The Shape of Monsters

A talented heretic and the emperor she both loathes and loves will learn what monsters are really made of in the second installment of the Moon Heresies trilogy by New York Times bestselling author Tessa Gratton.

Iriset--prodigy, outlaw, now sunderer--has broken the Moon-Eater god's prison at the heart of the empire. But the consequences of her actions land her in a city of monsters where the heretical magic of human architecture is freely practiced, and the only person she knows--and can trust--is Lyric, the emperor she's lied to and loved in equal measure.

As scheming kings and capricious gods drive them towards different extremes, they soon realize that to find their way home, they must remake the world ... at the risk of breaking it forever.

Praise for the Moon Heresies trilogy:

"Laced with a vivid sensuality." --Jacqueline Carey, New York Times bestselling author of Kushiel's Dart

"A beautiful, elegant, passionate novel. A triumph and a delight from start to finish." --Antonia Hodgson, author of The Raven Scholar

"Sensual and suspenseful." --Publishers Weekly

"A lush story of dangerous intrigue in an intricate and utterly unique world." --C. S. Pacat, author of Captive Prince

Author: Tessa Gratton
Publisher: Orbit
Published: 06/16/2026
Pages: 560
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.25lbs
Size: 9.17h x 6.03w x 1.33d
ISBN: 9780316578813


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 05/25/2026

About the Author

Tessa Gratton is the New York Times bestselling author of adult and YA SFF novels and short stories that have been translated into twenty-two languages, nominated twice for the Otherwise Award, and several have been Junior Library Guild Selections. Though they have lived all over the world, they currently reside at the edge of the Kansas prairie with their wife.