For this edition of Spec. Fic. Society: Once We Were Human, I have three new fantasy novels to share with you, and three unique ARC opportunities to grab. We have a mermen theme with Oceansong by C.W. Rose, and an ARC of Tempting Triton available from Lex Logan. Songs feature again in C.A. Wright’s Skysong, a lyrical retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Nightingale, and we have more flighted creatures in an ARC on offer from Cindy L Sell: Embers Rising, the second book in The Last Draegion Saga. Lisa Terreno’s debut, Prince of Fortune grabs us with romance between a prince and a seer – and don’t miss getting your hands on the ARC of the Publishable-winning novel, Fractal, by Shae Nicholson: an eco-horror Australian gothic tale of redemption and feminine power. Let’s give these hard-working authors some love.
If you’d like your book featured in the Spec. Fic. Society newsletter, apply here! We’d love to hear about it.
Oceansong, by C.W. Rose
24-year-old aspiring marine biologist Angie Song has just returned to her Alaskan hometown for the summer to work at her family’s docks. She soon discovers that fish are mysteriously vanishing from the sea, starving her small fishing village. When she investigates, she finds merfolk responsible. Her family declares war on the mer, resulting in a brutal fight for control of the sea’s resources. And in the midst of the conflict, she falls in love with a mer-prince, putting everyone and everything dear to her in danger.
An OwnVoices Chinese-American main cast (including the merfolk), a colourblind and queernorm world, dual setting of contemporary Alaska and the deep sea, and themes of environmentalism and sustainability, Oceansong will appeal to readers who love the BIPOC cast and enemies-to-lovers of Thea Guanzon’s The Hurricane Wars, and the contemporary, dark, snarky, and hopeful tone of Megan Bannen’s The Undertaking Of Hart And Mercy. An Asian Romeo & Juliet meets The Little Mermaid, but set in the grittiness of the real world, Oceansong is the first book of the Oceansong Duet.
About the author: C.W. Rose
C.W. Rose is a NYC-based Chinese-American fantasy and romance author by night and healthcare professional by day. She writes about ordinary Asian women who find themselves in extraordinary situations, and find themselves, and sometimes love on the way, and the cinnamon roll (not always human) men who adore them. Oceansong is her debut novel, and book two, Midnightsong, is expected to release in late 2025.
Content warnings for Oceansong, by C.W. Rose
- Violence, blood, parental death (mentioned), imprisonment and torture (off screen) of mythical creatures, one scene with a non-consensual kiss (off screen, not involving the main couple).
- Estimated R rating for explicit language, adult themes and situations, and on-page intimate scenes (2 open door, 1 fade to black).
Show some love! Support the author
- Buy the book online here.
- Follow the author on Instagram, Threads, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, or visit her website.
- Sign up for the author’s newsletter here: “Newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about what I’m working on, first looks at character art, get exclusive content and I also occasionally run subscriber-only giveaways.”
Skysong, by C.A. Wright
Every morning, Oriane transforms into a skylark, whose song has the power to make the sun rise. She has spent her life hidden away, kept secret and safe, but when the pull of the outside world grows too strong, she flies to the royal city, where she is discovered. Taken in by the king and swept up in a court of admirers, Oriane finds the human connection she’s been desperately craving. But she soon discovers that all is not as it seems – and that she might not be the only one of her kind.
Appealing to fans of Kell Woods, Naomi Novik, Katherine Arden, Elyse John and Madeline Miller, Skysong is a lush, lyrical retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Nightingale about what some will do for power… and what others will do for love.
“Skysong combines my love of fairytale re-imaginings, lyrical prose, and BIRDS! If you, too, are a fairytale-loving bird nerd, I think you’ll enjoy it.” – C.A. Wright
About the author: C.A. Wright
C.A. (Claire) Wright is a fantasy author from Newcastle, Australia. Her debut novel Skysong is out now with Pantera Press. When she’s not writing, reading or working as a freelance editor, she can be found baking, birdwatching and eating/drinking delicious things.
Content warnings for Skysong, by C.A. Wright
- Death, mild infrequent violence, mental illness themes
- Estimated rating PG – book includes parental death, mild infrequent violence and themes of depression/loneliness/grief etc.
