I Can’t Wait For…Thoughts Be Bloody by Auden Patrick
Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted over at Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about but haven’t yet read. Most of the time they’re books that have yet to be released, but not always. It’s based on the Waiting on Wednesday meme, which was originally hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.
You can find the releases I’m most anticipating this year over on my Unmissable list, but I use Can’t-Wait Wednesday to feature books I’m hopeful about but aren’t 100% sure will be five star reads.
This week my Can’t-Wait-For Book is Thoughts Be Bloody by Auden Patrick!
Thoughts Be Bloody by Auden Patrick Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Contemporary or Urban Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Trans MC, M/M
Published on: 24th March 2026
Goodreads
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A struggling student, a resident golden boy, and the curse that will bring them this queer, trans retelling is Hamlet as you’ve never read it before
Exploring classism, identity, and the true meaning of revolution, this dark academia novel is perfect for fans of R. F. Kuang’s Babel and S. T. Gibson’s An Education in Malice
The summer before his sophomore year, Horatio Bithersea walks into the university library to find Carson Hamlett, resident golden boy and master magician, cradling his father’s dead body. Life at Elsinore, one of the most prestigious universities in the secretive magical world, simply goes on when the professor’s death is ruled an accident—despite the mysterious circumstances and the bloody scene.
A year later, Horatio is keeping his head down, attempting to graduate without his out-of-control magic harming his classmates. That changes when the ghost of Hamlett’s father appears and places a curse on Horatio and Hamlett: avenge his death by destroying Elsinore and its heart, lest the ghost robs them of their minds, memories, and their very souls.
Elsinore has given Horatio everything—knowledge of his magical ability, an escape from his abusive family, and freedom to pursue his life as a transgender man—and now he’s to be its doom. As the two uncover more of Elsinore’s secrets Horatio finds himself becoming more and more ensnared in Hamlett’s dark but charismatic web.
The question is not if Horatio will manage to destroy Elsinore. The question is if Hamlett will destroy him first.
It is consistently hilarious to me that I don’t care one way or the other about Hamlet the play, but also I have enjoyed so many retellings and get excited about new ones.
I AM EXTREMELY EXCITED ABOUT THIS ONE!
Dark academia is officially dead to me unless we’re talking magic school – AND WE ARE TALKING MAGIC SCHOOL! A magic school that needs burning to the ground, apparently! (Or maybe not: we don’t know yet if the ghost’s hatred of the school is justified. But all things considered, I’d take that bet.)
Plus a trans Horatio with out of control magic??? EEE. And a mindfuckery!Hamlet (which, if you don’t have one of those can you even call it a Hamlet retelling???) I have been promised much yearning, and I’m very much hoping for the kind of – alarming but delicious entanglement we had in Let the Forest In, or that we almost had in Summer Sons. Dark academia is fairly well known for that!
(If you don’t have messed up people obsessed with each other is it even dark academia???)
Most important of all (for moi) I loved the excerpt we got on Nerdist! You can (and absolutely should) check it out here!
Between the premise and excerpt, you can expect to see Thoughts Be Bloody on my 2026 Unmissable list!
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