Dead Girls Walking is a YA horror about a girl returning to her childhood home, which was also the hunting grounds of her serial killer father, and is now a horror camp for Black, queer teen girls. Temple, the MC, signs up to be a counsellor for the camp, all so that she can go back home and try and find her mother’s body – because her dad just admitted he killed her.

There were things in Dead Girls Walking that I sincerely did not understand. Why was Temple a counsellor when she was the same age as the rest of the campers? What was with the insertion of some fictional book with a cult following? Why were there random blog posts and other “media” type things scattered throughout the book? How was Temple so close to her childhood home that she could attend camp there, but no one knew who she was?

I think the book I expected Dead Girls Walking to be was just too different to what it actually turned out like. From the blurb I was expecting classic Friday the 13th type slasher horror, with the slow build up and tension. Unfortunately there was none of this. It was much more of a paranormal horror than a traditional slasher, it went from 0 to 100 in terms of the horror, and there was no tension to be seen.

I do think I would have benefitted from rereading the synopsis before starting because it really gives a lot of context that isn’t included in the book. As it was, I didn’t, and therefore had no idea what on earth was even happening.

The overall vibes (because that’s all I could get through my confusion) were great, and I did love the parts where the girls came together and realised how much stronger they were for it. This aspect would have been even more elevated if the secondary characters had more development.

Overall, I can’t say I enjoyed Dead Girls Walking but there were elements that were good so I say if you’re in the mood for a paranormal horror, you read the synopsis to understand the premise, and you’re okay with some things that will go over your head then it might be worth it.

2.5 stars

This book was fine? I mean the story had so much potential but between the confusing narrative style, generic characters, and just.. dull moments, it was a struggle for me to get even to the 20% mark (where I ultimately DNFd)

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Temple Baker has stared evil in the face many times in her life, especially with her father being the infamous North Point Serial Killer. She's tried desperately to remove herself from her past, moving when things get too close for comfort, or her past inches it's way to being outed by those around her, but what she doesn't expect, is for her father to admit to her mother's murder, and to send her on a macabre goose chase to track down where he buried her body.

Temple may have believed her father killed the others he's been found guilty of, but never her mother, so she feels compelled to dive deeper into this mystery by returning to their old home, which has since been converted into an LGBTQ+ horror camp, and Temple must pose as a camp counsellor to uncover more of her father's past and investigate deeper into her mother's disappearance.

This was eerie and disquieting from the outset, and compelled me throughout. Temple has long since learnt to keep to herself, no good ever comes from trusting others, or getting close to them, especially with her having to mask her identity from others in fear of being recognised as the daughter of the most notorious serial killer of North Point. She's stead-fast and fierce, she refuses to be cornered or bullied, and gives just as good as she takes, she's just so resourceful and resilient. As a camp counsellor, Temple struggles to draw her boundaries and keep the other girls in her camp at arm's length, she didn't come here to make friends, but she soon finds herself charmed by some of them.

However, when one of the girls is found dead in the woods, Temple begins to question everything, and worries that a copycat of her father may be loose in the woods, and all is definitely not as it seems, with a sinister, demonic force wreaking havoc across the camp.

'Dead Girls Walking' is a lyrically written story with chilling prose that sucks you in and keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. My only issue was that it did often feel like a lot of the girls in the camp blended together during the middle of the story, but near the end, their individual personalities shone through, and I felt more of a connection to each individual character.

This story GUTTED me , the plot twists had me on edge and the atmosphere was so sinister and disturbing that it had me feeling deeply unsettled. If you're looking for your next spooky read as autumn approaches, that has a dark, unsettling and deeply complex lore underneath it all, then look no further than this queer YA slasher.

~4.5 stars

Dead Girls Walking had all the ingredients for a book I should’ve loved—serial killer family drama, a horror-themed summer camp, and a dark, mysterious setting. As a fan of slasher movies and camp stories, I was genuinely looking forward to this one. The concept of Temple Baker returning to her father’s old hunting grounds, now a camp for queer horror enthusiasts, sounded like a killer setup. Unfortunately, the execution just didn’t land for me.

The plot felt overloaded with too many elements fighting for attention—serial killer legacy, hidden identities, potential copycat murders, and possibly even supernatural elements. With so much going on, the story lost its focus, and I found myself struggling to stay engaged. The characters were also a letdown; they were so frustrating that it was hard to care about them.

