A Thousand Monstrous Forms: A Novel

by Saratoga Schaefer

Bluebeard gets a gothic horror and sapphic romance twist in this fairytale retelling from the author of Serial Killer Support Group and Trad Wife .

A young ceramic artist moves into her new wife’s isolated manor and gets drawn into dark discoveries that stain her marriage—and her very soul.

Artist Poppy Reed doesn’t care if others think her marriage to Celia Marie Fox, a wealthy art dealer, is impulsive. Sure, they’ve only known each other for six months, and Celia has an infamous romantic reputation, but Poppy is brimming with excitement when she moves across the country to Celia’s a formidable, isolated, and art-filled manor called Busirane.

As Poppy tries to celebrate her first weeks of marriage and enjoy her new home, Busirane seems intent on rebuffing her every attempt to settle in. Strange noises and confounding occurrences lead Poppy to believe the house is haunted, a suspicion worsened by Celia’s insistence that Poppy avoid the locked basement.

When Celia leaves for a work trip, Poppy is left alone in the house, then finds herself snowed in. Surrounded by secrets, stalked by faceless statues, and beset by bodiless whispers, she struggles to trust her wife—and her own mind. When Poppy is eventually drawn to the forbidden basement, dark truths shatter everything she thought she knew, throwing her into a desperate bid for survival.

Drenched in dread, this contemporary gothic folktale retelling will have you checking all the locks. Twice.

Genres: Horror, Gothic, Queer, Lesbian, LGBT, Adult, Audiobook

Audible Audio

First published September 15, 2026

About the author

Saratoga Schaefer (they/them) is the USA Today Bestselling and Indie Press Bestselling author of vicious horrors and twisted thrillers. Their books have been featured in Variety, People Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, and Glamour, and their writing has appeared in Writer’s Digest, CrimeReads, and more. Originally from Brooklyn, Saratoga now lives upstate with several needy animals and a haunted clown table.

Reviews

[Esta · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

I’m no relationship expert, but it's probably not a good sign if you’ve just married someone, moved into their creepy gothic manor, discover they have rooms they keep locked and who say “give me your skin” in their sleep.

Can confirm that things get pretty… untethered… in this book and you should 100% definitely read it if you’re down for a masterfully ominous, sapphic Bluebeard retelling that may or may not instil into you a fear of large garden statues, maybe even mirrors.

I feel that if you love gothic paranormal horror and art, you’re gonna enjoy the portentous atmosphere that is studded with gorgeous artistic worldbuilding, full of pottery, sculptures, paintings, haute couture, music and bell jars.

It’s all quite beautifully foreboding before shit hits the fan. If you’re familiar with the Bluebeard folktale, you can probably predict the plot beats to come, however, I loved the way the author put a contemporary, queer and more sinister spin on the original and embedded even gnarlier and heavier themes with a good splash of gore into it. So please check their trigger warnings here.

Make sure you enhance your reading with this lil tune Danse Macabre, when you get to *that* part.

That’s all I should say I guess, best experience it for yourself.

Perfect spooky season and anytime-season read. Highly highly recommend!

Thanks so much to Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for the ARC.

[Chewable Orb · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Thousand Monstrous Forms by Saratoga Schaefer
4.35 rounded down to 4🔮orbs
Pub. Date: Sept. 15, 2026
Crooked Lane Books



Taking shape in the frigidness…

💡 Orbs Prologue: The House of Busirane… Dear readers, you are but the chemically enhanced particles that make up an artist's medium. Derived from an earthy substance, you have been magically combined to create a form with which to be shaped and molded by the potter’s deft hands. As Orb’s foot presses the low, dusty pedal, you begin to spin upon the platter. Like a merry-go-round, a feeling of vertigo begins to descend upon your senses. This room in which you find yourself is mesmerizingly beautiful, a fully operational artist's studio outfitted with the warmth of a brand new kiln in the corner. The blur of the vibrant orange flames licks the sides of the kiln as you begin to understand this to be your final resting place….

🧐 A small glimpse: Poppy has married. Her wife, an art dealer named Celia, has insisted that Poppy move into her House of Busirane. The beautiful home is nestled in the country, thus giving the allure of peace and serenity. As Poppy soon finds out, the house has quite a few stories to tell. Celia, a woman with a bit of a checkered history of previous marriages, travels quite frequently, often leaving Poppy Reed to work on her ceramic pottery by herself. Saratoga Schaefer, the fabulous author of works such as the recent hit Trad Wife, begins to reveal the dark secrets of Poppy’s new life. The house, fully adorned with creepy statues and equally startling artwork, in which she now resides, begins to show its true colors, revealing horrors that antagonize Poppy’s new married-life existence. One by one, rows of dominoes begin to fall, leaving readers' emotions hanging by a thread as the gothic manor becomes the location for situations left unsettled.

