Tori Bovalino is the editor of the bestselling horror anthology The Gathering Dark and the author of Not Good for Maidens. She lives in London.

A Booklist Editors' Choice 2024: Books for Youth Selection

"A must-read for truth seekers and those hoping to glimpse a world built around kindness and acceptance."
--Booklist, starred review

"[A] sinisterly creepy YA folk horror novel with striking feminist undertones."
--Shelf Awareness, starred review

"Tightly written and clearly envisioned [...] a standout new release. The story is cloaked in fantasy-like horror but remains grounded in its themes of religious trauma and the pernicious evil of purity culture. [...] If you like books about women who misbehave and refuse to be punished for it, you'll want to pick this one up."
--NPR's Here & Now

"In this darkly atmospheric tale of folk horror, Bovalino [...] employs sophisticated prose to perceptively examine the town's unspecified oppressive religious institutions and how its tenets keep the young women of Winston from achieving their full potential or pursuing happiness."
--Publishers Weekly

"[A] welcome addition to the paranormal genre that concentrates on just what it means to be good. Readers of Ava Reid's works will devour this book."
--School Library Journal

"Bovalino [...] is proving to be a master of atmosphere, mining the insularity of a small town to maximize tension while still emphasizing the unnatural elements in the seemingly more welcoming but still unsettling village in the woods."
--BCCB

"Whimsical, dark, and acutely painful. This is a story that will reach into your soul, pull taut, and make itself at home there."
--M.K. Lobb, author of the Seven Faceless Saints duology

"Raw, brutal and heartbreaking in turn, Bovalino masterfully weaves deliciously sinister horror with unflinching, complex themes. I am in awe."
--Kat Dunn, author of Bitterthorn

"A deliciously creepy, haunting exploration of love, hate, and what it means to forgive yourself."
--Kate Dylan, author of Mindwalker

"Sweet as honey and brutal as a knife--Bovalino has crafted a parable of self-forgiveness and community power fearsome enough to drive men and gods, alike, to their knees. If only all vengeance could be so lush."
--GennaRose Nethercott, author of Thistlefoot

Publisher: Page Street YA

Pub date: 2026-01-06

Length: 336 pages