Dark Fusion Books in Order

Dark Fusion is a trio of stand‑alone novels that twist familiar fairy tales and myths into contemporary, unsettling stories. Each book takes the bones of a classic tale and fuses them with horror, thriller elements, and very real teen problems.

Dread Locks reimagines the Medusa myth filtered through Goldilocks. Fourteen‑year‑old Parker Baer is rich, bored, and used to getting what he wants. That changes when Tara, a mysterious girl with golden, dreadlock‑like curls, moves into a mansion nearby. Tara’s friendship seems intoxicating at first, but Parker starts to notice that the kids she takes under her wing become gray, lethargic, and obsessed with odd cravings. As he is drawn deeper into her circle, Parker realizes that Tara feeds off more than attention, and that her “gift” to him comes with a monstrous cost.

Red Rider’s Hood takes on Little Red Riding Hood in a city plagued by gangs. Red, a teen known for driving a blood‑red Mustang, returns to his old neighborhood and finds it ruled by a crew called the Wolves. After his grandmother is attacked, Red decides the only way to fight them is from the inside. He pledges to the gang, planning to learn their weaknesses. Immersed in their world, he discovers that the Wolves are literal werewolves and that part of him is tempted by the power they offer. The story becomes a question of whether he will hunt the monsters or become one of them.

Duckling Ugly echoes “The Ugly Duckling” with a much sharper edge. Cara DeFido is so painfully unattractive that cameras break and mirrors crack around her. She endures relentless cruelty in her small town, Flock’s Rest, and even her parents flinch at her presence. When a strange invitation and vivid dreams lead her to a hidden valley, she discovers a community where everyone is beautiful and youth can be renewed. Cara’s transformation comes with an opportunity for long‑imagined revenge on the people who tormented her, but the price of that beauty is darker than she expected.

Across the series, Dark Fusion leans into moral gray areas. Villains have understandable motives, and heroes are often complicit in the harm they are trying to escape. Shusterman does not shy away from body image, rage, or the seduction of belonging to a powerful group, even when that group is toxic.

Readers do not need to tackle the books in any particular order; each stands alone with its own cast and conclusion. What unites them is a willingness to let myth and fairy tale collide with modern life, and to ask what those old stories look like when played out in suburbs, cities, and high schools instead of castles and forests.