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Prince of Fortune, by Lisa Terreno
A magical prince and a Seer fall in love, in a country on the brink of war with an enemy determined to control the kingdom.
Prince of Fortune is about Saben’s shy magical crown prince, who is prophesised to be a great king one day and if that wasn’t bad enough, is expected to make a marriage befitting of his station. And then he meets Lord Aubrey Ainsley and falls absolutely head over heels. Aubrey is totally here for it, but as one of their nation’s prophets, he thinks everyone else should be a bit more worried about the war that’s everyone knows is coming than the prince’s love life, but he has vastly underestimated how far some people will go for power and control.
Featuring kisses at balls, brutal sorcerers, murder scarecrows, “haunted” forests and also cakes and cravats, Prince of Fortune will appeal to readers of Leigh Bardugo, Casey McQuiston, TJ Klune, VE Schwab and Gail Carriger.
About the author: Lisa Terreno
Lisa Tirreno lives in Melbourne, Australia with her family and a soap opera of chickens. A recovering journalist, she likes museums, old Hammer Horror movies and Pre-Raphaelite art. She has an honours degree in English literature and history, and is good at stabbing herself with embroidery needles and making elaborate cakes for no good reason. Her debut novel, Prince of Fortune, is out now with Simon & Schuster imprint Atheneum.
Content warnings for Prince of Fortune, by Lisa Terreno
- War, gun violence, fantasy violence, gore, medical scenes, alcohol and drug use, mention of pregnancy, xenophobia, classism.
- Estimated rating PG for scenes of war, violence, fantasy violence, gore, alcohol and drug use (NB: sex scenes are closed door).
Show some love! Support the author
- Buy the book online here.
- Follow the author on Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, or visit website here.
- Sign up for the author’s newsletter here: “Readers signing up to my newsletter get a free short story, plus me chatting about what I’m writing, reading and watching that month, and I always finish up with my chickens. There are occasionally bonus things to read like musings on craft, snippets of what I’m writing and deleted scenes.”
ARC Shoutouts: Opportunities to review advance copies of new sci fi and fantasy novels July 2025
We have three ARC opportunities this month to share with you for your reading enjoyment. If you have an ARC you’d like to promote in the Spec. Fic. Society newsletter, apply here! I’d love to help you get it in front of more eyes.
Fractal, by Shae Nicholson
An autistic woman – whose ability to mask and read people is akin to mind-reading – hunts a serial-killer to atone for her part in a massacre.
Tracking a killer might be Bonnie Tanner’s only shot at redemption. But is it worth re-learning how to be a perfect hunter… A perfect monster? Fractal is a dual-timeline Aussie Gothic / Eco-Horror Thriller tale about a weaponised autistic woman on the hunt for a serial killer to atone for her part in the botched evacuation of the United Kingdom after an ecological disaster. This story explores the weaponisation of masking and hyperempathy, as well as the subversion of societal and familial norms for neurodivergent women, through feminine rage and loneliness.
Appealing to fans of Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, and Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn, Fractal is the first book of The Bonnie Tanner Tragedies and a winning manuscript of the Queensland Writers Centre Publishable competition in 2024.
- Apply to be an ARC reader here.
- Release date: 31 October 2025. Reviews due one week before please.
About the author: Shae Nicholson
Shae is a non-binary femme living and writing on Gubbi-Gubbi land in Queensland Australia. Shae writes about neurodivergent heroines, and the power they hold. They explore the weaponisation of masking and hyperempathy, as well as the subversion of societal and familial norms for neurodivergent women, commonly through feminine rage. When they aren’t writing, they are a Virtual Assistant, and an amatuer mycologist. They are an audiobook enthusiast and are well known for their top-tier event fashion.
Content warnings for Fractal by Shae Nicholson
- Miscarriage and stillbirth
- Allusions to Sexual Assault
- Violence against women
- Murder
- Ecological devastation
- Suicidal ideation,
- Death of children (historic)
- Claustrophobia,
- Mines/underground location
- Dark and lack of light
- Gaslighting
- Trainwreck
- Car-crash
- Drowning
- Mental health
- Villainisation of Neurodivergent peoples
- Slurs used: Homophobic slurs used as insults, and also used affectionately by a straight-passing person. Ableist slur (Sp**ic) used by an nuerodivergent person, referring to themself. Misogynistic slurs as insults, and as Australian vernacular.