👍 Orbs Pros: Saratoga Schaefer! 3 for 3! My third novel by Schaefer, and just as fun and unsettling as the rest! Morbidly entertaining! I often find that Schaefer creates a very likable protagonist with plenty of relatable issues. Often delving into some sticky relationship conundrums, readers will find themselves seated in front of Schaefer's swaying pocket watch, soon under a magician's spell as the pages fly by. Don’t go in the basement! Why do I love the forbidden location so much? I am a sucker for this type of horror trope, and it never fails to satisfy! A gothic horror filled with intense emotions and passionate smatterings of lustful romance! The house becomes a prominent character, with its long corridors and forbidden places, enticing the characters and readers to explore at their own risk!

👎 Orbs Cons: I will play devil’s advocate here and say I don’t believe it to be the most complex story. That isn’t to imply that it doesn’t have great twists, because it does, but a groundbreaking horror it is not. For me, this is not an issue because Schaefer’s prose is always on point, delivering splendid, absorbable scenarios!

Must read! ⁣⁣⁣ Schaefer is a superb author! A terrifying gothic story written in a magically accessible way. Schaefer never seems to overcomplicate scenes, sticking to a plan and executing flawlessly. If you are looking for an up-and-coming author in the horror genre, Schaefer should be someone at the top of your list.

💡 Orbs Epilogue: A thought of murky unease shudders throughout your sandy being. Teeth-clenching waves of glacial froth lap upon your sandy surface like a midwinter's ocean muzzle bearing its teeth during high tide. Perplexed, you feel yourself being shaped as Orb’s hands apply pressure downward to create a concave valley within your middle. A bowl, you think. As more time passes, the hands have created a relaxed state, and soon you begin to enjoy the process. Floating among the clouds, a certain lull overtakes your dulled senses. Suddenly, a harsh firmness awakens you and pinches at your sides. A pair of old, wrinkled hands, armed with long fingernails, start to scratch and claw their way into your molded body. You begin to collapse upon yourself, pushed downward and smashed into the spinning wheel, flattened. These same grotesque hands scrape you off and begin carrying you towards the roaring fire of the kiln. In this moment, you begin to realize the hands that clasp around you are most certainly those of an undead entity hellbent on sending a morbid message. You gaze at Orb’s body below, noting a trail of crimson blood that soils the hickory floor. Knocked out or dead? The stillness of unmoving discontent infests your mind, rendering you a putty pancake full of anxiety and disbelief. The sudden woosh of being heaved into the kiln, with such force, you begin to choke on your final thoughts… And yet you can’t help but wonder: what other foreboding secrets must lie within the confines of the House of Busirane?

Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books for the ARC through NetGalley. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Alexia · Rating 5 out of 5]

< Prey or predator.
Victim or villain. Can’t both be true at once? >

This author has done it again. They’ve written a story filled with a beautiful, haunting, irresistibly eerie atmosphere, and complex women hungry for justice.

Whenever I read one of this author's books, I do it at night. I can’t explain why I keep doing this; maybe I enjoy being too scared to sleep. The atmosphere the author creates is magnificent: it seeps through every part of the book and never lets you forget that you’re not alone.

Now, let's talk about my darling, occasionally foolish Poppy.

First, I adore her name. There’s something incredibly satisfying about saying it, though I can’t quite explain why. Poppy is somewhat of a pushover and a people-pleaser, traits I don't usually enjoy in a protagonist, but there’s something about her that feels different. She has buried who she truly is deep inside, and it takes until the end of the book for her to finally find herself again. Watching her get there made me so proud.

Poppy has been through an abusive relationship and emerged deeply entangled in her need for validation. As a result, she doesn't recognize the glaring red flags right away. It takes her time to understand what’s happening and connect the dots, but she eventually gets there.

She wants her next relationship to be beautiful and healthy so badly that she never truly gives it a chance to start on honest terms. Because she isn’t honest with Celia about her feelings or opinions, their relationship never has a chance to last or be healthy. Poppy idealizes love so intensely that she loses sight of a basic truth: hiding who you are and ignoring red flags aren't signs of a healthy relationship.

I loved that, at its heart, the book is about the cycle of abuse and the difficult reality that someone can be both a victim and an abuser. Being a victim doesn't erase the harm that person has caused or change what they themselves did.

I also appreciated how the author draws attention to the way abusive queer relationships often receive less recognition and are taken less seriously than abusive straight relationships. There’s a harmful assumption that abuse in a queer relationship is somehow unnatural or impossible. Homophobes already see these relationships as strange or disgusting, and that can lead them to treat the abuse as confirmation of their prejudice. But even people who consider themselves allies can fall into the same mindset, believing that a queer relationship (especially one between two women) can't be abusive.

