From the Publisher
"A rich, disquieting novel for fans of horror, fairy tales, and good storytelling." — Booklist (starred review)
"Beautiful and textured." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"McCauley skillfully wrangles haunting atmosphere, anticipatory tension, and macabre humor to cultivate a slow-boiling thriller couched in a decades-old mystery." — Publishers Weekly
"Macabre yet somehow cozy, All the Dead Lie Down is perfect for readers who enjoy charmingly disturbing children and grand old houses full of secrets. A great book to curl up with on a dark night." — Kendare Blake, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Three Dark Crowns
"A compulsively readable jewel of the genre, All The Dead Lie Down, will seize you with an eeriness that refuses to relent. An instant classic, worthy of collection with the best of them." — K. Ancrum, author of The Wicker King and Darling
"McCauley’s writing is as gorgeous as her story is gruesome, filled with a creeping dread that gets into your bones and holds you in thrall. All the Dead Lie Down is the best sapphic horror I’ve read in years." — Erica Waters, author of The River Has Teeth and The Restless Dark
"This has it all: a slow burn sapphic love story, an agonizingly delicious build of tension, creepy children, reveals that made me gasp out loud. A gothic love story meets gothic horror story, with expert pacing, dark family secrets, and a twisted reveal I didn't see coming." — Katrina Leno, author of Horrid and You Must Not Miss
Praise for We Can Be Heroes: "Powerful and unflinching, We Can Be Heroes is as fierce as the girls it portrays—and as unforgettable." — Marieke Nijkamp, New York Times bestselling author of This Is Where It Ends
"McCauley has penned a lyrically gorgeous and hauntingly beautiful story about love, loss, and the power of standing together to deliver justice.” — Kim Johnson, author of This is My America
“We Can Be Heroes is a vivid, striking novel about all-too-common violence in America, and the ways it shapes lives in a small town. Vivian, Beck, and Cassie’s grief, rage, tenacity and vengeance give us the strength to fight back against the gun violence and violence against women that we as society have come to see as unstoppable and inevitable. May this book be an awakening for many, and a call to action for all of us.” — Katherine Locke, award-winning author of The Girl with the Red Balloon
Praise for If These Wings Could Fly: “A hauntingly intense tale thrumming with hope! A stunning, powerful debut.” — Tiffany D. Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of Grown and White Smoke
"A deep dive to illustrate the quiet strength of those in the darkest situations, If These Wings Could Fly is atmospheric, brilliantly drawn, and ultimately hopeful.” — Mindy McGinnis, author of The Female of the Species and Heroine
“McCauley expertly blends the devastation of family with the invincibility of first love and sisterhood. This debut marks the start of a bold new talent!” — Justin A. Reynolds, author of Opposite of Always and Early Departures
“Heartbreaking, important, and layered with so much hope, this book breathes magic into every chapter.” — Akemi Dawn Bowman, Morris Award Finalist and author of Starfish
"[A] lyrical novel [with] authentic, intimate first-person narration... Strong writing that features some dreamily lovely turns of phrase... A powerful, thoughtful, and ultimately hopeful debut." — Kirkus Reviews
"Poignant and powerful, this novel uses magical realism to examine choice in a difficult world. There are titles for teens that address the realities of dating violence, but it’s more difficult to find stories of family violence; in her debut, McCauley traverses the tender ground with grace." — Booklist
"McCauley offers just a touch of magical realism here, layering a painfully honest exploration of domestic violence with a subtle eeriness... Her narration is elegant and thoughtful... a refreshing portrayal of two teens who negotiate their own challenges while acknowledging those of others." — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“A beautiful, powerful, and emotional story that tugs at your heartstrings as it empathetically and honestly steers you through the pain of domestic violence.” — Farrah Penn, author of Twelve Steps to Normal
“If These Wings Could Fly is a tense and emotional story that will in turns break your heart, make you swoon, and leave you feeling hopeful.” — Elizabeth Eulberg, author of Past Perfect Life
“A careful, sharp exploration of rage, love, and what it means to balance on the knife edge between them.” — Rebecca Barrow, author of This Is What It Feels Like
"McCauley makes a moving debut with this hard-hitting novel set in a small, tightly knit town." — Publishers Weekly
School Library Journal
10/27/2023
Gr 9 Up—Two grieving girls, one full of secrets and a strange power, learn to appreciate both life and death in this sapphic gothic romance. Still reeling from the death of her mother, Marin Blythe accepts an invitation from her mother's estranged childhood friend, famed horror writer Alice Lovelace, to care for her young daughters. Marin arrives to learn the author's remote Maine mansion, believed to be cursed, is crumbling into the sea; the girls, Thea and Wren, are macabre and prone to terrifying pranks; and Alice, her favorite author, is largely absent and alarmingly odd (to put it mildly). When the girls' older sister Evie arrives home, Marin worries she will no longer be necessary at Lovelace House, when in reality she becomes more needed than ever. Evie's terrifying "gift" turns the Lovelace estate from simply creepy to a true nightmare, and every secret places Marin in more and more peril. Together, the girls must work to set things right, before Alice can use her children to achieve her greatest wish. The atmospheric setting and lush descriptions of landscapes create a rich world, which helps offset the rough pacing. While Evie is a compelling, fully realized character, other characters, including, unfortunately, Marin, come off as underdeveloped and inconsistent. Readers sensitive to animal cruelty should be warned of frequent gory descriptions of dead and rotting creatures. VERDICT Satisfyingly dark vibes and a desire to see how it all plays out will propel readers through an uneven story that struggles to live up to its premise.—Amanda MacGregor
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2023-02-25
An odd house, a family haunted by secrets, and the girl who arrives to unravel it all.
Since her mother’s recent tragic death, 17-year-old Marin Blythe is all alone in the world, without a place to live or any money to support herself. A lifeline comes through an invitation from famous horror writer Alice Lovelace, her mom’s old childhood friend, who offers Marin room and board in her remote house in Maine in exchange for taking care of her younger children, Thea and Wren, while she finishes her latest novel. But from the moment she arrives, Marin notices something is off at Lovelace House, from Alice’s strangely disconnected behavior and the kids’ increasingly unkind pranks to the house’s secret corners and the dead, mutilated animals that appear everywhere. It’s only when Evie, Alice’s beautiful teen daughter, comes home from school that Marin slowly finds the answers she is looking for and starts to fall in love—just as events spiral out of control. This gothic story merges horror and a lovely queer romance with a helping of the fantastical in what is ultimately a story about grieving, secrets, and belonging. Marin’s yearning for a place to belong informs most of the narrative, which starts off with her as the outsider looking in but shifts as she slowly but surely carves her way into becoming part of the family in unexpected ways. Main characters are cued White.
Beautiful and textured. (Gothic romance. 14-18)
