Part The Hazel Wood, part Stranger Things, this spine-tingling, genre-bending novel from Elizabeth Byrne will leave readers breathless as they follow a group of teens who face catastrophic consequences after their friend gets bitten by the townâs most feared creature.
Anna Kellogg has always felt different. Growing up in Hartwood, New Jerseyâwhere frequent disappearances are attributed to an urban-legend-like beast that dwells in the walled-in swamp at the center of townâcan have that effect on people. But for Anna, itâs more than that. Since she was a child, sheâs been plagued by episodes where she sees things others canât see. Feeling different is one thing, but actually being different is another. If it werenât for her best friend, Olivia, Annaâs not sure where sheâd fit in.
But any hopes of having a normal senior year come to a halt when Olivia is attacked in the woods, bitten, and left for dead by a whirling cyclone of claws, fur, and teeth. Though Olivia survives, a sinister entity makes it clear that the mark had been set on AnnaâŚand the miss has set in motion a catastrophic shift that will change Anna and her friendsâ lives forever.