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Dead Girls Walking: A Novel Hardcover – March 26, 2024

by Sami Ellis (Author)
3.7 3.7 out of 5 stars 34 ratings
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Sami Ellis’s Dead Girls Walking is a shocking, spine-chilling YA horror slasher about a girl searching for her dead mother’s body at the summer camp that was once her serial killer father’s home—perfect for fans of Friday the 13th and White Smoke.

Temple Baker knows that evil runs in her blood. Her father is the North Point Killer, an infamous serial killer known for how he marked each of his victims with a brand. He was convicted for murdering 20 people and was the talk of countless true crime blogs for years. Some say he was possessed by a demon. Some say that they never found all his victims. Some say that even though he’s now behind bars, people are still dying in the woods. Despite everything though, Temple never believed that her dad killed her mom. But when he confesses to that crime while on death row, she has no choice but to return to his old hunting grounds to try see if she can find a body and prove it.

Turns out, the farm that was once her father’s hunting grounds and her home has been turned into an overnight camp for queer, horror-obsessed girls. So Temple poses as a camp counselor to go digging in the woods. While she’s not used to hanging out with girls her own age and feels ambivalent at best about these true crime enthusiasts, she tries her best to fit in and keep her true identity hidden.

But when a girl turns up dead in the woods, she fears that one of her father’s “fans” might be mimicking his crimes. As Temple tries to uncover the truth and keep the campers safe, she comes to realize that there may be something stranger and more sinister at work—and that her father may not have been the only monster in these woods.
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  1. Print length
    368 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Harry N. Abrams
  4. Publication date
    March 26, 2024
  5. Grade level
    9 - 12
  6. Reading age
    14 - 18 years
  7. Dimensions
    6 x 1.25 x 8.5 inches
  8. ISBN-10
    1419766767
  9. ISBN-13
    978-1419766763
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Shockingly brutal, beautifully written, this is a must read for horror fans. Keep the lights on for this one.”―Kalynn Bayron, New York Times Bestselling author of You're Not Supposed To Die Tonight

“Ellis has crafted a riotously funny and blood-drenched slasher that should be #1 on your TBR.”―Trang Thanh Tran, New York Times bestselling author of She Is a Haunting

“Unhinged, shocking, and scary as hell. At the most unsuspecting moment, [it] launches you headfirst into a Black Queer Evil Dead vibe that’s a pure adrenaline rush until the very satisfying (and bloody) end.”―Terry J. Benton-Walker, bestselling author of Blood Debts and The White Guy Dies First

"An atmospheric bloodbath that effectively disrupts the expected prototype of the Final Girl."―Kirkus

"[T]his fresh, if blood-soaked, take on the classic camp slasher story will keep readers mesmerized, half in thrill and half in terror."―Booklist

"Temple’s prickly personality serves as a foil through which the author highlights heartening character relationships, and punchy horror-centric banter adds verve to this gruesome slasher."―Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Sami Ellis is a queer horror writer who’s inspired by the horrific nature of Black fears and the culture’s relation to the supernatural. When she’s not acting as the single auntie with a good job, she spends her time not writing. You can follow her on Twitter, or check out her words in the Black horror anthology, All These Sunken Souls. Dead Girls Walking is her debut novel.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harry N. Abrams (March 26, 2024)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 368 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1419766767
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1419766763
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 14 - 18 years
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 9 - 12
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.5 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.25 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.7 3.7 out of 5 stars 34 ratings

About the author

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Sami Ellis

Sami Ellis

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Sami Ellis is a queer horror writer inspired by the horrific nature of Black fears and the culture’s relation to the supernatural. She is also the co-founder of the Write Team Mentorship Program. You can follow her @themoosef on Twitter, use her writing resource, the Agent Adjacent Cheat Sheet, or check out her words in the upcoming Black horror anthology, All These Sunken Souls (2023) and in her debut novel Dead Girls Walking (2024).

Customer reviews

3.7 out of 5 stars
3.7 out of 5
34 global ratings
A good BIPOC thriller
3 Stars
A good BIPOC thriller
It’s every gay for herself.Temple Baker is going to a girls camped aimed at the gays and horror lovers, but she isn’t going for a good scare. She is trying to find her moms body that she knows her serial killer dad killed.This is a great YA horror novel for someone who is trying to get into horror or just wants a good scare with not in detailed gore.I mean this book does make being gay this girls whole personality. The line at the top is literally from the book…The story did start out pretty slow feeling very YA with Temple starting out talking about how she’s like not other girls and she hates everyone.About the 50% mark it finally picks and we get to the good part. The last 50% really speeds up and we are sent through a wild ride. The twist at towards the end of the book… 🤯This is also a good book if you are looking for Queer / BIPOC repGenre: YA HorrorAPK: EbokPages: 368Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️.5Series or Standalone: Stand-alone.
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Top reviews from the United States

Katy
4.0 out of 5 stars Good But
Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2024
Verified Purchase
Temple’s dad is a serial killer. She knows this. He’s on death row because of it. What she doesn’t know is what happened to her mother. So she returns to her old home—now turned into a camp—as a camp counselor. She has one goal: find her mom’s body. The only problem? People are popping up dead and Temple has no idea why.

