this was a journey! a bit of a slow one but very soon moved into a very moving story about loss and grief and conspiracies. it's beautiful and moving, think of mira grant but more political thriller.

3.5/5

The Bloodless Queen is a strikingly unique entry into the fantasy genre—one that blends the arcane with the uncanny in a way that feels fresh and deeply imaginative. Joshua Philip Johnson has crafted a world where magic is not just a tool, but a deeply integrated part of life, and the system he’s built around it is both creative and coherent. There are unmistakably Lovecraftian elements threaded throughout the narrative—strange forces, unknowable powers, and a persistent sense of dread—that add an extra layer of tension and mystery to an already compelling story.

The characters are a major highlight. Cal and Evangeline’s little family is written with warmth and authenticity, grounding the story even as it veers into eldritch terror and fantastical chaos. Winnie, in particular, is a delightful presence—one of those characters who lights up the page and brings a smile every time she appears. It’s rare to find a fantasy novel where even the smallest character moments resonate as deeply as the world-shattering conflicts.

One of the most impressive aspects of the novel is the fencers and their abilities. Their powers are some of the most inventive I’ve ever encountered in fantasy, striking a perfect balance between awe and narrative cohesion. Johnson manages to create magic that is unpredictable yet logical, and wholly consistent within the strange, shadowy framework of his world.

That said, I did struggle with the pacing. The slow burn of the first two-thirds (or even three-quarters) of the book worked well for me, building atmosphere, tension, and deep emotional stakes. But when the climactic moments arrived, they felt like they came and went too quickly. The intent—to convey chaos and uncontrollability—makes sense, but it ultimately left the ending feeling rushed and less impactful than it could have been.

Despite that, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. This book offers something truly different in the fantasy space, and I think most readers will find something to admire in its originality, its characters, or its eerie, compelling world.

Thanks to NetGalley and DAW for the chance to review this eARC.

An atmospheric gothic thriller and part ecological myth about fae mysteries deep within these strange nature preserves. The leaders of the world called on their people for a celebration that descended into madness, horror and magic. Everyone who died that day turned odd and fae.

With the dead not dying, and strange riddles and whispering of a faerie queen, vast conspiracies and secrets stretch across governments and religions worldwide. A deeply haunting, gothic story that delves into ecological terrorism with a very creepy magic system.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐃𝐀𝐖 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐯𝐢𝐚 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐲 𝐉𝐨𝐬𝐡𝐮𝐚 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐩 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐧

3.5 stars rounded up

This was such an interesting concept. I love when authors explore the vicious parts of nature and the Fae. Cal and Evangeline‘s relationship felt so real, and had such depth not usually found in horror. The writing was stunning, and I like the way that the climate change and government overreach all tied back into the story. It’s very dense, even while being fast paced so be prepared to read and reread to understand what’s going on. This was deliciously unsettling, and I would absolutely reread

This book has been an interesting experience. The summary on NetGalley had me itching to get my hands on the ARC. Near future, post apocalypse, super powers, wild and strange fae and greek myth inspired? That's a hell of hook.

The reality however, was not nearly as exciting as the promise. This is a very slow paced novel. The first 50% meanders along, building the world, building the characters and spending time with the family. Two parents with very grounded normal parental concerns about their young daughter. Which is fantastic for the realism and relatability if that works for you, but I tend to find perfect precocious children in novels just irritating. If I hadn't received this as an ARC and didn't feel a responsibility to finish and provide a considered review, I would have DNFed at 30%.

All that said, once we get to the climax we've been building, the day when shit finally hits the fan, the pay off is very good. Johnson writes his fight scenes well. Intense, bloody and easy to follow. The magic of the primes are fascinating and visceral once we're finally allowed to see them in action and the horror manages to be both eerie and gory. I also loved the lyricism of the writing whenever the author is describing things odd and Fae.

