Thank you NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Catriona Ward has once again proven herself the reigning queen of literary horror with “Nowhere Burning,” which is essentially a dark, dazzling, and deeply unsettling reimagining of Peter Pan that replaces Neverland with a charred ranch in the Rocky Mountains, where lost children form a twisted new world. This story is haunting, heartbreaking, and utterly unforgettable.

At its heart, “Nowhere Burning” follows Riley and her little brother Oliver, two orphans fleeing their abusive cousin after their mother’s death. Desperate for escape, Riley clings to whispered tales of a hidden refuge for children—a place called Nowhere, built on the ashes of a once-famous actor’s estate. When they finally find it, Nowhere seems like salvation: a secret, child-run sanctuary where adults can’t hurt them anymore. But as Riley soon learns, Nowhere isn’t paradise. It’s something far older, wilder, and more dangerous than she could ever imagine.

The story unfolds across three interlocking timelines, each adding depth and dread to the central mystery. In one, Riley and Oliver struggle to survive among the Nowhere Children as its disturbing rituals and hierarchies come to light. In another, Adam, an architect haunted by guilt and temptation, recounts his time working for Leaf Winham, the charismatic actor whose secluded ranch became ground zero for horror. And in the present, Marc and Kimble, two documentary filmmakers, chase the truth about Nowhere and its founder’s grotesque legacy as they interview survivors and search the ruins of a mansion that may still be alive with ghosts, both literal and psychological.

As always, Ward’s writing is cinematic and unnervingly immersive. The Rocky Mountain setting feels alive, like a cold, vast, and breathing menace. The burnt-out ranch itself becomes a character, its Ferris wheel creaking like a specter from a corrupted dreamscape. Ward stitches together childhood mythology and real-world monstrosities with surgical precision: her Nowhere is part cult, part fairy tale, and all nightmare.

Beneath the horror lies a devastatingly emotional story about trauma, survival, and the fierce bond between siblings. Riley’s love for Oliver is the beating heart of the novel, grounding the terror in something achingly human. Their relationship, tender and tragic, gives “Nowhere Burning” its emotional weight. Ward’s exploration of abuse, neglect, and the lure of found families is as painful as it is profound; her lost children seek belonging, only to find new forms of captivity.

Stylistically, Ward remains a master of the slow burn by layering dread and mystery until the truth snaps into focus in a final act that’s as breathtaking as it is brutal. The multiple perspectives and timelines weave together seamlessly, revealing a puzzle that feels both epic and intimate. The middle sections a touch drawn-out and the ending was a little rushed, but the overall craftsmanship is astonishing. Every scene feels purposeful, every image—like a crocodile named Tinkerball or a one-legged documentarian—loaded with metaphor and meaning.

Ward also continues her fascination with the intersection of art, madness, and myth, echoing real-world scandals and moral questions about exploitation. Her villain, Leaf Winham, is chillingly charismatic as he’s part Hollywood god, part monster, and his crimes feel horrifyingly plausible. The line between creation and destruction, love and control, is blurred until you’re left questioning where innocence ends and corruption begins.

Overall, “Nowhere Burning” is Catriona Ward at her finest: disturbing, visionary, and unexpectedly tender. It’s a story about the monsters we make to survive, and the children who grow up still believing in magic, even when that magic burns.

Nowhere Burning by Catriona Ward is atmospheric and immersive in the best way. The House on Needless Street is one of my all time favorites and this follows the same writing style. It’s a slow burning, mysterious, multiple pov tale that finds inspiration from Peter Pan. The sibling relationship between Riley and Oliver is tender and explores the depths of trauma in a novel way. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride and anything Cat Ward writes is a must read for me

Thank you to Tor Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

How can I possibly resist a Catriona Ward book—especially when I know I’m about to be shaken to my core, physically and mentally? She never fails to disturb, devastate, and utterly mesmerize me. This time, she gifts us a twistedly clever yet heartbreakingly emotional reimagining of Peter Pan—one that trades Neverland for Nowhere and blends multiple POVs and timelines into a haunting, puzzle-like narrative. As past and present collide, the full, horrifying—and profoundly sad—picture emerges piece by piece.