I really liked how thoughtfully the author handled these themes and brought them full circle.

I can't end this review without noting how the author prompted me to reflect on how art collectors colonize art and shape its ownership, interpretation, and place in the world.

In conclusion, this book was fantastic: bloody, suspenseful, and anxiety-inducing. I’d gladly put myself through it all over again.

[Mya Joan Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

" Celia collected wives like she collected art. She took from places that weren't hers, conquered them, then left her prizes to rot in her home, never to see their native land again"



This book absolutely terrified me, but not in the way I expected. It isn't just creepy because of the horror elements—it gets under your skin by digging into grief, trauma, guilt, and the darker parts of being human. There were so many moments that left me feeling uneasy, and that feeling stayed with me long after I put the book down.

I'll admit the buildup is slow. Normally that's something I struggle with, and I'm usually wishing the story would get moving. But somehow it completely worked here. Every chapter added another layer of dread, and instead of feeling bored, I found myself getting more anxious because I knew something awful was waiting around the corner. The slow pacing gave me time to really connect with the characters and understand everything they were carrying emotionally, which made the scary moments hit so much harder.

What really surprised me was how emotionally deep this story went. I came in expecting horror, but I got so much more than that. The characters felt real, their pain felt real, and the emotional weight behind everything made this much more than just a frightening read. There were scenes that genuinely broke my heart just as much as they creeped me out.

The atmosphere was incredible too. There was this constant sense of dread hanging over every page, and I found myself questioning what was real and what wasn't right alongside the characters. It was the kind of horror that slowly wraps itself around you instead of relying on nonstop scares.

The only reason this isn't a full five stars for me is because the slower beginning did make it take a little while before I was completely invested. Even though I think the pacing was the right choice for this story, it still took some patience to get there.

Overall, this was a beautifully haunting, emotionally heavy horror novel that proved slow burns can be incredibly rewarding when they're done well. If you're looking for a horror story that's just as interested in breaking your heart as it is in scaring you, this one is absolutely worth picking up.

[Nikki Lee (Nikkileethrillseeker) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those wild horror novels that features art. I’m going to call it art horror and as far as the ones I’ve read, I enjoyed this one the most! And it’s creepy AF!

Poppy Reed has a whirlwind romance with a rich art dealer, Celia. They get married pretty fast and her best friend is a little worried about her. But Poppy claims her love for her and that all is well.

Until she moves into her new wife’s isolated manor. 👀👀👀👀

Celia leaves for work quite often and Poppy is left to fend for herself. Soon, statues start to move. Is she losing her mind? Is there something Celia isn’t telling her?

I loved the fact that the main character is a ceramic artist. I haven’t read anything like this before. The eerie gothic vibe of this mansion is slicked with dread.

This is said to be a retelling of Bluebird, but, I know nothing of that tale. Regardless, this was a creepy good time and I highly enjoyed it. It’s out on Tuesday wherever books are sold.

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to Crooked Lane for the gifted copy.

[Saratoga Schaefer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hello readers,

I need to give you a big ol’ content warning for this one. Because, at its core, ATMF is about the cyclical nature of abuse and how being in abusive relationships can color the way we see ourselves and others. Please make sure you’re in a safe headspace—especially if you have a history of abusive partner relationships—before reading this book.

You can find a CW list on the ATMF page on my website to learn more.

Thank you for reading. Be bold, be bold, be not too bold.

- Saratoga

[suspenseisthrillingme · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

Claustrophobic, dread-fueled, and legitimately scary, A Thousand Monstrous Forms was as thought-provoking as it was deliciously unhinged. A sapphic retelling of Bluebeard with the gothic atmosphere of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, it took a deep dive into a deeply disturbing, toxic relationship, while highlighting that abuse can come from anyone, regardless of gender. Add to that a creepy haunted house with maze-like rooms and a sense of supernatural ambiguity that had me questioning everything, and I easily fell head over heels for this surreal horror story. Is it predictable if you know the plot of Bluebird? Well, okay…yes. That being said, it took it to a whole other level with a wildly shocking and unhinged last 100 or so pages that included jump scares and body horror so intense that I needed to read it with all of the lights on. After all, it was a lot for this relative horror newbie.

