Review: Thoughts Be Bloody by Auden Patrick

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 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.

• Title: Thoughts Be Bloody
• Author:  Auden Patrick
• Publisher: Daw Books
• Publication Date: September 15th, 2026
• Genre: Fantasy, retelling 
• Source: Digital ARC via Netgalley
• Targeted Age Range: Adult
• Content Warnings: death, murder, blood, physical violence, child abuse (past)
• Rating: ★★★★

Thoughts Be Bloody has been at the top of my 2026 anticipated list since I first heard about it. As a lover of all things Shakespeare and Hamlet, I knew that I had to read it and I was thrilled to receive an ARC. I’ve been really loving Hamlet retellings lately; I think Hamlet lends itself so well to adaptations/retellings because it really deals with the complexity of human emotions and how grief can drive a person in countless ways. 

In retellings, what I mostly am looking for are the same themes and commentary of the original but told in a different way, and I think Auden Patrick really nailed those things. The main theme of Hamlet is grief and how grief impacts our mental and emotional state, and I would say those are the main themes of Thoughts Be Bloody, but it explores these themes in a way that is distinctly different from Hamlet. 

The writing in this book is so beautiful. My digital ARC was insanely highlighted with lines that really hit and that I found profound. I’m so excited to pick up a physical copy and get to physically annotate the book, especially after having read it once and knowing the outcome. I think there are a lot of intricacies and nuances in the writing that really click into place once you’ve read the book and I think it’ll be really fun to dive deeper into that. 

I was so interested in the way that magic worked in Elsinore, as well as the different types of magic. It was really interesting to learn about throughout the course of the book, and I liked how as the book went on, the intricacies of the magic system expanded because of Horatio coming into his own magic. The descriptions of time magic were especially interesting. Quite a few of those discussions/concepts around time magic specifically sent me into a bit of an existential crisis as it did for Horatio. While that was slightly stressful, I won’t lie, I almost felt like that was the intention of Auden Patrick to not only further immerse us into the story as a whole, but to also make us question the choices that not only Horatio makes, but also to make us think about the choices that we would make in the same situation. 

The magic system was so intricate and the way that magic was used in the story was so nuanced. Horatio coming from a human/non-magical background (or “humdrum” as they call it) and now being in this magical world that is completely isolated from the outside world brings up a lot of interesting questions such as: why do they hide and if they have these abilities and can help people, why aren’t they? Horatio may also have magic, but he didn’t grow up in the magical world, so there is that element of Horatio being “in” the magical world, but always just on the outskirts. 

Thoughts Be Bloody carries the same emotional weight as Hamlet but in a different way that sheds new light onto the story. Following this journey through the eyes of Horatio — a queer and trans student who was not born into the magical world — added an extra layer of depth that really drew me into the story and the world. Horatio was an easy protagonist to follow and want to see succeed. Horatio discusses feeling lost and like he didn’t belong before his transition, and I thought the way that Horatio’s journey in the magical world sort of mirrored his experiences throughout his transition was really well explored and added another layer of depth to the story.

Something that I’ve been noticing in a few Hamlet retellings that I’ve been reading lately is exploring a close bond between Horatio and Ophelia — in Thoughts Be Bloody she goes by Lia — and I’m loving the exploration of this relationship. I absolutely loved the scenes between Horatio and Lia; there was such a beautiful softness, care, and vulnerability between the two of them. As always, I had the softest of soft spots for Lia, she truly is my best girl. Just like in the original story, she had such a beautiful vulnerability and care for those that she loves. As the book goes on, she starts to be torn between what she thinks is right and how Hamlett is going about seeking justice for his father’s death, and how he manipulates Horatio’s feelings for him, and I really felt for her. 

While the relationship between Horatio and Lia felt like it was filled with comfort and understanding, the relationship between Horatio and Hamlet was filled with confusion, tension, and uncertainty. At the beginning of Thoughts Be Bloody Horatio absolutely idolizes Hamlett. Hamlett has everything that Horatio wishes he had and wants to have; he has a close relationship with his father, the most powerful magician — he’s the golden boy, it’s easy to see why Horatio would practically worship him. There’s also an underlying current of romantic feelings on Horatio’s part at the beginning of the book as well that you can see clearly influences his choices in deciding to help Hamlett avenge his father’s death. 

I really liked this more manipulative side of Hamlett. With knowing the original story and starting Thoughts Be Bloody from the POV of a version of Horatio that still idealizes Hamlett, it’s very easy as the reader to also be manipulated by him. By starting the book with the discovery of Hamlet over his father’s dead body and strongly feeling his grief, you of course feel for him. How can you not be sympathetic towards a young man who has just lost the father that he so clearly loves? I think you definitely start the book on Hamlett’s side and completely understand where he is coming from and similarly to Horatio, you want to help and support him, but as the story goes on you continue to see him spiral and see him be blinded by his revenge it gets harder to feel okay with his actions. The way that he uses his influence over Horatio and others to get them to do whatever he wants was truly a fantastic example of emotional manipulation and gaslighting. I think it was wonderfully done.

I truly loved Thoughts Be Bloody and it will absolutely be making my list of favorite reads of 2026. If you’re a fan of Hamlet, fantasy and well crafted and complex characters, you definitely want to check this one out! I can’t wait to read more from Auden Patrick. 

Links for Thoughts Be Bloody: Goodreads | TheStoryGraph | Bookshop