"Dead Girls Walking" by Sami Ellis is an exciting YA horror that weaves together horror tropes with a fresh perspective, placing queer black girls at the forefront. Temple's quest to uncover her family's secrets amidst a backdrop of generational trauma and a sinister summer camp setting is both chilling and compelling. Ellis balances humor and horror, keeping readers on edge with shocking twists and grisly scenes. Temple's character development, from a solitary figure burdened by her past to a determined seeker of truth, is deeply satisfying. Despite its graphic violence and dark themes, this novel offers a powerful exploration of resilience and healing. With its deliciously grotesque imagery and relatable protagonist, "Dead Girls Walking" is a must-read for fans of slasher/horror stories. Thank you NetGalley and Sami Ellis for letting me read this book.

I thought this was really well written and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. I think it will find readers at our library, so we will definitely be purchasing for the collection.

A dark and grim tale. The descriptions of violence and blood are a bit over the top. It's supernatural which can be difficult to engage with. THe characters are interesting but not especially well portrayed.

This YA horror novel sure was a wild ride. Temple Baker’s father is a serial killer. He is in prison now but people are still going missing and dying in the woods where he commit his crimes. Temple’s mom is also missing and her father has admitted to killing her, but Temple doesn’t believe him. The farm that Temple and her family used to live on has since been turned into a horror camp for queer teens and Temple has applied to be a camp counselor so she can get back on the grounds and look for her mothers body. Things quickly go downhill when one of the girls turns up dead. Temple suspects there is a copycat at work, but it becomes clear that something else is going on here.

This book had suspense and tension, blood and gore, supernatural elements and sinister vibes. It is a YA horror novel and the story reads as such, there were a lot of funny one liners from the teens which gave welcome relief from the tension at points. Though I did feel like the pacing was uneven. Where this novel surprised me was the emotional moments involving Temple’s backstory and relationship with her family. It wasn’t so much that it fully pulled you out of the horror feel, but enough that I appreciated it.

I will say, initially I was taking this one in via audiobook and it just did not work for me. I was having such a hard time following it in the beginning and the voices just did not allow for me to really immerse myself in the book or connect with the characters. Once I switched over to reading with my eyes I liked the story, characters, and overall experience much more!

Such a good thriller, I liked the connection to Temple and her father being a serial killer made this thriller even more interesting. How are more people being murdered if her serial killer father is in prison? I am such a fan of the horror genre and Friday the 13th so I really enjoyed this book. Although the plot is interesting, there are some areas where a reader can get confused, I had to go back and read things over sometimes just to keep my head on straight, but overall I think the novel works itself out in the end. Great job by Sami Ellis.

A suspenseful and very well-written YA horror novel. Appreciated how it alluded to and built off of cult horror/slasher in though-provoking ways.

n "Dead Girls Walking," Sami Ellis delivers a riveting thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the very end. With its compelling characters, taut prose, and electrifying plot twists, this novel is a must-read for fans of dark and atmospheric crime fiction. As the first installment in what promises to be an electrifying series, "Dead Girls Walking" announces Ellis as a talent to watch in the world of suspense literature.

The audiobook and eArc tandem read made the story so much fun . I adore the main character and her exploration of grief .

Thank you for the Arc .

Thank you ABRAMS KIDS & Sami Ellis for this read!

This was an interesting plot and I loved the slasher vibes and the excellent representation throughout the book. Multiple deaths, supernatural elements and well written characters was a win for me

It was fast paced and the protagonist was likeable. It did take me a long time to get through this book, just because it didn't hook me the whole time. I did however enjoy it and I was glad I pushed through.

Overall I enjoyed this book and look forward to more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was fun! I am always down for a YA thriller, slasher book and this one was also queer and diverse so I was excited. The first part of the book was a bit slow but as soon as I got past that, it was pure chaos in the best way.

I plan to continue reading books by this author for sure!

Thanks to the author and publisher for the advanced reader copy. This novel is action packed! Sleepaway camp at the site of a serial killer's home? Check! Generational family secrets? Check! Reanimated corpses? Check! And a determined heroine? Check! A page-turning YA horror mystery perfect for reading at night with the lights out!

To find answers about her mother's disappearance and uncover truths about her family's history and her serial killer father, Temple Baker spends her summer as a camp counsellor at a queer horror summer camp. This grants Temple access to the her family home and the surrounding woods, and before long reveals the horrors living in the woods, revealing the threads tying together her family's legacy.