In spite of the definite scary-movie vibes, this profoundly atmospheric story also delivered plenty of depth. Juxtaposing art and the cycle of abusive relationships to the point that the former was an intrinsic part of the horror, it explored ownership, control, and possession with a deft and nuanced hand. I do have to mention, though, that the beginning was a bit slow and initially felt somewhat underwhelming. Once I hit the halfway point, however, all bets were off as the suspicion and dread steadily built into one heck of an explosive, *chef’s kiss* last act—even if it was ultimately left open to interpretation. So if you love well-developed unreliable narrators, a setting with a character-like feel, or the idea of domestic suspense meets gothic horror, you need to grab this one now. The perfect read for spooky season, it was a haunting and immersive tale that scared me to the core in the best possible way. Rating of 4.5 stars.

Read if the following sounds intriguing:
- A deliciously unhinged ending
- Toxic relationships
- An atmospheric setting
- Domestic suspense meets gothic horror
- Lyrical descriptions
- Body horror and jump scares
- Binge-worthy, one-sitting reads
- Slow-burning dread
- Thought-provoking themes
- A remote haunted house
- Unreliable narrators
- Supernatural ambiguity
- Nightmare-inducing scenes
- A sapphic retelling of Bluebeard with Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca’s gothic vibes

SYNOPSIS:

Artist Poppy Reed doesn’t care if others think her marriage to Celia Marie Fox, a wealthy art dealer, is impulsive. Sure, they’ve only known each other for six months, and Celia has an infamous romantic reputation, but Poppy is brimming with excitement when she moves across the country to Celia’s home: a formidable, isolated, and art-filled manor called Busirane.

As Poppy tries to celebrate her first weeks of marriage and enjoy her new home, Busirane seems intent on rebuffing her every attempt to settle in. Strange noises and confounding occurrences lead Poppy to believe the house is haunted, a suspicion worsened by Celia’s insistence that Poppy avoid the locked basement.

When Celia leaves for a work trip, Poppy is left alone in the house, then finds herself snowed in. Surrounded by secrets, stalked by faceless statues, and beset by bodiless whispers, she struggles to trust her wife—and her own mind. When Poppy is eventually drawn to the forbidden basement, dark truths shatter everything she thought she knew, throwing her into a desperate bid for survival.

Thank you Saratoga Schaefer and Crooked Lane Books for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

PUB DATE: September 15, 2026

Content warning: gaslighting, domestic abuse, toxic relationship, emotional and physical abuse, violence, blood, body horror, gore, confinement, murder, torture

[Sarah (heartfeltthrills) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, this was deliciously unsettling.

Thousand Monstrous Forms by Saratoga Schafer was weird; and that is the meant as the highest compliment! The way I devoured this was as unreal as the tight grip it had on me till the very end.
Dark, strange, atmospheric horror at its best, it is the kind of book that makes you pause after a chapter because you need a second to process what you just read, then immediately keep going because you absolutely need to know what happens next.

Saratoga creates such a beautifully warped, eerie world here. From the first pages, there is this feeling that something is not right, and it only gets more intense. The writing is immersive; the atmosphere is heavy in the best possible way; the story is surreal in a way that made me feel like I was trapped inside a nightmare, and the horror becomes more intense and more bizarre as the book goes on.
And I loved it.

Not a horror that holds your hand and explains every little thing. It is unsettling, ambiguous, and willing to let you sit in the discomfort. There were moments where I genuinely did not know what was real, what was imagined, or what terrifying thing was waiting just beyond the page.

And that ending? I expected everything but that and TBH the satisfaction was next level! Immediately ready for their next book and have added the backlist to the top of my TBR to keep me going in the meantime. When you are thoroughly converted into a true stan with that one book by an author!

If you love horror with psychological dread, unsettling transformations, body horror, surreal imagery, and a lingering sense of unease, I cannot recommend this one enough. It’s creepy, haunting, beautifully written, and exactly the kind of horror read I want to talk about with other readers.

Five stars from me. Read it when you are in the mood to feel uncomfortable; you can thank me later 😏

Huge thanks to Crooked Lane Books and the author for gifting me this ARC. As always, all opinions expressed in this review are my very own.

[Elle · Rating 4.75 out of 5]

4.75/5 stars.

I really loved this book. It reminded me a lot of a sapphic version of The Haunting of Hill House. The atmosphere and descriptions left me with a comparable experience to Hill House which made me incredibly happy. I have the biggest weak spot for haunted houses and this one had a little bit of a twist.

The characters were well-written; I thought both Celia and Poppy were multifaceted. I hated Celia while Poppy had me conflicted, but she was pretty relatable. Seeing the dynamic of their relationship was interesting to me, and again, I think it'll be relatable to a lot of people whether they realize it or not.

I loved the inclusion of the statues and the mirror scenes—they were both unsettling and fun to read. I wish a few things had been explained a bit more, but it didn't bother me too much. The constant gaslighting within this book was hard to read at times, but again, relatable. I think we all know someone like this.