I am ultimately glad that I finished, the ending was worth the trudge through the beginning, but the pacing does need some work.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing the ARC in exchange for fair review.

I want to start by thanking NetGalley and DAW for this ARC. The concept of this book is so intriguing.

In the near future, many parts of the world have sectioned off part of their land and put fences around it to allow the fae to roam. On the equinox, if you die you might turn into one. The people still inhabiting the world are divided into those who believe things a gift, those who think the land should be taken back, and those who protect the fences keeping the fae and humans separate.
Cal and Evangeline are fencers, those who protect the fences in the Midwest. After doing their duty on the equinox, they come home to their daughter Winnie having died and turned fae.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this book. I struggled through about 30% of it and just couldn’t get into it. It is slow moving and skips around so much without tying things together that I had no idea what was going on and it lost me. Things I did like were the way the fantasy was tied to real world things, but that’s as much as I could appreciate.

wild, chaotic, beautiful. the traditional fae depictions, from the cute and innocent, to the mischievous and unsettling, to the attractive romantasy ones, don't apply here. they feel less like an entity or a thing and more like a place, kinda SCPish. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

If you’re drawn to speculative fiction that bends the lines between folklore, ecology, and human grief, The Bloodless Queen by Joshua Phillip Johnson could feel like it was written with you in mind. What stood out most to me was the novel’s central conceit: a world where the dead transform into fae-like beings, vanishing into haunted wildernesses called Harbors. That eerie, poetic imagery lingers long after reading—and sets a deeply emotional tone for the story.

Evangeline and Calidore, the protagonists, aren’t your typical fantasy heroes. They’re grieving parents and flawed humans, trying to balance their duty as “fencers” (magical border keepers) with the heartbreak of losing their daughter. Their desperation to reclaim her pulls you into the Harbors—a setting both lush and terrifying, where nature isn’t just alive, but angry, enchanted, and unpredictable.

Johnson’s writing reminded me of Jeff VanderMeer’s Annihilation or early Le Guin, particularly in how he blends wonder and dread in equal measure. If you’re a reader who appreciates morally complex worlds and subtle, slow-burn storytelling over fast-paced plot twists, you’ll likely find this book a rewarding read. It’s also a rare fantasy novel that treats ecological themes not as background but as central, almost spiritual forces.

In short, if you want a story that asks what it means to grieve, to hope, and to fight for love in a world reshaped by loss and magic, The Bloodless Queen delivers.

The bloodless queen was a good story but I wasn’t feeling it about half way. The start was incredible and gave a lot of information and insight on the building and character set up. There were a lot of gaps in the book that had me questioning if this book was going to get better or worse. It’s alright.

Didn’t really understand the queen/fae concept. Had me wanting more but realizing nothing was going to happen.

The author tried a new and thrilling concept and I hope she keeps it up! But definitely this book needed its tweaks and fixes. Make the characters more emotional from start to finish.

I enjoyed this book. There is a lot of great setup for the story line. The author does a great job at describing not only the setting but also how all the inner workings of the Fencing Bureau as well as the conflict with the church. I also adored that a dog was an agent as well. Love the Midwest representation!

The Bloodless Queen by Joshua Phillip Johnson

What is a Fae? As the Wikipedia page for Mythos and Legends states, a Fae, often mistakenly known as a fairy (a species apart from the Fae), is an entity that belongs to the realm of mythical beings in European folklore. Joshua Phillip Johnson provides a haunting take on the darker side of what a Fae can be. Dripping with horrific goodness, the world has entered a new era.

The Equinox provides a vessel upon which a vortex of humanity and death combine. On this singular day, those who perish are fortunate enough to be chosen by the queen and rise again as a Fae, to the glory of a rising religious movement followed by the Sylvans. Merciless in their destruction, the queen’s disciples ravage innocent civilians with no apparent weakness.

