12 must-read September YA releases to pair with your PSL
By Lacy Baugher
September 2021 release: A Dark and Starless Forest – Sarah Hallowell
A creepy contemporary YA fantasy that sits firmly on the border of straight-up horror, A Dark and Starless Forest is sure to be a buzzy debut for author Sarah Hallowell.
The story follows Derry – a refreshingly dark and body positive protagonist – who lives at the edge of a mysterious woods with her eight siblings and Frank, the man who raised them all after their parents abandoned them. All of the siblings have magical powers, and Frank insists that an isolated life is what’s safest for them all. But when her siblings start to go missing, Derry must confront the dark thing that lives in the forest and the growing darkness in herself.
A Dark and Starless Forest is also a notable title for its wide range of inclusive characters: Derry herself is an unapologetic fat girl and several of her siblings are queer. There are both trans and pansexual characers and multiple characters of color, all included in a way that feels effortlessly part of the story that Hollowell is telling.
The official synopsis has more details about the story.
"Derry and her eight siblings live in an isolated house by the lake, separated from the rest of the world by an eerie and menacing forest. Frank, the man who raised them after their families abandoned them, says it’s for their own good. After all, the world isn’t safe for people with magic. And Derry feels safe—most of the time. Until the night her eldest sister disappears. Jane and Derry swore to each other that they’d never go into the forest, not after their last trip ended in blood, but Derry is sure she saw Jane walk into the trees. When another sibling goes missing and Frank’s true colors start to show, feeling safe is no longer an option. Derry will risk anything to protect the family she has left. Even if that means returning to the forest that has started calling to Derry in her missing siblings’ voices. As Derry spends more time amidst the trees, her magic grows more powerful . . . and so does the darkness inside her, the viciousness she wants to pretend doesn’t exist. But saving her siblings from the forest and from Frank might mean embracing the darkness. And that just might be the most dangerous thing of all."
A Dark and Starless Forest is available on September 14.