Description
Cemetery Boys meets The Haunting of Bly Manor in this spellbinding debut!
For Jaime, returning to the Vermont town of Saint Juniper means returning to a past he’s spent eight years trying to forget. After shuttling between foster homes, he hopes to make something out of this fresh start. But every gossip in town already knows his business, and with reminders of his past everywhere, he seeks out solitude into the nearby woods—Saint Juniper’s Folly—and does not return.
For Theo, Saint Juniper means being stuck. He knows there’s more out there, but he’s scared to go find it. His senior year is going to be like all the rest, dull and claustrophobic. That is until he wanders into the Folly and stumbles on a haunted house with an acerbic yet handsome boy trapped—as in physically trapped—inside.
For Taylor, Saint Juniper is a mystery. She tries to practice the magic her dad banned from the house after her mom, an accomplished witch, suddenly died. But without someone to guide her, she’s floundering. Then a wide-eyed teenager barges into her life, rambling about a haunted house and a trapped boy. He needs a witch.
The Folly and its ghosts will draw these three teenagers together. But can they each face their demons to forge a bond strong enough to escape the Folly’s shadows?
Alex Crespo’s queer haunted house mystery is equal parts spine-tingling thrills, a celebration of found family, and must-read for paranormal romance fans.
Reviews
★ “Teens feeling stuck—in various identification boxes, in the Sisyphean cycle of school days, or in the sometimes poisonous, sometimes nurturing bounds of family—will likely relate to Jaime’s yearning for freedom, and this remarkable debut novel carefully explores these struggles with grace and sympathy. . . . Theo, Jaime, and Taylor are unforgettable.”—The Bulletin for the Center of Children’s Books, Starred Review
★ “The vividly drawn features of Saint Juniper’s Folly create a suspenseful, unsettling atmosphere, but the chills and frights are interspersed with moments of levity and warmth. . . .”—Shelf Awareness, Starred Review
“Crespo’s debut blends together magic and mystery, love and connection, and romance to create a creepily engaging gothic narrative.”—Booklist
“Readers who enjoy watching a queer love story unfold amid peril will enjoy. . . .”—Kirkus Reviews
“Centering themes of found family and identity, Crespo depicts Theo’s unfolding understanding of his sexuality with sensitivity and realism, and his strengthening romance with Jaime sparkles with anticipatory tension and affable banter.”—Publishers Weekly
“This sweet, supernatural love story features a trio of likable protagonists with each chapter alternating among their perspectives. . . . A recommended first purchase for teen collections looking to expand their supernatural fiction and LGBTQIA+ titles.”—School Library Journal
“Deeply atmospheric and unexpectedly moving, Saint Juniper’s Folly is a slow, ominous creep of a book. Alex Crespo demonstrates how trauma can build walls and trap us in our own haunted houses, but they also show us the way out.” —Aiden Thomas, New York Times bestselling author of Cemetery Boys and The Sunbearer Trials
“A tale of friendship and love wrapped up in haunted houses and bloody magic. Alex Crespo stretches out a hand to teens who feel alone and assures them that they’ll find friends who will fight for them, even if it means facing down the dead.” —Andrew Joseph White, New York Times bestselling author of Hell Followed with Us
“A wholly original ghost story filled with secrets—the kind we keep from each other, and the kind we keep from ourselves. Alex Crespo’s trio of unlikely friends ground the story with their tangible love, making Saint Juniper’s Folly unputdownable and entirely stunning.” —Sasha Peyton Smith, New York Times bestselling author of The Witch Haven
More Details
BISAC 1: YAF045000 Young Adult Fiction – Paranormal, Occult & Supernatural
BISAC 2: YAF052040 Young Adult Fiction – Romance – LGBTQ+
BISAC 3: YAF021000 Young Adult Fiction – Ghost Stories
