If you subscribe to the idea of little girls being made of sugar and spice and everything nice, you may want to apply elsewhere. Damien Angelica Walters blasts apart this aged and outmoded traditional sensibility in favour of a more complicated and complex contemplation of what lies deep in the heart of female adolescence, as an opening quote from Margaret Atwood states, “Little girls are cute and small only to adults. To one another they are not cute. They are life-sized”. Author Angela Carter would certainly understand, as would Anne Perry (from whose early life Peter Jackson’s horrifically exhilarating Heavenly Creatures is adapted, which is a perilous visualisation of the closed, heightened state of fantasy shared by two young women and the possible loss of moral perspective such obsession may spawn).

Now on to The Dead Girls Club… On a pleasant September day, Heather Cole, a clinician for troubled youth, innocently receives a package at her office. Its contents set off deep-seated alarm and dread, reaching back through decades to cataclysmic events long buried and banished (“sometimes you bury everything so deep you forget it’s there because it’s the only way you can make it through the day”). Structural defense mechanisms in place for years to protect sanity and stability are dismantled. A necklace, once the tangible promise of a committed eternal friendship, bone and soul-deep, now tarnished by time—and an object thought lost forever—slides treacherously and heavily from an envelope. A threat, a warning, and a conduit through which Heather must again confront her participation in her best friend’s death. “We make up stories when it hurts too much to tell the real ones…the ones with teeth, the ones that keep us awake at night.”

In 1991, Heather and Becca, along with fellow members Gia and Rachel, assembled regularly for Dead Girls Club meetings in which they would exchange information about and pore over facts of serial killers. Walters locates her story in the very recognisable world, as the girls discuss legendary individuals such as Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, Aileen Wuornos, and all the way through to the more recent Slender-Man case (the two leads are also frequent readers of Stephen King).

This macabre, concentrated fascination with death and mayhem finds culminates in the imaginary story of the Red Lady, a witch put to death by the patriarchy of a small community spooked and offended by her audacity to guide the women of her village to act independently of the men. She is subject to humiliation and torture for her transgressions, but through sheer will and spite returns to haunt and dispatch all those who condemned her, including pressured women, now a vessel by which others may seek vengeance for a price. What is unvoiced, given the growing age of the girls, but very subconsciously felt, is how much the narrative around young girls is based upon violence done to them, of perceived vulnerability and fragility, perhaps a direct factor in the creation of female figures who demand retribution against injustice.

Gathered together within the confines of an unfinished property on a housing development lot, driven by an emotional volatility generated by hormonal surge, the girls enact rituals to draw out the Red Lady. Walters skilfully presents the visitations in such a way that they work equally on both a natural and supernatural level, keeping the reader off-kilter. What is plain to see is that the need for the Red Lady to be real is most important for Becca, a need mired in very immediate, substantive anguish, rage, helplessness and pain, all the while a bewildered, loyal Heather struggling to keep up with a friend increasingly skipping in and out of her comprehension. Becca is a product of chaos and disorder, secret with wounds and malformations, entrenched in a covenant with Heather in which nothing may be confessed to a wider world, an oath of silence taken.

As current-day Heather becomes the victim of a mounting campaign of harassment, her relationships with her nearest and dearest suffer, devolving into suspicions and distrust of everyone’s behaviour, her steadfast refusal to confess her past alienating her from those with whom she should be closest. Her mother, one of the few people to have lived through the ordeal with her daughter, is reluctant to dredge the past. In a bid to investigate all angles, Heather reconnects with Rachel and Gia if for no other reason than to eliminate them as conspirators. Unable to process the enormity of her past and exasperated by the possibility of exposure as a murderer, Heather loses all proportion and starts to exhibit erratic and desperate conduct-clarity has become a casualty, most astoundingly displayed in a party sequence that steadily spirals out of control, as the gears shift ever tighter around her frayed nerves and confounding behaviour, pushing her towards breakdown.