This issue does have a solution, though it is more of a band-aid solution. A group of individuals awakens to new abilities. Inscribed upon the lucky recipient's skin are mysterious prime numbers, providing the source of strength. Our story looks in depth at Calidore and Evangeline, two such Fencers, as they are known, whose special abilities make them more immune to the dangerous creatures. Their lifelong job, if it can be called that, is to protect the boundaries around the evil spirits they are herding. However, as the story unfolds, tiny cracks within the government agencies start to show, revealing treacherous acts in play.

Blanketed by a small flurry of ash, I trudged on. Moving ever so slowly, methodically, I trudged to catch a glimpse of the dark, heinous beings. Obscured by their shield, a fence, I felt empathy and sadness. These weren’t monsters; well, of course, they were, but these people whose untimely deaths fell on the wrong day. Slowly, backing away in contemplation, a wry smile appeared. Joshua Phillip Johnson sparks emotional outbursts within my beating heart. Each pumping of the iron-red liquid sped up into anticipation. This novel conjures a devilishly clever use of horror elements against a backdrop of family drama. Superheroes, ghoulies, and government corruption are nothing new. How do we meld these together and make it work? Interestingly, I felt Johnson was successful. The pacing was taut, and the tender moments helped give the reader multiple perspectives, resulting in a deeper connection to the main characters. Mysterious, clever, and atmospheric could be wonderful descriptions of this book.

Let us discuss the conclusion and my one point of contention. Not what I had anticipated. Perhaps I got overzealous in my preparation to be dazzled, and my own buildup had reached its inner crescendo. I was in the tree of darkness, and yet…. The conclusion certainly had a legitimate reason as to the how and why, and yet maybe I wanted something darker, ala Stephen King. I must repeat this was my only setback in this book, and future devourers of the book might 100% enjoy the ending, but as for myself, I was entertained, but nothing hit the wow factor.

As the leaves fell, dark and crinkled, I walked back to my car along a desolate path. Relaxed, I felt a calm sense that things were under control. Our fencers had my back, and for that I am grateful. As usual, thoughts turned to the corrupt religious factions and agencies whose singular mission is to control the meek, ever-consuming. These systemic themes run rampant through fictional stories in modern times and fill me with sadness. Yet here we are. Choking back on emotional sentiment, I digress. It’s dark, it’s dreary… and worthy of your time. I am giving this 4 out of 5 stars! Recommended.

Many thanks to DAW for the ARC through NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion.

I struggled a bit to connect with this story but may need to return to it another time! Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

I was super hopeful for this book but it didn’t live up to my expectations. I feel like it tried to do too much and did not succeed at it. There’s a lot of basic worldbuilding questions we don’t get answered and a lot of random things we’re told that we didn’t need to know about the world building.

It took til 44% for anything to actually happen and then it was still weird and slow. I think it would’ve done better as a novella.

This book is a bit fantasy, a bit horror and a bit political thriller. The beginning is pretty slow and there is a lot information to absorb that ties in beautifully in the story later. These aren’t the cute happy fae, they’re murdery. It’s a really interesting premise and my eyes misted a couple of times. If you like Mira Grant you’ll prob like this too

Wow-- this was a journey, and I loved every second of it. The Bloodless Queen takes place in a world where the fae are blessed (created) one day a year, and flee to the Harbors. Cal and Evangeline, are two fencers, protectors tasked with shepherding the fae into the harbors where they progress to their queen (allegedly). The Fencers start their lives as normal people until they are marked with prime numbers and develop powers. These powers peak towards the equinox and allow them to fight against the fae who are causing chaos. The Sylvans are a religious group who worship the fairy queen and hope for the day they may become fae and can join their queen. There are really so many things going on in this story, but they all work together so well. I find this to be a very unique story and offers a lot of action with a lot of feeling. Cal, Evangeline and Winnie show the reader what love is and just how crazy things can get.

I highly, highly recommend this to anyone looking for an intense urban fantasy story. It has fun history, intense action, and so much to care about.

