{"product_id":"the-corpse-queen-isbn-9781984816726","title":"The Corpse Queen","description":"\u003cb\u003e \u003cbr\u003eIn this twisty feminist historical thriller set in the 1850s, a teenage grave robber quickly becomes entangled in a murderer's plans. Now in paperback!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Deliciously macabre and utterly decadent.” —Kerri Maniscalco, #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eStalking Jack the Ripper\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSoon after her best friend Kitty mysteriously dies near their orphanage, seventeen-year- old Molly Green is sent away to live with her estranged aunt. Only, when Molly arrives, she discovers her aunt is holding more than one secret. She's built her incredible wealth by robbing graves and selling the corpses to medical students who need the bodies to practice surgical procedures. Now, Aunt Ava wants Molly to help her procure the corpses. As Molly learns her aunt's trade in the dead of night and explores the mansion by day, she is both horrified and deeply intrigued by the anatomy lessons held at the old church on the property. Enigmatic Doctor LaValle's lessons are a heady mixture of knowledge and power and Molly has never wanted anything more than to join his male-only group of students. But the cost of inclusion is steep and with a murderer loose in Philadelphia, the pursuit of power and opportunity soon becomes a deadly dance.\u003cb\u003e\u003cu\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eThe Corpse Queen\u003c\/i\u003e:\u003c\/u\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA 2023 Rhode Island Teen Book Award Nominee\u003cbr\u003eA 2022 YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Pick\u003cu\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eA Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e★\u003c\/b\u003e “\u003cb\u003eStylishly smart and macabre\u003c\/b\u003e, the story . . . \u003cb\u003esparkle[s]\u003c\/b\u003e with class-defying friendships and warmth. \u003cb\u003ePart mystery\u003c\/b\u003e,\u003cb\u003e part thriller\u003c\/b\u003e,\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003eand part family discovery, this is \u003cb\u003ea delicious horror story\u003c\/b\u003e from which \u003cb\u003ethe reader can’t look away\u003c\/b\u003e.” —\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003cb\u003estarred review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“This historical thriller is \u003cb\u003edark, twisty, and perfect for a spooky fall read\u003c\/b\u003e.” —\u003ci\u003eBuzzfeed\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003cb\u003eDark. Glittering. Dangerous.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eThe Corpse Queen\u003c\/i\u003e is \u003cb\u003edeliciously macabre\u003c\/b\u003e and \u003cb\u003eutterly decadent\u003c\/b\u003e. Like a well-placed scalpel, Molly’s sharp mind and cool determination in a male-dominated world will slip under your skin and snip at your heartstrings. A \u003cb\u003ecinematic\u003c\/b\u003e story \u003cb\u003ecleverly plotted\u003c\/b\u003e and \u003cb\u003eintoxicatingly addictive\u003c\/b\u003e; I gulped it down in one sitting.” —\u003cb\u003eKerri Maniscalco\u003c\/b\u003e, #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eStalking Jack the Ripper\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The plot \u003cb\u003erockets\u003c\/b\u003e along, greased by the rot of the dead, to a \u003cb\u003esatisfying\u003c\/b\u003e, and somewhat surprising, conclusion. \u003cb\u003eIf Poe’s daughter told a story, this might be it.\u003c\/b\u003e” —\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003cb\u003eDripping with Gothic decadence\u003c\/b\u003e and \u003cb\u003edark romantic allure\u003c\/b\u003e, this novel \u003cb\u003ehits all the right notes\u003c\/b\u003e. . . It’s \u003cb\u003ea must-read\u003c\/b\u003e.” —\u003ci\u003eHypable\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A historical mystery that \u003cb\u003ewill give you goosebumps\u003c\/b\u003e.” —\u003ci\u003ePop Sugar\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003cb\u003eSmartly written\u003c\/b\u003e with a decidedly \u003cb\u003edark demeanor\u003c\/b\u003e . . . this \u003cb\u003eimmersive, \u003ci\u003eFrankenstein\u003c\/i\u003e-tinged\u003c\/b\u003e novel considers misogyny, socioeconomic divides, and social norms at a specific moment in modern surgery’s beginnings.” —\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003cb\u003eA wonderfully macabre thriller\u003c\/b\u003e that mines considerable \u003cb\u003etension and chills\u003c\/b\u003e from the grotesqueries and disturbing lack of ethics in nineteenth-century medical inquiry, leaning as much on various characters’ utter lack of compassion as on blood and guts for its horror. Molly is \u003cb\u003eappealing in her complexity\u003c\/b\u003e . . . [and] as taken by new science as any clever girl would be. . . \u003cb\u003eA winner for fans of Bray’s Diviner series\u003c\/b\u003e.