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What the Chrysalis Keeps: A Novel
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Expected 30 Sep 26Win a free print copy of this book!
1 day and 01:45:16
5 copies available
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Blending the atmospheric dread of Stacy Willingham and Gillian Flynn with the sunlit, ritualistic horror of Midsommar, What the Chrysalis Keeps is a harrowing psychological thriller that explores the dark side of sisterhood and the price of power.
Behind the name, beyond the gates, the blood on their hands is the same.
Hiding behind the name Red, Imogen works at an underground fight club at night and a condemned house by day, until she finds herself at the center of another murder.
An invitation to Swallowtail promises her safety in a diverse sisterhood, at a secluded estate miles away from anywhere. But behind the gilded gates, lush landscapes, and manicured smiles, is Sasha, a woman who has turned her own scars into a crown.
Two broken women. Two timelines. One sun-drenched descent into darkness. What becomes of women when pain is the only power? In Swallowtail, the transformation has already begun.
While Imogen seeks to bury her past, echoes of another woman emerge from a decade prior—one who learns that in this predator vs. prey world, the only way to survive is to become the most dangerous woman in the room. But after one sister goes missing, and another turns up dead, all eyes point back to Imogen. In her queendom, Sasha sees individuality as a liability, where one mistake will burn it all down, and Imogen must be punished.
Imogen has only one rule for herself: Don’t Tell and Run Like Hell. But in Swallowtail, there is nowhere to run, and the woman in power is watching, waiting for the one who will betray her.
Behind the name, beyond the gates, the blood on their hands is the same.
Hiding behind the name Red, Imogen works at an underground fight club at night and a condemned house by day, until she finds herself at the center of another murder.
An invitation to Swallowtail promises her safety in a diverse sisterhood, at a secluded estate miles away from anywhere. But behind the gilded gates, lush landscapes, and manicured smiles, is Sasha, a woman who has turned her own scars into a crown.
Two broken women. Two timelines. One sun-drenched descent into darkness. What becomes of women when pain is the only power? In Swallowtail, the transformation has already begun.
While Imogen seeks to bury her past, echoes of another woman emerge from a decade prior—one who learns that in this predator vs. prey world, the only way to survive is to become the most dangerous woman in the room. But after one sister goes missing, and another turns up dead, all eyes point back to Imogen. In her queendom, Sasha sees individuality as a liability, where one mistake will burn it all down, and Imogen must be punished.
Imogen has only one rule for herself: Don’t Tell and Run Like Hell. But in Swallowtail, there is nowhere to run, and the woman in power is watching, waiting for the one who will betray her.
267 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication September 30, 2026
About the author
Mica Merrill Rice
2 books57 followersMica Merrill Rice is a biracial Haitian-American thriller author; she crafts stories through the grey areas of her lived experiences as a mixed-race woman (Haitian, Irish, French). Her stories are emotionally charged and explore complicated women pushed to their breaking point. She believes a scorned woman is the most frightening creature to roam the earth.
Her writing began with notebooks of dark poetry, scribbled through years of teenage angst, depression, and the ache of wanting to belong. The darkness she wrote through back then still pulses through her work now. Older. Sharper. And far more dangerous...
A lifelong summer resident of the Hudson Valley’s haunted woods, Mica now pens her novels from a dimly lit, coffee-fueled cave in Florida, often with Philip Glass echoing in the background. She’s a wife, a boy-mom, dog-mom to Denver, and proud Nona to an outrageously spoiled grand-cat named Oliver. When she’s not writing, she’s reading obsessively, wandering new places, or behind the mic for her podcast.
And when she travels, she’s always taking notes because you never know where pain can become power on the page.
Her writing began with notebooks of dark poetry, scribbled through years of teenage angst, depression, and the ache of wanting to belong. The darkness she wrote through back then still pulses through her work now. Older. Sharper. And far more dangerous...
A lifelong summer resident of the Hudson Valley’s haunted woods, Mica now pens her novels from a dimly lit, coffee-fueled cave in Florida, often with Philip Glass echoing in the background. She’s a wife, a boy-mom, dog-mom to Denver, and proud Nona to an outrageously spoiled grand-cat named Oliver. When she’s not writing, she’s reading obsessively, wandering new places, or behind the mic for her podcast.
And when she travels, she’s always taking notes because you never know where pain can become power on the page.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 8, 2026
From the opening line: “There are two very important rules every murderer needs to follow: don’t tell and run like hell.” I knew this book was going to be a wild ride and it didn’t disappoint!
Rice writes beautiful prose against the brutal backdrop behind a powerful woman and her cult with rules and devastating consequences. The book is engaging, intriguing, and horrifying at once.
Bravo to Rice for her second book. One that extends beyond typical thriller tropes and will have you trusting no one.
Rice writes beautiful prose against the brutal backdrop behind a powerful woman and her cult with rules and devastating consequences. The book is engaging, intriguing, and horrifying at once.
