The town of Four Paths is a prison: in a mystical dimension called the Gray lurks a vicious monster, trapped by the town's four founders. Their descendants protect the town using ancient, magical powers, and their children must undergo a secret ritual to gain these powers. Justin Hawthorne has always been the golden boy. But when he fails his ritual, he faces his family's disappointment and his own feelings of inadequacy. His former best friend, Harper Carlisle, lost her hand to the Gray after she failed her own ritual and Justin abandoned her, and her heart is set on revenge. And Violet Saunders, who grew up outside of Four Paths, returns after her sister's death and discovers her dangerous inheritance. As the monster grows stronger, they have to find a way to work together or let the darkness tear them apart. Though it recycles some familiar tropes, this moody, atmospheric debut has plenty of appeal for teen horror readers. Fans of Claire Legrand's Sawkill Girls (2018) and the CW's Riverdale will find much to appreciate.

A parallel-dimension prison for a horrific evil is linked to a small town's founding families in this riveting debut.Still grieving her sister's death, Violet's life is further uprooted when her mother suddenly moves them back to Four Paths, her hometown. The town goes beyond quirky into odd territory, especially in the way the children of the founders' families are exalted. Violet learns she's from one such family, as fellow descendants Justin, Harper, and Justin's hostile, volatile best friend, Isaac—with lots of bad blood between them—each try to woo her to their side. Justin believes Violet could be key to protecting the town from the Beast imprisoned in the Gray; Harper doesn't want to see Violet betrayed by Justin like she was. Each of the four families has magical gifts to protect the townspeople from the Beast, now killing at greater frequency. Violet needs to find her family ritual in order to control her disturbing gift and stop the dangerously strange things happening to her; to do so, she must uncover a devastating family history and navigate all the founders' secrets. The third-person narration hops between characters without a structural pattern, allowing for cinematic cuts between simultaneous action and expertly manipulated reveals. While light on romance, multiple bisexual characters have a variety of storyline outcomes; the primary characters default to white.Complex characters and creepy concepts will leave readers chomping for the next volume. (Paranormal/horror. 12-adult)

In this Gothic tale of small-town secrets, several teens, each defined by a significant loss, must work together despite old family tensions to defeat an ancient evil that lurks in the shadows and preys on the unwary. When 17-year-old Violet Saunders, still reeling from her sister-s death, moves to the Upstate New York community of Four Paths, she soon discovers that her family is descended from one of the four town founders, and, like those before her, she has inherited dangerous magical abilities, which she must learn to control via ritual if she ever wants to leave. Along with Justin Hawthorne, who hides his lack of powers; Harper Carlisle, who lost a hand in the Gray, the beast-s prison; and angry Isaac Sullivan, whose ritual destroyed his family, Violet delves into Four Path-s mysteries, eager to stop the evil before it claims more victims. In this creepy debut, Herman imbues her setting with a claustrophobic atmosphere filled with intrigue. While the small-town setting and intertwined magic-wielding families may feel familiar, Herman creates distinct characters and an appealing mystery with an imminent sense of betrayal and tragedy that will keep readers awaiting the next volume. Ages 12-up. Agent: Kelly Sonnack, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (Apr.)