This was an engrossing horror story with a ton of gore and plenty of twists. My only complaint is that it was maybe too twisty? I think it could have been a smidge shorter and a little less complicated. Regardless, I think fans of the genre will enjoy watching this tale unfold.
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A_Mac
3.0 out of 5 stars Decent YA Horror
Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2024
Temple’s dad is a serial killer, and though he admitted to killing her mom, Temple can’t bring herself to believe him. Deciding to find answers, she returns to the abandoned family farm that has since been turned into an overnight camp for queer, horror-obsessed girls. Temple doesn’t like anyone, so signing up as a counselor might have been a bad idea, but it was the only way she could think of to gain access. But when some strange things begin occurring at the camp, Temple realizes she may have just bitten off more than she can chew.

The book is written in an interesting way, with voices and sounds interspersed throughout the narrative that highlight everything constantly running through Temple’s mind and odd things that she hears. Temple is an angry protagonist, so angry that I did find it off putting and her inner dialogue became quite repetitive. It made it difficult to connect with her as a protagonist. The secondary characters were all quite difficult to tell apart as well as there was almost no development given to them.

The setting was well written and brought to life through detailed descriptions. It helped to add to the atmosphere of the read. There are also multimedia elements to this book, including an excerpt from an interview and posts to forums, that are scattered between some chapters.

This book got weird, especially in the last portion. There was a lot going on, and it didn’t take the direction I thought it was going to based on the blurb. Instead, it was more supernatural/magical realism that became pretty odd. I had a difficult time being drawn in by the things going on, which made the resolution a little less punchy than I wanted it to be.

If you’re looking for a YA supernatural horror with great representation that explores multigenerational trauma and has an angry protagonist, you’ll likely enjoy this one. My thanks to NetGalley and Amulet Books for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
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Katherine Townson
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing horror novel!
Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2024
Verified Purchase
I’m not much of a horror movie fan, to be honest, but the whole “her dad is a serial killer” angle had me hooked from the start, and I love Temple. She’s angry and standoffish and just so real—and she’s also hilarious. I ended up not only rooting for her, but for her newfound friends (made against her will lmao). It’s the perfect book for horror fans and horror weenies like me (the creeping dread and campy slasher moments are offset by the humor, and by the central mystery that’ll keep you reading all night.)

10/5 stars, this author is an instabuy for me now!
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Mookie Fan
4.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Debut
Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2024
This book was wild, and the twists and jump scares just kept coming. Temple is a great antihero-turned-hero, and I liked her arc a lot. The story is gruesome and exciting, with plenty of horror elements and a few funny moments sprinkled in.

But for me, horror is all about the story *inside* the story. If this was just a story about a cursed/haunted summer camp, it would have been a thrill. What made it for me was the underlying story about generational trauma and abusive families, and a young woman coming into her own. I don’t want to give spoilers, but that aspect really worked. I was confused by some of what seemed to be unrelated plot points at the outset, but they all came together in a really cool way!

I also loved that everyone in the story is Black and queer and that’s… just a fact. It’s not a story “about” race per se, and the trauma Temple is dealing with isn’t based on her race specifically, although that’s of course a big part of her identity. But this isn’t a story about Black trauma, or queer trauma. It’s a story about family and isolation and fear of being alone.

The thing that stops this from being five stars for me was that I often had to reread passage to understand what was happening in physical space, and even then I sometimes could not understand what exactly had occurred. This story is pretty heavy on action, so it was a bigger issue than it would have been in a less action-packed story. That said, I received this book as an uncorrected ARC copy, so changes may have been made between the version I read and the final manuscript.

I still have zero problems recommending this book wholeheartedly. I love horror, and this one had me gasping and screeching in all the right places. It’s not quite as pulpy as “You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight” but it’s in a similar vein, and also reminded me a bit of “Just Like Home.” So if you liked either of those books, you’ll want to check this one out!

As I stated above, I read this as an ARC from NetGalley. This is a great debut and I’m excited to see what Sami Ellis does next!
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CMax
3.0 out of 5 stars A bit confusing
Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2024
I waited to write this review for a bit after I finished the book. I wanted to see if time would resolve my confusion about this book.

I spent the first part of the book very confused about what was going on. Then the magic kicked in and it was kind of resolved, kind of more confusing. It's never really explained how the magic works (I get it, it's magic)--is it voodoo? something else? Saying you kill someone so you control the dead is a bit lame. There would be millions of zombies out there! And then all of a sudden another girl ALSO can revive the dead, but through some OTHER, unnamed ability? I'm all for scifi and fantasy, but I like rules that are followed.

I did really enjoy the overall story and the gory bits were great.

The narrator was stellar. A+ Would definitely listen to her again.
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