In this "stunning and atmospheric"* contemporary fantasy and 2022 Locus Award Top Ten Finalist, when her siblings start to go missing, a girl must confront the dark thing that lives in the forest—and the growing darkness in herself. (*Buzzfeed)

Derry and her eight siblings live in an isolated house by the lake, separated from the rest of the world by an eerie and menacing forest. Frank, the man who raised them after their families abandoned them, says it’s for their own good. After all, the world isn’t safe for people with magic. And Derry feels safe—most of the time.

Until the night her eldest sister disappears. Jane and Derry swore to each other that they’d never go into the forest, not after their last trip ended in blood, but Derry is sure she saw Jane walk into the trees. When another sibling goes missing and Frank’s true colors start to show, feeling safe is no longer an option. Derry will risk anything to protect the family she has left. Even if that means returning to the forest that has started calling to Derry in her missing siblings’ voices.

As Derry spends more time amidst the trees, her magic grows more powerful . . . and so does the darkness inside her, the viciousness she wants to pretend doesn’t exist. But saving her siblings from the forest and from Frank might mean embracing the darkness. And that just might be the most dangerous thing of all.

Dark Fantasy: The forest is calling, but what awaits Derry among the trees is a truth more terrifying than she could ever imagine.
Unbreakable Sisterhood: Derry and her sister Jane made a promise never to enter the woods again. Now, with her family vanishing one by one, she must break that vow to save them.
Atmospheric & Eerie Setting: An isolated house, a mysterious lake, and a forest that whispers with the voices of the lost. In this place, safety is an illusion.
Queer Fantasy: Featuring a diverse found family including nonbinary and trans characters, this is a story where everyone must find their power and their truth.
A Powerful Coming of Age: To save her family from her controlling guardian and the forest's hungry magic, Derry must embrace the growing darkness inside herself.

Sarah Hollowell