★ Starred review from SLJ   |   ★ Starred review from VOYA

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A stunning, terrifying novel about a house the color of blood and the two sisters who are trapped there, by The Dead House author Dawn Kurtagich

When Silla and Nori arrive at their aunt's home, it's immediately clear that the "blood manor" is cursed. The creaking of the house and the stillness of the woods surrounding them would be enough of a sign, but there are secrets too--the questions that Silla can't ignore: Who is the beautiful boy that's appeared from the woods? Who is the man that her little sister sees, but no one else? And why does it seem that, ever since they arrived, the trees have been creeping closer?

Filled with just as many twists and turns as The Dead House, and with achingly beautiful, chilling language that delivers haunting scenes, AND THE TREES CREPT IN is the perfect follow-up novel for master horror writer Dawn Kurtagich. 

Read an excerpt

★ Starred review from SLJ:

School Library Journal: June 1, 2016

 And the Trees Crept In

By Dawn Kurtagich

September/ Ages 15 & Up/ $17.99

ISBN: 978-0-316-29870-4

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.

★ Starred review from VOYA:

* “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

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 find it hard to look away from this genuinely frightening story, as the sisters’ sanctuary becomes a nightmare.”

~~ Publisher’s Weekly

"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

“AND THE TREES CREPT IN is a hauntingly immersive tale of insanity, terror, and what happens when you’re not even safe in your own home.”

--- HYPABLE

“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:

"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, New York Times Bestselling author of Truthwitch and Windwitch

“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, Bestselling author of Mosquitolandand 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

“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 and The Telling