Title: Communion
Author: Mia Jarvis
Published by: Indie-Published
Publication date: 17^th May 2026
Genre: Religious Short Story
Pages: —
Format: eBook
Source: NetGalley

Blurb

Sometimes revenge is the only way to deal with grief.

Lil Blackwyn is a lost soul, grappling with her mother’s death. She finds herself on the doorstep of a basilica in New York, repurposed by an odd contemporary Christian group, hoping to fill the yawning void inside of her. In a way, she’s looking for God. She’s also on the hunt. What she finds lurking in the halls of the church is exactly what she’s been searching for, and it’s far more sinister than any of the church-goers can imagine. 

A dark urban fantasy short story under 10,000 words long and prequel to the Deusphage series. 

Review

Communion is the short introductory novella for the as-yet-unpublished Deusphage series. introducing Lil, a young woman dealing with the death of her mother and seemingly seeking the comfort of God in the form of a woman’s Bible study group.

Reading about Lil and her thoughts on the women from the group slowly hints that she isn’t amongst them entirely for reasons of comfort. Lil is harshly opinionated, confrontational, and there to provoke a reaction from her fellow characters and the reader. My opinion of her certainly flipped, flopped, took a few nose dives and then soared high again! I found the start of the book incredibly strong; the writing was fresh, fun, and provocative.

Then, Pastor Levi is introduced. Who defuses the perfectly rising tension with the suggestion of a ‘private talk’ with Lil. Things from here descend into the truth of the book’s themes (and would be spoilers if I typed them out)

The pacing ramps up a notch too swiftly for the climax to truly pay off, but I can certainly understand the intent; this is where the book’s core themes come into play, the reveals are unmasked, and the set-up for the upcoming series. It’s also where all the horror comes in, which is great to read, richly detailed and utterly gross – just what you want from religious horror! And what makes it so effective is how ‘out of nowhere’ it feels; and yet its not at all misplaced. In fact, this is where the novella shows its intelligence, but again, spoiler-free review/thoughts!

I think the hard part to balance with any prequel novella is revealing enough to make the story feel complete, and leaving enough for the reader to want to follow the breadcrumbs and find out more/read the full series. Author Mia Jarvis balances this well, because I feel like I read a whole story here, with interesting characters, rising tensions, and ‘woah, what’s going on here’ hooks. There are unanswered questions, and I feel compelled to find out the answers, while not feeling completely in the dark during this particular story. Well played.

If Communion is only the opening prayer for Deusphage, I’m both excited and deeply concerned about what comes next.