Bad in the Blood

In a world where magical beings, fey, are mistrusted and often institutionalized, a human brother and fey sister must team up to solve a bizarre murder in this 1920s-inspired queer teen fantasy novel.

In the city of Puck's Port, where motorized vehicles fill the streets and new technological marvels abound, something rotten is lurking under the surface. A violent murder at the docks seems to point to a fey killer, igniting a powder keg of distrust between the city's humans and its fey inhabitants -- folks who wield wonderful but often uncontrollable magical power.

Gristle Senan Maxim Junior finds himself caught in the middle. Forced into the reluctant role of private investigator, like his late father, he's working to solve the mystery of this fiery murder . . . mainly because his sister, Hawthorne Stregoni, is a fey herself with an unfortunate penchant for setting things ablaze.

Hawthorne is part of an experimental study to control feyism but struggles to keep her powerful magic in check in a country that hates what she is. Can she and Gristle work together to find the true instigator of the murder before it's too late?

Author: Matteo L. Cerilli
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Tundra Books (NY)
Published: 09/02/2025
Pages: 392
Weight: 1.05lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.30w x 1.40d
ISBN: 9781774882337


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 06/23/2025
Kirkus Reviews 07/15/2025

About the Author
MATTEO L. CERILLI is a transmasc author and activist who helped found the Students for Queer Liberation (Toronto) and works with the No Pride in Policing Coalition. He is the author of Lockjaw, and writes widely across genres and age categories.