set in an alternate near-future where half of the earth has been fenced off into mysterious nature preserves, those who die on the autumnal equinox come back changed and fae, and teams of “fencers” with superhuman abilities protect the human world, the bloodless queen is at once an eerie science horror novel and an intimate story of grief and love.

i can’t say i’ve ever read anything quite like the bloodless queen before. it crosses genre lines and boasts wickedly inhuman faeries, government-employed superheroes, religious extremists, and a global conspiracy, but at its heart it’s about a family: two fencers, evangeline and calidore, and their daughter, winnie. despite its fantastical elements, it feels incredibly true to human nature in ways that only add to the creeping horror of the story.

my only real complaint is about the ending—i wish certain things had been left more ambiguous and up to the reader’s interpretation.

i think readers looking for unique interpretations of faerie lore (and/or the superhero genre) and deeply human characters and emotions, who don’t mind slower pacing and perhaps a little pretentiousness, will really enjoy this one.

The Bloodless Queen is an eco sci-fi thriller novel, written by Joshua Phillip Johnson, and published by DAW Books. A haunting tale that also blends touches of fantasy and horror inside, a really emotional exploration of grief and the extend we can go to fight it, with a well-crafted cast of characters and an imaginative worldbuilding that also includes a really engaging political plot.

The world has changed since the appearance of the Harbors, eerie reserves that seem to keep the Fae inside; during the Equinox day, the dead don't die, they turn into strange creatures that bring death and chaos. Calidore and Evangeline are fencers, tasked with maintaining the barriers between the human and the Fae world, with the help of their special abilities. However, with the next equinox coming soon, they will find themselves in the middle of a global conspiracy, having to venture and find the truth behind the Harbors and sacrifice much if they want to keep their family, even if that means bargaining with the Bloodless Queen.

Grief could be defined as the central theme around which everything is tied; Johnson does an excellent job of portraying the different ways it can be present, and how difficult sometimes is the process of letting it go. Parenting also plays a key role in how Calidore and Evangeline act, risking everything when they lose their child, even if that means entering unexplored territory; the emotional depth of the cast is one of the highlights of the book for me.

The worldbuilding makes the best of the alt-history features, taking a disruptive act as the base to the establishment of what we could define as a dystopian society; however, the most imaginative part is a depiction of the Fae that blends the classic myths with a more Lovercraftian nature and the introduction of fencers, who could be drawn as a parallel to superheroes.
If there's an aspect where this book struggles is the pacing, as we have a first third and a final third that are well balanced, but when we reach the second part, the most thriller oriented one, it struggles to keep in line with the rest of the book.

The Bloodless Queen is, to be fair, a difficult to classify book, but if you are looking for a really different approach to science-fantasy and want to read a novel exploring grief, you could give this one a try!

Joshua Phillip Johnson's "The Bloodless Queen" is a mix of fantasy, horror and superhero fiction. It tells the story of superpowered individuals protecting people from dangerous undead fae in a world where half the Earth is for humans, and the other half is not for humans. This book is partly about the mystery of what happens in that latter half, although the book doesn't explore it (and the fantastical aspects in general) that much, it's still a central driving force of the story. Through its stunningly real characters and poetic prose, the book beautifully explored themes such as grief, religion and parenthood, and the book actually says interesting things about some of those themes. If you're a reader who usually enjoys intricate worldbuilding and well-explained worlds, then this might not be for you. But if you're a reader who's more into the mood and atmosphere of a story, while still looking for something with high stakes and flawed-but-real characters, then this book is for you, even if you think superhero stories are too low-brow for you.

Mixed feelings on this one.
First off, it took me forever to get into this book, and I’m not a hundred percent sure the ending was enough of a payoff for me.
However, the world Joshua Philips-Johnson created is fantastic, and felt very vivid with a very unique magic-system. I also really enjoyed the “darker” take on the fae.
Overall, a very unique novel that I’m sure plenty of readers will love.

3.5/5 stars

I don't know how I would've marketed this differently, but I got a completely different vibe and message than I expected in a good way. I was expecting environmentalism and supernatural stuff, but it's really more of a domestic superhero story, primarily about family. Among the fae trend of the last decade, this is one of the few that I think gets them right, probably because they're out of focus for most of the book. Ronald Reagan haunts the narrative, which is kind of weird. Evangeline and Cal both took a while to grow on me, but I got really attached. Cal's anxiety and complicated relationship with his family was so relatable, especially to anyone familiar with American evangelical movements.

The premise of this book is incredibly intriguing, and I was genuinely excited to start it.

This had a lot of potential for me to enjoy. I really liked how the story ties its fantasy elements to real world concerns, and the world building felt rich and original. That said, I ended up putting it down around the 30% mark. The pacing felt slow, and the narrative shifts left me a bit disoriented. I think I just wasn’t in the right headspace for it at the time.

