WINNER - 2025 Shadows Awards for Best Novel (Australasian Horror Writers Association)

A spellbinding tale of sisterhood, betrayal and reclamation revolving around three 18th-century wax models of women, known as Anatomical Venuses or 'slashed beauties'. Legend has it, these beauties are bewitched, coming to life to murder men who have wronged them.

Finally, these men will get what they deserve. We will make sure of it. Together.

Seoul, present day: Antiques dealer Alys is offered a vast sum of money to transport one of three highly coveted Anatomical Venuses to London, with one key condition - she must destroy it when she reaches the city.

London, 1769: After a chance meeting at the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, young and inexperienced Eleanor is promised a life of luxury by the beautiful and charismatic Elizabeth and her protégé, Emily. All she must do is allow Elizabeth complete control of her destiny.

In this darkly compelling and magical novel, prepare to discover the dangerous secret shared by these women - a secret that spans centuries, and which will unearth horrors not of this world. Perfect for fans of Weyward by Emilia Hart, The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow and The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo, as well as readers of Jessie Burton and Stacey Halls.

'Rushby's prose is lush and vivid, her characters are tragically complex, and Emily and Eleanor's mutual devotion proves the perfect foil for the macabre tale's more gruesome elements... Ferociously feminist body horror with a sentimental heart.' - Kirkus

'Tense and fast-paced with refreshingly unique supernatural elements, this dark fantasy should win Rushby plenty of new fans.' - Publishers Weekly

'SLASHED BEAUTIES is the warped, witchy lovechild of Madame Tussaud and Jack the Ripper - an engrossing gothic tale of friendship, misogyny, and the murderous consequence of denying women's autonomy.' - Ellie Marney, New York Times bestselling author of None Shall Sleep

'Utterly compelling from the first page to the final, shocking twist, Slashed Beauties is a darkly exquisite story that explores the corrosive effects of misogyny and the enduring power of female love.' - Christine Wells, author of The Paris Gown

'An extraordinary tale. Slashed Beauties left me spellbound.' - Emma Grey, author of Pictures of You

'Adored this gorgeous, sumptuously gothic feminist novel. Slashed Beauties moves from present-day Seoul to the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens of Georgian London in a colourful riot that examines the macabre world of the anatomical Venus and the seedy underbelly of the modern-day antiques trade, with a dash of witchcraft thrown in. It's also about sisterhood, friendship and the ties that bind a beautifully-rendered love story that spans centuries. I loved it' - Emma Cowing, author of The Show Woman

'Easily one of the best books I've read this year... Captivating from start to end and tells a haunting tale of feminine rage' - Abbie Eaton, author of Dragonhart