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Set in 1850s Philadelphia, this \u003cb\u003emacabre\u003c\/b\u003e novel is full of death, corpses, and anomalies. It highlights the dark practice of body snatching that was historically used to study anatomy. The writing is \u003cb\u003efast paced\u003c\/b\u003e and highlights Molly and her aunt as independent feminists. \u003cb\u003eThe dark plot flows well\u003c\/b\u003e with a surprise ending, keeping readers intrigued. . . \u003cb\u003eA great YA addition \u003c\/b\u003eto libraries serving high school students, \u003cb\u003ethis gothic fiction title will appeal to young adult fans of the horror genre\u003c\/b\u003e.” —\u003ci\u003eSchool Library Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “\u003cb\u003eFull of scares and surprises\u003c\/b\u003e.” —\u003ci\u003eGirls’ Life\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e “[For] fan[s] of the \u003cb\u003edark and macabre\u003c\/b\u003e. . . [and] stories that dig into the earthy underbelly of society.” —\u003ci\u003eMuggleNet\u003c\/i\u003eHeather Herrman's fiction blends beauty and the macabre. She loves prairie winds, tales of wicked women, and landscapes that look like they could eat you. She holds an MFA in fiction from New Mexico State University and is an active member of the Horror Writers Association. Heather currently lives outside Dallas, Texas.\u003cp\u003eThe dead do not always keep their secrets.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSometimes the living must do it for them.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTucking the knife into her pocket, Molly Green climbed down into the grave.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe river had slipped inside the dead girl like a rotten kiss, swelling her skin until it split. Her once-beautiful raven hair was tangled and clotted with mud, and a rancid smell rose from the body like potted meat left in the sun.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat she was about to do made her think of the horrible stories the nuns told. About a queen of corpses in Philadelphia.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Oh, Kitty,” she whispered.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eStruggling to stay calm, she wrapped her arms around her friend and lifted.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom above, the moon’s fading glow turned Molly’s red hair to flames.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKitty’s corpse peeled up reluctantly from the ground, like dough scraped too soon from a pan. Parts of her seemed to want to stay stuck forever in the frozen February earth, and the harder Molly wrenched, the more she felt she would break her.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Damn it,” Molly whispered. “Let me help you!”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThere was a terrible second when she was sure Kitty’s limbs would simply pull apart like a bug’s legs caught in flypaper, but then she yanked harder and the body tumbled free.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMolly lay there, gasping, Kitty’s dead body on top of her, the weight unbearably heavy on her heart.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOverhead, a grease moth circled lazily, then landed, seeking to feed. Molly felt its tiny, delicate feet skitter across her skin.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn that instant, she wanted nothing more than to give up. To scream until the nuns found her, and then maybe she could die too. They’d put her in an asylum, and she could stay there for the rest of her days, screaming with the other madwomen, pulling out her hair and banging her head on stone walls, where at least then she could be free from the constant disappointment of others.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eNo.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt’s \u003ci\u003eKitty\u003c\/i\u003e, she reminded herself. Kitty, whom you love. Kitty, who could not make a corner on a bed, who laughed like a bird and sang like a tiger. Kitty. \u003ci\u003eYour\u003c\/i\u003e Kitty.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe stink was nearly unbearable now, but there was something sweetly familiar in the rot, a scent that made her think of Christmas.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShe and Kitty had stolen an entire ham from the nuns’ last feast day, and no one had ever been the wiser.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“The trick,” said Kitty, “is to commit your sins in plain sight.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnd that was what they’d done, carrying the tray between them out the side door of the orphanage, as brave as you please. A passing priest had even offered them the sign of the cross.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThey had not been able to stop laughing, the two of them triumphantly devouring their spoils, hidden high up in an old oak tree like giddy crows. Licking the slick of peppermint-and-clove glaze from their frozen fingers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNow, using her knife, she reached around Kitty and began to cut away what was left of the ruined dress. The blade slipped, its rusty metal dull from too many kitchen washings, slicing jaggedly into her palm. She felt blood welling to the surface but did not stop.