Publishers Weekly
06/27/2016
After Silla Daniels and her mute younger sister, Nori, escape their abusive father and a London on the brink of World War III, they make their way to the blood-red family manor where their estranged aunt Cath takes them in. When Cath’s grasp on reality falters and she retreats to the attic, the sisters are left with the sound of her constant pacing and a fear of the encroaching woods, home to the ever-hungry Creeper Man, whom Cath warned is coming for the sisters. Creaks, footsteps, and giggles echo through the decrepit manor while Nori, unbeknownst to Silla, spends her nights playing with an eyeless, long-limbed friend in the basement. Kurtagich follows The Dead House with a thought-provoking exploration of familial legacy and the sibling bond. The isolated and decaying manor setting creates an immediate sense of unease, and the villain is both physically and psychologically eerie; typographic manipulations and facsimiles of burned and torn notebook excerpts play into the psychologically unstable atmosphere. Readers will it hard to look away from this genuinely frightening story as the sisters’ sanctuary becomes a nightmare. Ages 15–up. Agent: Sarah Davies, Greenhouse Literary. (Sept.)
From the Publisher
Praise for And the Trees Crept In:
* "Kurtagich's horror imagery is satisfying and affecting—her descriptions of the day-to-day decay the girls face are as rich and scary as the monstrous man who scuttles around on all fours and the teeming mud pits that are waiting in the woods. A great next read for teens who enjoy being scared."—School Library Journal (starred review)
*"Kurtagich evokes an all-pervading atmosphere of horror with dark imagery and language evoking rot, decay, and death....This unique novel is for teens who enjoy being immersed in a dark, complex horror story."—VOYA, starred review
"Will haunt readers with its raw emotions, palpable pain, and consistent character voices... Frightening and compelling, this gothic will easily sweep fans up into its creeping sense of hysteria."—Kirkus Reviews
"A thought-provoking exploration of familial legacy and the sibling bond... Readers will find it hard to look away from this genuinely frightening story, as the sisters' sanctuary becomes a nightmare."—Publishers Weekly
"And the Trees Crept In should come with a warning label: Best read in the light of day, with lots of smiling people around, and candy canes and unicorns and cute babies. A beautifully written, gorgeous nightmare of a novel."—David Arnold, author of Mosquitoland and Kids of Appetite
"An enthralling, unsettling fairy tale that will have you turning pages long into the night."—Michelle Zink, author of This Wicked Game and Lies I Told
"Dark, twisted, and terrifying, And the Trees Crept In will keep your stomach in knots from page one. A must-read for horror fans everywhere!"—Susan Dennard, author of Truthwitch
"Dawn Kurtagich lulls her readers into a world of nightmares in this brilliant follow-up to The Dead House. And the Trees Crept In is a terrifying, lyrical journey into the darkest abyss, and one that will haunt me for a long time."—Kat Ellis, author of Blackfin Sky
"A fight for survival, an encroaching forest, a cursed manor, and dark secrets... Kurtagich's terrifying take wrapped my heart up and squeezed until I was as cold as the dead things haunting its pages."—Alexandra Sirowy, author of The Creeping
"Horror fans will delight in the grotesque poetry of this historical-feeling contemporary spine-chiller featuring a monumental twist ending. Not for the squeamish."—Booklist
"Horror fans will be caught by the gripping cover image, and there's plenty to scare them here, even during the second reading that the surprise ending might encourage them to undertake."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Praise for The Dead House:
"What an evil and original story. You can't stop reading Kaitlyn's diary. But is she real? It's a mystery inside a mystery—and the shocks keep coming. Scary stuff!"—R.L. Stine, author of the Goosebumps and Fear Street series
"The Dead House is a seamless blend of the supernatural and the psychological. Creepy, compelling, and compulsively readable."—Victoria Schwab, author of The Archived and Vicious
"Full of twists, buried secrets, and enough disturbing corpses to please the most discerning horror lover, The Dead House is a thoroughly engrossing read. Diary entries, psychiatrist records, and transcripts from the investigation keep the pages turning late into the night. This is a harrowing tale, cleverly told."—Kendare Blake, author of Anna Dressed in Blood
"All I could think when I finished The Dead House was that the author, Dawn Kurtagich, has an amazing mind. Creepy, but amazing. I loved it."—Christopher Pike, bestselling author of Thirst
"Kurtagich weaves a terrifying and mind-bending tale reminiscent of H.P. Lovecraft. This is one of the best horror debuts I've read in a long time!"—J.R. Johansson, author of Cut Me Free and The Night Walker series
"Not for the faint of heart, this is a gory and grimly compelling story, made more so by the novel's visual elements."—Booklist
"This creepy boarding school novel meshes real world issues with a paranormal mystery in a fun but scary debut... Fans of horror novels will appreciate the creepy photographs scattered throughout, and the multiple perspectives are smoothly integrated... A worthy addition to high school horror collections."—School Library Connection
"Told through a retrospective collection of found evidence surrounding the deaths of several students in a boarding school fire, Kurtagich's debut novel is deeply disturbing and fraught with emotion."—Publishers Weekly
"Kurtagich maintains the creepy and dark tone through to the end, where readers are not given a neat, tidy ending—the ghosts still haunt, pieces of the story remain missing, and life goes on despite the terrible tragedy at the prestigious Elmbridge High School."—VOYA
School Library Journal
★ 06/01/2016
Gr 9 Up—When Silla and her younger sister Nori arrive on the doorstep of their estranged aunt's crumbling manor, they are cold, injured, and on the run from someone awful. Things start sliding into macabre territory right away, and within a few years Aunt Cath has gone mad and locked herself in the attic permanently. The two sisters and their mysterious friend (who has appeared from the forest) are trapped on the property with little food and a giant fear of both the Slender Man-type figure who may live in the woods, and the trees themselves, which appear to be closing in on them. Silla's dreamlike and unreliable narration works hand in hand with a host of unanswered (and unasked) questions to prime readers for a twist ending, which savvy consumers of horror will figure out. There's a bit of a romance, and the novel ends on an emotional exploration of the traumas that led to this nightmare. Kurtagich's horror imagery is satisfying and affecting—her descriptions of the day-to-day decay the girls face are as rich and scary as the monstrous man who scuttles around on all fours and the teeming mud pits that are waiting in the woods. VERDICT A great next read for teens who enjoy being scared; purchase where horror is popular.—Beth McIntyre, Madison Public Library, WI
Kirkus Reviews
2016-06-28
An emotional and chilling tale of loss, love, and personal demons. Fifteen-year-old Silla wants to be someplace safe, away from her abusive home and the threat of war. When she and her younger sister, Nori, escape to La Baume, Silla hopes the ancestral home of her mother and aunt will be a safe haven. At first Aunt Cath is caring and attentive, but then everything goes awry. And even though it isn’t possible, Silla is sure Python Wood is creeping closer to La Baume…along with the malevolent entity called the Creeper Man. The novel is set in modern Britain, but Kurtagich’s careful worldbuilding reeks of gothic atmosphere and will make readers forget where and when they are. Silla’s spiral into madness seems drawn out for the sake of building her romance with Gowan, a boy who suddenly appears at the manor, which results in a conclusion that feels abrupt and somewhat unoriginal. However, the novel, which is told from Silla’s perspective and peppered with notes from Nori and Aunt Cath, will haunt readers with its raw emotions, palpable pain, and consistent character voices. Silla is described as having “too-white skin,” but diversity exists in Nori, who is mute and afflicted by a deformity. Frightening and compelling, this gothic will easily sweep fans up into its creeping sense of hysteria. (Horror. 13 & up)
