Two young trans exes decide to leave their small hometown in the middle of the night to travel to California for peace and acceptance. Shortly into their drive, they stumble across a small town that causes them one problem after another until they realize they’ll have to fight to find the way out.

I loved that this story started off a little more YA Contemporary and transitioned a little bit slower into the horror side. This story gave me chills so many times and has such a satisfying ending. The dynamics between characters, the monsters among them and the endless night they experienced was such an amazing balance. Would definitely recommend this book – as always, check your TW’s first.

Thank you to Random House Children’s and NetGalley for an E-ARC copy of this book.

Wow, where do I even begin? Old Wounds is one of those books that sneaks up on you, grabs hold, and refuses to let go. Let me just say—if you think this is just another monster story, you’re in for a surprise. Sure, there’s a cryptid lurking in the background, but the real horror? That’s the world Max and Erin, two trans teens, have to navigate. From societal bigotry to the raw fear of being seen as "other," this book masterfully intertwines supernatural terror with the all-too-real struggles of identity and survival.

The characters are the heartbeat of this story. Max is stubborn and impulsive, while Erin is cautious yet fiercely loyal. Their dynamic—once exes, now uneasy allies—feels so real, with moments that are both heartbreaking and laugh-out-loud funny. Watching them reconnect while facing impossible odds had me hooked.

The pacing threw me a bit at first—it’s a slow burn that takes its time setting the stage. But once things kick into high gear around the halfway mark, I couldn’t put it down. The small-town creepiness, the cryptid mythology, and the social commentary all blend seamlessly.

This isn’t just a horror story; it’s a love letter to trans resilience. Kisner doesn’t shy away from the ugliness of prejudice, but they also highlight the beauty of chosen family and self-discovery. While I wish we got more monster action and answers to some lingering questions, this book still hit hard.

If you’re looking for a haunting, emotional, and thought-provoking read, Old Wounds delivers.

My feelings toward this book are a little complicated. I felt that the horror elements (by which I specifically mean the supernatural elements) could have been fleshed out in a way that was more coherent and purposeful. The pacing was also a little wonky, and a lot of time gets spent questioning the supernatural mechanics of something that turns out to be a nonissue. From a horror perspective, I was tepid toward the storyline.

I really like the characters, though. Max isn't always likeable, but he's certainly consistent, and you can see where his anger comes from. Erin is more emotionally stable, and her sense of justice is stronger... or at least, she's more willing to risk danger to do the right thing. The book plays around with the idea that this stems from her life being somewhat safer than Max's, whereas he has never really had a safe space. Am I going to give an emotionally nuanced T4T friendship-slash-borderline-romance anything less than four stars? I think not.

It was also nice to read a trans horror novel that wasn't body horror, even though I do love a lot of those stories. Kisner makes some comment about how this might be the only trans horror novel readers have ever encountered, an assertion I found odd since the book is clearly marketed as trans horror, but that's neither here nor there. As someone who has read quite a few books in that category, I enjoyed reading one where the horror is almost entirely external, and where the real monster is transphobia. I mean, there is also a LITERAL monster, but the primary threat of violence is wrapped up in pervasiveness of misogyny and homophobia and general policing of people's bodies. While, again, I felt that the story could have been more deliberate about certain elements, there was so much in here that I liked that I'm rounding to four stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this book. My review is my own and has been left voluntarily.

This book was not for me I couldn’t get into the writing style and the overall story didn’t draw my e in but I think that anyone that wants to give this book a fair shot should, because reading is subjective.

As a trans horror fan, Old Wounds is everything I wanted from YA when I was a kid. It still hits hard as an adult, and I will be highly recommending it to trans friends and good allies of all ages.

Thank you to NetGalley and Logan-Ashley Kisner for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of Old Wounds!!

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ | 5/5

Let me start out by saying that anyone who rated this book low is just a hater. I BAWLEDDD reading parts of this book. This book reads like how movies are watched and it is so so well done. As a trans person myself, feeling and understanding what Max goes through this entire book made me SO emotional; his relationship with Erin is strained at parts, funny at others, and overall an inseparable connection between two trans kids just trying to get by in life.

And honestly, with monsters prowling about with eyes like aurora fires, who can blame them?

Their encounter with Charlie and his group just made my teeth grind together so much — yet it showed the truth and the odd knot of awkwardness and pain when seeing someone - or being someone - who others just dismiss the identity of entirely knowing one thing. Max and Erin fight not only to survive this small Kentucky town, but to fight for who they are.

This book tackles real themes of the struggles that trans kids go through, the cruel reality that some people will never accept us for the way we are, and what it means to survive even in the worst of the situations. Old Wounds combines cult-classic monster themes and edge of your seat suspense to really bring this book home. It’s a must read for any trans kid and allies alike.

Two teens, who once dated find themselves together again, this time in an awkward situation that's getting creepier by the minute. It didn't grab me from the beginning and took me a bit to get into mainly because the background and motivations of both characters had to be revealed for the larger setup-- that both are trans kids and their horrific new situation means that one might have to be a sacrifice.

It wasn't a riveting read for me but I liked the idea of it more than the execution. Maybe it was that it lacked atmosphere for being a thriller? I can't quite place my finger on it. Maybe it was overwritten?

