"I hesitated at the mirror, heart pounding, then slowly peeled the bloodstained gauze from my cheek. I braced for swelling, for torn flesh, for something awful— But there was no wound. No blood. No bruising. Just a blueish patch of skin where her claws had raked me." Jeremy Eagan’s debut novel, The Wrong Clearing , introduces readers to sixteen-year-old neurodivergent Isaac Andrews, an unforgettable autistic protagonist determined to fit in at his new high school. Hoping to make friends, he joins a camping trip in the Coconino National Forest despite his grandfather’s warning to stay away. What begins as an ordinary attempt at belonging spirals into a harrowing confrontation with Syphrae, an eternal souleater bound to a tree as punishment centuries ago by the gods. With chilling scenes like Syphrae’s hollowed-out servants returning from the forest and Isaac’s quiet, aching prayers for survival, The Wrong Clearing is a sharp, unforgettable addition to YA horror. Published by Alien Buddha Press, it is a must-have for your 2025 Halloween reading list. Eagan blends supernatural terror with the raw insecurities of adolescence, capturing the way fear, love, and hope collide.