Something about YA horror just hits different. It never takes itself too seriously, and if written correctly, can be genuinely scary. Adult horror isn’t the only kind of horror that can be actually scary! Dead Girls Walking, while categorized as horror, I wouldn’t label this one as scary exactly, but had all the thrills and intensity of a supernatural murder mystery. Sure summer camp horror isn’t the most original of tropes, but it keeps being written into horror for a reason….because it’s fun and it works! Plus, I love this new trend I’ve been seeing of representation in YA horror, and I hope it continues on.

Temple’s dad is an actual psychopath. To find out if he really did kill her mom like he claims, she signs up to be a summer camp counselor solely to get access to the premises so she can see if she can find her mother’s body. She is unsure why her dad sent her to this camp filled with horror obsessed teenagers, but she is here to find out.

This book wasn’t anything groundbreaking, but I wasn’t expecting it to be. A lot of horror is just commonly done tropes being redone, but as long as it’s entertaining, I’m fine with not every book being original. My main complaint was just how young this book read. Some YA doesn’t feel YA at all (outside of the characters being teenagers) and read the same way as an adult book. This was not one of them. It was just too young for me I think, but then again, this book wasn’t geared towards my age group. It felt almost middle grade, but with swearing. That was the main issue that kept me from enjoying this; it was just super super young, even for YA.

This got better at the end, but the beginning just felt like it was trying too hard to be scary when it wasn’t. It was a really quick read, but tbh I would’ve dnf’d this if it weren’t a Netgalley arc. But, it did get better near the end. I just couldn’t get into this one. It was just ok, and I’ve read better YA horror. 2.5 out of 5!

Thank you to Netgalley and Amulet Books for sending me an advanced copy in return for my honest review.

this book sounded right up my street, but unfortunately it fell a little flat for me. around 30% in i started to really disconnect from the story and found it hard to care about what was happening. temple is a really dislikable character... i wanted to be rooting for her throughout and i couldn't. she was super hard to connect with overall. the book definitely has the potential to be great, but the plot holes are something that i can't ignore. this definitely would have read better in first person as opposed to third, as the constant repetition of temple's name every line became unbearable.
i still do recommend this book to fans of slasher horror books and films - hopefully you'll have a great time with this one!

I'm not a huge fan of horror, but I'm lured in by queer girls being the lead of this book. I enjoyed the immediate jump into the horror and mystery of North Point, but I felt that the middle dragged and then started jumping in so many different directions. Despite that, I devoured most of this book in one sitting and was on the edge of my seat waiting to see the resolution. This was intriguing, gruesome, and entertaining.

Thank you to Netgalley and ABRAMS Kids, Amulet Books for the arc.

I feel very conflicted about this book. On one hand, the plot was gripping, I was genuinely on-edge at points, and I liked the developing friendships between the characters. However, I really struggled with the opening 1/5 of this book to the point that I nearly DNF'ed, and I found myself disoriented and frustrated intermittently throughout the novel. I would urge prospective readers to a) push past the opening of the book and b) to be prepared for the feverish prose that occasionally obscures the narrative. That being said, I'm intrigued to read more from Sami Ellis in the future.

What a ride! From the opening chapter, Sami Ellis's debut will have you trembling in delight as you devour the pages. The perfect bend of slasher horror, camp setting, and twists galore. I really hope this gets picked up to be a movie! Don't read this book before bed, trust me!

Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an advanced copy.

Fast-paced and entertaining. A recommended purchase for YA and HS collections where horror is popular.

Definitely an unusual premise, and I wasn’t sure if this was going to hold my attention. Once I got past the beginning chapters, the pace picks up tremendously, and I was hooked. The story is a great melding of suspense, horror, and the supernatural. The twist(s) were surprising and exciting as well. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I basically loved this over-the-top, mile-a-minute horror extravaganza. It has practically everything in it, and while there were a few plot holes that bugged me after I put it down, caught up in the momentum of this propulsive thriller I had no complaints. It's got twists galore, some serious gore, and well-developed characters that keep you engaged and emotionally invested. And then it stuck the landing, which solidified it as one of the best horror books I've read this year.

Trying to find your dead mother's body at the horror themed summer camp that your serial killer father use to go to is a lot for a summer camp counselor. Temple Baker is the daughter of the North Point Killer, an infamous serial killer who marked each of his victims with a brand and he was convicted of murdering 20 people. He told temple that he was possessed by a demon but no one believed him. Yet now people are still dying in the woods while he is behind bars... Temple never believed he killed her mother but he did confess to that crime while on death row and now she wants to find her mother's body and prove it. She decides to become a camp counselor at a queer horror themed camp for girls... all so she can get access to the grounds her father use to use and where he said her other's body is.... yet girls start appearing dead and dying in the same way her father's victims were killed.... Temple is afraid that her dad has a copycat killer yet the more she digs into finding the truth the more she's beginning to realize there are more monsters in those woods than she ever realized. I love queer horror novels and this one sounded really fun, unfortunately it just kind of felt all over the place for me and I just found myself disconnecting from the story. I really wanted to like it, but it just didn't work out. Temple's character was hard to connect with and to root for. I really wanted to but I just couldn't. The story arc starts off interesting but by the 45% mark it gets kind of off tracks and then is all over the place. The ending felt meh at best to me. I still do recommend this for fans of horror novels because its interesting and maybe you'll have a better time with it than I did.

*Thanks Netgalley and ABRAMS Kids, Amulet Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I'm usually too much of a coward to read a lot of horror, and this book is a perfect example of why. It is spine-chilling and terrifying, and I tore through it even while I was scared out of my mind. Ellis' masterful story-telling, hauntingly atmospheric setting and sharply-drawn characterization of the MC, Temple, made it a story that I had to read to the end to know what would become of her, even if it meant leaving every light in the house on in order to do so. Absolutely recommend to all YA horror fans!

What a twisty, scary ride of a horror novel! If you like slashers, true crime (or are a bit concerned about how into true crime some people are), queer characters, and family secrets, you’ll definitely enjoy this story from a promising new voice in YA horror.

I was really excited for this based on the comp titles, but it just didn't work for me, It jumped into the action too quickly without enough buildup, the pacing in general was just off, and the big twist was pretty obvious from early on. Because there was no real build up or development, I also didn't feel much connection to any of the characters.