Young Adult
SIx of sorrow
coming June 25th, 2024
“Christopher Pike and Riverdale vibes will entice readers” -BOOKLIST
Sixteen years ago, six girls were born on the same day—and now, on their birthday, one of them is missing. From the author of Starlings comes a story about small-towns, friendships, and the terrifying things your parents don’t tell you, that’s perfect for fans of Yellowjackets.
For most of her life, Isabeau and her five best friends were inseparable—amazingly enough, the six girls even shared a birthday. Then a rift caused their friendships to fracture, and Iz lost everyone except Reuel, the only one who didn’t abandon her.
Until now. The night of their sixteenth birthday, Isabeau leaves Reuel sitting on her front porch and heads home—and in the morning, Reuel is missing. She’s gone for three days, and when she reappears, there’s something wrong with her. She’s sick. Really sick. And she doesn’t remember anything that happened while she was gone.
If there’s any bright side to the situation, it’s that Reuel’s peculiar disappearance brings the six girls back together. Their sisterhood feels as strong as it was years ago, but when another one of them disappears, they all agree that they must have more in common than simply their birthday. They all feel it. Something’s been waiting for them, and that something has come to claim them one by one.
Deep in their bones, they know—it’s just a matter of time until they they’re all taken. And if they don’t save themselves, no one will.
Praise for Six of Sorrow
“A beautiful, terrifying story about friendship and magic, with an eerie twist that will haunt you outside its pages.”
—Britney S Lewis, author of THE DARK PLACE
“Linsmeier creates an eerie atmosphere of simmering, suppressed teenage rage. Equal parts unsettling and captivating, Six of Sorrow will hook its claws into you and never let you go.”
—Keshe Chow, author of THE GIRL WITH NO REFLECTION
“SIX OF SORROW weaves a mesmerizing tale of friendship and deceit, love and magic. Deliciously creepy, this book kept me spellbound from the first line to the last.”
—Bianca M Schwarz, author of The Gentleman Spy Mysteries.
“Amanda Linsmeier’s writing will have you checking under beds and inside the darkest corners of your closets as the spine-chilling twists unfold.”
—Kelly Cain, author of A KISS FROM THE PAST
“Christopher Pike and Riverdale vibes will entice readers looking for subtle supernatural romance and small-town drama, all topped with a face-off against a menacing secret from the past.”
—BOOKLIST
Starlings
“A foreboding, flower-filled, feminist horror story.” —KIRKUS REVIEWS
A dark YA fantasy debut perfect for fans of House of Hollow and Small Favors. In the wake of her father’s death, a teen girl discovers a side of her family she didn’t know existed, and is pulled into a dark—and ancient—bargain she is next in line to fulfill.
Kit’s father always told her he had no family, but his sudden death revealed the truth. Now Kit has a grandmother she never knew she had—Agatha Starling—and an invitation to visit her father’s hometown, Rosemont.
And Rosemont is picture perfect: the famed eternal roses bloom all year, downtown is straight out of the 1950s . . . there’s even a cute guy to show Kit around.
The longer Kit’s there, though, the stranger it all feels. The Starling family is revered, but there’s something off about how the Starling women seem to be at the center of the all the town’s important history. And as welcoming as the locals are, Kit can’t shake the feeling that they’re hiding something from her.
Agatha is so happy to finally meet her only granddaughter, and the town is truly charming, but Kit can’t help wondering, if everything is so great in Rosemont, why did her father leave? And why does it seem like he never wanted her to find it?
PRAISE FOR STARLINGS
“If you ever wished Stars Hollow had more things that went bump in the night, STARLINGS is for you! Linsmeier’s haunting mystery held me captive, eager to learn all of Rosemont’s dark secrets.”
—Erin Craig, New York Times Bestselling Author of HOUSE OF SALT AND SORROWS and SMALL FAVORS
“…the deliciously chilling plot advances swiftly toward a conclusion that will leave readers delightfully creeped out and thoroughly content.”
—Kirkus
“Like the town of Rosemont itself, outwardly lush and beautiful but steeped in sinister secrets beneath the surface, Linsmeier’s STARLINGS is a deliciously dark fantasy that I devoured in a single day.”
—Amy Goldsmith, author of THOSE WE DROWN
“Linsmeier uses a delicate emotional palette to depict her plot, beginning with the subdued gloom and grief surrounding Kit and her mother. The suspense gradually grows to the nail-biting climax, and character development is so nuanced that the reader, like Kit, can't trust anyone. Fans of folk horror will be entranced by this suspenseful novel..”
—BOOKLIST
“Linsmeier ably builds suspense and thoroughly commits to the concept as Kit discovers she’s expected to hew to tradition and sacrifice herself. Human grief blends with supernatural horror, and readers are asked to ponder exactly how much people are willing to exchange for prosperity and comfort—as long as someone else is paying the price.”
—The Bulletin
Garden Story
Fairytale Thriller, currently drafting.