Summerween Book Recs: The Fine Print of Power

Deals are struck. Lines are crossed. And the fine print might just kill you.

This week’s trio deals in dangerous bargains, from manipulative charmers to bloodthirsty demons to horrors hiding in plain sight. Power always comes with terms and conditions, some written in ink, some in blood. In these stories, influence isn’t just about strength; it’s about persuasion, temptation, and the dangerous bargains we make. Whether it’s a magnetic stranger pulling the strings, a tarot spread gone terribly wrong, or everyday life tilting into the uncanny, each tale asks the same question: What are you willing to risk for control… and what will it cost you?

The Scammer

by Tiffany D. Jackson
on October 7, 2025
Bookshop
Goodreads

New York Times bestselling author Tiffany D. Jackson delivers another stunning, ripped-from-the-headlines thriller, following a freshman girl whose college life is turned upside down when her roommate’s ex-convict brother moves into their dorm and starts controlling their every move.

Out from under her overprotective parents, Jordyn is ready to kill it in prelaw at a prestigious, historically Black university in Washington DC. When her new roommate’s brother is released from prison, the last thing Jordyn expects is to come home and find the ex-convict on their dorm room sofa. But Devonte needs a place to stay while he gets back on his feet—and how could she say no to one of her new best friends?

Devonte is older, as charming as he is intelligent, pushing every student he meets to make better choices about their young lives. But Jordyn senses something sinister beneath his friendly advice and growing group of followers. When one of Jordyn’s roommates goes missing, she must enlist the help of the university’s lone white student to uncover the mystery—or become trapped at the center of a web of lies more tangled than she can imagine.

The Scammer by Tiffany D. Jackson

Jordyn is thriving at her new HBCU, until her roommate’s ex-con brother moves into their dorm. Charismatic and persuasive, Devonte quickly inserts himself into student life, collecting followers and pushing boundaries. But when one of Jordyn’s roommates disappears, she starts unraveling a dark web of control and deception that threatens everyone around her.

A tense, chilling thriller about power, vulnerability, and the danger of misplaced trust.

Tropes: campus manipulation, cult-of-personality, gaslighting, psychological horror
Pair it with: locked doors, unanswered texts, and a feeling you can’t shake.

The Sacred & the Divine by Kate Christensen & Melissa Henderson

In 1848 Massachusetts, the three Wolfson sisters are gifted with supernatural abilities, and cursed with the burden of being seen. When a tarot reading goes horribly wrong and a demon is unleashed on their village, the sisters must reckon with destiny, romance, and a whole lot of blood. An occult-laced historical fantasy with feminist flair.

Tropes: witchy sisters, tarot magic, star-crossed lovers, 19th-century gothic horror
Pair it with: A velvet cloak, candlelight, and a suspiciously accurate tarot spread.

Acquired Taste by Clay McLeod Chapman

This chilling short story collection unearths the everyday horrors of American life, from ghost lovers and Vietnam trauma to right-wing media possession and pandemic madness. Creeping dread builds story by story, leaving you with more questions than comfort.

Tropes: body horror, cursed objects, generational trauma, literary chills
Pair it with: The last bite of something you really shouldn’t have eaten.

Up next week: Last Gasp – Disappearances, Monsters, & Final Choices