home of the Contessa, a British woman who married into her title. Charmed by Marcy, she invites the young woman to stay for the season to take pictures.
Formally enslaved, Marcy finds this new life of freedom heady, as she takes on the mantle of a photographer and guest in a decadent house of pleasure under the hospitality of an aristocrat. Under the Contessa’s roof, she meets a diverse cast of friendly and strange individuals with whom she forms new bonds and friendships.
But all is not well in her new life. Something dark and hungry stalks the canals that snake through the city, biting at her heels. The same death that rode the waves with her now surrounds her in this strange place. What is this malevolence that haunts her? As she tries to understand this macabre force, she must grapple with a greater that the horror that endangers her friends is herself.
The Sunken, The Adored is dark, eerie, and wholly original—at once unsettling and irresistibly addictive.
352 pages, Paperback
Expected publication August 25, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Review in the June 2026 issue of Library Journal
Three Words To Describe This Book: strong sense of place, lush and sensual, chilling
Draft Review: Coles returns after her critically acclaimed debut, Midnight Rooms, with a chilling, intoxicating tale set during a hot Venetian summer, 1700. Mercy steps off a boat from America to Venice, the only survivor, carrying one of the first daguerreotype cameras and the letter which brought her owner, The Professor, half a world away, from an Anatomist, requesting photographs be taken of his carefully dissected bodies. When Mercy is able to perform the task beautifully, he wants to keep her close. Knowing her magical skill– making people’s images appear on a glass slide– will amuse his friend the Contessa, he brings Mercy to be her guest. Thrust into a life of hedonistic excess, Mercy’s disorientation is palpable, as the sensuality of bodies, food, silk, and parties is juxtaposed with her unease, trauma, and insatiable hunger*. However, a monster has followed Mercy off the ship and it is on a brutal murder spree. Before summer ends, Mercy will be forced to make her stand. Told solely through Mercy’s eyes, this slow-burn, atmospheric tale has a dark, fable feel which will draw readers in long before the monster gets its claws into them.
Verdict: Coles has proved she is no one hit wonder with her wholly original, impossible to pigeon-hole, second novel. Suggest to readers who enjoyed titles as varied as The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern, House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson, and Slashed Beauties by A. Rushby.
wholly original, slow burn-- in fact the slow burn is the point here, unable to be pigeon-holed, atmospheric, 1700 Venice.
This book is unlike anything else you have read. That is a good thing but also, if it gets in the wrong hands people will be disappointed, in the right hands, they will rejoice.
The story is from Mercy's eyes. 1700, Mercy went through something horrible on a boat from America to Venice, accompanying her owner, "The Professor." She is his slave and assistant. She belonged to his mother before. That unsettling relationship is revealed over time. The Professor is in possession of one of the first daguerreotype cameras. Mercy appears to be the only survivor of a horrific ordeal on the ship. She takes the letter the Professor was carrying and the camera and goes to an Anatomist's house. She takes the photo of the body he was dissecting and he brings her to a Contessa's home.
Most of the book is set in this home of excess. It is intoxicating and disorienting and just full of hedonism. The writing is lush, the descriptions sensual (everything from food to sex), Venice in 1700 is a time of excess for the rich, but also decay and dirt and murder.
What is day and what is night? Parties all the time. Mercy enjoys it all but also captures people's photos on glass for them
People are being killed outside from early on. It does not appear to be murder by a human. The bodies are brutally torn up. The head of the Night Watch, thinks Mercy is involved....somwhow.
Pairing the idea that the camera will steal the soul with the monster stalking Venice this very hot summer. It is hungry. It has followed Mercy, the only survivor of the ship. But also, if the monster part of her? This is an ongoing question.
Horror of trauma here as well-- Mercy carries it heavily. Her story of life as a slave is slowly unveiled but the reader feels its burden on her. It adds unease and darkness, a heavy pressure that pushes on the reader the entire time.
It reminded me of The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern-- dark and atmospheric, a mystery, chilling with some real fear. A slow burn that twists and turns, keeps you interested, but doesn't go anywhere specific. But this comp is about how it feels, nothing about what happens in the same.
Sarah Waters also-- that feel as well. and a bit of Mexican Gothic here. Donna Leon for the dark underbelly of Venice, but this is also 1700.
House of Hunger by Henderson is a good novel on paper, except it is brisk and this is a very slow burn. More about the setting and the atmosphere and the reader feeling the dread and waiting for the monster to pounce, for the hunger Mercy is consumed by to be satiated.
But this is not a story led by its action. It is 1700 Venice first, it is a mystery of what happened on the ship in the background. It is Mercy's extreme unease, the hunger, the fear, and the terror that surrounds her juxtaposed but the piles of food, sexual pleasure, amazing clothes, parties.
Those who love a lush 1700s Italian setting but don't want the horror won't enjoy this. But then also people who want the monster to be in the forefront and don't want to spend the time on the atmosphere will also not enjoy it.
Slashed Beauties by Allison Rushby is a good readalike here as well. Also, The Glowing Hours by Leila Siddiqui
This is a good book. And the fact that it will be hard to pigeon hole makes it better. Definitely perfect for anyone who likes her debut-- Midnight Rooms.
