Sawkill Girls meets The Hazel Wood in this lush and eerie debut, where the boundary between reality and nightmares is as thin as the veil between the living and the dead. If I could have a fiddle made of Daddy’s bones, I’d play it. I’d learn all the secrets he kept. Shady Grove inherited her father’s ability to call ghosts from the grave with his fiddle, but she also knows the fiddle’s tunes bring nothing but trouble and darkness. But when her brother is accused of murder, she can’t let the dead keep their secrets. In order to clear his name, she’s going to have to make those ghosts sing. Family secrets, a gorgeously resonant LGBTQ love triangle, and just the right amount of creepiness make this young adult debut a haunting and hopeful story about facing everything that haunts us in the dark. To save her brother, Shady must pick up the cursed instrument and untangle the murder mystery woven into her family’s dark past. A Supernatural Murder Mystery: When Shady Grove's brother is accused of a crime he didn't commit, she must use her father's fiddle to make the dead reveal the real killer's secrets. - Haunted Family Legacy: The fiddle can raise ghosts, but it also brings darkness. Unraveling the truth means confronting generations of grief and secrets that have cursed her family. - LGBTQ+ Romance: A resonant love triangle adds a layer of longing and hope to Shady's quest as she navigates her feelings for her bandmate, Sarah. - Atmospheric Southern Gothic: Set in the eerie pine woods of rural Florida, this haunting tale is steeped in bluegrass music, local folklore, and the thin veil between the living and the dead. Gr 8 Up—Shady Grove is used to ghosts; her childhood home was full of them, since her Daddy's fiddle could raise them from the grave. But her Daddy died a few years ago, and her mom has since remarried. Shady misses her Daddy terribly, but her world is consumed with her day-to-day activities: Will her bluegrass band win the local open mic night? Will her best friend, Sarah, finally talk about the romantic spark between them? Does Shady really trust the hot young rodeo king who looks at her longingly at school? All of that is quickly pushed aside when Shady's brother is accused of murder, and the only way to clear his name is to raise the ghost of the person he might have killed. Debut author Waters masterfully weaves together a gothic setting and a vivid, eerie atmosphere, pulling the reader into Shady's specter-filled world. Music is a central part of this story, and Waters's lyrical prose reflects the delightfully spooky overture on every page. A fleshed-out romantic triangle between bisexual Shady, her gay best friend, and a young mandolin-playing cowboy adds extra dimension to this thriller. While the creepy atmosphere keeps the reader turning pages, the pacing is a bit jarring, with chapters dedicated to character development before multiple important events happen in rapid succession. Most characters are white and one of Shady's friends is Cuban American. VERDICT This gothic queer romance will be enjoyed by fans of Claire Legrand's Sawkill Girls and Melissa Albert's The Hazel Wood. Recommend for purchase.—Annamarie Carlson, Westerville P.L., OH "These haunted pages are full to bursting with intricate family dynamics, a nuanced queer romance, and a crescendo of an ending readers won’t see coming. With notes of southern gothic and mystery, Ghost Wood Song will strike a chord with fans of The Raven Boys and Beautiful Creatures. " - Rosiee Thor, author of Tarnished Are the Stars " Ghost Wood Song sings a high and lonesome love song to family, to place, to music, and to love itself. It will make your heart dance." - Jeff Zentner, Morris Award winning author of The Serpent King and Goodbye Days "Strikes the perfect balance of atmospheric chills, dark familial secrets, and a yearning for the warm comforts of home. I could hear the cicadas' call and feel the smothering humidity, even as I shivered!" - Erin A. Craig, New York Times bestselling author, House of Salt and Sorrows “What a gorgeous, creepy gem of a book, brimming with magic, mystery, music, and so much love that you’ll ache as if these characters were your actual friends. Ghost Wood Song weaves a captivating spell you won’t want to break.”  - Claire Legrand, New York Times bestselling author of Furyborn and Sawkill Girls " Ghost Wood Song is a dusky, haunting daydream of a debut that hits all the right notes." - Dahlia Adler, author of Under the Lights and editor of His Hideous Heart “A gorgeously written debut filled with ghosts, a queer love triangle, a murder mystery, & a healthy dose of bluegrass. When you finish, you’ll want to turn back to page one and start all over again.”  - Amanda Lovelace, author of The Princess Saves Herself in this One “Waters' debut features a bisexual lead with both male and female love interests, an atmospheric southern gothic setting, and, for the musically inclined, lots of folk and