Even the best intentions can bring down a mountain …

Sent away for the summer, the Ivyweather sisters were promised a family vacation by their wealthy, indifferent parents. Two at-odds opposites — Constance an anxious society sweetheart and Ivory an adventure-struck rebel — the sisters aren’t sure what to make of the dangerously decayed town of Quixx and its creeping fog that never seems to lift.

When Ivory disappears after a spat with her sister, Constance tracks her to the mountain, where the Ivyweathers learn the town’s hushed talk of monsters is more than just a rumor. There, the sisters meet Derrek, a dapper and talented astronomer who also happens to be a spider-like creature with a scientific mind, the best of intentions, and a tragic past. Together, they all must find a way to lift the dangerous fog that has ensnared the town and return Quixx’s long-lost stars. But they soon discover that something far more monstrous than beasts lurks in Quixx, and it’s poised to crush this sleepy mountain town, along with the dreams of those in it.

Death and discarded memories haunt every corner of Quixx, but kinship, romance, and family — the one we choose — are at the heart of this cautiously optimistic, unabashedly queer modern monster story.

About the Series

Welcome to Brindlewatch — a world like ours from days gone by. Fast shiny cars, growing metropolises, and a war on the other side of the ocean with an enemy no one can see. Back at home, monsters, spirits, and the humans who get entangled with them populate the pages of the Brindlewatch Quintet — five individual, interconnected tales of mystery, romance, and ultimately, belonging. This is the newest YA fantasy series by beloved writer S.M. Beiko, award-winning author of the Realms of Ancient trilogy. It is notable for its charming and quirky tone and diverse cast of relatable characters. The series will begin with The Stars of Mount Quixx in spring 2023 and conclude with The Battle for Brindlewatch in 2027.

Samantha Mary Beiko is a Winnipeg-based author of award-winning teen fantasy fiction. Her titles include The Lake and the Library, Scion of the Fox, Children of the Bloodlands and The Brilliant Dark. She has worked extensively in the book and comic publishing industries since 2010 as an editor, graphic designer, and publisher, and was the editor on Gothic Tales of Haunted Love as well as its follow up, Gothic Tales of Haunted Futures. Beiko is also the artist and writer behind the award-nominated Webtoon, Krampus is My Boyfriend!

S.M. Beiko's profile page

“Fans of Diana Wynne Jones and TJ Klune will find much to love in this wholly original novel that blends science and magic, modernity and tradition, and features a sweet monster romance, found families, kooky characters, and a pair of sisters whose fraught relationship is central to their coming-of-age stories.” — Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“In the fantasy novel The Stars of Mount Quixx, two sisters find the courage to change each other and their community.” — Foreword Reviews

“Beiko’s latest novel, The Stars of Mount Quixx, will forever lodge in my heart, alongside the other classics of storytelling magic I’ve read over the years and will never forget. It has everything I want in a fantasy, from wondrous surprise and reckless awe, to real people you love (and sometimes want to give a stern talking to) who rise to be their best selves. I can’t wait to read it again. And I will.” — Julie E. Czerneda, author of The Gossamer Mage

“Quixx is a delightful and wildly inventive place, with kind monsters, monstrous humans, and eerie magic afoot. Constance and Ivory are likeable and appealing heroines, and I was totally rooting for them (and their romances!). A splendidly magical, happily queer, charmingly kind-hearted book.” — Tina Connolly, author of the Seriously Wicked trilogy