I recently read Red Sacrament by Hinkley. These readers overlap.
Three Words To Describe This Book: strong sense of place, lush and sensual, chilling
Draft Review: Coles returns after her critically acclaimed debut, Midnight Rooms, with a chilling, intoxicating tale set during a hot Venetian summer, 1700. Mercy steps off a boat from America to Venice, the only survivor, carrying one of the first daguerreotype cameras and the letter which brought her owner, The Professor, half a world away, from an Anatomist, requesting photographs be taken of his carefully dissected bodies. When Mercy is able to perform the task beautifully, he wants to keep her close. Knowing her magical skill– making people’s images appear on a glass slide– will amuse his friend the Contessa, he brings Mercy to be her guest. Thrust into a life of hedonistic excess, Mercy’s disorientation is palpable, as the sensuality of bodies, food, silk, and parties is juxtaposed with her unease, trauma, and insatiable hunger*. However, a monster has followed Mercy off the ship and it is on a brutal murder spree. Before summer ends, Mercy will be forced to make her stand. Told solely through Mercy’s eyes, this slow-burn, atmospheric tale has a dark, fable feel which will draw readers in long before the monster gets its claws into them.
Verdict: Coles has proved she is no one hit wonder with her wholly original, impossible to pigeon-hole, second novel. Suggest to readers who enjoyed titles as varied as The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern, House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson, and Slashed Beauties by A. Rushby.
wholly original, slow burn-- in fact the slow burn is the point here, unable to be pigeon-holed, atmospheric, 1700 Venice.
This book is unlike anything else you have read. That is a good thing but also, if it gets in the wrong hands people will be disappointed, in the right hands, they will rejoice.
The story is from Mercy's eyes. 1700, Mercy went through something horrible on a boat from America to Venice, accompanying her owner, "The Professor." She is his slave and assistant. She belonged to his mother before. That unsettling relationship is revealed over time. The Professor is in possession of one of the first daguerreotype cameras. Mercy appears to be the only survivor of a horrific ordeal on the ship. She takes the letter the Professor was carrying and the camera and goes to an Anatomist's house. She takes the photo of the body he was dissecting and he brings her to a Contessa's home.
Most of the book is set in this home of excess. It is intoxicating and disorienting and just full of hedonism. The writing is lush, the descriptions sensual (everything from food to sex), Venice in 1700 is a time of excess for the rich, but also decay and dirt and murder.
What is day and what is night? Parties all the time. Mercy enjoys it all but also captures people's photos on glass for them
People are being killed outside from early on. It does not appear to be murder by a human. The bodies are brutally torn up. The head of the Night Watch, thinks Mercy is involved....somwhow.
Pairing the idea that the camera will steal the soul with the monster stalking Venice this very hot summer. It is hungry. It has followed Mercy, the only survivor of the ship. But also, if the monster part of her? This is an ongoing question.
Horror of trauma here as well-- Mercy carries it heavily. Her story of life as a slave is slowly unveiled but the reader feels its burden on her. It adds unease and darkness, a heavy pressure that pushes on the reader the entire time.
It reminded me of The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern-- dark and atmospheric, a mystery, chilling with some real fear. A slow burn that twists and turns, keeps you interested, but doesn't go anywhere specific. But this comp is about how it feels, nothing about what happens in the same.
Sarah Waters also-- that feel as well. and a bit of Mexican Gothic here. Donna Leon for the dark underbelly of Venice, but this is also 1700.
House of Hunger by Henderson is a good novel on paper, except it is brisk and this is a very slow burn. More about the setting and the atmosphere and the reader feeling the dread and waiting for the monster to pounce, for the hunger Mercy is consumed by to be satiated.
But this is not a story led by its action. It is 1700 Venice first, it is a mystery of what happened on the ship in the background. It is Mercy's extreme unease, the hunger, the fear, and the terror that surrounds her juxtaposed but the piles of food, sexual pleasure, amazing clothes, parties.
Those who love a lush 1700s Italian setting but don't want the horror won't enjoy this. But then also people who want the monster to be in the forefront and don't want to spend the time on the atmosphere will also not enjoy it.
Slashed Beauties by Allison Rushby is a good readalike here as well. Also, The Glowing Hours by Leila Siddiqui
This is a good book. And the fact that it will be hard to pigeon hole makes it better. Definitely perfect for anyone who likes her debut-- Midnight Rooms.
I recently read Red Sacrament by Hinkley. These readers overlap.
Want to Read
February 10, 2026pre-read excitement:
IF THERE ARE NO FANS OF DONYAE COLES THEN IT MEANS I HAVE EXPIRED!!!
I've been so excited for a second book & now the biggest challenge: waiting for it to come!
IF THERE ARE NO FANS OF DONYAE COLES THEN IT MEANS I HAVE EXPIRED!!!
I've been so excited for a second book & now the biggest challenge: waiting for it to come!
