The Wicked Unseen

A queer teen investigates her crush’s mysterious disappearance in this hair-raising, 1996–set horror novel by Griffis (The Empress). High schooler Audre Weaver and her family have just moved from Brooklyn to a small Pennsylvania town when she promptly falls head over heels for Elle, the daughter of a local hellfire-and-brimstone preacher. While attending one of his sermons, eager to catch sight of Elle, Audre learns of the town’s all-encompassing fear of dark forces and demonic influences. After Elle vanishes under cryptic circumstances and her bloodied clothing is found in the woods, the community erupts into hysteria. Citizens immediately target Audre’s secular family, whom the townspeople see as irreverent outsiders, accusing them of using Elle as a Satanic human sacrifice. Audre’s author father’s research into occult happenings for his forthcoming book heightens the townspeople’s suspicions, resulting in her father’s detainment. With the help of new friends, Audre must uncover the truth behind Elle’s disappearance before whatever happened to Elle comes for Audre’s family next. The antagonists sometimes read as cartoonish, sapping tension during pivotal scenes. Still, Griffis captures the reality of this 1980s and ’90s cultural moment with eerie resonance, and brisk pacing paired with clever mystery elements deliver. Most characters cue as white. Ages 12–up. Agent: Paige Terlip, Andrea Brown Literary. (June)