The ending is what stopped me from feeling that this was a "perfect" read. The execution at the end wasn't my favorite, but I do still think that it worked. I found the implication left to the readers at the very end of this book to be intriguing. I 100% plan to purchase a copy of this book once pub date arrives.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Heidi Zuva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Schaefer has three (3!) new books out this year, including a delightful tradwife meets incubus horror
(Trad Wife) I enjoyed in the spring. I was excited to read this new one!

Premise: a sapphic Bluebeard retelling in which an artist, Poppy, marries a wealthy art dealer, Celia, after a lightning fast romance (6 months!) and moves into her manor, Busirane. But Busirane is haunted (duh) and the romantic first few weeks of marriage turn into a descent into madness as the house itself attempts to lure Poppy into its basement, a space she’s been forbidden to enter.

I only discovered the tale of Bluebeard recently, through HOW TO BE EATEN, but it's such a great pick for a horror or dark fairytale retelling. While Poppy seemed TSTL from time to time (mostly in a naive, let me bumble about and be protected because I'm a cute white woman way), I enjoyed the voice. The body horror in this is so deliciously gruesome and the setting was every bit as atmospheric and richly painted as I hope for when reading a gothic. Schaefer put her own twist on the Bluebeard story, which I really enjoyed. The star character for me is Aditi -- I'd follow her into another book!

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Imani Jade Powers. She did a great job with the read and is definitely a reader I'd listen to again.

Thanks, NetGalley and Spotify Audio Books, for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Carrie (scary.carrie.reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A huge thank you to Crooked Lane Books for the gifted copy of this book!

My Thoughts:

A THOUSAND MONSTROUS FORMS is an unputdownable gothic tale filled with secrets and suspense. Poppy Reed, a struggling ceramicist, is newly married and in the process of moving into her wife’s sprawling manor. The mansion is an artist’s dream, filled with rooms of rare and expensive artwork. The only thing is her new wife keeps most of the manor’s doors locked, the keys hooked on a ring she keeps on her person at all times. But Poppy shouldn’t be worried, right? Her wife has no issues unlocking the doors for her—all but one, that is. The basement is off limits. As bodiless whispers fill the house, and statues seemingly move of their own accord, Poppy starts to fear something is wrong with either the house or her new wife. Is the house haunted? Can her wife be trusted? Is Poppy losing her mind? One thing’s for certain, whatever the answer is it’s sure to be locked away in the basement.

I had such a great time with this one! The faceless statues will be haunting my nightmares for the foreseeable future. There’s a little sapphic sexiness and a whole lot of chilling atmosphere and dread. While it’s considered a BLUEBEARD retelling, A THOUSAND MONSTROUS FORMS carves its own path, taking the reader to some unexpected and terrifying places that’ll leave you wishing those doors had stayed locked.

Definitely grab a copy of this one if you haven’t already! This was my first Schaefer, and I cannot wait to check out their other novels!

My Rating: 5/5 stars
✔️ Highly Recommend!

[Shae Bentley · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ - This book has so much I love. Haunted house? Check. Sapphic romance? Check. We follow Poppy, who moves into her new wife Celia's sprawling family estate, where strange things start happening almost immediately. The house seems to have a life of its own, secrets are lurking behind locked doors and the deeper Poppy digs, the more she starts questioning everything around her.

The atmosphere was exactly what I want from gothic horror. The house felt off from the moment Poppy arrived, but Celia honestly made me even more uncomfortable than the house did. You can see the red flags in their relationship almost immediately: the rushed marriage, the love bombing, the way Poppy becomes isolated from the people who care about her and the constant gaslighting whenever she starts questioning what's happening. There were so many moments where I wanted to scream at her to leave, but at the same time, I understood why she didn't. It's easy to recognise those warning signs from the outside, but not when you're the one living through them. I really appreciated seeing an abusive sapphic relationship represented because it's something we rarely see talked about. This book is such a good reminder that abuse isn't defined by gender. It's about power, control and manipulation and I thought Schaefer captured that incredibly well.

A Thousand Monstrous Forms is a modernised take on the classic French folktale Bluebeard and I think it was executed brilliantly! I absolutely love Schaefer's writing and I couldn't put this down. This is easily one of my favourite gothic horror reads of the year.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC.

[Ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

🔑 A Thousand Monstrous Forms by Saratoga Schaefer 🔑

Ahhh this book! Holy moly this book. Okay lemme actually put some coherent sentences together.