July 9, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and Amistad for approving me for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
The cover art and the description really drew me in and piqued my interest — a formerly enslaved black woman running away to Venice with the first ever camera. However, this took me so long to read because I was anticipating for something to happen and it just never did. I felt like it didn’t really deliver on the Lovecraftian horror I was promised 😞 I really don’t mind when horror novels or even gothic novels are slow, I love to immerse myself in the world and the characters, but man… I felt as though NOTHING was happening while reading it. 😭 I thought something would happen when the body was found in the river, but it felt as though everyone just kinda brushed past it??? I felt like I barely knew the characters yet I wanted to know more about the main character yet the plot kinda meander along the way.
It honestly didn’t pick UNTIL 71% which is insane and honestly by that time I just wanted it to be over. Now despite my early criticisms I do have to give credit, the author knows how to build a creeping dread and can make things seems not right within the world, I just really do wish I could’ve really sunk my teeth into it
The cover art and the description really drew me in and piqued my interest — a formerly enslaved black woman running away to Venice with the first ever camera. However, this took me so long to read because I was anticipating for something to happen and it just never did. I felt like it didn’t really deliver on the Lovecraftian horror I was promised 😞 I really don’t mind when horror novels or even gothic novels are slow, I love to immerse myself in the world and the characters, but man… I felt as though NOTHING was happening while reading it. 😭 I thought something would happen when the body was found in the river, but it felt as though everyone just kinda brushed past it??? I felt like I barely knew the characters yet I wanted to know more about the main character yet the plot kinda meander along the way.
It honestly didn’t pick UNTIL 71% which is insane and honestly by that time I just wanted it to be over. Now despite my early criticisms I do have to give credit, the author knows how to build a creeping dread and can make things seems not right within the world, I just really do wish I could’ve really sunk my teeth into it
Did Not Finish
June 13, 2026🕰 TikTok: readingwithcarolann
📸 Instagram: readingwithcarolann
⭐️ Rating: 2/5
I had to DMF this book at 58%.
If I find myself reading a book for more than five days during a work week, it's usually a sign that the book just isn't for me.
I had high hopes for this one. I love gothic novels, especially those with an atmospheric gothic setting, and I was intrigued by the concept of following our FMC as she captures the dead through photography.
What didn't work for me was the pacing. I thought things would start to pick up once our FMC saw the dead body floating in the ocean, but unfortunately, it didn't.
I think this book will work for a reader who enjoys a slower pace and watching the story gradually unfold. It may also appeal to those who love gothic novels and the 1700s Venice setting. Other than that, I don't have much else to say about who I would recommend it to.
📸 Instagram: readingwithcarolann
⭐️ Rating: 2/5
I had to DMF this book at 58%.
If I find myself reading a book for more than five days during a work week, it's usually a sign that the book just isn't for me.
I had high hopes for this one. I love gothic novels, especially those with an atmospheric gothic setting, and I was intrigued by the concept of following our FMC as she captures the dead through photography.
What didn't work for me was the pacing. I thought things would start to pick up once our FMC saw the dead body floating in the ocean, but unfortunately, it didn't.
I think this book will work for a reader who enjoys a slower pace and watching the story gradually unfold. It may also appeal to those who love gothic novels and the 1700s Venice setting. Other than that, I don't have much else to say about who I would recommend it to.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
If you loved Coles' previous book, you're definitely going to love this one as well. She has a beautiful way with words, and the historical elements of this book are top notch. She gets bonus points for the sapphism in this one.
I do think this book won't be for everyone. Although there's an element of unease and dread present throughout the entire novel, the horror itself is quite a slow burn; the first half feels more like a (gothic, dark) historical novel than a horror one. Coles also doesn't spell things out, instead allowing the reader to infer, which some readers more used to the modern tendency to (over)explain what's happening might find a bit difficult or frustrating.
My personal quibbles, albeit minor, are that I would have liked to see a bit more of Mercy's work with the Anatomist and I would have liked to see the monster a little sooner.
All in all, The Sunken, the Adored proves that Coles is an author to watch. It's rare to find an author whose work is so self-assured, so rich. Like her first book, this one will live on in my mind for a long time to come.
I do think this book won't be for everyone. Although there's an element of unease and dread present throughout the entire novel, the horror itself is quite a slow burn; the first half feels more like a (gothic, dark) historical novel than a horror one. Coles also doesn't spell things out, instead allowing the reader to infer, which some readers more used to the modern tendency to (over)explain what's happening might find a bit difficult or frustrating.
My personal quibbles, albeit minor, are that I would have liked to see a bit more of Mercy's work with the Anatomist and I would have liked to see the monster a little sooner.
All in all, The Sunken, the Adored proves that Coles is an author to watch. It's rare to find an author whose work is so self-assured, so rich. Like her first book, this one will live on in my mind for a long time to come.
Want to Read
April 19, 2026Midnight Rooms was my favourite book of 2024. It was a story I find myself thinking about often -- such a fantastic example of the gothic genre and one of very few faerie books I've enjoyed! VERY excited to see Donyae Coles has another novel coming out this year.
Want to Read
May 6, 2026HELL YES
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews