Thank you so much NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book because just as I was expecting, I loved this one. Dead Girls Walking surprised me in more ways than one and after reading this review, I highly suggest anyone interested preorder a copy of the book when it releases.

While I’ve seen this book marketed as YA, it definitely didn’t feel that way to me, with several scenes managing to shock me; the novel doesn’t contain anything extremely graphic but fortunately the violence was spread-out enough, making the moments hit harder when they happened. Without spoiling anything, the book takes a turn a little earlier than halfway through which while I can’t describe as a tonal shift, definitely provided a new interesting perspective on the events and introduced a new concept in a very creative way.

I’ve heard the protagonist of the book, Temple, described as unlikeable by other ARC readers but I disagree with this notion; Sami Ellis managed to create a protagonist who realistically reacted to everything that had happened to her in the past and everything that was currently happening to her. Surprisingly, almost every character in Dead Girls Walking behaved rationally and in the process, which felt like a breath of fresh air.

All of my complaints for this one are minor and mostly relating to two particular characters that did not deserve forgiveness at any point in the book yet inexplicably kept being given it, so I won’t go into detail. Overall, I highly recommend this one to anyone who is a fan of either A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder or Evil Dead.

I normally LOVE YA horror, as it doesn’t take its self too seriously and it is a hella lot of fun. Unfortunately, this one felt like it tried too hard which made me feel very disconnected to the characters and what the author was trying to portray. I know I’m not the target audience so that is probably why and I hope the target audience enjoys, I’m gutted as I really wanted to like this, it’s some of my absolute favourite horror tropes!

I am very back and forth on ya horror. I feel like it can be done really well but it very rarely is. In this case the book itself was actually really good I just felt like I had seen a lot of this sort of story before. That being said I am always glad to see more black horror stories so that also makes this worth a read. This is definitely a good one if you really enjoy ya horror or even if you are just getting into the genre. If you prefer darker stories you may want to venture elsewhere but overall this was a very solid book.

I thought I would absolutely love this book. Unfortunately, it was just an average read for me.

I didn’t like the fact that Temple thought she could blend in with no one figuring out who she was, despite her using her real name, lol. Then, most of them actually didn’t, which was beyond unrealistic, considering what they liked.

I also didn’t like it that the big bad was basically revealed really early in the book (it was immediately obvious from the clues), and that a super religious gal who constantly prays and talks about god was somehow at a horror-themed camp? What?

Oh, and it felt like the overall story was too much for the author. As in, choosing between the supernatural aspects and the killer aspects would probably have been a wise move.

The good news is that I’m not the target audience for this book. I hope the people who are will enjoy this one more than I did.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

2.5 stars

Yeah I’m sorry, this book really wasn’t for me. Normally I love YA horror books. I felt like I’ve read this kind of story a lot of times and I was bored?
Temple was very annoying and I couldn’t click with her character.
Maybe I’m too spoilt with horror books and they don’t scare me as much anymore.
Doesn’t mean this book isn’t for you!!

Thank you Netgalley and to the publisher for allowing me to review this ARC.

Temple is no stranger to evil. She knows that it runs in her veins, after all, her father is the North Point Killer. A serial killer made notorious for the fact that he branded his victims. He's been convicted of twenty murders and is now behind bars. Temple never believed that he murdered her mother, even though he's adamant that he did, but when her father confessed to it, she had no choice but to return to North Point Farms - his killing grounds - to unearth the truth. The only problem is, North Point Farms is now a campground for an overnight queer camp for horror enthusiasts. Never one to shy away from an obstacle, Temple signs up as a camp counsellor in order to make it onto the property. She's not used to hanging out with girls her own age and has never been one that fits in easily, all she has to do is play nice, then at night she can scour the campgrounds for her mothers corpse. Easy. Until a girl is found dead in the woods. That brings a different kind of fear to Temple, she's never been afraid of dead bodies, she's seen enough. But her father's behind bars, and this corpse bears the same MO as her father's victims. Could it be one of the crazed true crime fans that became obsessed with her father and his case? Or could it be something much, much worse? As Temple tries to keep the other girls safe, while simultaneously trying to uncover the truth, she'll soon realise that maybe her father wasn't the only thing to fear out in the woods.

