Dead Girls Don't Dream

Ages 14 to 18

Two girls set out to save themselves in this queer horror novel set in the haunted forest of a small town, perfect for fans of House of Hollow and Yellowjackets.

Everyone who wanders from the path in Voynich Woods is never seen again. The neighboring town, in decline after the demise of a once-thriving logging industry, is now known for its mysterious folklore and missing posters, because no one who gets lost comes back to tell the tale.

Except for Riley Walcott.

Riley knows better than to stray from the trail in the woods behind her uncle Toby's house. But her little sister Sam breaks the rules in pursuit of a local legend, so Riley chases after her and discovers a masked, knife-wielding figure and a waiting grave.

Madelyn lives deep in the forest. Subject to her mother's strict rules, she's forbidden from leaving home or using her magic--but one night, she risks everything to help a stranger who's lost in the woods.

When Riley is murdered in a strange ritual, Madelyn uses her magic to resurrect her, and their lives are immediately entwined in the gnarled history of Voynich Woods. Riley, who feels trapped in her small town but too afraid to leave, was never a believer, but now the evidence is taking root under her skin. Madelyn has the scars to prove how terrible magic can be, and longs for a life beyond her mother's grasp. Together, with the ghost of long-dead Jane, they're forced to uncover the truth about Voynich Woods and the legends within.

At once tender, violent, and thrilling, Dead Girls Don't Dream is a novel of recovery, healing, and finding your power.

About the Author

Nino Cipri is a queer and trans/nonbinary writer, editor, and educator. They are a graduate of the 2014 Clarion Writers’ Workshop, and earned their MFA in fiction from the University of Kansas. A multidisciplinary artist, Nino has also written plays, screenplays, and radio features; performed as a dancer, actor, and puppeteer; and worked as a stagehand, bookseller, bike mechanic, and labor organizer. They are the author of the World Fantasy Award finalist and Dzanc Short Fiction Collection Prize winner, Homesick, and the LAMBDA finalist, Finna. Dead Girls Don't Dream is their young adult debut.

ninocipri.com