The Library at Hellebore by Cassandra Khaw

A deeply dark academia novel from USA Today bestselling author Cassandra Khaw, perfect for fans of A Deadly Education and The Atlas Six who are hungry for something a little more diabolical.

The Hellebore Technical Institute for the Gifted is the premier academy for the dangerously powerful: the Anti-Christs and Ragnaroks, the world-eaters and apocalypse-makers.

Hellebore promises redemption, acceptance, and a normal life after graduation. At least, that’s what Alessa Li is told when she’s kidnapped and forcibly enrolled.

But there’s more to Hellebore than meets the eye. On graduation day, the faculty go on a ravenous rampage, feasting on Alessa’s class. Only Alessa and a group of her classmates escape the carnage. Trapped in the school’s library, they must offer a human sacrifice every night, or else the faculty will break down the door and kill everyone.

Can they band together and survive, or will the faculty eat its fill?

Also by Cassandra Khaw:

The Salt Grows Heavy

Nothing But Blackened Teeth

A Song for Quiet

Hammers on Bone

The Dead Take the A Train (co-written with Richard Kadrey)

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Praise for this book

“Khaw has the swagger of a motherfucking rockstar. I’m not being cute—this is the punk rock, eldritch god, carnage-fueled battle royale dark academia that makes partial decapitation look like an amateur sandbox. The Library at Hellebore is more metal than I’ll ever be and too cool for most of you. You’ve been warned.”

—Olivie Blake, New York Times bestselling author of The Atlas Six

“There’s nothing more delicious for dark academia enthusiasts than Khaw’s latest. Khaw’s writing will have you by the throat and not let you make a sound as you meander through The Library at Hellebore. It’s gory, it’s gruesome, and it’s gloriously gripping!”

—RuNyx, New York Times bestselling author of Gothikana

“As rich and gruesome as a fresh-plucked heart, as sharp as a broken bone, The Library at Hellebore is a perfect horror novel by one of my favorite writers. It's a book that draws a line between the monsters and the monstrous, and reminds us who to root for—and what it costs.”

—Alix E. Harrow, New York Times bestselling author

“Wonderfully inventive and thoroughly engrossing. Khaw takes dark academia to a terrifying new level.”

—Kelley Armstrong, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“A gorgeous, gory shuddering heart of a book! Khaw’s prose and storytelling remain god-tier!”

—Katee Robert, New York Times bestselling author

“Khaw’s brutal, blood-soaked world makes even the worst nightmares seem tame. The Library at Hellebore is a horrifying tale with lush and gorgeous prose you can sink your teeth into.”

—Monika Kim, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Eyes Are the Best Part

“The Library at Hellebore is a kaleidoscopic spectacle of gothic surreality and absurdity. An infinite hallway of mirrors used to highlight our every flaw, showing us the monster the world turns us into—and the monster they try to make us for their own benefit. It is body horror in all its glory, exploring the numbing exhaustion of loss, along with the seductive pleasures of death.”

—Ai Jiang, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Linghun

"A joyfully gory spin on the magical school, The Library at Hellebore is populated by such deadly characters that you'll wonder how any of them have stayed alive long enough to matriculate. If you thought librarians who shushed were bad, just wait."

—Kendare Blake, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Anna Dressed in Blood

“Libraries are a place for reference, so you could say this book is something like Battle Royale meets The Magicians with some Hateful Eight thrown in ... but the ghoulish delight, the luscious prose, and the batshit imagery are all unalloyed, singular Cassandra Khaw. The Library at Hellebore is devilishly entertaining, thrillingly structured, and full of unexpected blows to the heart. It's the most fun you'll ever have, rooting for Armageddon(s).”

—Nat Cassidy, author of Mary and When the Wolf Comes Home

“Wretched and filthy with gore, delighting in both viscera and human connection in the midst of ugliness, The Library at Hellebore is absolutely killer. If you’re looking for a book that gets its hands dirty, this one’s for you.”

—Andrew Joseph White, New York Times bestselling author of Compound Fracture

“Classic Khaw in its stylish prose and unmatched wit. The Library at Hellebore is dark academia in a twisted, deadly class of its own. In space, no one can hear you scream. At Hellebore—shh!—the librarian will consume you before you even open your mouth.”

—Sofia Ajram, author of Coup de Grâce

"Pure, bloody darkness beautifully lit up with fury, sacrifice, and revenge. Khaw tears open the sins of our past and asks what we have made of them in this supposedly brighter future. It will not be a clean cut—it will be ragged and bloody, and it will hurt. If we cannot escape what we've done, if we cannot escape what we are, what else can we do with our power? We can take it into the Library at Hellebore and turn it loose."

—Premee Mohamed, Nebula Award-winning author of The Butcher of the Forest

"The Library at Hellebore is a beautifully bizarre and grotesque spotlight on our shortcomings. Khaw’s prismatic world is magical, yet glistening with fresh blood. This is glorious body horror at its most prestigious, but it is also an exploration of memory and grief. It’s who was left behind and who we left behind. A marvelous blend of dark academia and horror."

—Cynthia Pelayo, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Vanishing Daughters

“A succulent, gory, ambrosial fever dream of a tale with prose as luscious as an overripe peach and characters as hard and twisted yet hopeful as the juice-drenched pit torn out with greedy fingers.”

—Delilah S. Dawson, New York Times bestselling author

“Frighteningly good! The Library at Hellebore reminds us that revenge is a dish best served cold, alongside a pound of quivering flesh for good measure.”

—P. Djéli Clark, author of The Dead Cat Tail Assassins

“Putting the “dark” in “dark academia”, The Library at Hellebore is a story with teeth and claws, a thrilling cocktail of body horror, surreal humor and riveting mystery.”

—Genoveva Dimova, author of Foul Days

About the Author

CASSANDRA KHAW is the USA Today bestselling and Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Nothing But Blackened Teeth, The Salt Grows Heavy, Breakable Things, and coauthor of The Dead Take the A Train with Richard Kadrey. They are an award-winning game writer.

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Title: The Library at Hellebore
Author(s): Cassandra Khaw
ISBN: 9781250877826
Copyright 2025
Release Date: July 22, 2025
Publisher: Tor Publishing Group
Countries: United States, Canada | Learn more about available countries
Language: English
Format: None available | Learn More about our supported formats

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