- Estimated rating: M15+ for content, verging on R for language.
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Tempting Triton, by Lex Logan
Elena is running away from her Olympic swimming career and the tragedy of her parents’ deaths, only to run right into the arms of her kidnappers. Literally. The last thing she expects is to wake up inside a giant clam, gifted with the ability to breathe underwater by a himbo merman who can’t keep his lips to himself. Will Triton’s magical kisses trap Elena underwater forever, or will she manage to manipulate her way out of there and back to where she belongs – above the surface?
Tempting Triton is a story about second chances, finding love where you least expect it, and new beginnings. Join Elena and Triton as they navigate consent, a malfunctioning barrier, and a burning hot desire that neither of them seems able to control.
This reverse Little Mermaid story, where she’s the hero, will appeal to fans of Whispers of the Deep by Emma Hamm and The Saltwater Curse by Avina St. Graves. Tempting Triton is the standalone second novel in the Mated Myths series.
- Apply to be an ARC reader here.
- Release date: 22 August 2025.
About the author: Lex Logan
Lex Logan is a queer and neurodivergent author living in QLD, Australia. When she’s not thinking up new stories to tell, you can find her working in her bookstore, Tales & Tomes, or rotting in bed with a book.
Lex Logan is also the author of:
- Seducing Scylla
Content warnings for Tempting Triton by Lex Logan
- Graphic violence
- Explicit sexual content and scenes
- Kidnapping
- Non-consensual kissing
- Trafficking
- Drugging
- Non-human sexual appendages
- Blood play
- Animal death (brief, on page, not MC)
- Estimated rating: R18+ Adult content
Show some love!
Sign up for the author’s newsletter here: “Newsletter subscribers get early access to art, ARCs, and bonus stories.”
Embers Rising, by Cindy L Sell
Long ago, the last draegion stole power from the god of chaos. Now he’s coming to take it back.
Sorceress Daeya McVen has fled north to treat with her enemies, intent upon bartering her newly awakened magic for her father’s life. But when she learns controlling her power requires a sacrifice, it seems her father isn’t the only one she stands to lose. Dragons emerge from exile, a traitorous conspiracy is uncovered, and divine forces awaken in this second installment of Sell’s epic saga, The Last Draegion.
The Last Draegion Saga is a D&D-style epic that returns to the classic fantasy storytelling of Raymond Feist, Robert Jordan, and Mercedes Lackey. Embers Rising will appeal to readers of the original Mistborn trilogy and Lord of the Rings.
First book will also be provided on approval for an ARC of Embers Rising (The Last Draegion Saga, Book 2).
- Apply to be an ARC reader here.
- Release date: 5 August 2025. Reviews due: “Launch week, but reviews are better late than never!”
About the author: Cindy L Sell
Cindy L Sell is the author of The Last Draegion Saga, a diet-romance epic fantasy (that’s romantic subplots only), and Tales From Dessos, a series of spicy romantasy standalones. She has a BA in creative writing, but didn’t bother to do anything with it until COVID when she ran out of excuses. Her debut, Remnants of a Scarlet Flame, is a Kansas Notable Book, a Wishing Shelf Awards Silver Medalist, and a Next Generation Indie Book Awards finalist.
Cindy L Sell is also the author of:
- Remnants of a Scarlet Flame: The Last Draegion Saga Book 1
- Tipori: A Tale From Dessos
Content warnings for Embers Rising by Cindy L Sell
- Violence, profanity, death/dismemberment, non-graphic SA
- Estimated rating: R, this book contains dark subjects unsuitable for audiences under 18
Show some love!
- Follow the author on Instagram, Threads, TikTok, Facebook, or visit website here.
- Sign up for the author’s newsletter here: “Sign up for Cindy L Sell’s newsletter and get a free short story, as well as first-look access to specials, ARCs, and general shenanigans.”
Get your novel featured like these new fantasy and sci fi novels July 2025
Would you like to share your novel with Spec. Fic. Society readers? Apply here! We’d love to hear about your book. It’s open to newsletter subscribers and Instagram followers. Hit any of the Sign Up buttons around here to subscribe to the newsletter, and follow on Instagram here.