This summer, Berkley invites you to visit 1986 Philippines and step inside the Ranoco House—where the air is tense with secrets, a sickly-sweet smell clings to the dimly lit walls, and veiled eyes follow you through endless connecting rooms. Here is where you will play a wicked game—and to win, you must survive the night.
House of Monstrous Women is infused with a dose of rich Filipino folklore inspired by the author’s own upbringing. Raised in a Filipino community in the American South, Fama taps into her Filipino heritage, blending childhood stories she learned from her mother with interviews from Carigara elders and folk practitioners of healing and cursing.
Perfect for fans of gothic horror with speculative elements, this haunting debut follows a young woman on the most terrifying night of her life, where the darkness not only envelopes her surroundings but also immerses her in a twisted reality filled with unsettling apparitions and echoes of the past. As she navigates through shadowy corridors and forgotten rooms, each creaking floorboard and flickering candle unveils long-buried secrets, compelling her to confront her deepest fears, testing her courage in ways she never imagined possible.
Josephine lives alone, orphaned after her father’s political campaign ends in unimaginable tragedy. Her older brother is in Manila, where a revolution brews. The country is in turmoil, and so is Josephine’s life. As Josephine begins to feel even more hopeless and uncertain, an unusual invitation arrives from her estranged childhood friend, Hiraya Ranoco: Why don’t you come visit, and we can play games like we used to?
Josephine left Hiraya in the past for a reason: she is rumored to come from a family of shapeshifting witches, or aswang, who live in a maze-like manor perched beside a treacherous sea. But there’s something about Hiraya that Josephine has never been able to resist.
When Josephine arrives at the eerie old house, she discovers that her brother has also been summoned—and a perilous game is afoot. The winner will earn all their heart’s desires—and for Josephine, who has lost everything, this is a tantalizing proposition. But there is something menacing about this invitation…and it’s clear that Josephine and her brother do not know the entire truth about why they are here. As the Philippines descends into chaos outside the manor’s walls, danger is lurking around every corner on the inside as well. And if Josephine isn’t careful, she’ll find that change is sometimes bought with blood.
Set against the backdrop of the 1986 People Power Revolution, a historical moment rarely explored in literature, HOUSE OF MONSTROUS WOMEN is sure to grasp you tightly, start your heart racing, and inspire a cold sweat. Fama mirrors the Philippines’ collective fear and instability of the time, weaving a tale that brims with urgency and unrest.
Praise for House of Monstrous Women
“Fama’s debut is ecstatically terrifying. Each page is a glistening homage to Filipino history and folklore and gothic atmosphere. I could not fight the lure of this story and I’m certain it will haunt me for days.”
—Roshani Chokshi, bestselling author of The Last Tale of The Flower Bride
“Mesmerizing. Beautifully written, richly atmospheric, and compulsively readable, the horrors in these pages are confronted with ferocious hope. Suspenseful and heartfelt, House of Monstrous Women is a stunning gothic and an exceptional debut.”
—Rachel Harrison, USA Today bestselling author of So Thirsty
“Both grisly and tender, House of Monstrous Women invites readers to play an exhilarating, deadly game. Seamlessly blending history and horror, this spectacular story will hold you captive until dawn.”
—Kylie Lee Baker, author of Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng
“Incredibly chilling and unforgettable. House of Monstrous Women found so many of my deepest fears and magnified them. This has to be one of the best horror books of the year.”
—Darcy Coates, USA Today bestselling author of Where He Can’t Find You
“A delicious blend of historical and horror, House of Monstrous Women uses the backdrop of mid-1980s Philippines to mirror the violence and terror in the story. From the deadly game played between friends to the mazelike house at the heart of the novel, a constant sense of unease awaits around every corner. Daphne Fama’s debut will fully immerse you in an unsettling story that weaves its hooks into you and won’t let go.”
—Del Sandeen, author of This Cursed House
“Imagine being invited to an old friend’s house. Then imagine that you might not leave alive. Those are the stakes upon entering Daphne Fama’s House of Monstrous Women, a pulse-pounding tale of family trauma, frayed friendship, and political oppression. Forget warm and welcoming rooms. In this house, expect tension thicker than the rugs, dread that practically flows from the taps, and a bed chilled by your own cold sweat.”
—Nick Medina, author of Indian Burial GroundSee Less
About Daphne Fama
Daphne Fama was born in the American South, embedded in the tight-knit Filipino community. Like many of her peers, she became an attorney, but prefers fiction to contracts and forms. When she’s not writing stories about monsters and broken women full of yearning, she’s writing about video games. And when she’s not writing, she’s spending every minute adoring her partner and pup.