The Bloodless Queen by Joshua Phillip Johnson: 3/5 stars ⭐️
🩸👑🧚🏻🧟🍁🍂⚔️✨💫
“Agent Dawnlove is reporting and I have no riddle other than my love and fear for tomorrow.”

This ecological fantasy/thriller and Orpheus/Eurydice retelling recounts the heartbreaking story of two parents who will stop at nothing to save their young daughter, Winnie, when she turns fae after her sudden death.

Each year, on the Autumnal Equinox, people who die can turn into fae, who wreak havoc upon human communities. Imagine zombies, but somewhat intelligent, capable of speech, and with inhuman abilities. It’s the job of “fencers” — people who, one day, mysteriously had prime numbers appear on their skin, along with any sort of imaginable powers — to shepherd the fae into the “Harbors” where they disappear forever, and away from humans. “The Bloodless Queen” follows fencers Calidore and Evangeline, parents to Winnie, as the Autumn Equinox approaches, and as they become increasingly entrenched in a conspiracy involving more than just the fae, the fencers, and the Harbors — but one encompassing religious factions and governments.

What I liked:
- The author’s vivid descriptions of the primes (powers) in action, particularly Cal and Evangeline’s. And the timing in which both characters’ primes were revealed was absolutely perfect. I won’t say too much because of spoilers, but the time and place where readers find out what Cal and Evangeline’s powers are was very strategically and well done; chefs kiss.
- Johnson writes emotions exceptionally and viscerally well - grief, sadness, shock, anger, contempt, love, companionship, and more. I wasn’t sure if I would feel that attached to the characters when I first started this book, but by the end I was shedding tears with and for them.
- The fantasy elements were written really well; powers, settings (e.g. the Harbors), experiences, and transformations. I had no difficulty imagining the Harbors, or the fae transformations, or the Equinox in my mind.

What I thought could’ve been improved:
- Pacing was my biggest complaint. The book is mostly world building and character development at first, but the readers don’t really see any action until about 50% through the book. There is a good pay off — once I got to around 80% there was so much action I couldn’t put it down —but I think less patient readers may be tempted to DNF given the lack of action in the first half.
- At times feels as though it is trying to take on too much: religious zealotry/ infiltrating government, family dynamics, a fae queen, zombie-like fae, large scale political scheming, academic articles explaining the world, AND an Orpheus/Eurydice retelling. While I will say that the author did pull everything together in the end, at times it felt like multiple stories going on that should have been dissected out because there was just too much happening at once.
- Lack of historical development. I wanted to know more about Grothedieck and his connection to the Queen, and the creation of the Harbors!

I absolutely loved The Bloodless Queen. This story is so difficult to describe; think Annihilation meets Under the Pendulum Sun by way of World War Z and the X-Men, and you might be getting close.

This book is wild, beautiful, horrifying, and deeply emotional. Truly genre-defying, it will not work for some readers; but if you enjoy unique stories, more literary pacing, and plots that lean towards the weird side and stretch the boundaries of fantasy, sci-fi, and horror, I think you will love The Bloodless Queen.

Anyone who dies on the autumn equinox becomes fae: wild, strange, and deadly. This has been a fact of life since the world opened the Harbors, large areas of land fenced off and given back to nature. The fae flee to the Harbors after their transformations, making those areas dangerous and unknowable, and the government hires Fencers-humans enhanced with magical abilities- to protect the boundaries and dispose of any fae on the human side. Evangeline and Calidore are powerful Fencers, but at home, they are just a normal, happy family with a beautiful daughter named Winnifred. When the autumn equinox brings tragedy and Winnifred turns fae, her parents defy their government and take her deep into the Harbors in search of a cure that will bring their baby girl back to them. As they travel deeper into the strange and deadly wilds, they begin to suspect that the worst encounter lies ahead; deep within the Harbors, something waits for them.

