Part of the 2020 Novella Series. An 8” x 5” novella. 131 pages.

In Yellow Jessamine, shipping magnate Evelyn Perdanu controls the dying city of Delphinium with trade deals and secrets. But when mysterious sickness sparks death and obsession, all leading back to her, Evelyn’s brittle existence is strained to breaking. She retreats to her estate, amidst paranoia and poisonous secrets, intent on rooting out this plague before it destroys everything she has built.

Cover by Robin Ha.

PRAISE:

“This story of witchery and death unfurls itself one petal at a time until you will be happy to lay yourself amongst its whispering tendrils and just breathe it in.”
— Jordan Shiveley, Dread Singles

“Starling’s novella will hold the reader’s attention as its protagonists fall deeper into the deadly mysteries that surround them. Recommended for fans of Ellen Kushner’s and Delia Sherman’s fantasies of manners who would enjoy a more grim variant, or anyone who enjoys queer-themed fantasy and horror in general.”
— Booklist

“No word is out of place in Starling’s lush tale, which ties each small detail together in a conclusion that will knock readers’ socks off. This powerful dark fantasy is as lovely as it is haunting.”
— Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

“Fans of dark fantasy and horror would do well to pick up Caitlin Starling’s Yellow Jessamine. It’s wickedly refreshing and delightfully unsettling.”
— Alex Brown, Punk-Ass Book Jockey

“…intense and creeping, a supernatural horror and messy queer tragedy all in one.”
— Charles Payseur, Quick Sip Reviews

“If Daphne du Maurier had pushed into fantasy, you might get something as good as this claustrophobic, Gothic-tinged story.”
— C.S. Malerich, author of The Factory Witches of Lowell

“Starling’s tale is rich, unsettling, and bleakly beautiful— like the poison garden at its heart, both lovely and deadly.”
— Kate Alice Marshall, author of Rules for Vanishing and I Am Still Alive

“Yellow Jessamine is rife with desire and bitter with re- venge, all of it cloaked in shadows. A creepy read perfect for a stormy night.”
— Lara Elena Donnelly, author of the Amberlough Dossier

The ebook is available here.