Bright Dead Things

A searing fantasy romance full of magic, Fae lore, high-stakes, courtly intrigue, and a forbidden love readers will be sure to devour.

If the forest stares back at you, you’re already prey. Bran Gallagher grew up with three rules passed down through his coven: beware forest paths that lead to dangerous mounds, always keep iron close, and never speak of magic. Cillian Dunne grew up with his mother’s love, his father’s absence, and secret warnings to never trust a witch. In Pelham’s forest, where bright lights haunt the trees and hunt the lost, there are traditions kept for survival and others out of habit, none of which should be broken. Bran and Cillian unknowingly broke tradition and ruined each other in the aftermath of a kiss years ago. Reunited in the wake of a family tragedy, they cross paths with something old, something terrifying—something that wants them dead. When Bran’s younger sister is stolen away by a nightmare into the Otherworld, they can only follow and try to keep each other alive in a strange and haunting land. Trapped in a dangerous Fae Court, Bran learns being a witch comes with a death sentence. To save him, Cillian must fight against those who seek power from a past he has no memory of, and the only person he can trust is the witch who broke his heart. But it might be too late. For the Fae have never been kind, and they have always hungered, and this time, what they hunger for is revenge.

© 2026 Simon Maverick (Audiobook): 9798347204373

Release date

Audiobook: 2 June 2026