Obscura

by Raelle Tucker

Spanning continents and centuries, Obscura is an epic, genre-bending story of belonging, survival and the lengths we’ll go to be ourselves. It is a literary love letter to outsiders everywhere.

Obscura is a glitter-soaked Mediterranean island, famous for its wild nightlife—sex, drugs, and cutting-edge electronic music. But beneath the foam parties, superyachts, and sunburned bodies dancing till dawn lives a secret community of mythical beings, hidden in plain sight.

Magical creatures of all kinds—unicorn drag queens who sell LSD, mermen tattoo artists, Seers, Succubi, and ancient deities disguised as DJs, mixing dance music as subliminal spellcraft. They came to Obscura to escape thousands of years of persecution—to create a utopia where they could live free of human interference, undisguised and unashamed of their powers.

But it backfired—the island paradise attracted an infestation of tourists. Now a battle for the soul of Obscura is raging, and some will do anything to protect their home. Even kill for it.

So when sixteen-year-old centaur Artemis finds a dying tourist along the side of the road, she knows what she’s supposed to do—finish him off. Instead, she brings him home.

This act of rebellion exposes the lies, hypocrisies, and violence that have shaped her community for generations—and forces Artemis to question everything she’s been taught, about the humans they hate, the family she loves, and the island she calls home.

There are stories her people would kill to protect. And they have chosen Artemis to tell them.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Adult

432 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication February 16, 2027

About the author

Raelle Tucker grew up on the island of Ibiza, in an international community of artists, drug smugglers and seekers, before moving to Los Angeles to pursue a career in television. She is an Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated television writer and showrunner whose credits include True Blood, Supernatural, Jessica Jones, Sacred Lies, and The Power. Obscura is her debut novel.

Reviews

[Roman Clodia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Your story is just beginning... but someday it will become the story of us all.

I mean, just look at that glorious cover! And with screenwriter credentials including True Blood, this was a must read for me. And there's so much here that is creative and enticing as we arrive in a separatist community on the hedonistic island of Obscura that is inhabited by all manner of mythological and supernatural creatures: centaurs like our narrator Artemis, merpeople, boogies, witches, goblins, ogres, fire demons and more. What they share is their ability to shape-shift and their desire to be themselves away from the judgmental eyes of 'normal' humans.

The story is told by Artemis in mostly a 2nd person 'you' voice addressed to us, her 'normal' audience. But, at heart, this is a family saga with a not uncommon theme of self- and social acceptance, together with Artemis embracing her vocation for story-telling, whatever the cost of opening up the community to 'our' view. At various points, the story feels almost like allegory for any so-called minority group trying to co-exist in a hostile world, hiding or shape-shifting for acceptance and integration.

I guess what made this feel like a 'told' story is the fact that Artemis is writing about events that have already happened as she retells the story of her family, her own upbringing and life and the wider community from a point after the main conflict and climax - this means that there is no sense of jeopardy or real stakes as she knows the ending. I wanted to feel that the story was still living, could still surprise her, whereas, in fact, it had all been done in the past.

It also feels like a bit of a waste of some of the mythological creatures since they are cut off from their own long tradition. A medusa, for example, makes a short appearance and has the physical attributes of classical mythology's Medusa but we know nothing about her other than what she looks like. In that sense, the long tradition doesn't seem to feed into her own existence.

Nevertheless, this is a fun world to live in for a while, even if it ends up being, despite the supernatural trappings, in the end, a familiar tale of self-acceptance and being seen for who we are - a message of tolerance, acceptance and love that can't be over-used.

Many thanks to Penguin for an ARC via NetGalley

[Sarah Alderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant, original, epic. This book made me feel awe. The writing is exquisite. The story is captivating. Watch this become a global best-seller.

[Raven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

4/5 stars.

Obscura follows a centaur, Artemis, as she discovers a human boy on her magical island. What follows is the story of an Ibiza-esque island, the world's magic, and the dearch for true freedom.

Obscura is a breath of fresh air and a super refreshing take on the fantasy genre. Though it had some issues with pacing, I still loved the story and found myself super attached the characters (Blanche forever 🫶🏾).

While I understand some reviewers feel there's too much tell and show, my take is that its literally a girl telling a story. So of course it's a lot of tell and not show. It felt authentic, spunky, and full of character.

I did get a little tired of Morgan Joy's story as it felt really long and drawn out. The ending felt rushed and a little unfinished in comparison and I wish we got more of Troy Nolan.

Overall, a super fun and invigorating read. Perfect for anyone in a reading slump or looking for something more than the run of the mill fantasy.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

A glorious riot of a book. Themes of what it is to be other and to belong seem very pertinent today and at its heart the story is a rip-roaring adventure of what is is to be messily (non)human. Imagine years, decades, centuries of having to deny your real self and risking death if you’re discovered - then finding the possibility of being able to live free of shame. But isolation creates its own risks and this story is about stories and how they shape our actions and lives. Absolutely loved this book and I very much look forward to hearing what further stories the author may have to tell us in the future.