A Thousand Monstrous Forms is a modern day, sapphic Bluebeard retelling. It follows Poppy, who after a whirlwind romance, moves in with her wife, Cecilia, into her mansion. Poppy is given the freedom to create sculptors and art from home. However, her new home doesn’t feel so homely. She’s hearing voices/music and seeing things that aren’t really there. Could all of this tie into the basement she’s forbidden to enter?

This is my second work of Schaefer’s and let me say, they truly are a master of their craft. The atmosphere in this book dripped from the pages. Every new room and hallway had me wishing I could personally peer around the corner to see what loomed in the shadows. And the mirror scenes…phew. Made me want to avoid my reflection at all costs.

The story also shines light on toxic relationships—and how couples of any sexuality can be both emotionally and physically abusive to one another.

I cannot wait to hold my physical copy in my hands when my pre order comes in. And I’m so thankful to @netgalley and @crookedlanebooks for the advanced e copy!

This book releases this Tuesday September 15th. I gave it five stars. Could not put it down 👏

[Erin Dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨You had me at gothic/sapphic Bluebeard retelling!!!!✨

Is this my top favorite book of 2026???? I know we have like half of a year left, but I think this may be my number 1 read this year!👏 😍

A Thousand Monstrous Forms is absolute PERFECTION!!! I was so EXCITED for this one and it DELIVERED!!

I’m screaming 🙀

The setting, the atmosphere, the writing, the characters, everything is just incredible. The story sucked me right in and did not let go. I cannot speak enough about how well done the gothic atmosphere is!!! A very haunting, gothic, and disturbing read indeed! THE ENDING is also perfection!! This is one of those books that feels written for me and I can’t tell you enough how much I love it.

I also really like that the book shines a light about abuse in queer couples as well. That is an important topic that I don’t think gets discussed enough. I enjoyed how all of the things regarding gender and roles & villain and hero were done in this book. I can’t speak more about that without spoilers so I’ll just leave it at that.

This is the 2nd book that I’ve read from this author (the first was Trad Wife) and Saratoga Schaefer…I really, really like how you think! 👏

Highly, HIGHLY recommend this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free ebook copy in exchange for an honest review. This book is expected to be released September 15, 2026 .

[Lucia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A queer gothic retelling of Bluebeard ✨

The premise was right up my alley and sounded extremely promising: a newly married young woman moves into the isolated manor of her rich wife, where strange things start happening that make her question her relationship, her sanity and her safety.

The story was good and the gothic vibes were definitely there. The horror aspect was unsettling and the helplessness of the main character made me despair on her behalf.

I think my main gripe is I wasn’t a fan of the writing. For a gothic horror I would’ve liked the writing to be more lush and evocative than this was.
In addition to that, even if I know this was the whole point of the story, the main character Poppy was very frustrating. She’s a people pleaser that makes herself small for the benefit of others, but Celia's behavior towards her was extremely appalling and Poppy kept justifying her because she was blinded by love.
I wish this aspect of their relationship hadn’t been so heavy handed in the way it was written. From the beginning I was already questioning why were Poppy and Celia together and I wished that was handled with more subtlety, easing the reader into this toxic relationship without one knowing it.

Apart from that, this is a classic gothic horror and the payoff was good. I'm curious about the other books from the author, maybe I just need to read a different kind of horror from them.

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley for providing an eARC

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane for the pre-release copy of A Thousand Monstrous Forms by Saratoga Schaefer. Below is my honest review.

ALL THE STARS. If I could give more than five, I would. I'd give them all.

This one was SO GOOD. A modern day sapphic retelling of Bluebeard isn't at all what I would have expected to be one of my favorite reads of the year, but it absolutely was. I loved Schaefer's Serial Killer Support Group, and this one makes that one look downright average (and it's not average at all!). I skipped Trad Wife because it didn't seem up my alley, but Schaefer is two for two for me at this point, so I think I'll have to go back and catch up on that one. She's going on my "absolutely heck yeah insta-request/insta-buy" list.

The characters were deep. The atmosphere was IMPECCABLE. The tension was palpable. The buildup and pacing were perfection.

Highly recommend. HIGHLY.

[Ari ☠︎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I FINALLY read my first Saratoga Schaefer book! How the hell did I not read anything by them sooner?! This was the PERFECT book to do a tandem read with due to all the eerieness within the story. But what really drew me in was seeing it was a sapphic Bluebeard retelling 😍 There is a creeping dread that you can feel seeping into your bones in the storytelling and the isolation was so tangible. The paranoia was so present and there were so many times I was looking over my shoulder while listening. I mean come one, an isolated manors filled with creep statues and horrifying mirrors? PLEASE. I also found myself feeling Poppy’s paranoia throughout as well! I was seriously questioning my own sanity at some points 🤣 The writing style was beautiful and flowed so effortlessly, and the narration had me salivating from the way Imani’s voice just wrapped around me.

