When I first set out to compile a list of new books by Latine authors to kick off Latin Heritage Month (September 15-October 15), I had a mind to include a variety of genres. But, being a seasonal reader who is currently reveling in all the spooky and deliciously gothic releases coming out this month, I decided to lean into the moment.
A big part of Latine Heritage Month is about celebrating liberations. September 15th was chosen as the start of the month because several countries (“Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua”) gained their freedom that day, while others (“Mexico and Chile”) gained it soon after. Keeping that in mind, the books below, and the themes of freedom and generational trauma they explore, are of the moment in more ways than one. They take us from 1870s Brazil to modern-day L.A., and feature queer witches, ancient evils, and so much more.
The House of Gardenias by Isabel Cañas
I’ve been rocking with Cañas’ brand of Mexican Gothic since her 2022 debut, The Hacienda. I will follow her wherever she takes me, including to the unnamed country in The House of Gardenias that looks a lot like colonial Mexico. In Cañas’ YA debut, we find 16-year-old Minerva, who, in between dodging blows from her abusive father and trying to keep from starving, doesn’t have time to concern herself with her nation’s troubling politics. She’s only just able to find work as a lady’s maid to the elderly widow Encarnación del Valle by the grace of god. The two actually make a great pair, and Minerva is safe and warm, courtesy of her newfound security and its magical chispa. But then power shifts in the country, and bloodshed follows. When Minerva and her mistress are forced to move to a mountainside estate, she faces her lady’s younger and crueler relatives. And, the political changes might mean she won’t see her brothers again, but equally troubling is what’s at the estate. It’s as ancient as it is bloodthirsty. —Erica Ezeifedi
Cemetery Boys: Espíritu by Aiden Thomas
One of the most-anticipated queer books of 2026 is almost here! This is the sequel to the fan favorite Cemetery Boys, a YA paranormal M/M romance novel about a trans brujo who accidentally summons a ghost. I won’t spoil book one, but I will say that in the sequel, there’s more danger and chaos for Julian and Yadriel. They also meet a nonbinary bruje named Angel who has their own ruthless methods for dealing with restless spirits. —Danika Ellis
Muñeca by Cynthia Gomez
Cynthia Gómez’s debut horror novel packs a big punch in under 200 pages. This sapphic Gothic horror novel is set in 1968 and follows Natalia “Nati” Fuentes, a young woman who has learned all about witchcraft from her grandmother. So when she finds out the young and beautiful heiress Violeta Miramontes has been paralyzed by a mysterious illness, Nati suspects black magic, and she thinks she might have the cure. From the very first page, you know that Nati and Violeta will fall for each other, but the way their romance unfolds will surprise you. —Emily Martin
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An Immaculate Deception by Isabella Livino
Kicking off the horror riches, this debut work of gothic horror is set in 1870s Brazil. A young pregnant woman is trapped in her lover’s isolated family home when the deal that family made with the devil goes horribly wrong. I wonder, do deals with el diablo ever go wonderfully right? Either way, I’m in. —Vanessa Diaz
For more Latine books to get into this fall, Managing Editor Vanessa Diaz has a fab preorder list.
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