Overall, despite my high hopes, Dead Girls Walking just didn’t work for me. It took me much longer to finish than usual, and I never felt fully immersed in the story. A great concept, but unfortunately, it fell flat in the execution.

"Dead Girls Walking" by Sami Ellis is a chilling and atmospheric thriller that deftly combines elements of suspense and the supernatural. Its darkly intriguing plot and hauntingly vivid writing make it a compelling and memorable read.

This was a wild and fun YA slasher! The setting and the story were super fun, but I did have some problems with Temple a she slightly irked me, but I still enjoyed her quest. The pace started off slow, but it did pick up quickly.

I was so excited for this book and really wanted to love it because it sounded amazing and I love slasher movies/stories and all things related to summer camp. This book seemed right up my alley! But unfortunately this just didn’t end up being a good read for me. I really struggled to get into the story and it took me way longer to get through this book than it normally takes me.

The thing I loved most about this story was the representation of queer POC women! I mean - a summer camp geared toward queer teen girls who love horror - what’s not to love about that?!?! Such an amazing premise with an awesome diverse cast of characters. I just wish the story had delivered more. There was so much happening I found myself getting more confused and ending up with more questions at the end than I did to start.

About halfway through I did start to get a little more invested, but I never got hooked. The story was also VERY different from what I expected after reading the blurb. Minor spoiler: This ended up being more of a paranormal horror story than a classic slasher story like I went in assuming it would be.

Not a bad story overall. It had some great elements and the twists and turns in the story were unique and interesting (even if a bit confusing at times). This story just didn’t work for me. I’m still interested in reading what Sami Ellis comes out with next though!

Oof. I wanted to love this so bad. It's a horror summer camp with a serial killer storyline and it was okay but it wasn't great.

In my opinion this book tried to be like You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kaylynn Bayron and it just didn't meet my expectations.

I feel like the haunting and supernatural elements are really what didn't work for me. I love the concept of family serial killing and even a horror summer camp but I think there was too many things going on. I also didn't like any of the characters they're all annoying as fuck. And while I think there's a place to have all of your characters be morally gray and annoying it doesn't make for a super enjoyable read.

Another thing that constantly was just nagging at the back of my brain was the fact that the camp counselors were the same age as the campers and I don't think that that's a thing that happens. Maybe it is but it felt super weird and not well thought out at all.

Dead Girls Walking was a book I was very excited to read and ended up being a very obscure read for me. It didn’t at all go in the direction I thought it would. It wasn’t predictable or cliche in its direction and a lot of the time I wasn’t 100% sure what was going on. It explored some very powerful emotions and humanity behind contradictions, as well as delving into perceptions not being what we think they are. It was also a total mystery most of the book. I was very hopeful that the characters would be okay in the end. And in some scenes I was very much holding my breath, on the edge of my seat. Some other scenes were very gory and pretty messed up. If a twisted, gory, emotional roller coaster mystery sounds like your thing, this might be the book for you.

This book was thrilling, exciting and explored very important themes that I appreciated in the book!

My only comment would maybe be the pacing of the book, which sometimes felt off to me. Other than that, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a good mystery book that has beautiful writing!

A truly creepy and haunting YA. I love how Ellis digs into every part of this book. It was atmospheric and kept me up at night.

I wanted to like this one so much more than I did. I loved the summer camp setting and the representation present in this book, with its full cast of queer, Black characters. I wish that the characters would have been developed more. I never really felt like I got to know much about the side characters. Additionally, Temple, the main character, was not likeable. I'm okay with unlikeable characters, as long as there is some redeeming quality. I had a tough time finding something to like about Temple.My biggest issue with the book, however, was that I was entirely confused the entire time I was reading. I really had no clue what was happening at any given time. I enjoyed the spooky horror vibes, but just had no idea what was happening beyond that. I would definitely give this author another try and would still recommend this to some of my readers that enjoy horror.

I listened to this on audio, and it took a few chapters for me to get on board. I was intrigued by the fact that our girl's dad was a serial killer and that she knew and made no excuses. But her bad af attitude was a huge turn off for me.

But thankfully there was a fantastic line up of supporting characters that made this story enjoyable and after a few reveals/flashbacks and understanding I stopped disliking Temple. She can thank Callie, Brenda, and Yaya for that.

This was a fun read that I'd love to see adapted to the big screen. I appreciated the LGBTQ Rep & the fact that the setting was a Horror Themed Summer Camp that was specifically for POC and Queer youths.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for so graciously providing me qirh this e-ARC! I am very thankful and once read will update this review placeholder with my thoughts and also review on my Social medias.