Thank you so much Crooked Lane for sending me a gifted copy of A Thousand Monstrous Forms!

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really did not enjoy this book and I should have called it quits. I liked the creepiness of the house and the body horror which is the only reason I kept going. The main character was irritating as crap trying to talk herself through all these red flags in the relationship.

[Aila Krisse · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s been a while since I read a horror book that actually had me feeling scared. Even though the plot is incredibly predictable, what with it being a Bluebeard retelling and all, which is itself an accomplishment. Usually suspense comes from not knowing what will happen next, but here I knew exactly what would happen next and yet the suspense was killing me.

The book does take a while to really get going, and I was tempted to DNF a couple times during the first half. For a long time I felt rather undewhelmed by how the story was progressing, in part also because of how predictable it was - I felt like this retreading of the tale of Bluebeard wasn’t really bringing anything new to the table, even though it was sapphic.

Ultimately I still mostly enjoyed reading this, even though it is far from perfect.

Tropes and such:
- queer contemporary horror
- toxic sapphic relationship
- remote haunted house
- poor artist x rich art dealer
- sapphic retelling of bluebeard
- gothic vibes
- parents who are kinda shit
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Thank you to Crooked Lane Books for the ARC

[Aleena · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is making me claustrophobic. I was reading this in a small sauna, so that made it worse.

There’s something so eerie about the atmosphere..the house, the isolation, the feeling that everything is unraveling while something deeply wrong is happening underneath you. The horror feels less like something is going to jump out at me and more like I should not be here and I need to leave immediately.

I also loved how the relationship itself becomes part of that horror. The obsession.. control. There’s a particular kind of dread in realizing you might not actually know the person you married and this book really sits in that discomfort.

Taking off a star because the buildup is sloooow. I normally love a slow burn when the tension has me by the throat, but here it took me a while to feel invested.

Atmospheric, dreadful, creepy, and beautifully haunting.

[Bruno Britos · Rating 1 out of 5]

Saratoga i love you but please lets maybe write a second draft or hire a proofreader.

Yes this was boring, like a lot, the blurb its what you get, there nothing more in this, repetitive nothing new happens and its only scary and suspenful in the first 50 pages.

I would say this was worse than The Last Time We Drowned because at least that one i was curious, this i was just OK I GET, YOU GET A WEIRD VIBE AND CANT GO TO THE BASEMENT, DO SOMETHING.

And the end with the skeletons i was like, is this goosebumps?

My ranking of the author.
Trad Wife
Serial Killer Support Group
The Last Time We Drowned
A Thousand Monstrous Forms

Coments while reading_________________
3 books in one year, jesus Saratoga congrats hahahhaa

ok the story is interesting and this is kinda reminds me of a goosebumps episode or the weepeng angels from doctor who.

ok now lets get something to happen because at 50% we only have a "am i crazy? this is impossible" for multiple times kkkkkk

its really repetitive, the same conversation for around 200 pages

Part 1 finished and this could be 100 pages shorter.

I mean finally it happen what i was waiting because that was the blurb THERES SKELETONS OF THE EXES ON THE BASEMENT. But its not scary, im just like "ok and?"

yes this is boring.

[Netanella · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Sure finding dead people in my wife's basement is horrible but that doesn't mean our love is a lie, right?"

Abusive relationships, haunted statuary, and the most fucked up ways to use a bell jar are all featured in this sapphic retelling of the Bluebeard story. I loved the haunted, gothic atmosphere of this piece, but I was ready to drop kick the MC Poppy down to the Seventh Level of Hell for her stupidity in getting herself into her situation in the first place. I have little tolerance for pansy characters, and Poppy was about as pansy as her name. Thankfully she had help in the form of her bestie Adita and First Wife.

This was my first time reading Saratoga Schaefer, and I admit the story held my interest to the final sledgehammer. I enjoyed the nods to The Faerie Queene and Edmund Spencer, and the "Be Bold, Be Bold, Be Not So Bold" over the doorways. I enjoyed the spookiness of Poppy waking up to her wife talking in her sleep: "Give me your skin, give me your skin," over and over. This was haunting and atmospheric, and despite my desire to punt Poppy, it was a darn good read.

[Kaitie Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook Read.

Sapphic Bluebeard? Say less.

Full RTC.

[Kennedy · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

Be bold. Be bold. Be not too bold.

A sapphic Bluebeard retelling where a ceramic artist moves into her new wifes isolated mansion?? Premise immediately had me hooked and the story lived up to it. God this book was beautiful. The haunted mansion trope is done so well. The vibes were so eerie and creepy and everything I was hoping for. Best part? This story is all women. The villain, the hero, the best friend, the side characters, not a man in sight. Beautiful.