I’m open to coming back to this one in the future, it seems like a book that might land better when I’m in a different mood.

Thank you DAW and NetGalley for an eARC!

**Thank you to NetGalley and DAW Books for the eARC of this beautiful title!!**

Just the cover alone would have sold me on this one, but I was also obsessed with The Forever Sea by this author and knew I needed to check this one out.

While being a bit long for my taste, it ended up flying by as I couldn’t put it down. Johnson has a way of building these big, beautiful worlds that feel vast but super connected at the same time.

I felt fully immersed in the world of The Bloodless Queen and would recommend it to fans of fantasy and magic! I will absolutely be on the edge of my seat to see what this author comes out with next!

Honestly, this was such an interesting book and I really liked the concept. My main complaint is the sheer amount of info dumping and what felt like side quests. While I don't necessarily mind it, the "telling versus showing" aspect of this dystopian fantasy really dragged it down.

I requested the Bloodless Queen in an attempt to find a new and unique story from a new author, on the chance I would enjoy it. I was becoming frustrated with novels following similar patterns and themes and by the end it would feel similar to every other book I had recently read.
The Bloodless Queen was fantastic. Joshua Phillip Johnson is an author I was familiar with and I found his writing very enjoyable.
The Bloodless Queen follows Cal and Evangeline, fencers (similar to warriors with extra abilities) trained to protect their sector once a year when faeries target them. It follows an alternative history during the Reagan administration where scientists and environmentalists discovered Vicious creatures that emerged when a human died on the Long Day. The government divided the country into harbours which were protected with large gates and fences.
Spouses Cal and Evangeline have a young daughter, Minnie. They attempt to balance normal family like and their important roles as fencers. Individuals become fencers when their Prime emerges. This develops with tattoos and abilities. The book follows the pair as they near the Long Day, the day they fight to protect their home. The author does a great job introducing the world and establishing the system. It can appear sometimes in an overwhelming way and the world building is too much. Johnson incorporates small excerpts from fictional books that explains key aspects within the book. These were great additions.
Overall I really enjoyed this book. The characters were interesting, the world and magic system was intriguing and the mysterious plot kept me engaged and wanting more throughout.
I will definitely be looking out for future releases by Joshua Phillip Johnson. Thank you for the eARC!

An enjoyable read where the fantastical meets the reality of what happens when magic creeps into the real world. With standalone novels it can be hard to deflty create a world woth depth and nuance and as a result, the setting can sometimes feel flat. That's not the case with The Bloodless Queen. Johnson uses the world we know to his advantage, building and shaping the differences to highlight what makes this world so unique and brings depth to both the outside world and the Harbors. Johnson brings this same touch to the characters, creating figures with whom its possible to both empathize and fear. The plot was solid and while it felt a little slow at times, it all came together to tell a story that pulls on the heartstrings. I very much enjoyed this read and look forward to reading more from this author.

I wish I liked this book. The idea of faeries being almost like a plague that harms humans and makes them monstrous was a fantastic idea but to me it just felt lackluster. Also the fixation on the Reagan administration was offputting for me. I feel like this book wanted to be like Men in Black so badly it lost what could have been special about it.

Part sci-fi thriller, part mystery, 100% heart destroyer.

I really enjoyed The Bloodless Queen. The author builds the tension so slowly and subtly that you don't even realise you are stressed until your jaw starts hurting from the tension. The characters weave their way around your heart.
The atmosphere, the characters, the conspiracies, the religious corruption, THE DOG!!!! I felt like I was watching a scary movie, trying to figure out where the jump scare was going to come from. I knew whichever way the book went it was going to hurt my feelings and Joshua Phillip Johnson absolutely delivered.
This story touches on many important themes. Environmental issues, religion, government corruption, grief, trauma and family. With everything going on within the book, with all the characters you meet, you never lose sight of the most important part of the story and that is Calidore, Evangeline, Winnie and Tennyson.

The Bloodless Queen takes its time, it refuses to rush and doesn't waste a single word. I really appreciated the way the story was told. It was an incredibly well put together story and absolutely worth a read.

I am bummed that I found this one not working for me, but much as other books I have decided to abandon, it isn’t because this is a bad story! In fact, I daresay it is the opposite- the writing seemed quite good, and the scope of the world building was absolutely impressive! No, I think it was just a bit much for me, a little more fantasy than I’d expected. As such, there was just a lot going on, and my mind simply could not wrap itself around all of the things. I felt like I had to keep re-reading to try to figure things out, and I was growing frustrated. This is not the book’s failing, it is mine. In fact, this would be one that I truly would give another chance to if I had a bit more time and brain power, but alas.

I featured The Bloodless Queen in my July 2025 new releases video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5JWYTfUVq4, and though I have not read it yet, I am so excited to and expect 5 stars! I will update here when I post a follow up review or vlog.