As resolution nears, and a more comprehensive explanation of the actions of the fateful night emerge, conditions conform more to sad human dimensions than any work of the uncanny. The spectre of abuse (psychological, physical), spiritual starvation, love withheld, contribute to a personal environment of despondency, damage and distortion, of outrageous demands made of a best friend’s fealty and pledge. By the end, many hands have converged in the final pitiable stage of the tale.

Ghosts, literal or not, haunt the core of this novel. Strong emotional connections still reside in Heather, in fact, in many ways a ghost in her own life, Heather has never quite moved on from that primal moment, outward appearances notwithstanding. It’s clear that transpiring events will force engagement with her central trauma and perhaps offer a hopeful, if painful, reckoning. Walters ramps up the tension and thrills (and twists) as the novel careens towards its conclusion. Several revelations and layers of involvement strikingly announce themselves, deepening the story’s study of how far one will go in duty and deed to loved ones. A spectacular final confrontation provides the means of purge, a conflagration both genuine and spiritual, leading Heather to a final redemptive gesture, a commencement of healing and peace. With great precision and sensibility, Walters immerses the reader in this sea of sudden, earned calm in which the characters may begin to discern proper perspective, finally free of the crushing noise and grip of the long ago.

The Dead Girls Club is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers.

Will you be picking up The Dead Girls Club? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

A supernatural thriller in the vein of A Head Full of Ghosts about two young girls, a scary story that becomes far too real, and the tragic–and terrifying–consequences that follow one of them into adulthood.

Red Lady, Red Lady, show us your face…

In 1991, Heather Cole and her friends were members of the Dead Girls Club. Obsessed with the macabre, the girls exchanged stories about serial killers and imaginary monsters, like the Red Lady, the spirit of a vengeful witch killed centuries before. Heather knew the stories were just that, until her best friend Becca began insisting the Red Lady was real–and she could prove it.

That belief got Becca killed.

It’s been nearly thirty years, but Heather has never told anyone what really happened that night–that Becca was right and the Red Lady was real. She’s done her best to put that fateful summer, Becca, and the Red Lady, behind her. Until a familiar necklace arrives in the mail, a necklace Heather hasn’t seen since the night Becca died.

The night Heather killed her.

Now, someone else knows what she did…and they’re determined to make Heather pay.

The post Review: The Dead Girls Club by Damien Angelica Walters appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Read on to discover what books are coming out this month and tell us if you’ll be picking any of them up!

Reverie by Ryan La Sala
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Inception meets The Magicians in this wildly imaginative story about what happens when the secret worlds people hide within themselves come to light.

The Wives by Tarryn Fisher
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Imagine that your husband has two other wives. But you love him so much you don’t care. Upon finding information about one of the wives, you track her down, and, under false pretenses, you strike up a friendship. She starts showing up with telltale bruises, and you realise she’s being abused by her husband. Who, of course, is also your husband. Who exactly is your husband, and how far would you go to find the truth? Would you risk your own life? And who is his mysterious third wife?

Reputation by Sara Shepard
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

In this fast-paced new novel from Sara Shepard, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Pretty Little Liars, a tight-knit college town scrambles for answers when an e-mail hack reveals life-changing secrets and scandals.

Just Watch Me by Jeff Lindsay
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

From the author of the wildly successful Dexter series comes a new, mesmerizing bad guy we can root for: Riley Wolfe. He’s a master thief, expert at disguise, and not averse to violence when it’s needed. In this series launch, Riley aims for an extraordinary target in a heist that will make history. Riley will try to steal the Crown Jewels of Iran.

Dangerous Alliance by Jennieke Cohen
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue meets Jane Austen in this witty, winking historical romance with a dash of mystery!

Anyone: A Novel by Charles Soule
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Charles Soule brings his signature knowledge—and wariness–of technology to his sophomore novel set in a realistic future about a brilliant female scientist who creates a technology that allows for the transfer of human consciousness between bodies, and the transformations this process wreaks upon the world.

Regretting You by Colleen Hoover
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

From #1 New York Times bestselling author of It Ends with Us comes a poignant novel about family, first love, grief, and betrayal that will touch the hearts of both mothers and daughters.

