Cassandra Rose Clarke has been nominated for both the Pushcart Prize and the Phillip K. Dick Award, and is frequently published in magazines like Fantasy & Science Fiction and Strange Horizons. Her 2012 novel THE ASSASSIN'S CURSE was a YALSA Best Book for Young Adults and a Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Book of the Year. She is a graduate of Clarion West, the country's premier writing program for speculative fiction.
Small-town politics, weird creatures, and LGBTQ first love elevate this fast-paced piece of speculative horror from nostalgic homage to gleeful update. . . . Clarke (Star's End) unfolds the town's mystery with a compulsively building menace, while delightfully alien monsters, sweet queer representation, and a riot grrrl soundtrack keep even tense moments fun. --Publishers Weekly, Starred Review The slow-burn lesbian romance, convoluted family mysteries, and the paranormal aspects of memory loss and the nature of reality will hook readers. . . . Will send readers through a twisty labyrinth to a satisfying conclusion. --Kirkus Reviews This quick, fun sci-fi mystery is uncomplicated but intriguing, has a fair amount of buried small-town resentments, and involves a sweet queer romance plotline. The disorientation Claire feels as she makes her way through Indianola is shared by the reader to fun and atmospheric effect, and the depiction of the benign, but deeply out-of-place, monsters is well done. A fun, mysterious read for fans of light sci-fi. --School Library Journal Clarke slowly ratchets up the tension of this fascinating, genre-bending mystery. . . . A sweet romance between Claire and Julie balances the more gonzo elements. Original and compelling. --Booklist