Finalist, Best Novella, 2026

Cinder House

Freya Marske (opens in a new tab)

208 pages

Ella, murdered at sixteen by her stepmother, rises as a ghost bound to the house, seen only by whoever owns it.

Borrow: A library (opens in a new tab)Library ebooks and audio (opens in a new tab)
Print: Bookshop.org (opens in a new tab)Barnes & Noble (opens in a new tab)Amazon (opens in a new tab)
Ebook: Kobo (opens in a new tab)Barnes & Noble (opens in a new tab)Kindle (opens in a new tab)
Audiobook: Libro.fm (opens in a new tab)Barnes & Noble (opens in a new tab)Audible (opens in a new tab)

The ballot

The River Has RootsAmal El-MohtarTordotcom; Arcadia UKWinner
Automatic NoodleAnnalee NewitzTordotcom
Murder by MemoryOlivia WaiteTordotcom
The Summer WarNaomi NovikDel Rey US; Del Rey UK
What Stalks the DeepT. KingfisherNightfire; Titan UK