The Kill Club by Wendy Heard
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Jazz will stop at nothing to save her brother. Their foster mother, Carol, has always been fanatical, but with Jazz grown up and out of the house, Carol takes a dangerous turn that threatens thirteen-year-old Joaquin’s life. Over and over, child services fails to intervene, and Joaquin is running out of time. Then Jazz gets a blocked call from someone offering a solution. They’ve formed an underground network of “helpers,” each agreeing to eliminate the abuser of another.

Dead Astronauts by Jeff VanderMeer
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Jeff VanderMeer’s Dead Astronauts presents a City with no name of its own where, in the shadow of the all-powerful Company, lives human and otherwise converge in terrifying and miraculous ways. At stake: the fate of the future, the fate of Earth—all the Earths.

The Dead Girls Club by Damien Angelica Walters
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A supernatural thriller in the vein of A Head Full of Ghosts about two young girls, a scary story that becomes far too real, and the tragic–and terrifying–consequences that follow one of them into adulthood.

All That’s Bright and Gone by Eliza Nellums
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Fans of Jodi Picoult and Fredrik Backman will fall for this tenderhearted debut mystery following a young girl on a quest to save her family.

The Wicked Redhead by Beatriz Williams
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The dazzling narrator of The Wicked City brings her mesmerizing voice and indomitable spirit to another Jazz Age tale of rumrunners, double crosses, and true love, spanning the Eastern seaboard from Florida to Long Island to Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Holly Banks Full of Angst by Julie Valerie
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A laugh-out-loud debut novel for anyone who’s tried to live the perfect life—and learned the hard way there’s no such thing.

Good Girls Lie by J.T. Ellison
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

J.T. Ellison’s pulse-pounding new novel examines the tenuous bonds of friendship, the power of lies and the desperate lengths people will go to to protect their secrets.

To Whatever End by Lindsey Frydman
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Quinn Easterly is cursed. With one touch, she can see the end to someone’s life. Everyday deaths, and ones that haunt her in her daydreams. Ones that have always proven impossible to prevent. She has finally learned to go about life as usual until she meets Griffin.

What December release are you most excited for? Tell us in the comments below!

The post December 2019 Book Releases appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

To kick off the second half of the year, July sees Riley Sager, Michele Campbell, and Paul Tremblay deliver the thrills, while Kayln Josephson and Elizabeth Lim bring the fantasy, and Jasmine Guillory gifts us with a great new romance novel.

Well-known and best-selling authors Ruth Ware and Philippa Greggory deliver new novels in August, along with thrillers from Alex North and Lauren North, a debut YA fantasy novel from Erin A. Craig, and a fun romance from Hannah Orenstein.

September has some highly anticipated books awaiting us with the final instalment in Jay Kristoff’s Nevernight series, a sequel to Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, and of course, a new novel from the King himself, Stephen King. If you’re in need of some fantasy, be sure to turn to Adrienne Young, Tamsyn Muir, and Alix E. Harrow.

With only three months left, October holds Leigh Bardugo’s first adult fantasy novel, along with exciting titles from Garth Nix, Renée Ahdieh, Christina Lauren, and Joe Hill. Plus there’s also Thomas Wheeler and Frank Miller’s graphic novel Cursed, which is a twist on King Arthur and will be adapted into a Netflix series in May 2020 starring Katherine Langford (13 Reasons Why).

As for November, there’s plenty of fantasy to get lost in from authors such as Erin Morgenstern, Holly Black, Amélie Wen Zhao, and Maggie Stiefvater. Or perhaps be in suspense with a new novel by Mary Higgins Clark or follow a romance in Andie J. Christopher’s Not The Girl You Marry.

To end the year, enjoy new novels from Josh Malerman, Jeff Lindsay, Sara Shepard, Tomi Adeyemi, Damien Angelica Walters, and Tarryn Fisher.

Read on to discover these books below and tell us what you will be picking up in the comments below!

July

The Wedding Party by Jasmine Guillory
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

After an “oops, we made a mistake” night together, neither one can stop thinking about the other. With Alexa’s wedding rapidly approaching, Maddie and Theo both share bridal party responsibilities that require more interaction with each other than they’re comfortable with.

