A Dark and Starless Forest

In this "stunning and atmospheric"* contemporary fantasy and 2022 Locus Award Top Ten Finalist, when her siblings start to go missing, a girl must confront the dark thing that lives in the forest—and the growing darkness in herself. (*Buzzfeed)

Derry and her eight siblings live in an isolated house by the lake, separated from the rest of the world by an eerie and menacing forest. The man who raised them after their families abandoned them, says it’s for their own good. After all, the world isn’t safe for people with magic. And Derry feels safe—most of the time.

Until the night her eldest sister disappears. Jane and Derry swore to each other that they’d never go into the forest, not after their last trip ended in blood, but Derry is sure she saw Jane walk into the trees. When another sibling goes missing and their guardian’s true colors start to show, feeling safe is no longer an option. Derry will risk anything to protect the family she has left. Even if that means returning to the forest that has started calling to Derry in her missing siblings’ voices.

As Derry spends more time amidst the trees, her magic grows more powerful . . . and so does the darkness inside her, the viciousness she wants to pretend doesn’t exist. But saving her siblings from the forest might mean embracing the darkness. And that just might be the most dangerous thing of all.

• Atmospheric Fantasy: An isolated lake house, a forest that whispers in the voices of the missing, and a darkness that calls to Derry from within the trees.
• Sisterhood and Secrets: Derry would do anything to protect her eight siblings, but their bond is tested when a trip into the woods ends in blood and sisters start to disappear one by one.
• LGBTQ Representation: Featuring a found family that includes nonbinary and trans characters, this is a coming-of-age story about finding yourself, your magic, and your place in a world that fears you.
• Psychological Suspense: The man who raised them, Frank, insists the isolation is for their own good. But as his true colors begin to show, Derry realizes the greatest threat might not be in the forest, but in the house itself.

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"Hollowell’s debut is an absorbing tale of magic and horror, bravery and family. [...] Readers looking for a novel in which revenge is sweet will want to read this."

- Booklist Online

A 2022 Locus Award top ten finalist for the Young Adult category

2022 Dragon Award winner for Best Young Adult

"Stunning and atmospheric."—BuzzFeed  

"Hollowell builds a magical atmosphere with ominous, spooky overtones....An otherworldly showing of inner strength."—Kirkus  

"Hollowell successfully straddles the line between horror and fantasy, running a thread of suspense that pulls from both and keeping both Derry and the reader in the dark as Derry slowly comes to understand the true nature of Frank, the secrets the forest holds, and the foreboding power within herself."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books  

"Hollowell goes above and beyond to create an inclusive cast... A dark, inclusive blend of horror and extremely light fantasy."—School Library Journal  

“Hollowell’s crafted something as intricate and complex and painful and beautiful as a life. This story is completely saturated with love and rage and yearning. It is, quite simply, a triumph.” —Sarah Gailey, best-selling author of When We Were Magic    

“Sarah Hollowell has created an effortlessly diverse cast of sisters, with characters and relationships as rich and complex as the magic that defi­nes their lives. From the moment Derry answers the eerie call of the woods, A Dark and Starless Forest begins to weave an irresistible spell in this tale of magic and sisterhood, love and loss, power and control.” —Kate Alice Marshall, author of Rules for Vanishing and I Am Still Alive   

“Magical and mesmerizing, Sarah Hollowell’s debut stings with honesty and heart as Derry challenges the darkness in the woods to ­find her siblings—and herself. A Dark and Starless Forest draws you in with its beauty, and entangles you in its thorns. A brilliant contemporary fantasy!” —Ashley Poston, author of Among the Beasts and Briars  

“A Dark and Starless Forest reeled me in, vine by creeping vine, and held me under the sway of its mysterious forest and magical siblings from the ­first page until the last. Hollowell skillfully combines the wonder and challenges of found family with a deadly tug-of-war between insidious forces eager to exploit that family in an eerie, resonant tale about learning to reclaim your own power and anger to protect those you love.” — Shveta Thakrar, author of the Andre Norton Nebula Award ­finalist Star Daughter   

"A haunting, lyrical book about the magical queer family I’ve always wanted to experience, living in a horror movie that I would never want to experience." —Mara Fitzgerald, author of Beyond the Ruby Veil  

“A Dark and Starless Forest seamlessly blends eerie magic with real-world sensibility for a story that feels both classic and utterly new. Sarah Hollowell is an amazing new voice in contemporary fantasy.” —Hannah Whitten, author of For the Wolf