Servants of the Storm

One year ago, Hurricane Josephine killed 16-year-old Dovey’s best friend Carly. But after spotting Carly at Savannah’s Paper Moon Coffee Shop, Dovey sets out on a quixotic quest to find her, eventually catching a glimpse of her friend being forced to operate a roller coaster in an abandoned amusement park where demons feed off drugged teenagers’ fear. Strong-willed Dovey refuses to be scared off by warnings from the attractive but morally compromised Isaac, even after a demon bites off the tip of her pinky, which will allow it to control her when she dies. Along with Isaac and her loyal friend Baker, biracial Dovey must free Carly from an afterlife of servitude without becoming enslaved herself. This genuinely frightening horror novel is also a character-driven paean to friendship, as Dovey and Baker’s devotion to Carly inspires them to courage and sacrifice. Featuring a heroine equally at home onstage as Ariel in The Tempest and shooting demons with her father’s .38 pistol, adult author Dawson’s (the Blud series) strong YA debut leaves room for future terrors. Ages 14–up. Agent: Kate McKean, Howard Morhaim Literary Agency. (Aug.)