A nuanced story about grief, queerness and community set in the trappings of a haunted house story, Withered by A.G.A. Wilmot delivers on beautiful descriptors and atmosphere. However, I just kept feeling like this was more YA than Adult and as such I found it read just a smidge juvenile, particularly some of the dialogue.

That being said, this is still a competent haunted house story filled with complicated characters struggling with death and letting go.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book for many reasons. The cast of characters, especially Ellis and Quinn, are a delight to follow. (Wilmot's dialogue is often hilarious, and I love the true-to-real-life level of sarcasm used by most of the teens.) I loved the book's unique take on the haunted house and the small town surrounding it. I loved its rather epic take on Death as force and character, and I particularly loved the way Wilmot weaves together the stories of the ghosts and the living, the past and the present, the natural and the supernatural. This book also deals with mental health issues, like Ellis's experience with anorexia and recovery from anorexia, in a thoughtful and insightful way, making the struggle to get better, to take control of your life, subtly mirror some of the supernatural struggles of the story. Nothing ever feels preachy or heavy-handed here, rather, it works to deepen and sharpen the story. This is horror, sure, but horror with empathy and purpose beyond gore and jump scares.

A psychological supernatural horror, but also a look into gender identity with YA elements. The two sides mirroring each other. It also felt a lot like the ghost/scary movies that were mentioned throughout the book, some grisly details but written for a YA audience.
Very interesting and diverse characters, lgbt representation, eating disorders and grief. It had a lot going on.

Thank you to NetGalley for this book

A very compelling and complex story that explores the hardcore truths about mental illness and disorders . I would recommend this book to YA and horror book lovers but there are a few trigger warnings that should be taken into consideration.

I'm finding it difficult to write a review for Withered because there are two very different stories happening here.

The first is a beautiful portrait of a young, queer, non-binary person (Ellis) who is doing *THE MOST* to overcome their struggles with disordered eating, body dysmorphia, grief, and identity. It's a beautiful love letter to queer kids and adults alike, many of us who have struggled with the same issues over our lives. With their mother, they move to a house that the town folk purport to be haunted, but there is a bigger mystery at play along with larger forces that would see the house destroyed. The parallels between Ellis' personal struggles and the nature of the house make for a very beautiful story.

The second story though, the *NATURE* of the house and that it is not haunted exactly but rather "occupied", is the true tour de force of this book. Without giving spoilers, it really was the story of the house and the battle between it and larger forces that had me hooked and wanting more. It is truly a one-of-a-kind, totally unique take on the "haunted house". I feel that had the author focused on this story specifically, they could have created the best horror novel of the year, maybe one of the best haunted house stories of all time.

As I said, there are two stories here. It was easy to fall in love with the characters. I feel that Ellis' story is perfect for a YA novel on queer identity that many readers would fall in love with and relate strongly to. Whereas the story of the house, on it's own, is such a unique and powerful tale of psychological horror and would bring a huge and brave new voice and authority to the genre.

I always give 5 stars because heck, this author wrote a freaking book and that is no small task. But I am itching to see the story of the house as a stand alone and expanded upon.

I really enjoyed the use of grief and mental illness as a paranormal horror novel, it had a great overall concept and I thought it was beautifully done. The characters were everything that I was looking for and felt like real people. It had the best elements of a psychological horror and people in this story. It had me wanting to read more from A.G.A. Wilmot, as I really enjoyed reading this.

I'm having to hard of a time with the formatting of this. I can't concentrate and I don't want to give out a bad review. So I'll just have to read this when it comes out.

Thank you NetGalley and Piblisher for this ARC!

Ok sooo I hated the format of this book. I did struggle a bit with it but other than that I really enjoyed this ya horror. Please check the trigger warnings.

“Death isn’t always the scariest part of dying. Sometimes it’s knowing the pain felt by those left behind. Knowing how much you still hurt.”

A.G.A Wilmot in this paranormal psychological horror story, describes the life story of Ellis who with their mother moves to the town of Black Stone. After the tragic death of their father and battling a life threatening disease, Ellis thinks Black Stone would be a fresh start but something feels off about this town. Why doesn’t help is every person they encounter tells them their house is haunted. Soon Ellis comes to realise their home is the centre of a war decades old. With the help of locals they try and figure out the true history behind their home and Black Stone.

This was a compelling psychological horror that had me relating to the difficulties Ellis was experiencing. A large part of this characters story begins with their own health issues and the loss they experienced of their father. Grief and mental illness become the key elements of this story. Add in the supernatural horror from the hauntings happening at Ellis’s home, it soon becomes a race against time to uncover the truth behind this town and it’s deep routed connection to Ellis’s home.

The imagery was quite unnerving, especially when it came to describing the haunting. It intertwined the despair and grief amongst the horror in such a unique way. There are parts of the story I still remember vividly as the emotions are described in such a visceral manner.

"Not all hauntings are bad." A.G.A. Wilmot's 'Withered' is not simply a book about a haunted house and its residents; it's the kind of book you finish with a heavy heart - did it have to finish? I wanted more! The characters grow on you, the setting is playing with the "ghost town" idea in all kind of ways, taking it to its limits, and the story - utterly original, told with an assured voice, and the writing, an absolute delight! From very early on, I realized I was reading a great book, brimming with intriguing ideas and awesome plot twists. What hooked me in, however, was the author's sensibility: their compassionate look at humanity, at youth, their perspective on small town shenanigans, their understanding of trauma, grief, and family. It's hard not to notice those tiny details -the body language, the descriptions of teenage emotional turmoil when faced with the hardships of an eating disorder, the words used to convey a mother's love for her child, the silences that say even more; so many fantastic elements adding to this amazing story. The premise drew me in from early on: a haunted house which is functioning as a beacon for lost ghosts, for the ones death cannot touch; and a new family moving in, having to discover for themselves what's been going on. This was such a great read!

