The Restless Dark

Enter Cloudkiss Canyon at your own risk. Sadie meets Wilder Girls in this unnerving tale about the struggle for survival, the twisted satisfaction of revenge, and the darkness hiding in all of us. From Erica Waters, the acclaimed author of Ghost Wood Song and The River Has Teeth,this mystery will haunt you to the end.The Cloudkiss Killer is dead. Now a true-crime podcast is hosting a contest to find his bones.Lucy was almost the serial killer’s final victim. Carolina is a true-crime fan who fears her own rage. Maggie is a psychology student with a little too much to hide.All of them are looking for answers, for a new identity, for a place to bury their secrets.But there are more than bones hiding in the shadows…sometimes the darkness inside is more frightening than anything the dead leave behind.Praise for Erica Waters’ The River Has Teeth and Ghost Wood Song:“Potent, atmospheric, and wholly satisfying.”  —Kirkus (starred review)“A backwoods murder ballad of a book. [The River Has Teeth] is well worth a listen.” —NPR"The River Has Teeth is the perfect story for anyone who is tired of feeling helpless. This book has teeth, too."  —Hannah Whitten, New York Times bestselling author of For the Wolf “A gorgeous, creepy gem of a book. Ghost Wood Song weaves a captivating spell you won’t want to break.”   —Claire Legrand, New York Times bestselling author of Furyborn and Sawkill Girls"Ghost Wood Song will make your heart dance."  —Jeff Zentner, Morris Award winning author of The Serpent King and Goodbye Days"The perfect balance of atmospheric chills, dark familial secrets, and a yearning for the warm comforts of home." —Erin A. Craig, New York Times bestselling author of House of Salt and Sorrows

From School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up—All Lucy needs is closure, to know that the Cloudkiss Killer is truly dead, that she is his last almost-victim and he can never find her again. Carolina, a true crime fan, just needs to know who she is. Maggie, a psychology student, is running from something else entirely. The three come to Killer Quest, a murder podcast-hosted hunt in the woods for the remains of the Cloudkiss Killer, to confront their very different pasts. They meet one another and the rest of the attendees deep in the woods surrounding the canyon where the fog plays tricks and everyone is a heightened version of themselves. The other guests all seem to be in good spirits, buoyed by their love of the podcast until the accidents begin, until they start disappearing, until people start dying. VERDICT This young adult, Sapphic love triangle is great for horror fans, and does a great job of centering victims in the conversation on serial killers.—Sarah Voels

Wendy Heard, author of She’s Too Pretty to Burn

“A classic Erica Waters blend of tension, setting so real you can feel it in the room with you, and language so beautiful you can taste it.”

Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Attentively acknowledges the appeal of true crime while confronting the ways in which it can be exploitative. Employing a touch of the supernatural to create a consistently creepy environment, Waters crafts a smart and memorable thriller.”

Kirkus ReviewsThis young adult, Sapphic love triangle is great for horror fans, and does a great job of centering victims in the conversation on serial killers.

“A satisfyingly twisty and refreshingly self-aware examination of human desires for self-knowledge and survival.”

BooklistPraise for Erica Waters:

“Waters’ (The River Has Teeth, 2021) atmospheric, creepy psychological thriller combines true crime fandom, a queer love triangle, and a wilderness survival story…. [a] compelling, twisty novel where perception is compromised and reality is illusive.”

Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“This genre-blending contemporary thriller offers a searing indictment of men who prey on women while the book’s fantasy elements offer a form of revenge and resolution… Potent, atmospheric, and wholly satisfying.”

NPR"Soft and seething, with an undercurrent of longing and rage, THE RIVER HAS TEETH is the perfect story for anyone who is tired of feeling helpless. This book has teeth, too."

“A backwoods murder ballad of a book that draws from the old songs and legends that underpin so many areas of rural America. [The River Has Teeth] is well worth a listen.”

Emma Berquist, author of Missing, Presumed Dead

"Waters weaves a spell on the page, seeped with dark and murky magic, both beautiful and terrifying, just as her girls are beautiful and terrifying. Set loose upon the Bend, Natasha and Della are two forces crashing into one another with a strength that makes their world tremble."

Kat Ellis, author of Harrow Lake

"Packed with monstrous magic and a wicked bite, The River Has Teeth is the perfect read for fans of Beware the Wild and Wilder Girls. Fierce and flawless."

Kate Alice Marshall, author of Rules for Vanishing

“Full of fierce women and wild magic, The River Has Teeth is a captivating story of love, grief, and the power of anger. From its eerie opening pages to its gripping finale, it kept me enthralled.”

even when I knew I should. The lush, haunting story gave me the most gorgeous nightmares I’ve ever had.”

“The River Has Teeth is one of those books I could not put down

Wendy Heard, author of She’s Too Pretty to Burn

“With its witches, monsters, and missing girls, The River Has Teeth is a hypnotic, suspenseful read.”

Publishers Weekly

“This horror-tinged tale from Waters (Ghost Wood Song) spotlights issues of racial and socioeconomic injustice…. [A] lushly written story.”

BookPage

“A cathartic portrait of two girls’ anger toward a world whose cruelty and injustice forced them to fight back. The River Has Teeth delivers ferociously good thrills.”

BooklistPraise for GHOST WOOD SONG:

“Waters’ southern gothic thriller cleverly uses magic as a metaphor for the ways women resist the harm that men do.”

Claire Legrand, New York Times bestselling author of Furyborn and Sawkill Girls

“What a gorgeous, creepy gem of a book, brimming with magic, mystery, music, and so much love that you’ll ache as if these characters were your actual friends. Ghost Wood Song weaves a captivating spell you won’t want to break.”

Jeff Zentner, Morris Award winning author of The Serpent King and Goodbye Days

"Ghost Wood Song sings a high and lonesome love song to family, to place, to music, and to love itself. It will make your heart dance."

Rosiee Thor, author of Tarnished Are the Stars

"These haunted pages are full to bursting with intricate family dynamics, a nuanced queer romance, and a crescendo of an ending readers won’t see coming. With notes of southern gothic and mystery, Ghost Wood Song will strike a chord with fans of The Raven Boys and Beautiful Creatures."

Erin A. Craig, New York Times bestselling author, House of Salt and Sorrows

"Strikes the perfect balance of atmospheric chills, dark familial secrets, and a yearning for the warm comforts of home. I could hear the cicadas' call and feel the smothering humidity, even as I shivered!"

Dahlia Adler, author of Under the Lights and editor of His Hideous Heart

"Ghost Wood Song is a dusky, haunting daydream of a debut that hits all the right notes."

Amanda Lovelace, author of The Princess Saves Herself in this One

“A gorgeously written debut filled with ghosts, a queer love triangle, a murder mystery, & a healthy dose of bluegrass. When you finish, you’ll want to turn back to page one and start all over again.”

Booklist

“Waters' debut features a bisexual lead with both male and female love interests, an atmospheric southern gothic setting, and, for the musically inclined, lots of folk and bluegrass references. For teens with a penchant for eerie ghost stories, this lyrical tale will hit the spot.”

Kirkus Reviews

“Debut author Waters weaves an intense and spectral atmosphere with vivid prose…Haunting and alluring.”

About the Author

Erica Waters grew up in the pine woods of rural Florida, though she now resides in Nashville, Tennessee, with her spouse and two terrible dogs named Nutmeg and Luna. She has a Master’s degree in English and works as a college writing tutor. She is the author of the Bram Stoker Award winning novel The River Has Teeth, as well as Ghost Wood Song and The Restless Dark. You can visit her online at ericawaters.com.

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