The pacing is exquisite, a creeping horror that escalates into a waking nightmare and a combustive, satisfying conclusion… Readers who will soon be attending college and love classic literature, writing, or the dark academia aesthetic will find much to appreciate in this queer Gothic tale.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“In this slow-burn psychological horror novel, Waters (The Restless Dark) creates tension around the pressures of class inequality and impostor syndrome, filtered through Tara’s acerbic first-person narration. Moody and disquieting prose combine with paranormal intrigue to drive this dark tale of exploitation and academic greed.” — Publishers Weekly
“Stoker Award winner Waters pens an eerie academic psychological thriller perfect for the upcoming Halloween season… fresh, surprising twists, and an unexpected turn of events creates tension and mystery.” — Booklist
“Gothic horror for fans of dark academia.” — Kirkus Reviews
Praise for The Restless Dark:
“A classic Erica Waters blend of tension, setting so real you can feel it in the room with you, and language so beautiful you can taste it.” — Wendy Heard, author of She’s Too Pretty to Burn
“Attentively acknowledges the appeal of true crime while confronting the ways in which it can be exploitative. Employing a touch of the supernatural to create a consistently creepy environment, Waters crafts a smart and memorable thriller.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“A satisfyingly twisty and refreshingly self-aware examination of human desires for self-knowledge and survival.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Waters’ (The River Has Teeth, 2021) atmospheric, creepy psychological thriller combines true crime fandom, a queer love triangle, and a wilderness survival story…. [a] compelling, twisty novel where perception is compromised and reality is illusive.” — Booklist
Praise for The River Has Teeth:
“This genre-blending contemporary thriller offers a searing indictment of men who prey on women while the book’s fantasy elements offer a form of revenge and resolution… Potent, atmospheric, and wholly satisfying.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“A backwoods murder ballad of a book that draws from the old songs and legends that underpin so many areas of rural America. [The River Has Teeth] is well worth a listen.”
— NPR
"Soft and seething, with an undercurrent of longing and rage, THE RIVER HAS TEETH is the perfect story for anyone who is tired of feeling helpless. This book has teeth, too."
— Hannah Whitten, New York Times bestselling author of For the Wolf
"Waters weaves a spell on the page, seeped with dark and murky magic, both beautiful and terrifying, just as her girls are beautiful and terrifying. Set loose upon the Bend, Natasha and Della are two forces crashing into one another with a strength that makes their world tremble."
— Emma Berquist, author of Missing, Presumed Dead
"Packed with monstrous magic and a wicked bite, The River Has Teeth is the perfect read for fans of Beware the Wild and Wilder Girls. Fierce and flawless."
— Kat Ellis, author of Harrow Lake
“Full of fierce women and wild magic, The River Has Teeth is a captivating story of love, grief, and the power of anger. From its eerie opening pages to its gripping finale, it kept me enthralled.”
— Kate Alice Marshall, author of Rules for Vanishing
“The River Has Teeth is one of those books I could not put down—even when I knew I should. The lush, haunting story gave me the most gorgeous nightmares I’ve ever had.”
— Kylie Schachte, author of You're Next
“With its witches, monsters, and missing girls, The River Has Teeth is a hypnotic, suspenseful read.”
— Wendy Heard, author of She’s Too Pretty to Burn
“This horror-tinged tale from Waters (Ghost Wood Song) spotlights issues of racial and socioeconomic injustice…. [A] lushly written story.”
— Publishers Weekly
“A cathartic portrait of two girls’ anger toward a world whose cruelty and injustice forced them to fight back. The River Has Teeth delivers ferociously good thrills.”
— BookPage
“Waters’ southern gothic thriller cleverly uses magic as a metaphor for the ways women resist the harm that men do.”
— Booklist
Praise for Ghost Wood Song:
“What a gorgeous, creepy gem of a book, brimming with magic, mystery, music, and so much love that you’ll ache as if these characters were your actual friends. Ghost Wood Song weaves a captivating spell you won’t want to break.” — Claire Legrand, New York Times bestselling author of Furyborn and Sawkill Girls
"Ghost Wood Song sings a high and lonesome love song to family, to place, to music, and to love itself. It will make your heart dance."
— Jeff Zentner, Morris Award winning author of The Serpent King and Goodbye Days
"These haunted pages are full to bursting with intricate family dynamics, a nuanced queer romance, and a crescendo of an ending readers won’t see coming. With notes of southern gothic and mystery, Ghost Wood Song will strike a chord with fans of The Raven Boys and Beautiful Creatures."
— Rosiee Thor, author of Tarnished Are the Stars
"Strikes the perfect balance of atmospheric chills, dark familial secrets, and a yearning for the warm comforts of home. I could hear the cicadas' call and feel the smothering humidity, even as I shivered!"
— Erin A. Craig, New York Times bestselling author, House of Salt and Sorrows
"Ghost Wood Song is a dusky, haunting daydream of a debut that hits all the right notes."
— Dahlia Adler, author of Under the Lights and editor of His Hideous Heart
“A gorgeously written debut filled with ghosts, a queer love triangle, a murder mystery, & a healthy dose of bluegrass. When you finish, you’ll want to turn back to page one and start all over again.”
— Amanda Lovelace, author of The Princess Saves Herself in this One
“Debut author Waters weaves an intense and spectral atmosphere with vivid prose…Haunting and alluring.”
— Kirkus Reviews
“Waters' debut features a bisexual lead with both male and female love interests, an atmospheric southern gothic setting, and, for the musically inclined, lots of folk and bluegrass references. For teens with a penchant for eerie ghost stories, this lyrical tale will hit the spot.”
— Booklist
