Behind the name, beyond the gates, the blood on their hands is the same.

Hiding behind the name Red, Imogen works at an underground fight club at night and a condemned house by day, until she finds herself at the center of another murder.

An invitation to Swallowtail promises her safety in a diverse sisterhood, at a secluded estate miles away from anywhere. But behind the gilded gates, lush landscapes, and manicured smiles, is Sasha, a woman who has turned her own scars into a crown.

Two broken women. Two timelines. One sun-drenched descent into darkness. What becomes of women when pain is the only power? In Swallowtail, the transformation has already begun.

While Imogen seeks to bury her name in the past, echoes of another woman emerge from a decade prior—one who learns that in this predator vs. prey world, the only way to survive is to become the most dangerous woman in the room. But after one sister goes missing, and another turns up dead, all eyes point back to Imogen. In her queendom, Sasha sees individuals as a liability, where one mistake will burn it all down, and Imogen must be punished.

Imogen has only one rule for herself: Don’t Tell and Run Like Hell. But in Swallowtail, there is nowhere to run, and the woman in power is watching, waiting for the one who will betray her.

What the Chrysalis Keeps is a harrowing psychological thriller with a diverse cast of characters, exploring the dark side of sisterhood and the price of power. Perfect for fans of the interior grit in Ottessa Moshfegh’s Eileen, the atmospheric dread in Emma Cline’s The Guest and the ritualistic horror of Midsommar.

**For a list of content warnings, please see author’s note here.