[BarbaricLesbian]

oh my god they hetero'd my girl Artemis...

[Carolyn · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

Thank you to Crown publishing for the Advanced Ready Copy.

This book was extremely weird, and I actually really dug it. Not at all what I was expecting when I picked it up, but in the best way possible, the weirdness was a reading change I really needed in my lineup. The writing was able to portray imagery in my mind of every single chapter. It hooked me and didn’t let me go until I read every last word through the back of the acknowledgements. This is a story that will definitely stick with me for a while.

[Daphne · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

3.5 stars - Fun beach read, and interesting world building! Didn’t change my life but I definitely couldn’t put it down while reading. I enjoyed the narration style more than I expected to, and I liked finding out the author is in fact a screenwriter because I could see that through her writing. I’d recommend if you’re looking for a quick read!

ARC via my bookstore job

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

A kaleidoscopic exploration of fear, lust, and human connection,Obscura allows the reader to witness the formation of a haven for mythological creatures and the psychological impact of having to hide yourself from the world from fear of destruction.

Tucker expertly formed not only such intricate characters but formed a detailed folklore of the modern supernatural world. It was easy to obsess over these characters stories and need to know what happens to them. Every character did not feel glossed over, and no matter how small, was crafted in a way that makes you desperate to know what happens to them and how their lives were formed.

Reading Obscura felt like a vivid and rapidly shifting dream that makes you wake up feeling like you have lost a part of yourself. I really loved exploring the world through Artemis as she navigated love, lust, and complex family dynamics living on the commune her whole life. Dipping into this perspective and the perspectives before the island was formed and from a ‘normo’ (human) lens was so fascinating and really made the world easy to imagine and get lost in. Her life hiding as a centaur and dealing with emotional changes of being 16 (bless her) felt so natural to follow along with. The supernatural elements did not draw me out or make the emotional more human passages feel gimmicky or fake but instead made them even more evolve.

I really enjoyed the structure of this novel and how we gradually learnt more about the world and the characters pasts as the book developed. Specifically, Morgan Joy’s journey, it just added so much to experience the impact of her life before learning exactly was had happened to her before Obscura. My favourite passages were the introduction to each character and their experience wandering the world with no home or proper acceptance from society. These stories felt like I was reading modern folklore and I loved every minute!

I also found the chapters focusing on the human interactions with Obscura or any supernatural interesting. The split between the island from the psychedelic party town to the hidden morally ambiguous haven. The tourist scenes and the plane passage are parts of the book I especially think about.

The closing chapters felt like a kick in the teeth!! I have honestly felt so emotionally connected to all the characters and the story that saying goodbye to the world and the ending has made me think about it non-stop.

Thank you Raelle Tucker, Micheal Joseph Ltd, and Netgalley for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Faith M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for a chance to read and review this ARC.

First of all, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this family drama/magical history/cautionary tale by Raelle Tucker.

I liked that Obscura was both wildly creative and also really relatable all at once. Yes, the main character, Artemis, is a centaur but she’s also just a teenaged girl being raised by a single mom who spends her time journaling and being jealous of her sister (who happens to be a succubus).

The way the story is told in the past makes the whole thing seem weirdly lowkey even though lots of high stakes action occurs. This does make the book feel a bit draggy at times but the many interesting characters tend to draw the readers attention back in.

The party island and the vortek music plot lines were the most interesting to me and I would have liked to have spent more time in Summerland.

Oddly, I feel like the story could have been almost exactly the same without the shifted/unshifted magical creatures element. Just any outsider group trying to create a utopia that ends up being, at its heart, a violent, restrictive cult that’s reality goes firmly against its own founding ideals.

There were many times the look could have delved deeper and made the story richer and more emotional but it already felt really long so maybe not.

Overall, I would totally recommend this book because I wouldn’t want anyone to miss out on getting to know Morgan Joy and Zo, Rose and Artemis. And Blanche of course, the magical, sparkly unicorn who made it all happen.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this, so different. Love the world building and such an original setting. Loved the twist on the mythological settings and beings, unicorn drag queen was a really brilliant character. Such good idea and concepts and loved the rollercoaster ride of this novel. I love fantasy and this was up there in the world building.

Within that are some great themes, misfits finding their place in the world and chosen family features a lot and benefits from the twisty setting, and if you are not such a big fantasy fan as me you’ll still love this book because of this theme. Beneath the fantasy elements are some really emotive and unexpected look at belonging and bonding in a community of misfits. And also an interesting take on the dangers of otherness, us v them, which is highly relevant in our current world, and the compromises needed to thrive and survive.

I think the messages in this book about finding your tribe and accepting yourself are done really well and that will stay with me.

And it’s also a great story underneath all the more worthy themes! I think there is potential for more stories set in this world with other characters. There are a lot of mythical characters in here that will have interesting stories to tell that just can’t be included in Artemis’s (main character’s) story, and I hope that some of them get told in the future. I’d definitely read them!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy, this is my honest review.

