Teeth in the Mist

Kurtagich (And the Trees Crept In) fuses horror and fantasy in this retelling of the Faust legend that follows two story lines. After her father’s death in 1851, 16-year-old Roan Evelyn Eddington moves to a remote mountaintop mansion in Wales to live with her new guardian, Dr. Maudley; his adopted son, Rapley; and fellow wards Seamus and Emma. Rumor has it that Mill House is haunted by its architect’s wife, whom locals burned as a witch after many laborers and her own children disappeared. But Roan soon discovers that there is something much darker and more powerful that intends to claim not just their lives but also their souls. Nearly 170 years later, Zoey Root, 16, goes looking for answers in Mill House’s ruins after her father journeys there to research his roots and returns “insane, or something like it.” The girls’ stories unfold in tandem, tension mounting as each uncovers the origins of her magical abilities and the terrible truth about Mill House. Despite a murky central mythology, two shoehorned romances (one straight, one gay), and an abrupt conclusion, Kurtagich delivers a creepy, atmospheric tale of subjugation, female self-empowerment, and redemption. Ages 14–up. [em]Agents: Sarah Davies and Polly Nolan, Greenhouse Literary. (June) [/em]