Empty Heaven

(Paperback)

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Description

This sensational YA debut blends tense, terrifying horror with dark humour, queer romance and hugely original storytelling. The Guardian on Now, Conjurers

You are safe, my child. You are loved, my child. You are surrounded by the good earth.

Darian Sabine Arden loves her familys summer home in the picturesque Massachusetts village of Kesuquosh. Its where her three best friends live, and its the only place in her life where she isnt haunted by reminders of the worst thing that ever happened to her. The villager's belief in a godlike, benevolent scarecrow who protects the town only adds to the charming local colour. But when Darians magnetic, mercurial crush KJ is chosen during a bizarre ritual on Halloween, Darian is forced to admit that Good Arcturus is more than just a quaint, folksy superstition hes terrifyingly real.

Something ancient and sinister lurks behind the autumnal fields and warmly glowing windows of Kesuquosh. Something that doesnt take kindly to its paradise being threatened by a group of scrappy, weird teenagers. To save KJ and themselves Darian and her friends will have to follow a tangled trail of clues and question everything they thought they knew about their home. And Darian will have to finally face up to her own ghosts

EMPTY HEAVEN is a YA-crossover horror novel about queer found family, redemptive romance, overcoming trauma, and the dark sides of beautiful places. Full of cinematic prose, and late-90s grunge music, it asks: who pays the price for perfection And what if the real monsters dont always look like monsters

Reviews

Midsommar meets Jennifers Body in this small-town cult horror which had me gripped from page one. From the terrifying town lore to the ride-or-die teens at its heart, Empty Heaven is the perfect read for Halloween or any time of year. Quirky, creepy and an absolute blast!

Kat Ellis, author of The Devouring Light

"A beautiful, horrifying dream. Freddie Klsch is a genius.

Courtney Smyth, author of The Undetectables

Reviews for Now, Conjurers:

This sensational YA debut blends tense, terrifying horror with dark humour, queer romance and hugely original storytelling. Guardian

'This book is CHARM ITSELF. It's a high-octane high-camp horror funfair that is so smart and so edgy and funny and heartfelt and loving that I think teens who love it now will still pull it off the shelf when they are 40. Now, Conjurers is an evening with a movie from Blockbuster that's rated slightly too high for you to have legally rented it and the biggest, trashiest bag of popcorn, staying up until 3 AM with your friends and then having really savage nightmares afterwards for a week. Tamsyn Muir, author of Gideon the Ninth

'This sensational YA debut blends tense, terrifying horror with dark humour, queer romance and hugely original storytelling.' Guardian

'An absolute 90s, technicolor, fever dream of a novel. Now, Conjurers takes readers on a ride that is, at once, tender and terrifying. I'd follow Nesbit and the North Coven anywhere. Sasha Peyton Smith, NYT bestselling author of The Witch Haven

A rollicking and thoughtful take on the be-careful-what-you-wish-for trope. Klsch holistically integrates serious issues with a deft touch that keeps the book both eerie and light in pleasantly equal measure. Kirkus starred review

Author Bio

Freddie Kolsch is a connoisseur and crafter of frightful fiction (with a dash of hope) for teens and former teens. She lives in Salem, New England with her high school sweetheart-turned-wife, a handful of cats, a houseful of art, and a mind's eye full of ghosts. Now, Conjurers is her first novel.