Winterwood

Nora Walker, a high schooler who comes from a long line of witches, is feared by everyone in her community, including those at the Camp for Wayward Boys, located across the lake from the Walkers’ ancestral home. After one of the boys, Oliver, goes missing during a deadly snowstorm that seals off their area, Nora finds him lost in the haunted Wicker Woods with no recollection of how he survived alone in the freezing woods for two long weeks. When another boy dies by drowning, Nora is determined to unravel who is responsible for the disappearances, though her feelings for Oliver cloud her judgment and the truth. Dual narratives from Oliver and Nora are interspersed with pages from the Walker family spell book, and the teens’ solitude and isolation make for a vivid fantasy world and a dark, thrilling atmosphere that drives the biting cold of Winterwood deep into readers’ bones. Full of action, mystery, and an eldritch feel, Ernshaw’s (The Wicked Deep) sophomore novel does not disappoint. Agent: Jessica Regel, Foundry Literary + Media. Ages 14–up. (Nov.)