A Stranger on The Beach by Michele Campbell
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

From bestselling author Michele Campbell comes A Stranger on the Beach, an edge-of-your seat story of passion and intrigue that will keep you guessing until the very end.

The Storm Crow by Kalyn Josephson
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Eragon meets And I Darken in this thrilling new fantasy debut that follows a fallen princess as she ignites a rebellion to bring back the magical elemental crows that were taken from her people.

Lock Every Door by Riley Sager
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The next heart-pounding thriller from New York Times bestselling author Riley Sager follows a young woman whose new job apartment sitting in one of New York’s oldest and most glamorous buildings may cost more than it pays.

Spin The Dawn by Elizabeth Lim
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Project Runway meets Mulan in this sweeping YA fantasy about a young girl who poses as a boy to compete for the role of imperial tailor and embarks on an impossible journey to sew three magic dresses, from the sun, the moon, and the stars.

Growing Things and Other Stories by Paul Tremblay
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A chilling collection of psychological suspense and literary horror from the multiple award-winning author of the national bestseller The Cabin at the End of the World and A Head Full of Ghosts.

August

House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig
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Get swept away in Erin A. Craig’s mesmerizing House of Salt and Sorrows. As one by one her beautiful sisters mysteriously die on their isolated island estate, Annaleigh must unravel the curse that haunts her family. Be careful who you dance with. . . .

The Whisper Man by Alex North
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

In this dark, suspenseful thriller, Alex North weaves a multi-generational tale of suspense, as a father and son are caught in the crosshairs of an investigation to catch a serial killer preying on a small town.

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Full of spellbinding menace and told in Ruth Ware’s signature suspenseful style, The Turn of the Key is an unputdownable thriller from the Agatha Christie of our time.

Tidelands by Philippa Gregory
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The #1 New York Times bestselling author turns from the glamour of the royal courts to tell the story of an ordinary woman, Alinor, who cannot bear to conform to the life that lies before her.

The Perfect Son by Lauren North
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A disturbing and shocking debut novel of psychological suspense about a recently widowed mother, her young son, and the lengths she’ll go to in order to keep him safe.

Love at First Like by Hannah Orenstein
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From the author of Playing with Matches, the rollicking tale of a young jewelry shop owner who accidentally leads her Instagram followers to believe that she’s engaged—and then decides to keep up the ruse.

September

Darkdawn (The Nevernight Chronicle #3) by Jay Kristoff
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The epic conclusion of the internationally bestselling Nevernight Chronicle from New York Times bestselling author Jay Kristoff.

The Testaments (The Handmaid’s Tale #2) by Margaret Atwood
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Margaret Atwood’s sequel picks up the story fifteen years after Offred stepped into the unknown, with the explosive testaments of three female narrators from Gilead.

The Girl the Sea Gave Back by Adrienne Young
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

The Girl the Sea Gave Back is the new standalone novel set in the brutal, Viking inspired world of Sky in the Deep. It will follow the story of Halvard ten years after the battle for Hylli, his role in the evolution of the Aska and Riki clans, and the spinning of fate that brings his path to intersect with a new character who changes their world again.

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Tamsyn Muir’s Gideon the Ninth unveils a solar system of swordplay, cut-throat politics, and lesbian necromancers. Her characters leap off the page, as skillfully animated as necromantic skeletons. The result is a heart-pounding epic science fantasy.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
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In the early 1900s, a young woman searches for her place in the world after finding a mysterious book in this captivating and lyrical debut.

The Institute by Stephen King
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As psychically terrifying as Firestarter, and with the spectacular kid power of It, The Institute is Stephen King’s gut-wrenchingly dramatic story of good vs. evil in a world where the good guys don’t always win.

October

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Leigh Bardugo comes a mesmerizing tale of power, privilege, and dark magic set among the Ivy League elite.

Angel Mage by Garth Nix
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Fans of Cassandra Clare, Holly Black, and Leigh Bardugo will fall in love with Angel Mage, a feminist fantasy that takes place in an alternate European world ruled by fearsome magic and deadly passions.