[Rezzi Belle Beanz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this book and what it did for the fantasy genre. Thank you for doing a goodreads giveaway, I was extremely grateful to have won this book. Something told me I was going to enjoy it and I did. I love the way it explored growing up in an isolated location digitally and physically. I loved getting to see the history of each of the characters and I would love to see more of this world in literature.
I thought it was interesting to learn that they didn’t even have internet, but because of that they never learned about solar power, so knowing they didn’t have a way to have clean energy really grounded my gears. But that’s not the authors problem, that’s the characters being annoying. I understand their reasoning but because they’ve chosen to self isolate to such extremes they’re missing out on beneficial technologies. :(
I think the pacing of the book was great, until the ending. The ending felt too fast compared to the rest of the book.

This book made me think of some of the most “forgotten” members of my found family. People who I think would really appreciate this book. I will read it again, I tabbed without annotating much but i want to go back and make notes on a second read through.

It also had such a wide variety of characters, and didn’t shy away from horrible things happening or being said.

[Elena M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc!!

Starting off with the positives: I very much enjoyed the imaginative world-building and cast of memorable characters Tucker has managed to create. Without spoiling anything, simply the premise and the backstory alone deserve five stars. I loved the island setting as well as aspects of the story of how the characters came to be there. That being said, there were some things that did not work for me personally. For a book that heavily leans on Greek mythology, I felt that this aspect could have been focused on more. My main issue however was the plot itself. Following a very strong introduction, the plot began to lose itself and eventually seemed to become what can only be described as a family-style soap opera. Granted, this may be to some reader's taste, but I personally was overwhelmed by the various "revelations". Overall, an entertaining read that sadly ended up being more style than substance for me.

[Andrea Marshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully written fantasy like no other, and honestly, such a refreshing change. This story felt so unique, and it really made me think about our own world… a lot.

Artemis tells the story of mystical creatures who are nearly extinct, coming together to create a community of their own. I could tell you the whole plot, but I’d much rather you pick up the book and experience it for yourself, just like I did.

There’s something about this story that really makes you stop and think about freedom, belonging and simply being able to live.

“Freedom to walk through the world as you are. To exist as loudly as you were born to. What would that be worth to you? How far would you go for it?” — Raelle Tucker

This one definitely left me thinking long after I finished it.

Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced copy

[Zoe Lipman · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25/5

The cover of this book really caught my eye. It's just so unique. And the colors are so striking.

I did like this book and what it was about, but I did want more from it. Although exciting things were happening, it didn't always feel exciting (if that makes sense). It's almost like the writing style was inconsistent. But maybe that's just a me thing.

I did like the inclusion of mythical creatures, that was so cool. But I felt like there could've been more to it, more to connect it to the story and their stories.

This was a unique book that I think a lot of people will be intrigued by.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

[Sofie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've got a mixture of feelings about this book which has made it really hard for me to rate and review.

It opened well in the first couple of chapters but I struggled for a while after that. As the story developed it felt like we were just constantly going off on a tangent and meeting another character in a different timeline ... whilst there was an element of this being an unusual and interesting way to experience a story, and there were links from one chapter to the next, it also made it very difficult to keep track of what was going on and engage with the story as a whole.

Once the character building was done, things started to get a lot better as everything wove together and I felt much more invested in the story towards the end.

Overall, it was unique, moving and enchanting in many ways - I just had trouble fully investing in it until the last third.

[Kayla Saurus · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one just didn't work for me, unfortunately.

The story starts off with the main character, a centaur girl, info dumping to the reader about her island and her lifestyle. I'm so sorry, but the tone made me feel like a child was just telling me a bedtime story and it never got better. While the story had an interesting concept in theory, the execution didn’t land for me

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Gianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is brilliant. It has all the juicy, delicious fun of a beach read, with the depth and power of a serious epic. It's about the most dysfunctional family of all time, and each time Tucker shifts from one character's story to another, it sucked me in even more. I could not put the book down.

"My story begins with my mother’s — as all our stories do." Just wait til you meet Morgan Joy Lavoie. One of the best (and worst) mothers of all time.

[Anna Khaja · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in two days - was completely hooked. I just loved the world it pulled me into. It's dark, sexy, edgy, fantastical but also grounded in the world we live in. There's something deliciously gritty and dangerous lurking just beneath the surface of the familiar in Obscura. Compelling storytelling, a richly imagined world, and a seriously seductive dark side.

[Eric Lustbader · Rating 1 out of 5]

The first thirty pages violates the first rule of good novel writing: show, don't tell. This was all tell and what a boring thirty pages it was.It was like riding through the desert on a horse with no name. Jumbled and in need of heavy editing.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging fantasy that should entertain fans of American Gods by Neil Gaiman. As Macbeth said, "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy>"

[Joy Ibizarose · Rating 4.75 out of 5]

This was a fabulous fantasy journey.. a delightfully dark read... full of amazing turns of the imagination.. I could not put it down