We Are the Fire
Swoon Reads/Macmillan
Out Now!
As electrifying as it is heartbreaking, Sam Taylor's explosive fantasy debut We Are the Fire is perfect for fans of An Ember in the Ashes and the legend of Spartacus.
In the cold, treacherous land of Vesimaa, children are stolen from their families by a cruel emperor, forced to undergo a horrific transformative procedure, and serve in the army as magical fire-wielding soldiers. Oksana and Pran—both taken from their homeland at a young age—only have each other to hold onto in this heartless place.
Pran dreams of one day rebelling against their oppressors and destroying the empire; Oksana only dreams of returning home and creating a peaceful life for them both.
When they discover the emperor has a new, more terrible mission than ever for their kind, Oksana and Pran vow to escape his tyranny once and for all. But their methods and ideals differ drastically, driving a wedge between them. Worse still, they both soon find that the only way to defeat the monsters that subjugated them may be to become monsters themselves.
Content Warnings for We Are the Fire
We Are the Fire
Swoon Reads/Macmillan
Out Now!
Helga the Fair
Atheneum/Simon & Schuster, Coming Summer 2026
Helga the Fair is a middle-grade fantasy that’s a reimagining of several classic Icelandic sagas, giving new voice and agency to a girl who was frankly underserved by the old tales.
Thirteen-year-old Helga the Fair doesn’t know who her parents were or where she came from. All she knows is life with Goat-Thigh, who found her as a baby in the highlands and has given her a home ever since. Goat-Thigh used to be plagued with fits of berserk fury—a battle rage that comes over a person without warning and renders them dangerous to everyone around. The moment Goat-Thigh took in Helga, these fits stopped. She feels as responsible for keeping him safe as he does for her.
Their lives are disrupted when following the funeral of the chieftain’s cousin, a nearby haunted mountain cracks open and a mob of vengeful undead invades the land. In the chaos, Goat-Thigh’s berserk fits are triggered... and he’s unable to break free.
Under the guidance of a local witch and her wife, Helga learns that the only way to help Goat-Thigh is to banish every one of the troublesome undead. She’ll need the help of her best friend, Scratcher; mean-girl Marta Thistle-Heart; and a friendly ghost seal. Banishing the undead will require Helga and her allies to confront deep wounds from their tangled pasts... but if Helga doesn’t succeed, she’ll lose the only parent she’s ever known.