Full Throttle by Joe Hill
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In this masterful collection of short fiction, Joe Hill dissects timeless human struggles in thirteen relentless tales of supernatural suspense, including “In The Tall Grass,” one of two stories co-written with Stephen King, basis for the terrifying feature film from Netflix.

Cursed by Thomas Wheeler
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The Lady of the Lake is the true hero in this cinematic twist on the tale of King Arthur created by Thomas Wheeler and legendary artist, producer, and director Frank Miller (300, Batman: The Dark Night Returns, Sin City). Featuring 8 full color and 30 black-and-white pieces of original artwork by Frank Miller.

The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh
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New York Times bestselling author Renée Ahdieh returns with a sumptuous, sultry and romantic new series set in 19th century New Orleans where vampires hide in plain sight.

Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren
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From the New York Times bestselling author of The Unhoneymooners and the “delectable, moving” (Entertainment Weekly) My Favorite Half-Night Stand comes a modern love story about what happens when your first love reenters your life when you least expect it…

November

Call Down The Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Raven Boys, a mesmerizing story of dreams and desires, death and destiny. 

Blood Heir by Amélie Wen Zhao
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

This hot debut is the first book in an epic new series about a princess hiding a dark secret and the con man she must trust to clear her name for her father’s murder.

Kiss the Girls and Make Them Cry by Mary Higgins Clark
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

When talented journalist Penelope “Casey” Harrison starts to research a piece about the #MeToo movement that includes an incident in her own life which she has been trying to put out of her mind for years, she does not realize that the young man who drugged and assaulted her at a fraternity house party in college is now a wealthy, powerful industrialist on the eve of a merger which will make him a billionaire—and who will do anything, even murder, to cover his tracks.

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Night Circus, a timeless love story set in a secret underground world–a place of pirates, painters, lovers, liars, and ships that sail upon a starless sea.

The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black
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From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black, comes the highly anticipated and jaw-dropping finale to The Folk of the Air trilogy.

Not the Girl You Marry by Andie J. Christopher
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How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days gets a millennial makeover in this romantic comedy by USA Today bestselling author Andie J. Christopher.

December

The Dead Girls Club by Damien Angelica Walters
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A supernatural thriller in the vein of A Head Full of Ghosts about two young girls, a scary story that becomes far too real, and the tragic–and terrifying–consequences that follow one of them into adulthood.

Malorie (Bird Box #2) by Josh Malerman
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

In the thrilling sequel to Bird Box, the inspiration for the record-breaking Netflix film that starred Sandra Bullock and “absolutely riveted” Stephen King, New York Times bestselling author Josh Malerman brings unseen horrors to life.

Reputation by Sara Shepard
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

In this fast-paced new novel from Sara Shepard, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Pretty Little Liars, a tight-knit college town scrambles for answers when an e-mail hack reveals life-changing secrets and scandals.

Just Watch Me by Jeff Lindsay
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

From the author of the wildly successful Dexter series comes a new, mesmerizing bad guy we can root for: Riley Wolfe. He’s a master thief, expert at disguise, and not averse to violence when it’s needed. In this series launch, Riley aims for an extraordinary target in a heist that will make history. Riley will try to steal the Crown Jewels of Iran.

Children of Virtue and Vengeance (Legacy of Orïsha #2) by Tomi Adeyemi
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Children of Virtue and Vengeance is the stunning sequel to Tomi Adeyemi’s New York Times bestselling debut Children of Blood and Bone, the first title in her Legacy of Orïsha trilogy.

The Wives by Tarryn Fisher
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Imagine that your husband has two other wives. But you love him so much you don’t care. Upon finding information about one of the wives, you track her down, and, under false pretenses, you strike up a friendship. She starts showing up with telltale bruises, and you realise she’s being abused by her husband. Who, of course, is also your husband. Who exactly is your husband, and how far would you go to find the truth? Would you risk your own life? And who is his mysterious third wife?

Are there any other July to December 2019 books you’re looking forward to? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Book Releases You Cannot Miss In July-December 2019 appeared first on The Nerd Daily.