The Darkness Greeted Her

Christina Ferko

$22.99

Paperback

Forthcoming
Pre-Order now

QTY:

English

Miscellaneous
14 April 2026

The Honeys meets Yellowjackets in this atmospheric Sapphic horror debut about a group of troubled teens who find themselves stalked through the Appalachian wilderness by a creature that feeds on their deepest traumas.

Yellowjackets meets Smile in this atmospheric sapphic horror debut, in which a group of troubled girls are stalked through the Appalachian wilderness by a frightening monster that feeds on their deepest fears.

Penny's abusive father is dead...but she still hears his voice in her head, encouraging her to hurt those around her. She can't go to school or be around her friends or even draw with a sharp pencil without her intrusive thoughts urging her toward violence. Desperate to get a handle on her OCD, she agrees to spend the summer at Camp Whitewood--an exclusive therapy retreat in the woods.

She feels optimistic when she arrives. The other girls all have their reasons for being there, which makes Penny feel a little less alone. But then she starts seeing things that can't possibly be there- the gold watch her father was buried with, his favorite whiskey spilled on her cabin floor...a terrifying figure she calls the Shadow Man looming at the foot of her bed. Penny thinks she is losing her mind, but when a girl goes missing, and is later found dead, it's clear that whatever is happening at Camp Whitewood isn't all in her head.

As the hallucinations become increasingly intense and more girls wind up dead, Penny must work with whoever is left standing to figure out what is real before the Shadow Man uses their traumas against them and claims their lives.

By: Christina Ferko
Imprint: Miscellaneous
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 210mm, Width: 140mm, Spine: 38mm
Weight: 454g
ISBN: 9781464236310
ISBN 10: 1464236313
Pages: 416
Publication Date: 14 April 2026
Recommended Age: From 14 to 18 years
Audience: Young adult , Preschool (0-5)
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Reviews for The Darkness Greeted Her

""Surreal... Hand to fans of Courtney Gould's What the Woods Took."" -- Booklist ""The Darkness Greeted Her is a perfect Gothic horror, where trauma has a physical form and it's hunting girls. Rich with queer and mental health rep, Ferko's love letter to survivors is beautifully written from start to finish, and I can't recommend it enough!"" -- Jamison Shea, author of I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me