Definitely know I'll recommend it to teens, it simply wasn't a favorite for me.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book and the subject matter highlighted. I thought it was going to be more scary right off the bat, but it focuses a lot on character development. I think it shines a positive light on what teenagers in the trans community go through, especially when they’re from a small town or community. I really enjoyed the horror aspects when the story really kicked in. I would recommend this book to anyone open to all people’s genders and enjoy horror!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I want to start by saying I loved the two leads in this book. Their struggles with identity, societal pressures, and feelings for each other were written so well. They were likeable characters without being perfect, which is wonderful.

The human villains of this story and the two leads fighting against their misogyny and transphobia felt like a very timely message as trans youth is villainized more and more in the media and politics. This made them all the more terrifying, and it made the story quite harrowing.

My biggest complaint is that this novel feels a bit falsely advertised. The cover and description lead me to believe there would be a lot more monster action. While I appreciate the choice to make the more terrifying evil the human one, I still couldn't help but wish for more monster page time. The monster hardly shows up for having such a prominent picture on the cover and in the description.

All in all, a good book, and one that is needed for our time, just a little disappointed with the monster/fantasy aspect.

Publication date: 10 September 2024

I really enjoyed this. It was a fun twist of the girl eating monster and small town run by an evil sherif. I also liked how gory this was for a ya novel. It felt very natural for this story. This is definitely one I would recommend for the Halloween season.

I’m glad I read this book in 2 ways - it was a good, creepy book and it gave me new perspective on how it must be to be a trans person. Erin and Max were well developed characters and they showed how each trans person’s journey is individual. Plus it was a scary story - perfect for October!

Two transgender teens end up in a small, isolated town, where they must escape the locals who plan to sacrifice one of them to an ancient monster that only eats girls.
Trans horror has always felt so raw in a way that other horror doesn't and this book was absolutely raw, tense, and filled with heart and terror.

Raw. True. Heartfelt. This story held so much of the trans experience within it, with such a strong focus on being trans in a small and conservative town. This book was painfully raw and there wasn't a single chapter that didn't have me absolutely hooked. Normally I wouldn't be a fan of stories that spend entire chapters as flashbacks but in this story it actually added so much depth and insight into the characters that helped me understand them and their motives behind their choices so much better. Truly an emotional and amazing story of trans pride, love, and survival. I could probably go on for ages about just how wonderful both main characters were and how there were times I was just as annoyed with them as I was in love with them.

2.65 stars. This is a book with good characters and good representation but a bad plot. I didn’t have much fun reading this story. I’m not a huge fan of monster in the woods that’s not really that explained but looming over the plot type things. I would’ve liked more explanation and involvement. Idk the character writing was good and I enjoyed the trans rep, but the story itself was hard to read.

4.25/5 stars

Old Wounds is an atmospheric slow burn that strikes the perfect balance of creepiness, horror, and social commentary.

Kisner effectively explores Max and Erin’s different journeys with their transition and how each journey can drastically differ from another. He also was able to perfectly show how the real monsters of the world are not the ones that you can’t see, but the everyday bigots that freely roam around.

The first third of the book is mostly exposition to set up the latter 2/3. However, I found myself so enthralled by the Kisner’s writing and the characterizations of Max and Erin that it never felt boring. The horror scenes were also striking and Erin especially gave me 80s/90s final girl vibes.

I do wish we got a bit more on the cryptid and more on a particular person that was brought up, but overall this was an amazing debut and I can’t wait to read more from this author!

Everyone should read this FANTASTIC queer horror story! I loved the trans representation and was legitimately creeped out by the spooky elements in the book. The transphobia was at least as scary as the big bad, but everything was written so well!

I think the author did a great job fleshing out these characters & making us care about them. Perfect read for Halloween! Thanks to NetGalley, Logan-Ashley Kisner, and Random House Children's for the chance to read and review! My opinions are my own.

I absolutely love the trans rep and viewpoints. I always want to hear those voices and educate myself. What an important book for the young generation.

Unfortunately, I found myself getting bored... wanting more horror elements.

thank you to netgalley for the arc! ahhh i don't know why this review took me so long!! i really enjoyed this take on horror and gender & it was cool to see a story where they explicitly have a happy ending as opposed to a lot of queer horror that ends ambiguously. I can't lie i love an ambiguous ending but it is also SO important to have queer happy endings in darker books

they do overhype berkeley. berkeley is pretty boring

A spooky read with suspense and realistic trans* & mental illness representation.
A good balance of a creepy story while also bringing light to real-life issues & challenges. I felt both intrigued by the story as well as moved by the characters' experiences and challenges. I laughed at their sass, teared up at their stories and challenges, and celebrated the growth they both made throughout the story.
Thank you so much, Logan-Ashley and Netgalley, for the eARC of this wonderful book!

Reviewed on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon (pending), Barnes & Noble, and Instagram.

The infusion of queer and transgender themes into horror cannon made me so happy. This feels like a natural progression of queerness explored through this genre. It wove trans experience so well into the small town monster plot masterfully.

This is a story showcasing how the reality of living as a transgender person in America can be infinitely scarier than an actual monster in the woods, ready to devour you. I also liked the question of what happens if you need to sacrifice a girl but your victims aren't cisgender? Does a monster care? What makes someone a girl?

I loved reading this in October for the creepy elements, but this would be a great read any time if you're looking for a queer horror story with a hopeful ending.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for the copy.