4.5 / 5 stars

On the autumnal equinox of 1987, over 100,000 people died – but instead of staying dead, they came back as fae-like zombies, spreading chaos before disappearing into huge, fenced-off nature preserves called Harbors. Every year since, on that same day, the dead rise again, fueling whispers of a mysterious bloodless faerie queen who rules the wilds beyond the fences.

Fast forward to today: Calidore and Evangeline are “fencers,” government agents marked by magical prime number tattoos, tasked with keeping the fragile boundary between humans and faerie intact. When they’re not battling supernatural threats, they’re devoted parents trying to give their nearly seven-year-old daughter, Winnie, as normal a life as possible – filled with scavenger hunts, chess games, and good old-fashioned Pizza Nights.

But as the next equinox approaches, Cal and Evangeline stumble into a conspiracy that could unravel everything they’ve fought to protect. With the fate of the world hanging in the balance, they must face the dark secrets lurking at the heart of the Harbors – and make impossible choices about what it means to survive.

You know that feeling when you finish a book and it lingers in your mind for days, pulling you back into its strange, unsettling world? The Bloodless Queen is that kind of book.

Imagine Annihilation’s eerie, encroaching wilderness, the mutant hero energy of X-Men, and the mythic pulse of The Faerie Queen, all stitched together with meticulous world-building that rewards patient, curious readers. This book is dense with lore (and I say that as a compliment), offering a world I would happily return to in future books. I get the sense there’s still so much more to explore.

The story is anchored by the beautiful family at its core: Cal, Evangeline, and Winnie. I loved how they try to carve out a sense of normalcy in a world that’s anything but, holding tight to scavenger hunts and pizza nights even as they wield terrifying powers and stand between humanity and the faerie unknown. Their devotion made the book’s quieter moments shine, and when the stakes rose, it was their love for each other that gave the ending its emotional punch (yes, I cried).

If you’re looking for a gothic thriller, as the blurb suggests, you might find this leans more toward lush sci-fi/fantasy with occasional moments of creeping dread. And if you’re hoping for an Orpheus retelling, know that thread doesn’t truly surface until deep into the story – though when it does, it may not take the form you are expecting. But it lands with power.

I listened to this on audio, narrated by Eric Altheide, who offers a steady, clear performance that lets the story shine without distraction – solid, if not a standout for me.

In all, The Bloodless Queen is a rewarding, layered read for those who love patient world-building, unique magic systems, and sci-fi that bumps up against the supernatural.

I wasn't sure how I felt about this book at first because it wasn't clear from the synopsis that it's really a superhero story, and I am not a fan of superheroes, typically. For being supposedly eco-futurism it had very little environmentalism in it. I like DC but I usually find the MCU tedious. It had a slow start, and I found the worldbuilding confusing at first. But I am glad I gave it a chance because the story and especially the characters grew on me. I also found the worldbuilding fresh and inventive.

Cal and Evangeline are married fencers in the future on an alternate Earth in which humans turn into fae every equinox. Fencers guard the safety of human habitations from the radiation and waste in the fae world, a scheme designed by Reagan in the 80s, who became a cultist after reading a book. But his so-called environmentalism was misguided.

I found it refreshing how finally we do not have sparkly faeries like usual, but rather they are monstrous, murderous beings without any morality or reason. It was interesting to see the ethical dilemmas in which this plays out, as fencers and the family of the transformed humans wonder if any part of the human is left in there. There is even a church that has formed, the Sylvans, to worship the Faerie Queen and the fae, even though they ruthlessly slaughter 80,000 humans a year.

The fencers are basically superheroes, who one day get a prime number mysteriously tattooed on their body that confers upon them supernatural abilities to protect humanity from the fae.

The story dripped with dystopian dread and conspiracy, which I usually see from zombie tales and rarely faeries.

Cal and Evangeline have a six-year-old child, Winnie, and a Newfoundland named Tennyson; Newfoundlands as well have been given supernatural powers to protect. I loved the Newfoundland, and no dog deaths in this story thankfully. I loved the scenes of these three (and four counting the cute dog) as a loving family because I so rarely see healthy married couples represented in fiction. I loved the relationship they had as a couple and as a family, and how they supported each other as a family through their dangerous work. The family bonding scenes were heartwarming and also foreshadowing.

The gripping story kept me riveted as a conspiracy involving the government and the church is revealed. Ever since the pandemic I have been wary of dystopian fiction because it led me to believe that humans would act differently than they did in the face of global catastrophe. But this really felt like how humans would act if fae creatures took over the world.

I almost wish this was a series because I would read more of this world.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book is a whisper in the trees, a rustle behind the fence, and a slow, creeping realization that the fae aren’t just folklore—they're watching.

