The Children

This is an extraordinary book. A page-turner full of mystery … The language is dusted with magic … My advice: Be first in line – STEPHEN KING, author of ItI might end up using all the adjectives to describe this sharp, lyrical, nuanced riff on family dysfunction and the costs of devoting oneself to art. The Children is a joyously grim, open-eyed, adult fairy tale with the messiest of morals (and I mean that as the highest possible praise), and I had so much damned fun reading it – PAUL TREMBLAY, New York Times-bestselling author of Horror Movie and A Head Full of GhostsProfound, beguiling and terrifying, Melissa Albert’s first novel for adults is dangerous witchcraft of the highest order – an insidious and masterfully cast spell of a book about the stories we tell ourselves and each other, childhood’s end and the way that the sharp edges of creative lives draw so much blood. The Children is gorgeous and dreadful, I devoured it – MONA AWAD, bestselling author of BunnyI don’t know how, but Melissa Albert has taken my most private nightmares and desires and published them as a dark fairy tale. The Children is a poison apple of a book: glossy, sweet, and absolutely terrifying. I don’t think I’ll ever get it out of my bloodstream – ALIX E. HARROW, New York Times-bestselling author of The EverlastingMelissa Albert has done it again with this eerily beautiful adult debut. Twisty and strange in all the best ways, and rendered in Albert’s characteristic dreamlike prose, The Children is exactly the grown-up fairytale I’ve been looking for. I loved Guin and her complicated relationships, as well as the deft interweaving of memories, stories, and reality – and the many places where they blur. Highly recommend – HEATHER FAWCETT, New York Times-bestselling author of the Emily Wilde SeriesWhat is the real cost of a good story? And who is forced to pay it? With The Children, Melissa Albert places a hissing, twitching shadow in the periphery of your vision – but when you turn to look, hoping to assuage your terror, it’s gone. I loved this shimmering, sinister oracle of a book – GENNAROSE NETHERCOTT, author of ThistlefootHaunting, dreamlike, and emotionally fearless, The Children is a reckoning. A book about memory, legacy, and the stories we tell ourselves to survive. The Children proves once again that Melissa Albert is one of the most singular voices writing today. Simply put: I loved it – SHEA ERSNSHAW, #1 NYT bestselling author of The Wicked DeepEvocative, arresting, genre-defying, and sublime. The Children altered my emotional state and haunted my every thought. Melissa Albert’s adult debut is not to be missed, particularly by those who love complex family dynamics, doors that lead to both fantasy and horror, and stories that are not what they seem – OLIVIE BLAKE, author of The Atlas SixThe Children is a triumph. Albert’s prose is sensuous and textural, creating the impression of a childhood that is both dreadful and enchanting. She writes with lyrical attentiveness to the physicality of her setting … and has built a compelling story that exists in the intersection between wonder and terror – Katie Fraser * Bookseller *From the bestselling YA author Albert, a first novel for adults that blends mystery, fantasy, and a sort of publishing world realism to create a twisty, delicious, and – I mean this in the best way – faintly sinister reading experience … If you are a grown-up who, at one time, believed that Narnia (or Neverland, or Oz) was real, this book is for you * Lit Hub, Most Anticipated Books of 2026 *Melissa Albert brings all the dark magic and fraught mother/daughter dynamics of her contemporary fantasy YA novels The Hazel Wood and The Bad Ones into her adult debut * Lit Hub, 25 Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books to Look Forward to in 2026 *

Melissa Albert is the New York Times and indie bestselling author of The Bad Ones, Our Crooked Hearts, and the Hazel Wood series. Her work has been translated into more than twenty languages and included in the New York Times list of Notable Children’s Books. She lives in Brooklyn with her family. The Children is her first novel for adults.