I adored this book. Sami Ellis does a great job of highlighting horror tropes and spinning these narratives to place a group of queer black girls at the centre. Temple is inherently flawed and complicated, but has enough passion and drive for answers that I was constantly on edge and rooting for her to uncover her family's secret. I loved Temple's character development and her journey from being someone who kept to herself and had strained relationships with everyone in her life, to someone who uses her knowledge, strength and experiences to find her people. I really liked the friendships towards the end of the novel and thought this really did justice for Temple's character. I also loved that this book was full of dry humour, I was giggling constantly and I think the balance between humour and horror was great!

This book was not what I was expecting. To be honest, I wasn't really sure what I was expecting from the plot or what answers I thought we were going to be given in terms of what happened to Temple's mother. However, when we were given these answers, I was SHOCKED and several scenes had be gasping. I thought the pacing was great and the book definitely picks up more around the halfway mark. From that point on, it was so difficult to put this book down. It was pure chaos and I loved that this book was able to keep throwing surprises at me.

This is definitely worth the read, but please look up trigger warnings beforehand!

Dead Girls Walking is a dark and twisty thriller that will leave horror fans on the edge of their seats. Ellis does an excellent job of delving into the past of our main character, while maintaining an ominous vibe throughout the novel. Perfect for fans of You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight, this book is sure to be a hit for your patrons who are seeking to delve further into the YA horror genre.

This YA horror book had me feeling all the creepy crawlies, making sure the lights were on, and checking over my shoulder. The banter in this book was pretty humorous and enjoyable.

This book is not for everyone. There is graphic, disturbing, violence throughout, and the main character deals with horrific trauma. That said, for readers who love horror and are okay dealing with the trigger warnings, this could become a new favorite, especially those who are interested in overcoming generational curses.

The book follows Temple, the daughter of a serial killer, as she takes a position at a queer horror camp that is held on what used to be her father's land. In doing so, Temple hopes to sort out the clues her incarcerated father left behind for her, and also figure out how new murders are happening on the property.

The results are GRISLY, but compelling. Temple is not perfect, and has to face the harms she caused to other people, but she is good and she is trying, and she's learning bit by bit to overcome her trauma. The reader gets attached to her, as well as to other characters from the camp. The book is also darkly funny, and SPOILERS, Temple has achieved some hard-won and definitely deserved peace, connection, and healing by the end.

Temple’s father is an infamous serial killer, and he finally confessed to her that he killed her mother. Now Temple is a counselor at an LGBTQ+ WOC camp in her father’s former hunting grounds, determined to find her mother’s body. But those woods contain far more than Temple could ever have seen coming, and soon she and the campers are being hunted.

This is one very spooky book. While I wasn’t always sure I completely understood the rules of the world Ellis created, I got more than enough to be scared. The plot is very compelling too, and all the main characters are LGBTQ+ WOC. I would recommend this book.

Unfortunately I had to DNF this book. I read up to 45% and I couldn't connect with the characters or the story. I also found many things to be incoherent within the story and that distracted me greatly.
I hope other readers enjoy this story more than I did.

Temple’s father is infamous as the North Point Killer. Convicted for murdering 20 people and marking his victims with a brand, Temple knows evil runs in her blood, but until his death row confession, she never thought her father actually killed her mom.

Now, her father’s former hunting grounds has been turned into an overnight camp for horror enthusiasts. Temple needs answers, so she poses as a camp counselor to investigate the woods. When a body is found in the woods, Temple fears a copycat killer and must keep the campers safe, all while discovering maybe there’s something more sinister than just a killer in the woods.

I love a good YA horror, and the black characters, community, and folklore are so good! I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It’s an interesting take on the classic slasher story. It moved quickly and kept me guessing. It was a fun, quick read to escape into in between working and watching films all weekend.

The first thing that drew me to this book was that stunning cover. It’s absolutely gorgeous.
Unfortunately, this book didn’t work for me as well as I hoped it would. The summary sounded right up my alley and on paper, I should’ve loved this. But I just couldn’t connect with the main character so it really hindered my enjoyment.

This is a good book to read if you want to diversify your reading. The author is a black woman, and the main character is also black. In fact, pretty much all of the characters are female, black, and queer.

The book starts with Temple as a camp counselor for a weekend retreat for female black, queer, horror fans, where she is attempting to find her mother’s body. Her father is a convicted serial killer, and he told her where she could find what happened to her mother, which is at his old hunting grounds, right where the camp is. The only problem is that her father is a bit of an unreliable narrator. And people are still dying, even though he’s incarcerated.

I think the book starts off a little slow, but when it picked up, it’s did hold my attention, especially the later in the book I read. Dead Girls Walking did not go in the direction I thought it would, but even though it wasn’t what I thought it was going got be, I did enjoy and was entertained by it. I would think I knew what was going on, but it kept surprising me.