Part myth, part eco-horror, part gothic love letter to grief and the unknowable, this novel plunges you into a near-future where the dead don’t stay dead—they become something else entirely. The Harbors are not just nature preserves; they’re thresholds—into the wild, the fae, and the kind of magic that doesn’t ask permission and never promises mercy.

Evangeline and Calidore—fencers, partners, parents—are exactly the kind of characters you follow into the dark. Their love is worn but real, their power is mysterious (tattoos of prime numbers?? yes please), and their desperation to protect their daughter from the coming equinox is both tender and terrifying. As the date approaches, the story tightens like a snare, luring you deeper into riddles, rituals, and an unearthly conspiracy that makes you question the boundary between myth and memory.

Imagine Annihilation meets Pan’s Labyrinth, filtered through a ghostly lens of lost lives and creeping dread. The writing is lush, strange, and quietly devastating. It hums with questions: What are we willing to fence off to survive? What do we lose when we close ourselves off from the wild? And what happens when the wild wants back in?

If you’re looking for a novel that’s equal parts speculative thriller, tragic love story, and eerie, moss-draped fairy tale—this one will haunt you beautifully.

I am become grief. Not since watching the documentary “Dear Zachary” years ago have I been this emotionally wrecked, nay, emotionally destroyed.

If I had to guess, the author has lost someone very, very close to him. I’ve never seen grief displayed so perfectly on pages. The characters are crafted so well that I grew to love them, and their losses became mine.

I wept throughout the last quarter of the book, and I outright sobbed for about ten minutes after finishing. The characters felt like my own family.

If you only read one book this month, or even year, read this one. It is utterly unique in a way that is difficult to explain, but essentially it mixes fantasy and science fiction in a manner that just WORKS. To be fair, the first part of the book is a slow burn, but it is giving you both backstory and important clues that you have to piece together to understand *why* the characters do what they do later on. The author even quotes from a book written by a minor character, and all of the footnotes can be found at the end. Everything is explained in even greater detail there.

You might be wondering how someone can craft a beautiful world where mathematicians, fae, religious sycophants and superheroes collide, and all I can say is:

READ THIS BOOK.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and DAW for the advance copy. I am writing this review entirely voluntarily.

This took me a minute to get into, but once I did, I couldn’t put it down. I am obsessed with the magic system based on prime numbers and how the fae in this world aren’t quite like your usual fantasy fae. This world is a semi-futuristic Earth that is this way because of the fact that on one autumnal equinox, everyone who died became a fae creature. It is easy to get sucked into the political intrigue between the fencers, the ones who have the prime number based powers and protect the world from fae, governments, and a weird religion that is built around worshipping the fae queen.

This story will take you to some unexpected places and leave you lost in your feelings.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

In 1987, I was seven years old, eating burritos and rocking out to the movie The Chipmunk Adventure. In Joshua Phillip Johnson’s alternate history, 1987 played out very differently. In this world, people who died on the autumn equinox didn’t stay dead. Instead, they became fae—inhuman and dangerous beings who maim and kill anyone standing between them and the protected areas of the world known as Harbors.

The story is set in the present day and follows Evangeline and Calidore, a married couple who serve as fencers in the Midwest Harbor. Fencers are essentially government-sanctioned superheroes, granted unique powers through prime number tattoos that mysteriously appear on their skin. The smaller the prime number, the greater the power. Evangeline and Calidore juggle the looming threat of the equinox with the recent death of Cal’s father, the challenges of raising their nearly seven-year-old daughter Winnie, the rise of a cult-like, Fae-worshiping religion called the Church of Always Giving, and the politics of defending a world that doesn’t fully understand the danger they face. Public opinion is shifting, with many believing fencer funding could be better spent elsewhere.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Bloodless Queen. The fencer powers were original and memorable—not your standard superhero fare. I also appreciated the alternate history elements, particularly the excerpts from in-world history books. Instead of skipping over them like I sometimes do in other books, I found myself looking forward to each excerpt.

The narrative is told in third person but focuses primarily on Evangeline and Calidore. I liked both characters, though I especially connected with Calidore—probably because I’m a book nerd too. Their love and devotion to each other and their daughter was touching, even if it occasionally felt a little over the top. The pacing started off slow for me, but once the story picked up, I was hooked. By the time the climax arrived, I found myself missing the earlier, quieter moments I initially thought were too slow.

I would recommend this book to fans of fantasy. While there are sci-fi elements, the story leans more into the fantasy genre. Be aware that grief and death are central themes. Calidore’s struggle with his father’s death is a key emotional thread, and the Church of Always Giving glorifies death and suicide. The fae are terrifying, and those who die on the equinox become one of them. This book doesn’t shy away from emotional weight, so go in prepared.

One last (mild) spoiler: the dog lives.

Many thanks to NetGalley and DAW Books for the ARC. This review reflects my honest opinion.