When I saw the cover for this on Netgalley, and read the synopsis, I hit request SO fast. I'm a sucker for a story that is set across one or two nights! I also was drawn in by the fact that this centres around a serial killer AND is set at a camp that just happened to be his hunting grounds. It just honestly screamed unique to me because I haven't read much horror that have all of these things wrapped up together in one gory little package.

The story is told through third person POV, which I found to be a little bit odd. I feel like first person would have worked better for this story as the story follows Temple the whole time. It doesn't flit between different characters, and I feel like it would have drawn me further into the story had it been in first person. That's just a personal thing for me though. I won't lie, for probably the first 30% of the story, a lot of the time I felt like I couldn't keep up with what was going on. The dynamics between the characters, especially considering that Temple is public enemy number 1 to majority of the girls there, was odd and it was very back and forth, and I just struggled at times to keep up with what was going on, where they were and who was talking to who. I can't even definitively discern why, I don't know if it was dialogue choice, a matter of me being 'too old' to keep up with the lingo even though I understood everything they were saying, or whether it was a narration thing. It just seemed like the story was jumping around a lot, even though I don't believe that it was? It just felt pretty convoluted in the beginning. Pretty much from the first body, the story seemed to snap back into itself and all of a sudden everything was making sense, and I could keep track of what was going on, where and with whom. Which is bizarre because once that first body is found, the story pace ramps up from like 2 to 200 in a matter of sentences. I feel like the initial beginning of the story was mainly trying to ascertain the hierarchy between the girls and really cement that Temple is a loner and a freak, which makes sense as I was closing in on the ending of the story. The mystery was fantastic, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I had my theories, and I was right about one aspect, but I didn't realise how it connected to everything else so that was refreshing. The scope of the mystery was much bigger than I had anticipated, and I am here for it. This is marketed as a YA horror, and I feel like for the ages of the characters that is accurate, but do not be fooled into thinking that it's childish in the horror, gore and violence part, because it's not. The violence and the gore is incredibly detailed and for someone who is pretty desensitised to these sorts of things (horror is my main jam across books, movies and TV shows, so I've watched and read a lot of it) there were small parts where I had an initial "that's a bit rough" feeling towards them. And I honestly felt creeped out, to the point that I decided that reading this book right before going to sleep, was probably not the best idea, so I picked up my paperback for those times. Even though I did not want to put this one down once it really got going. From the scene where Temple walks back into JG after meeting Yaya in the forest, man, that gave me the spinal chills, it was great. Ellis certainly has a way with the written word and being able to build atmosphere that you can feel. The fact that she was able to elicit that kind of emotion is what bumped my rating up and had me enjoying the book a whole lot more than I was in the beginning.

The characters were an interesting lot, and I did warm to most of them fairly quickly. Temple is an unlikable character from the beginning, but she does grow on you, at least, she did for me. She's very stubborn and very closed off from others. Automatically assuming that she's the freak and they all agree, and that none of them want to be friends with her. She doesn't give them a chance or a choice, to be honest, she comes at them, knives out from the get-go it seems, and to me, that's a self-preservation tactic. She's afraid that they'll wind up finding out her truths and think all those things, in turn, leaving in the end. I have to say, this was one of the most amazing character growth and development story arcs that I've read in a while. The way that Temple grew from that girl who thinks it's just easier to do everything on her own and have everyone hate her, to someone who can genuinely say that she has friends, by the end, was awesome. It was so organic too. We saw her struggle with these feelings of care and of guilt yet doing things that put her in danger anyway. I absolutely loved that the most about this story. Cali did grow on me, but not as much as Yaya. They weren't amazing, unbelievable, the best characters there ever were, kinda thing, they were great support characters, and I loved how different they all were to each other. Their personalities were all so different, yet they found comfort and safety and friendship in one another. I love that unlikely friend kinda thing in books. Also, I really enjoyed Grandma Ida, the forest scene? Running from the frost (IYKYK) man, my heart sang at the part, and I can't even bloody tell you why.

