Available Formats
For Girls Who Walk through Fire
By (Author) Kim DeRose
Union Square & Co.
Sterling
1st January 2025
19th December 2024
United States
Children
Non Fiction
FIC
Paperback
320
Width 139mm, Height 209mm
Those who would suppress and destroy you stand not a chance when confronted with the power that lies within these pages . . .
Elliott DAngelo-Brandt is sick and tired of putting up with it all. Every week, she attends a support group for teen victims of sexual assault, but all they do is talk. Elliotts done with talking. What she wants is justice.
And she has a plan for getting it: a spell book that she found in her late moms belongings that actually works. Elliott recruits a coven of fellow survivors from the group. She, Madeline, Chloe, and Bea dont have much in common, but they are united in their rage at a system that heaps judgments on victims and never seems to punish those who deserve it.
As they each take a turn casting a hex against their unrepentant assailants, the girls find themselves leaning on each other in ways they never expectedand realizing that revenge has heavy implications. Each member of the coven will have to make a choice: continue down the path of magical vigilantism or discover what it truly means to claim their power.
For Girls Who Walk Through Fire is a fierce, deeply moving novel about perseverance in the face of injustice and the transformational power of friendship.
"DeRose unflinchingly examines the impact of sexual assault on teens and the various paths there are toward healing. Each having experienced different types of assault, the girls relive their personal histories via shifting perspectives, providing nuance and complexity. Their healing journeys are both hopeful and realistic, as DeRose presents a cleareyed assessment of the subject, including society's dismissal of victims' stories and the difficult path to judicial justice. Their growing friendships are compelling and well depicted . . . . A searing examination of sexual assault centering teen witches who fight back." --Kirkus Reviews
"The rich depiction of all four girls and how each works to find the power of their interconnected magic, along with an attentive handling of sexual assault, make the novel an important one to add to any collection."--School Library Journal STARRED Review
"DeRose uses witchcraft to underscore both the lasting effects of trauma and the importance of community in healing. A bold and compassionate debut." --Booklist
"DeRose has written a powerful story about teen witches who fight back against the people who've wronged them, with sometimes unintended, but always entertaining consequences."--Santa Barbara Independent
Kim DeRose grew up in Santa Barbara, California, where she spent childhood summers holed up in her bedroom, reading and writing stories (which she was convinced her local bookstore would publish). She now lives in New York City, where she still holes up in her bedroom reading and writing stories. DeRose earned her MFA in film directing from UCLA, and she currently works in digital media. When she isn't reading or writing, she can be found geeking out over her favorite obsessions (Twin Peaks, Harry Potter, and anything Halloween-related, to name a few), drinking way too much coffee, listening to way too many podcasts, and spending time with her family. For Girls Who Walk through Fire is her debut novel.