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe dress fell away. Molly ran her fingers up the icy skin, searching.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShe had seen it only once—a small pink piece of flesh, no bigger than a finger.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShe and Kitty had been swimming in the river, the sunlight dancing between them. Its rays caught a jeweled drop of water on the wiggling nub just below the small of Kitty’s back.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut as quickly as the strange limb had appeared, Kitty had submerged it. “The priest says anomalies of the flesh are a punishment,” she whispered.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMolly should have turned away. Refused to involve herself in the lives of another orphan, as she always had before she met Kitty. Instead, she said, “The priest is a great fat fucking liar.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe words hung between them like a dare.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThen Kitty laughed, and everything changed.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn that moment, they became more than just two orphans—they became bound. Sisters.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“No one else can ever know.” Kitty’s face grew serious. “Please, Molly. They’ll never let me be just a girl again. I’ll be a sermon or . . . or . . . a freak.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“I swear it,” Molly had promised.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom afar came the sound of approaching voices. The nuns, finally come to clean the body.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThey should have done it back at the church, as they did for all the other dead. Molly had waited all night, hiding herself in the priest’s confession closet after she’d heard they’d dragged her missing friend’s body from the river.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut the body had never arrived, and in the last hours before daybreak, not knowing what else to do, she had come here, had watched as the new gardener pulled Kitty’s body from his shed and tossed it like trash into the hole. The man was a Swedish Protestant and had either not been told to leave the body in the church or, with his limited English, had simply misunderstood.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe nuns’ voices drew closer.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Hurry up, Mary Margaret. That fool gardener’s already put her in the ground. Someone find him and have him dig her out.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen they cleaned Kitty, they’d see the tail, and then Molly knew what would happen—like a brood of clucking hens, they’d bring the juicy worm of a story to Mother Superior.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKitty would no longer just be a girl; she’d be a girl who had sinned.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA girl who had done something so terrible that God had punished her with a disfigurement before she was even born. They’d say she’d deserved it. They’d say, probably, that she deserved to be dead too. And they wouldn’t say it silently. They’d let the priest preach it from his pulpit, spread Kitty’s name like an infection to the other orphan girls, along with all the other doomed women he railed against each Sunday.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe moon’s cool glow grew pink, eclipsed by the rising sun. Molly lifted her face to its bloody light.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGrabbing Kitty’s lifeless hand, she held it a final time. Mother Superior was wrong. Kitty would never have left her willingly.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eI’ll find who did this to you, Kitty, I swear it. And when I do . . .\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShe felt the rage rise like a wave in her breast but quickly tamped it down.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShe had but minutes. Seconds, maybe. The nuns might not give Kitty’s stained soul the burial it deserved, but they would not besmirch God by sending filthy flesh to his judgment table.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith all her strength, Molly crawled from beneath the waterlogged body.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShe had failed Kitty once. She would not fail her again.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eStanding above the corpse, she raised the knife . . .\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut the tail was already gone.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Nancy Paulsen Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46305033421029,"sku":"NP9781984816726","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781984816726.jpg?v=1767738836","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-corpse-queen-isbn-9781984816726","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}