“This is totally, brilliantly original.” -Stephen King
“Hidden tensions and human weakness trigger a witch-hunt that boils over into persecution, scapegoating, and a shocking denouement. A powerfully spooky piece of writing.” - Financial Times
“A great read for fans of The Blair Witch Project or The Crucible. “ ―Booklist
“[O]ne of the most original, clever, and terrifying books to be published in the 21st century”. - NY Journal of Books
“A Hugo and World Fantasy award nominated talent to watch
Whoever is born here, is doomed to stay 'til death. Whoever settles, never leaves.
Welcome to Black Spring, the seemingly picturesque Hudson Valley town haunted by the Black Rock Witch, a seventeenth century woman whose eyes and mouth are sewn shut. Muzzled, she walks the streets and enters homes at will. She stands next to children's bed for nights on end. Everybody knows that her eyes may never be opened or the consequences will be too terrible to bear.
The elders of Black Spring have virtually quarantined the town by using high-tech surveillance to prevent their curse from spreading. Frustrated with being kept in lockdown, the town's teenagers decide to break their strict regulations and go viral with the haunting. But, in so doing, they send the town spiraling into dark, medieval practices of the distant past.
This chilling novel heralds the arrival of an exciting new voice in mainstream horror and dark fantasy.”