From the author of My Best Friend's Exorcism and The Final Girl Support Group comes an addictively dark slice of Southern Gothic, as an inmate at a home for unwed mothers is tempted to make a deal with the devil.
A brand-new Southern Gothic horror from New York Times bestselling author of How to Sell a Haunted House and The Final Girl Support Group.
'I did an evil thing to be put in here, and I’m going to have to do an evil thing to get out.'
Florida, 1970.
Fifteen-year-old Neva is taken to Wellwood House, a home for unwed mothers, to see out the final three months of her pregnancy. Her father turns tail without even a goodbye, leaving Neva to endure the isolated maternity home for one sweltering summer with the bugs, the boredom, the awful food, the shunned unwed girls just like her. There, she meets Rose, the righteous hippie; Holly, a fourteen-year-old who refuses to talk, and Zinnia, the cultured sceptic.
Miles from the nearest town and forced to abide by the home’s draconian rules, the girls are powerless, kept in the dark of what is to come. Only that their best option is to surrender their babies and move on as if this never happened
Then one day a travelling library arrives outside Wellwood House. And the librarian presses a book onto Neva, one that promises answers, power, even revenge. A book of witchcraft. But the book demands a sacrifice to work properly. A debt that must be paid. And, if she’s making deals with the devil, Neva must decide what price she is willing to pay.
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 9781035030873
Number of pages: 496
Weight: 730 g
Dimensions: 243 x 165 x 43 mm
A chillingly addictive Southern Gothic tale - Cosmopolitan
This visceral tale of oppression, resistance and consequences provides chilly horrors - Daily Mail
Superb . . . Hendrix’s genius as a horror writer is his ability to develop complex, human-scale emotional arcs . . . At turns frightening, anxiety-producing, infuriating, beautiful and sad, Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is a perfect horror for our imperfect age - New York Times
An engrossing, compelling read - The Guardian
This book is so twisted and smart . . . As soon as I finished, I wanted to start all over again - Catriona Ward, author of The Last House on Needless Street and Nowhere Burning
A devilishly good time - People Magazine
There’s spells, there’s witches, and then there’s the magic Grady Hendrix conjures up in this amazing novel - Stephen Graham Jones, New York Times bestselling author of I Was a Teenage Slasher
A morally complex and genuinely haunting and moving tale. I couldn't put it down once I started - Paul Tremblay, bestselling author of The Cabin at the End of the World
Another nail-biter not to be missed! - Tananarive Due, author of The Reformatory
This is Satan's School for Girls or The Initiation of Sarah . . . horror, social comment and wicked black humour - Kim Newman, author of Anno Dracula
Terrifying, darkly funny, moving, immersive, and deeply relevant – a page-turner that will keep you up until one in the morning - Simone St. James, New York Times bestselling author of Murder Road
Grady Hendrix does it again, only better . . . Enchanting and entertaining - Alma Katsu, author of The Fervor
Full of hexes and heart, Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is Hendrix's best novel yet! - Ronald Malfi, bestselling author of Come with Me
Captivating . . . A phenomenal read for witches everywhere! - Carissa Orlando, author of The September House
Portentous and disquieting, it's a book that'll linger like a scar - Cassandra Khaw, author of Nothing But Blackened Teeth and The Salt Grows Heavy
Stunning, full of dread and heartache and unforgettable characters. It’s impossible to read this book and not be touched by it. What a triumph! - Christopher Golden, New York Times bestselling author of The House of Last Resort and Road of Bones
As pacey as it is insightful, and an absolute page-turner into the bargain. I devoured it - Alison Littlewood, author of The Hidden People
Raw, fearless and powerful. I screamed, I sobbed, I devoured every word - Lindy Ryan, author of Bless Your Heart and Cold Snap
A haunted, heartbreaking masterpiece, filled with magic and monsters - human and otherwise. Hendrix has written an unmissable instant horror classic - Christina Henry, author of The House that Horror Built and Alice
A powerful novel filled with rich, complex characters, echoing with dread and hope, and driven by righteous rage. At times I found myself shaking with fury, at other times . . . yes, Grady made me cry again. Beautiful and brilliant - Tim Lebbon, author of Among the Living
An enormously entertaining novel, populated with characters you love - Locus
This book blew me away, his ability to infuse his work with humour and heart is unmatched. - Scream Magazine
A must-read for fans of gothic horror and feminist storytelling. - Voice Magazine
I loved this! Neva/Fern makes a fantastic main character, and the story is so fast paced that I didn't want to stop reading!
It is worth noting that, aside from a few body horror scenes*, this isn't...
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I was very excited to receive an ARC copy of Grady Hendrix’s new book. I have read everything he has written so far and loved it and therefore my expectations were high.
Witchcraft for Wayward girls centres around...
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It has taken me a number of days to compile this review as I can't get Witchcraft for Wayward Girls out of my head.
This novel is set in the summer of 1970 in Florida, at a place called Wellwood House. A truly...
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