Description: "Sixteen-year-old Winnie Bray is a liar. As the resident psychic at an oddities shop, Winnie truly can see the future. But her customers only want reassurance, and Winnie only wants their money. Favorable fortunes are a fast track to funding her way out of Buffalo, New York, for good, after all. But all of that changes when a vision sends her stalking in the remains of her family home that burned down in a fire 10 years ago. Among the ash and rubble, Winnie finds a box made of bone, untouched by flames and--whispering. At the touch of her finger, the box shows her a vision of death, chaos, and apocalypse, with her and rich kids Apollo and Cyrus Rathbun at the center"--
Brief description: Jamison Shea (they/them) is an Ignyte-Award winning author of dark fantasy and horror novels. Their first book I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me was called "relentlessly gory and almost euphoric in its embrace of the horrific" by NPR. Hailing from Buffalo, New York, and now dwelling in the dark forests of Finland, they drink milk tea and search for eldritch horrors in uncanny places when they are not writing.
Review Quotes:
✰"A gripping gothic mystery and a mesmerizing story of teens discovering agency that offers fresh depictions of solidarity, resilience, and decision-making against seemingly insurmountable odds." - Publishers Weekly, starred review
"A great read...sheds light on white supremacy and the ways misappropriation still plays out in present day, along with the objectification of Black women."- Booklist"Distinct and compelling."- Kirkus Reviews
Praise for I Am the Dark That Answers When You Call:
✰"This bold and bloody coming-of-age story is an enthralling page-turner." - Kirkus Reviews, starred review "Plenty of Parisian details and gracefully outlined dance scenes meld with graphic violence and intense emotions for a deep exploration of what defines and sustains true friendship and self-acceptance...intricate and unsettling." - Booklist Praise for I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast is Me:
"Gory, gripping, and visceral; examines how supernatural and systemic power unleash the monster within all of us." - Kirkus Reviews "hile the scares are grisly, Shea skillfully uses them to reveal hard truths surrounding institutions that capitalize on exclusion, and to depict the lengths one teen goes for acceptance and recognition." - Publishers Weekly "A charged series starter, drenched in gore, that uses horror to interrogate the brutalities of a calcified institution and its impact on real lives. Horror and ballet fans alike will find much to love." - Booklist