You Weren't Meant to Be Human

Across Appalachia, hives of worms and flies have taken root in dark corners. They ask for two things: absolute loyalty and a steady supply of fresh corpses. In return they give a few desperate people a new start, and nobody who is offered it says no.

Crane is one of those people. Inside his hive he has been able to transition, to stop speaking for good, and to live in a way that does not feel like a slow death. He is grateful, and he has found a partner there too. Levi is a handsome former Marine and a brutal killer, and he treats Crane like a man, most of the time.

Then Crane becomes pregnant by Levi. The hive wants the child born whatever it costs, and Crane wants the pregnancy over. His fight to end it pits him against the only community that ever accepted him, and the fallout spirals toward bloodshed.

This is horror, and a body-horror one at that, with a trans protagonist at its center and a rural Appalachian setting. Expect a dark, violent read in which safety and danger come from the same people.