Temple Baker returns to her serial killer father’s hunting grounds on a mission to find her mother’s body. In order to gain access to the private property, she poses as a camp counsellor for a summer camp for queer horror novel obsessed girls. When she finds the body of one of the missing girls from camp, she starts the unravel an even more horrifying discovery about her family and what’s really hiding in the woods.

Dead Girls Walking by Sami Ellis is a fast paced young adult supernatural horror filled with blood, guts and gore. I read this one in a couple of days and just felt like I couldn’t put it down. I really loved the short chapters which kept me on edge the whole way through.

There was a few things that let this book down for me. Firstly, I felt like the characters were underdeveloped, there were a lot of different characters in the book but even the main character didn’t seem to have a solid underpinning. I would have also liked to see more strength in the development of the relationships between the characters in the book. Secondly, although I probably should have seen it coming, I didn’t love the overly supernatural turn the book took, especially since it was promoted as a ‘Slasher’.

If you’re a fan of super gorey books with supernatural and mystery elements you might enjoy this one more than I did. It’s also filled with plenty of diverse BIPOC and Queer characters which was definitely a highlight for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Abrams Books for providing me with an eARC for review.

THIS. BOOK.

You need to read it!!! It was so good; the vibes were freaky, gore-y and spine-chilling. Perfect for Halloween or whenever you're in need of a thrilling, startling story.

"The first time she saw a dead body, she was eight years old."

Temple Baker has lived a life of questions and living under her father's shadow.

But now, she is determined to find out the truth about her mother's death. With her serial killer father in jail, adamant that his daughter will discover the truth, Temple applies to become a camp counsellor so she can return to the property where her family home still stands, along with the countless graves of many of her father's victims.

With the need to discover the truth in her mind and the sudden disappearance of another camp counsellor threatening the safety of the camp, Temple must find out the truth about her childhood home and family before it is too late.

If you love creepy stories with gore, possession, survival and more, then you will definitely love this book!!

I was promised gore and mayhem, and Dead Girls Walking absolutely delivered. The slasher horror vibes were consistent throughout. The story moved fast from one catastrophe to another.
I felt that the breakneck pace left very little room for character or relationship development in the first half. There was some enjoyable progress in those areas in the second half, but it was just too little too late for my reading preferences.
If you are searching for a fast-moving gore soaked thriller, but don’t need relational depth, this is a fabulous choice!

Plot - 3
Writing and Editing - 4
Character Development - 2
Personal Bias - 2
Final Score - 2.75

Thank you Sami Ellis, Amulet Books, and NetGalley for my advanced review copy. My opinions are my own.

I was really excited to read this one from Sami Ellis. It failed to hit the mark unfortunately. Young adult isn’t always my cup of tea but if done correctly, it can be just as frightening as adult horror. This wasn’t one of those experiences. It was scary at all, and read more like a murder mystery than horror. Oh and summer camp horror is a trope that has been done to death and it didn’t really bring anything new and fresh to the table.

FMC, Temple’s dad is a psychopath. He is in jail for killing many, many girls. Think Ted Bundy on crack. She is desperate to find out what happened to her mother. One minute she was there, hiding in the bathtub with Temple, protecting her from her father and the next she was gone. Can she find her or did her father kill her like he claims? In order to go back to the start, she volunteers as a camp counsellor to access her old property. It’s a tricky business. She doesn’t want to be there and is unwilling to forge any friendships. Each teenager is obsessed with horror and a certain book and Temple finds herself cringing at their immaturity.

My main issue with the book wasn’t that it was YA, more that it read much younger than YA. It was a real hard slog to get through and felt very immature in places. Perhaps it was more middle grade. Again, I feel this book was marketed poorly – It wasn’t really horror and it didn’t feel like YA.

2.5 rounded up to 3/5 stars

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
this story was just Very convoluted and confusing...? i usually love a horror story especially one based in a camp, love a slasher summer horror story but this was just not the right pick for me. the storyline was really confusing and there were So many characters it was hard to follow at times. i was hoping the mixed media format would tie in more of the story and make it less confusing, but it just confused me more sometimes. i wish more time had been spent developing the friendship between temple, cali, and yaya because their bond really made the story semi-enjoyable for me.

overall, i wouldn't pick this up again but i would knock it until you try it, i think it just wasn't the right pick for me.