A Feast for the Eyes

Sawkill Girls meets Twin Peaks in a page-turning queer supernatural thriller, where four teens must track down a local cryptid that’s feeding off secrets, before their own hidden truths are exposed.

“Alex Crespo thrills with a meticulously crafted page-turner. A feast of twists, tension and secrets.” —C.S. Pacat, New York Times bestselling author of Dark Rise

On the dreary Oregon coast, an all-seeing beast—known as the Watcher—lies in wait. When Shay and her girlfriend, Lauren, get into a fight over whether to go public with their clandestine relationship, they awaken the creature. Although Lauren is badly injured, the girls escape with their lives but can’t shake the feeling of the creature’s eyes tracking them. 

Meanwhile, aspiring photographer Zoe is desperate to put together a portfolio worthy of earning a scholarship to attend art college. Her photography teacher praises her skill but urges her to select more daring subjects for her submissions—a tall task when Zoe's camera acts as a barrier between herself and the rest of the world.

As rumors swirl about Lauren's injuries, Shay remains steadfast in that the Watcher is to blame, not her. She asks for Zoe’s help in snapping a photo of the local legend. Proof would help Shay clear her name and certainly be daring enough for Zoe’s scholarship. Together with their friends Jack and Parker, they set out to expose the Watcher before its ever-creeping eyes cast the secrets they’re all keeping from the town—and one another—into the light. 

Eerily atmospheric and as piercing as a pair of eyes on the back of your head, Alex Crespo's LGBTQ+ supernatural thriller is a poignant story about the prices we pay to keep our secrets hidden—sometimes for good reason. Through creeping tension and mounting horror, readers will furiously turn the pages with their breaths held.

Perfect for readers who love:

• Sapphic yearning
• Popular girl/ Unpopular girl romance
• Slow Burn
• Secret Relationship
• Small Town with a Dark Secret
• Found Family
• Eldritch Abomination
• Hunter Becomes the Hunted

An NPR “Books We Love” SelectionThe prose is gripping. . . .the vibrant supporting characters and strong themes make this suspenseful work a thoroughly enjoyable read. . . . The queer cryptid thriller you’ve been looking for.
—Kirkus Reviews

Via an omniscient POV, quippy dialogue, and whirlwind action sequences, Crespo explores the shame and terror that can come from hiding one’s true self from the world, even during a literal life-and-death situation.
—Publishers Weekly

Full of ­mystery, tension, and action, this queer horror thriller is a uniquely fun ride that explores themes of shame, identity, and the cost of secrets. . . . Recommended where ­horror is popular.
—School Library Journal

Crespo (Saint Juniper’s Folly, BCCB 4/23) has an eye for impeccable character development. . . . With a cool monster, strong premise, and memorable protagonists, this suspenseful tale has multiple ways to draw in readers beyond the expected horror base.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Crespo (Saint Juniper’s Folly, 2023) crafts an urban legend fueled by secrets in this sinister tale of truth, monsters, and senior-year drama. . . . Mystery, horror, and romance all find their way into this autumnal read.
—Booklist

Alex Crespo thrills with a meticulously crafted page-turner. A feast of twists, tension and secrets.
—C.S. Pacat, New York Times bestselling author of Dark Rise

While Alex Crespo keeps the tension about as tightly strung as you can bear, the beating heart of A Feast For the Eyes comes from the dynamics between his core characters, whose determination and kindness make it all worthwhile. An instant recommendation to anyone looking for more unpredictable, genuinely fun queer horror.
—Logan-Ashley Kisner, author of Old Wounds

Alex Crespo's A Feast for the Eyes will have you rethinking each step, thought, and buried truth. Just like its menacing Watcher, this is horror that follows you around wherever you go. A moving, genre-defying story from an exceptional talent.
—Amparo Ortiz, Author of Last Sunrise in EternaAlex Crespo writes about queer love, magic, and all the ways they intersect. When not writing, you can find him making art or daydreaming about Mothman. He currently lives in Chicago with an endless anime watchlist and his black cat, Hex. Find him on social media @ByAlexCrespo.