Bravo to Rice for her second book. One that extends beyond typical thriller tropes and will have you trusting no one.
July 16, 2026
Dear Reader,
The idea began over a conversation I overheard amongst a group of women and evolved into something far more sinister. It is deliciously dark and atmospheric. I hope you enjoy the world I have built for you, darling.
xo,
Mica
The idea began over a conversation I overheard amongst a group of women and evolved into something far more sinister. It is deliciously dark and atmospheric. I hope you enjoy the world I have built for you, darling.
xo,
Mica
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and Forever Bella Publishing, LLC for the opportunity to read this before it was released! This review is of my own opinion!
This story was an absolutely riveting tale of survival. It explores the dark side of human trafficking and the brainwashing that occurs to the women/girls that get taken into it. Not to mention the grief and the trauma that many of them face while in these situations and feeling like there is no escape, and sadly for reality, that is mostly the truth.
I enjoyed the pacing of this story and the dual timelines. It created an "omg what happened to her" that stayed at the back of my mind the entire time while following Imogene in the present, and wanting to know if Fiona is okay from the past.
I had kind of guessed how the ending went, but it was done in a way that wasn't tacky. I enjoyed the set up, but some parts were unexplainable to me.
The author did a great job and piecing together the characters past and present and I loved watching Imogene's fight for survival. I also loved Annabelle's character as she was so quiet, but so much at the forefront of Imogene being able to do certain things.
Definitely pick this up if you enjoy dual povs, fight for survival, dual timelines, and psychological thriller!
This story was an absolutely riveting tale of survival. It explores the dark side of human trafficking and the brainwashing that occurs to the women/girls that get taken into it. Not to mention the grief and the trauma that many of them face while in these situations and feeling like there is no escape, and sadly for reality, that is mostly the truth.
I enjoyed the pacing of this story and the dual timelines. It created an "omg what happened to her" that stayed at the back of my mind the entire time while following Imogene in the present, and wanting to know if Fiona is okay from the past.
I had kind of guessed how the ending went, but it was done in a way that wasn't tacky. I enjoyed the set up, but some parts were unexplainable to me.
The author did a great job and piecing together the characters past and present and I loved watching Imogene's fight for survival. I also loved Annabelle's character as she was so quiet, but so much at the forefront of Imogene being able to do certain things.
Definitely pick this up if you enjoy dual povs, fight for survival, dual timelines, and psychological thriller!
Review of advance copy received from Author
I had the privilege of receiving an advanced copy of What the Chrysalis Keeps from the author, and I have not stopped thinking about it since I finished. Wow. What a wild ride.
Mica Merrill Rice blew me away with her writing style. Lyrical and deeply psychological, "Chrysalis" wasn't afraid to venture into a dark and sinister place. While there were the plot twists you expect to see from a thriller (which I did NOT predict, by the way), there were plenty of moments that border on transgressive horror. Fans of Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter will appreciate this gritty narrative.
Perhaps my favorite aspect of Rice's writing is that, in the midst of the horror and chaos, she somehow made me empathize with every character... even the antagonist! Rice takes her time with psychological nuance so that I understood why each character acted as they did.
The ending was perfect. Transcending beyond the violence and trauma is a message about healing. I rooted for Imogen's story and thoroughly enjoyed the metaphors woven in, which grew deeper in meaning as you read. If you're looking for a badass female rage thriller, pick up What the Chrysalis Keeps.
Mica Merrill Rice blew me away with her writing style. Lyrical and deeply psychological, "Chrysalis" wasn't afraid to venture into a dark and sinister place. While there were the plot twists you expect to see from a thriller (which I did NOT predict, by the way), there were plenty of moments that border on transgressive horror. Fans of Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter will appreciate this gritty narrative.
Perhaps my favorite aspect of Rice's writing is that, in the midst of the horror and chaos, she somehow made me empathize with every character... even the antagonist! Rice takes her time with psychological nuance so that I understood why each character acted as they did.
The ending was perfect. Transcending beyond the violence and trauma is a message about healing. I rooted for Imogen's story and thoroughly enjoyed the metaphors woven in, which grew deeper in meaning as you read. If you're looking for a badass female rage thriller, pick up What the Chrysalis Keeps.
August 6, 2026
“What the Chrysalis Keeps” by Mica Merrill Rice is a dark, unsettling psychological thriller that lingers long after the final page. The multiple timelines slowly unravel a past steeped in betrayal and trauma, building an ever-present sense of dread. The character development was excellent, making every revelation feel personal and every tragedy hit that much harder.
This is a haunting story of power, sisterhood, and damage left behind from betrayal. It’s tense, emotional, and quietly devastating, it pulled me in from the beginning and never let go.
This is a haunting story of power, sisterhood, and damage left behind from betrayal. It’s tense, emotional, and quietly devastating, it pulled me in from the beginning and never let go.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews