The Sacrifice

In a harrowing horror novel by Chupeco (The Girl from the Well), nonbinary Filipino Alon Budhi, 18, guides an all-white American TV crew filming a documentary through Kisapmata, a purportedly cursed island off the coast of the Philippines. When the film crew arrives on the island, intending to make a show about the prophecy of Kisapmata’s god Diwata, Alon is the only local who agrees to assist, doing so to make money and take care of their ill father. The crew—among whom are Leo Gries, who is investigating the death of his wife in a plane crash in the area four years ago, and his bisexual son Chase, a social media influencer with five million followers—believes that Diwata will grant immeasurable power to whomever provides him with eight sacrifices. As the crew begins filming, they’re endangered by strange and terrifying happenings, such as a sudden sinkhole exposing a mummified corpse entwined in a balete tree’s core. Though Chase and Alon’s budding relationship reads as stilted and expository dialogue bogs down Chupeco’s examination of colonization, the narrative’s strength lies in chilling horror elements that coalesce into a bittersweet conclusion. Ages 14–up. Agent: Rebecca Podos, Rees Literary. (Oct.)