At the End of the River Styx

Zan has been leading marked souls to the Styx to be consumed after death in service to the Ferryman for 499 years. He only has one year left in the bargain he made to save his mother’s life, after which he will be reborn into contemporary society. Meanwhile, in Portland, Ore., teenage Bash has spent months reliving memories of the car accident in which his mother died, drifting away from his friends and his seemingly put-together twin. When Bash dreams about the Styx, Zan discovers that Bash is a wayward soul marked for the Ferryman. As the teens grow closer over the course of several dreams—and as Bash becomes increasingly eager to return to the Styx—Zan frantically searches for a way to keep Bash alive, even if it means sacrificing everything he’s worked five centuries to achieve. Zan’s paranormal grapples with the Ferryman help to accentuate the narrative’s gothic elements while Bash’s struggles to be present in his own life—along with the myriad bittersweet realities surrounding grief this challenge entails—add texture to Kulwicki’s captivating queer romance debut. Bash and Zan cue as white. Ages 14–up. Agent: Connor Eck, Lucinda Literary. (Sept.)