I loved everything about this book, but I think my favorite part was the fae. I am always ready to read a story about the fae, but I’ve never read a book that described them like this before. These fae feel new, and exciting, while also drawing enough parallels to the old folklore and fairytales to keep the “dots” connected between the two. Johnson’s fae seem like an extension of nature, her wildness and whimsy and danger all rolled into one. The world building around the appearance of the fae and humanities’ response to them created a setting that is dark fantasy and sci-fi dystopia rolled into one.

I also loved that in this alien and unique story setting, the main plot thread is as old as time: a parent’s sacrificial love for their child. I was rooting so hard for Evangeline and Calidore throughout this story as they fought to save their daughter; in a book that could have focused on the world-wide peril the fae and the Harbors represent, the author instead chose to focus on one family, and I thought that made the story so relatable and powerful. This book does get devastatingly emotional, so please be aware of that if you don’t like emotionally heavy-hitting stories.

At once an adventure story, a dark fairytale, a sci-fi horror, and a thoughtful exploration of human relationships and our impact on the natural world, there is a lot going on in The Bloodless Queen. At times, it did feel that there was possibly too much going on; I think this could easily have been a duology. However, I did not find it confusing, and the numerous story elements and themes are part of what make this book so unique and wonderful. I have seen some reviewers state that the pacing was too slow for them; I did not find this to be the case, but I enjoy books that take their time. I felt that there was plenty of action throughout the book, and that the extra descriptions / etc. helped me care more deeply for the characters and understand the world better.

The Bloodless Queen is definitely going to be one of my favorite reads of 2025, and I have preordered a hard copy for my personal library. I can’t wait to see what this author writes moving forward!

I would recommend The Bloodless Queen to fans of The Southern Reach Series, genre-stretching books, and emotionally resonant stories.

Thank you to NetGalley and DAW Publishers for the arc! All thoughts & opinions in the review are my own.

I love this book. It's, in some ways, an absolute mess of pacing and way too many ideas, but it's so joyous and weird and excessive that I can't help but remain enchanted. It's overtly about evil zombie-style fae, with bits of Edmund Spenser's Faerie Queen overtly sprinkled in (justified in-text because one of the MCs is an ex-English grad student), but it's also got healthy doses of X-Men/My Hero Academia superpowers, A Wrinkle in Time, the Southern Reach series, and a variety of other influences sprinkled in. At the core, it's about a family, but the world-building is telescoped out far, far beyond that. I do think the pacing is horrible toward the end--things wrap up WAY too quickly to feel satisfying, and I wish this had been a duology or trilogy, given how slowly things start, but it is what it is, and I still am enamored.

The Bloodless Queen by Joshua Phillip Johnson is a really unique blend of genres—part eco-fantasy, part horror, part sci-fi. The worldbuilding is rich and atmospheric, especially the Harbors, which are these eerie nature preserves where the dead turn into fae-like creatures. It’s haunting and weird in the best way, and the idea of grief literally transforming people was such a powerful metaphor.

The story follows Evangeline and Calidore, two government agents who lose their daughter and then venture into the Harbors to try to get her back. That emotional core—two parents willing to risk everything for their child—kept me invested, even when the pacing lagged in some places. There were moments that felt a little slow or overly dense, and I found myself wishing for more consistent momentum.

What really stood out, though, was how unsettling and original the fae are. This isn’t your typical whimsical fairy tale. The fae here are creepy, violent, and totally alien—like nature itself reclaiming what’s been lost.

Overall, I liked it, but didn’t love it. The writing is beautiful and the concept is fascinating, but I think it’ll resonate more with readers who enjoy slower, more literary speculative fiction. If you’re looking for something emotionally heavy, imaginative, and a little dark, it’s worth checking out.

This fantasy novel swept me away with its rich world-building, compelling characters, and a plot that was both adventurous and emotional. The author’s imagination shines through every page, and the story felt both epic and personal. Perfect for fans of immersive, character-driven fantasy.