All in all, this was a solid horror read, not even just for a YA horror, just in general. It was a little convoluted in the beginning and the pacing was a little off, I found myself zoning out a bit at the start. But once the first body dropped, the pacing took off like a Bondi tram and I was left to cling desperately along for the ride. The atmosphere was brilliant, the story incredibly unique, and I can say that I honestly ended up loving it. If you're struggling a bit in the beginning, please stick with it, it does get a lot better, at least it did for me.

For this being a YA horror, some parts of it were quite heart-pounding, which I suppose is exactly what people want. Most YA horrors fall flat with that part but this wasn't too bad. The story gets right into the gist of it, there's no starter chapters that take a long time to get to the plot which I love. Some sections may have been a bit long winded for my liking and the repetition of the main characters name in almost every line was getting too much.

The representation in this book of black LGBTQ+ females was wonderful to see and to read. Sami Ellis' writing is descriptive and very easy to read. The sentences flow well together. Due to me being in my mid-twenties I feel as though this book didn't really excite me to the max, but honestly I think anyone who is a fan of YA, or is a teenager will love this book!

3.5/5

An amazing novel with darkness throughout but highlighting black queer horror at the fore front with amazing representation with characters throughout. the dark magic in this book is so unique both in how it is displayed and how it is intertwined with the murderers and their victims. I loved our protagonist and felt surprised at every turn as not one part was predictable and every part was shocking and exciting for the reader. could not reccomend more, especially to those wanting diverse, queer and overall unique horror

I do love a YA horror and this one didn’t disappoint. I had a real good time reading this book which is obviously what you want when reading. It’s fun, and kept me interested enough to keep reading.

Something about YA horror just hits different. It never takes itself too seriously, and if written correctly, can be genuinely scary. Adult horror isn’t the only kind of horror that can be actually scary! Dead Girls Walking, while categorized as horror, I wouldn’t label this one as scary exactly, but had all the thrills and intensity of a supernatural murder mystery. Sure summer camp horror isn’t the most original of tropes, but it keeps being written into horror for a reason….because it’s fun and it works! Plus, I love this new trend I’ve been seeing of representation in YA horror, and I hope it continues on.

Temple’s dad is an actual psychopath. To find out if he really did kill her mom like he claims, she signs up to be a summer camp counselor solely to get access to the premises so she can see if she can find her mother’s body. She is unsure why her dad sent her to this camp filled with horror obsessed teenagers, but she is here to find out.

This book wasn’t anything groundbreaking, but I wasn’t expecting it to be. A lot of horror is just commonly done tropes being redone, but as long as it’s entertaining, I’m fine with not every book being original. My main complaint was just how young this book read. Some YA doesn’t feel YA at all (outside of the characters being teenagers) and read the same way as an adult book. This was not one of them. It was just too young for me I think, but then again, this book wasn’t geared towards my age group. It felt almost middle grade, but with swearing. That was the main issue that kept me from enjoying this; it was just super super young, even for YA.

This got better at the end, but the beginning just felt like it was trying too hard to be scary when it wasn’t. It was a really quick read, but tbh I would’ve dnf’d this if it weren’t a Netgalley arc. But, it did get better near the end. I just couldn’t get into this one. It was just ok, and I’ve read better YA horror. 2.5 out of 5!

Thank you to Netgalley and Amulet Books for sending me an advanced copy in return for my honest review.

this book sounded right up my street, but unfortunately it fell a little flat for me. around 30% in i started to really disconnect from the story and found it hard to care about what was happening. temple is a really dislikable character... i wanted to be rooting for her throughout and i couldn't. she was super hard to connect with overall. the book definitely has the potential to be great, but the plot holes are something that i can't ignore. this definitely would have read better in first person as opposed to third, as the constant repetition of temple's name every line became unbearable.
i still do recommend this book to fans of slasher horror books and films - hopefully you'll have a great time with this one!