Wow. From page one, you can feel yourself feeling the same things Tessa does, the urgency and panic inside her.
Thankfully this continues throughout the whole book, making it one of the great horrors that I've read recently.
This author will probably know be a day one buy, if any other output is even half as good as this.

It’s a real bummer ARCs are sent out without checking formatting. I want to read this so badly but I can’t when the whole book is one giant wall of text.

Ellis is 18 and in recovery from an eating disorder when they and their mom move to a small town. They soon learn that everyone in the town thinks the house is haunted. What happens next is an original and interesting take on a haunting that, a long time horror fan, have never seen before.

The strengths of this book is the quippy dialogue, likeable characters and the clever (but I wouldn't' dream of spoiling it here) way the "haunting" is envisioned. I also love a good queer love story and this includes that as well.

I was surprised to see this shelved in the adult horror section. As a mature reader (I'm 48) Ellis's story of finding themselves, dealing with counseling, landing a job, developing a love interest, gathering allies, etc etc felt like a YA or NA story. Especially the element of wish fulfillment, where everyone they liked instantly clicked, while everyone they didn't like was kind of buffoonish. Someone in the book references the Bobbsey Twins and it struck me then that the book was a kind of Gen Z Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys story, in a way. Especially they way clues are slowly dribbed out and some of the stock characters.

The other challenge I had with this story was the exposition dumps by side characters. It's like there is a really cool paranormal story but no real way to have Ellis discover it, so we get a chapter of 'what actually happened' and then a scene where Ellis has just heard someone tell them that story? Also a lot of classification is explained in dialogue. it's not really a haunting it's a ____ (multiple times). There are multiple types of _____, good and bad (that happens at least twice about different paranormal elements). So many ideas, but we needed more show not tell.

Those are my nitpicks. But overall I did enjoy the book and I'm glad it exists, I would like to see more from this author.

DNF - I was really excited to read this book but the format, the writing style, & ultimately the plot itself fell very flat. This is a book that new readers of the genre or very casual ones, may enjoy.

"Withered" by A.G.A. Wilmot is a compelling journey through grief, mental illness, and the supernatural, reminiscent of the captivating narratives of Mike Flannagan. The novel weaves the realities of life with the mysteries of a haunted town, Black Stone. The story follows Ellis, a teenager grappling with their father's death and their own struggles, against a backdrop of palpable disquiet in the town. The tender romance between Ellis and Quinn adds depth to the exploration of the town's dark past and haunted occurrences, intertwining the quest against spectral foes with a journey of understanding and acceptance. The portrayal of mental health and grief in the narrative is unflinchingly raw, with the horror elements functioning as a metaphor for inner battles. The vivid imagery and haunting descriptions contribute to the chilling atmosphere of the story.

In summary, "Withered" is a compelling and thought-provoking tale that traverses traditional horror boundaries. A.G.A. Wilmot delivers a story that is both terrifying and deeply moving, making it essential for fans of psychological horror and those drawn to narratives exploring the complexities of the human psyche. It's a novel that lingers long after the final page is turned.

Gorgeous (although wacky at times) ya horror which was much anticipated and enjoyed by me. Thanks for the arc and this was a fantastic queer take on haunted houses. 4.5

I was granted the ARC for Withered by AGA Wilmot from Netgalley. It is a raw format, not yet sent through editing.

This book is so very good. A haunted house is not always a bad thing. Ellis and their mother, Robyn, move back to Robyn's hometown after tragedy has hit their family. Ellis first trek into the town center gets them verbally accosted by some of the townsfolk regarding their 'haunted' house.
Along the way, Ellis meets Quinn. Together they help solve the history of the house and the true story behind what is going on in the town.
What seems to be a fight against good vs evil is maybe just the way things are supposed to be, neither way being good or evil.
My only recommendation is clarification during some of the larger dialog portions of the book. I'm guessing that will be addressed before release.
👻👻👻👻👻. This book releases 4/16, make sure you go get it!

An absolutely incredible horror about what it means to be a haunting. With excellent representation, evocative imagery, and a beautiful story. It's almost bittersweet in a way. It also brought thoughts and feelings of my own loss, as well as relating a hell of a lot to Ellis and Quinn.

My one tiny complaint is in the latter half after the backstory of the house was revealed, it seemed to deviate from the formula of a new chapter for a different perspective, and instead there were a few in the same chapter separated only by paragraphs which took me out of it a little as I'd gotten used to the structure and I wasn't expecting a new POV within the same chapter (if that makes any sense). It didn't ruin anything, but it felt weird that it suddenly changed and continued to work like that for the remainder of the book. I imagine it was done as there was a lot of overlapping events? But it slowed the pace down for me.

In summary, I absolutely loved this book. A great take on a haunted house. The pain and beauty of life and death. The tenacity and strength it takes to be human. Thank you to netgalley for the arc.

I really enjoyed this as it had good story building and the characters were likeable. The plot twist at the end I wasn’t expecting. Overall very enjoyable!

Withered is like a classic ghost movie. It’s cozy in its familiarity but has a new take on the standard ‘character moves into creepy house in tight-knit neighbourhood’ storyline.

The characters are multifaceted and the narrative has curveballs that horror fans will enjoy. There’s great LGBTQIA+ representation without falling into the trap of tokenism or irrelevance to the story.

My only gripe is that it feels like it’s written for a younger readership than what would be appropriate for the type of content that is in the novel. The prose is articulate about the grotesque details but not really about the mundane details. It makes the first quarter of the novel slow and important facts aren’t given enough weight (for example, I didn’t realise the love interest was overweight until a fat joke was made).