[Samantha Williams · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this! It’s a classic haunted house gothic that has great dread inducing moments. It also examines cycles of abuse, in particular in queer relationships. You feel for Poppy and sometimes the horror of the novel comes from seeing not realize the abusive nature of her marriage to Celia. Definitely would recommend.

[Lorin (paperbackbish)]

Thank you Crooked Lane Books for my free ARC of A Thousand Monstrous Forms by Saratoga Schaefer — out Sep 15!

» READ IF YOU «
🗝️ love a retelling that takes creative liberties
🏚️ would be freaked out in an empty mansion at night
🎨 can't look away from people-pleasing and toxic love

» SYNOPSIS «
Sculptor Poppy doesn't care what anyone else thinks about her whirlwind marriage to ultra-wealthy Celia, because she knows what they have is real. And she's ecstatic to move in to Celia's art-filled manor, Busirane, even though it kind of feels like the house hates her? Snowed in and alone while Celia's away, Poppy's frustration will get the better of her as she does the one thing Celia has expressly forbidden—do not go down into the basement.

» REVIEW «
I'm a sucker for a good retelling, and this one earns its Bluebeard bones completely. The best part is that Schaefer doesn't just borrow the outline of a fairytale, they tweak it in ways that are unique and specific to Poppy and Celia's personalities and dynamics. For me, this is what makes a retelling of any kind land just as well as the original, if not better.

The vibes are also unreleeeentingly unsettling—the damn manor itself feels hostile towards our girl, but Schaefer is so good at making you doubt (right alongside Poppy) whether the house is haunted or her own mind is unraveling. That's the kind of gothic dread I want.

But it's Poppy's growth in the final quarter of the book that really got me. Watching her stop people-pleasing and start actually fighting for herself was soooo immensely satisfying—she sure as hell earns that shift, and by the end I was extra proud of her. This is a gorgeous, sapphic gothic retelling that knows exactly what it's doing!

» RATING «
🗝️ I'm Unlocked 🗝️

» READ-A-LIKES «
• Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
• Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
• The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling
• Bluebeard's Egg by Margaret Atwood

[Kayda Noelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who doesn’t love a haunted house read? Throw in a sapphic romance, and a forbidden basement, and I’m pretty much locked-in.

This had great pacing. It was a slow build, leaving those breadcrumbs of doubt and suspicion along the way, and ending with a bang. I found myself so frustrated with Poppy for not making her voice be heard after everything she was experiencing. I found myself angry with Celia for all the excuses she gave to Poppy. But after the big reveal, I see I was supposed to feel all of those things 🤣

The statues were a little silly to me, I’ll admit. And the end got a little wonky for my personal taste, but I had fun with it!

Painting Poppy and Mirror Poppy will stick with me for a while 👀

Big thanks to Crooked Lane books and NetGalley for the early copy!

[Karina *kari_reads* · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately a very disappointing release form this author. I have really enjoyed their previous works but this one was so underwhelming. I could see the plot twists coming from a mile away.

But the worst part for me was that we saw no character development. Both characters felt flat and so predictable.

Also to me the book wasn't creepy or thrilling. The writing felt repetitive. This is definitely NOT the author s best work. Couldn't recommend but I do recommend their other books.

[mamabearbibliophile · Rating 3 out of 5]

Haunted houses aren’t typically my thing, but I truly enjoyed Saratoga’s take with A Thousand Monstrous Forms. ⁣
⁣
This story is very straight forward. I guessed the plot twists very early on, which surprised me in hindsight because The Trad Wife had an ending I never saw coming, but I still had a great time watching Poppy navigate the experience. ⁣
⁣
This is a STRONG recommend for fans of Decomposition Book, or anyone really craving a sapphic story of a character finding out who the hell they really are.

[Dr CG · Rating 4 out of 5]

I suggest going into A Thousand Monstrous Forms knowing as little as possible! I actually wished I hadn’t known that this was a retelling of an older story, so I’m not going to mention which one here in case anyone else would rather be surprised like I would have.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Saratoga Schaefer’s writing style. She had a way of keeping me completely locked in without ever overexplaining, and she was so good at creating this creepy, unsettling atmosphere where you could just feel the dread building.

Going into this, I thought I knew what kind of story I was getting. I was expecting much more of a haunted house vibe, but around the 75% mark, it completely surprised me and went somewhere I wasn’t expecting at all.

I couldn’t read this one fast enough. It was creepy, atmospheric, surprising, and just such a fun read. Absolutely perfect for spooky season! 🎃👻

Thank you so much Crooked Lane Books and #Netgalley, for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review!