I'm not a huge fan of horror, but I'm lured in by queer girls being the lead of this book. I enjoyed the immediate jump into the horror and mystery of North Point, but I felt that the middle dragged and then started jumping in so many different directions. Despite that, I devoured most of this book in one sitting and was on the edge of my seat waiting to see the resolution. This was intriguing, gruesome, and entertaining.

Thank you to Netgalley and ABRAMS Kids, Amulet Books for the arc.

I feel very conflicted about this book. On one hand, the plot was gripping, I was genuinely on-edge at points, and I liked the developing friendships between the characters. However, I really struggled with the opening 1/5 of this book to the point that I nearly DNF'ed, and I found myself disoriented and frustrated intermittently throughout the novel. I would urge prospective readers to a) push past the opening of the book and b) to be prepared for the feverish prose that occasionally obscures the narrative. That being said, I'm intrigued to read more from Sami Ellis in the future.

What a ride! From the opening chapter, Sami Ellis's debut will have you trembling in delight as you devour the pages. The perfect bend of slasher horror, camp setting, and twists galore. I really hope this gets picked up to be a movie! Don't read this book before bed, trust me!

Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an advanced copy.

Fast-paced and entertaining. A recommended purchase for YA and HS collections where horror is popular.

Definitely an unusual premise, and I wasn’t sure if this was going to hold my attention. Once I got past the beginning chapters, the pace picks up tremendously, and I was hooked. The story is a great melding of suspense, horror, and the supernatural. The twist(s) were surprising and exciting as well. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I basically loved this over-the-top, mile-a-minute horror extravaganza. It has practically everything in it, and while there were a few plot holes that bugged me after I put it down, caught up in the momentum of this propulsive thriller I had no complaints. It's got twists galore, some serious gore, and well-developed characters that keep you engaged and emotionally invested. And then it stuck the landing, which solidified it as one of the best horror books I've read this year.

Trying to find your dead mother's body at the horror themed summer camp that your serial killer father use to go to is a lot for a summer camp counselor. Temple Baker is the daughter of the North Point Killer, an infamous serial killer who marked each of his victims with a brand and he was convicted of murdering 20 people. He told temple that he was possessed by a demon but no one believed him. Yet now people are still dying in the woods while he is behind bars... Temple never believed he killed her mother but he did confess to that crime while on death row and now she wants to find her mother's body and prove it. She decides to become a camp counselor at a queer horror themed camp for girls... all so she can get access to the grounds her father use to use and where he said her other's body is.... yet girls start appearing dead and dying in the same way her father's victims were killed.... Temple is afraid that her dad has a copycat killer yet the more she digs into finding the truth the more she's beginning to realize there are more monsters in those woods than she ever realized. I love queer horror novels and this one sounded really fun, unfortunately it just kind of felt all over the place for me and I just found myself disconnecting from the story. I really wanted to like it, but it just didn't work out. Temple's character was hard to connect with and to root for. I really wanted to but I just couldn't. The story arc starts off interesting but by the 45% mark it gets kind of off tracks and then is all over the place. The ending felt meh at best to me. I still do recommend this for fans of horror novels because its interesting and maybe you'll have a better time with it than I did.

*Thanks Netgalley and ABRAMS Kids, Amulet Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I'm usually too much of a coward to read a lot of horror, and this book is a perfect example of why. It is spine-chilling and terrifying, and I tore through it even while I was scared out of my mind. Ellis' masterful story-telling, hauntingly atmospheric setting and sharply-drawn characterization of the MC, Temple, made it a story that I had to read to the end to know what would become of her, even if it meant leaving every light in the house on in order to do so. Absolutely recommend to all YA horror fans!

What a twisty, scary ride of a horror novel! If you like slashers, true crime (or are a bit concerned about how into true crime some people are), queer characters, and family secrets, you’ll definitely enjoy this story from a promising new voice in YA horror.