This story affected me far more deeply than I expected, especially the unbreakable bond between Riley and her little brother, Oliver (or “Olive,” as she lovingly calls him). Their shared tragedies, survival instincts, and desperate trust in each other broke my heart. Ward layers the book with stunning symbolism: a crocodile named Tinkerball; a one-legged documentary filmmaker reminiscent of Hook; “flying” children gliding on zip lines; and a Nowhere Land where abused children form their own eerie new world. It’s a dark, brilliant homage to Peter Pan, transformed into something far more sinister—a cult led by the legendary filmmaker Leaf Winham, who slit his followers’ throats and allegedly committed grotesque acts on his secret island before his suicide. Even after his death, the horror lingers in his charred estate, complete with a Ferris wheel (a chilling metaphor possibly nodding to a real-life pop icon accused of child abuse).

The execution is flawless—each chapter a perfectly tuned note in a symphony of dread and sorrow. We first meet young Riley, a girl battling real-life demons to protect Oliver after their mentally unstable mother’s death. Sent to live with a cruel cousin who starves and locks them away, Riley’s only hope arrives in the form of Noon, a mysterious girl who invites her to escape to Nowhere. Following cryptic clues into the night, the siblings risk everything—mountain lions, starvation, and perhaps worse—to find this promised refuge.

Parallel to their story, we meet Marc and Kimble, documentary filmmakers investigating the legend of Nowhere. They interview survivors who were once abducted by Nowhere’s “children,” desperate to learn how to reach the hidden land. Their search leads them to Linus, an ex-firefighter and the sole survivor of Leaf Winham’s massacre. Traumatized yet tempted by money, Linus agrees to guide them back to the cursed site he swore never to see again.

And then there’s Adam—a brilliant architect whose life unravels when he learns his girlfriend is pregnant. When Leaf Winham offers him a job designing and renovating his estate, Adam accepts, drawn in by both the challenge and Leaf’s intoxicating charisma. What begins as curiosity soon becomes obsession, testing Adam’s morals and sanity in devastating ways.

As the timelines intertwine, Ward masterfully brings every thread together in a breathtaking finale that left me misty-eyed. The final chapter, in particular, hit me like a quiet heartbreak after a thunderstorm—both devastating and strangely beautiful.

Ward’s darkly twisted Peter Pan worked for me on every level—disturbing, emotional, and impossibly creative. I didn’t expect to love it this much, but it may just be my new favorite of her works.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Many thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group / Tor Nightfire for the ARC of this mind-blowing horror-thriller. And deepest thanks to Catriona Ward for her brilliant, fearless imagination—this book is pure, haunting genius.

I’ll forever be impressed with Catriona Ward. She has a certain magic when it comes to writing her characters, which is why she’ll forever be an auto-buy author for me.

This book does have some Yellowjackets vibes, but I’d say it has a lot more heart. The main character, Riley, will do whatever it takes to keep her brother safe. It’s what makes her so awesome as an MC. The faults are there, too, but you understand why before you really get to the meat of the story.

I recommend this book highly. It’s probably my new favorite of Ward’s writing, which I look forward to saying for each consequent book she releases :)

Thanks so much to NetGalley/Edelweiss and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Finally adding my finished thoughts.

This was so cinematic. So atmospheric. I could envision every description crystal clear. Moreso, I could even feel the creepiness. I mean...kids in the horror genre is guaranteed to be extra creepy! This has multiple POV's and they just come together flawlessly.

Nowhere Burning is described to be for fans of Riley Sager and Yellowjackets; I don't know if I agree with the Sager comparison and I haven't seen the latter so I can't speak to those. BUT! I couldn't help but picture a bit of Lord of the Flies meets Peter Pan meets Children of the Corn (like I said, kids in horror = automatically creepy).

Catriona Ward has proven time and time again to be a master of the slow burn, but she always delivers a punch at the end. The setting of the Rocky Mountains and inspiration taken from the idea of an abandoned Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch is just...idk, I didn't know I needed that combination but I'm happy it exists!

I got to see Catriona in a horror panel--I was internally screaming with excitement at the opportunity to read this then and I'm screaming with excitement for everyone to be able to read another brilliant Catriona Ward book.

Catriona Ward has created another novel that is a nesting doll of information being given on a need to know basis. This time, it is such an emotional experience the entire way that when all the pieces come together, I was holding back tears. I don’t know how she does it, Ward is one of the most brilliant authors working today and this book is everything someone would want from a horror novel.

The characters are all so fully developed and the horrors are so human in their foundation. This is the perfect book for our time and really just a perfect book overall. I can’t wait to see people discover and read it because I need to talk about it!