Witchcraft for Wayward Girls

"Superb ... a perfect horror for our imperfect age. The New York Times

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER

There s power in a book

They call them wayward girls. Loose girls. Girls who grew up too fast. And they re sent to Wellwood House in St. Augustine, Florida, where unwed mothers are hidden by their families to have their babies in secret, to give them up for adoption, and most important of all, to forget any of it ever happened.

Fifteen-year-old Fern arrives at the home in the sweltering summer of 1970, pregnant, terrified and alone. Under the watchful eye of the stern Miss Wellwood, she meets a dozen other girls in the same predicament. There s Rose, a hippie who insists she s going to find a way to keep her baby and escape to a commune. And Zinnia, a budding musician who plans to marry her baby s father. And Holly, a wisp of a girl, barely fourteen, mute and pregnant by no-one-knows-who.

Everything the girls eat, every mo ment of their waking day, and everything they re allowed to talk about is strictly controlled by adults who claim they know what s best for them. Then Fern meets a librarian who gives her an occult book about witchcraft, and power is in the hands of the girls for the first time in their lives. But power can destroy as easily as it creates, and it s never given freely. There s always a price to be paid...and it s usually paid in blood.

In Witchcraft for Wayward Girls, the author of How to Sell a Haunted House and The Final Girl Support Group delivers another searing, completely original novel and further cements his status as a horror master (NPR).

Rezension:

Hendrix s genius as a horror writer is his ability to develop complex, human-scale emotional arcs...Never before has one of his books so aptly met the moment at turns frightening, anxiety-producing, infuriating, beautiful and sad. The New York Times

"A devilishly good time." - People

"An engrossing, compelling read." - The Guardian (UK)

Fantastic Hendrix is a wizard at mixing together tropes of terror in thought-provoking ways. -Minnesota Star Tribune

"There's spells, there's witches, and then there's the magic Grady Hendrix conjures up in this amazing novel." Stephen Graham Jones, New York Times bestselling author of I Was a Teenage Slasher

"Terrifying, darkly funny, moving, immersive, and deeply relevant a page-turner that will keep you up until one in the morning. I devoured every page of it. Grady Hendrix is at the top of his game." - Simone St. James, New York Times bestselling author of Murder Road

"Will delight fans new and old with his convincing rendering of characters juggling pregnancy and magic, childhood and adulthood, helplessness and power and of course good and evil. Another nail-biter not to be missed!" Tananarive Due, author of The Reformatory

This book is so twisted and smart, it could hide behind a spiral staircase. It's got such a warm beating heart, and it broke mine several times. As soon as I finished I wanted to start all over again. Catriona Ward, author of The Last House on Needless Street and Nowhere Burning

"Grady Hendrix again brings to life a fully realized ensemble of characters who you'll cry with and root for while deftly molding the historical novel, the supernatural, and gritty, all-too real life horrors into a morally complex and genuinely haunting and moving tale. I couldn't put it down once I started." Paul Tremblay, author of Horror Movie and The Cabin at the End of the World

Another stellar novel from Hendrix, a perfectly constructed story that has a strong emotional core, compelling plot, unforgettable characters, and 360 degrees of terror. Booklist (starred review)

"A magical look into the lives of teenage girls, of making the jump from powerlessness to power, of facing your fears and finding your coven. Enchanting and entertaining, but ultimately the novel's greatest strength is its fearless truth-telling. Press this book into the hands of the young women you know." Alma Katsu, author of The Fervor

"Captivating from the start, Witchcraft for Wayward Girls takes readers on an incredible journey exploring female victimization and empowerment...that may or may not entail tapping into the dark magic within. A phenomenal read for witches everywhere!" Carissa Orlando, author of The September House