In Grea’s genre-bending novel, a young gay man returns to his hometown, where a ferocious monster is picking off the population.

Alex Thorton, directionless and reeling after his traumatic high school graduation ceremony (a boy Alex had been secretly seeing revealed their relationship to Alex’s shocked mother),returns to his grandmother Belle’s home in Jasper Mill, Tennessee, where she lives with Lucy, a black cat. Her stoner friend Gracie is nearby, and frequent visitor Justine rounds out the free-spirited elderly trio. They offer Alex a welcome reprieve and space to be himself. Meanwhile, David Stone, a pansexual police officer serving in a homophobic unit, is puzzling over the “animal attack” murders that have shaken the town. After he’s attacked, he’s plagued with nightmares, and the “dramatic wounds” heal rapidly into “pink strokes one could easily overlook.” During an interview, Gracie lets slip that Alex is back in town—a fact David, who had an intimate relationship with Alex, finds “more shocking than the grisly murder of Eunice Thomas.” As the two agree to “get to know each other again,” Alex debates going to college and explores downtown. He visits a quaint bookstore with just a whiff of decay, where the proprietor gifts him a seemingly innocent book that later transforms into Lectiones Maleficii: Lessons & Learnings of Witchcraft, which catches the eyes of Belle, Gracie, and Justine. As they reveal a troubling past incident that has bound them together, David withdraws and begins waking up in strange places. Dark magic is afoot, and the group must intervene before any more lives are lost. Grea writes with charm and care. The fast-paced, well-plotted narrative deftly switches from Alex’s first-person perspective to an omniscient third person, dropping clues and building suspense without spoon-feeding the reader. LGBTQ+ horror lovers will tear through these pages; Alex and his found family are believable characters anyone can root for, effectively anchoring this novel as it hits its eerie, fantastical beats.

An effortlessly compelling horror story with a big heart.

In Grea’s horror novel, a summer camp with a haunted history opens its doors to a new cohort of unsuspecting teens.

Joey Carpenter is an insular, gay teenager navigating life in a homophobic town. After a friend’s uncle grooms him, leading him into a creeping relationship that culminates in sexual assault, Joey is eager to escape the explosive aftermath that hangs over him at school and home. As an attendee of the summer getaway Kamp Kromwell, Joey comes out of his shell to defend twins DJ and Lily Foster from bullies alongside newfound friends Kenny Louve and brothers Paul and Asia Demarco. The six misfits form the Kromwell Krew, “bound together, joined like links in a chain.” But as the burgeoning friendships solidify, a frightening local legend surfaces on Folklore Night: The murderous John Tate, “who had butchered countless women” in the 1960s, buried his unfortunate victims on the grounds of the then under-construction Kamp Kromwell. When “bodies began to spring up like dandelions” and a mistrial set Tate free, the townsfolk of Jasper Mill took justice into their own hands, bringing the story to a horrifying conclusion. The arrival of Jasper Mill exile Floppy Mossy (accompanied by “a flood of ravens”) interrupts a talent show performance; her prophetic dreams signify the return of a terrible spirit that the Kromwell Krew must confront before the night is over.  The chapters alternate between third- and first-person perspectives, with Joey’s narrative unfolding alongside the dark history of Jasper Mill and its inhabitants. Grea crafts a twisty page-turner populated with characters that feel well drawn, no matter how small their parts in the overall plot. (Even those who tip the story’s delicate balance of good and evil toward darkness are given detailed biographies contextualizing their actions.) While summer camp-themed slashers are familiar territory to horror readers, Grea’s twist on the typical tropes and LGBTQ+ characters refresh the genre with compelling ease.

A compelling thriller that effortlessly balances horror with humor and heart.