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Part dark gothic fantasy, part journey into the bizarre, this delicious blending of tall tales and Latin American surrealism will haunt you as you devour it!
"Highly imaginative and powerfully affecting."—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
1836, Wisconsin. Catalina lives with her pa and brother in a ramshackle cabin on the edge of the wilderness. Harsh winters have brought the family to the brink of starvation, and Catalina has replaced her poet's soul with an unyielding determination to keep Pa and her brother alive.
When a sudden illness claims Pa, a strange man appears—a man covered in bark, leaves growing from his head, and sap dripping from his eyes. He scoops up her brother and disappears, leaving behind a bird with crimson wings. Catalina can’t let this man—if that’s what he is—have her brother. So, she grabs Pa’s knife and follows the bird.
Along the way, she finds help from a young lumberjack, who has his own reasons for hunting the Man of Sap. As their journey takes them deeper into the woods, they encounter strange beasts and tormented spirits. The more they uncover about the Man of Sap, the more they learn how deeply Catalina’s fate is entwined with his, planted long ago in cursed seeds.
An enchanting mixture of American tall tales and Faustian elements, Before the Devil Knows You’re Here centers a fierce Mexican American poet on a quest to save her brother. Autumn Krause’s vivid, haunting prose and rich symbolism make this a must-read for fans of Maggie Stiefvater and Erin Craig.
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
"Highly imaginative and powerfully affecting."—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
1836, Wisconsin. Catalina lives with her pa and brother in a ramshackle cabin on the edge of the wilderness. Harsh winters have brought the family to the brink of starvation, and Catalina has replaced her poet's soul with an unyielding determination to keep Pa and her brother alive.
When a sudden illness claims Pa, a strange man appears—a man covered in bark, leaves growing from his head, and sap dripping from his eyes. He scoops up her brother and disappears, leaving behind a bird with crimson wings. Catalina can’t let this man—if that’s what he is—have her brother. So, she grabs Pa’s knife and follows the bird.
Along the way, she finds help from a young lumberjack, who has his own reasons for hunting the Man of Sap. As their journey takes them deeper into the woods, they encounter strange beasts and tormented spirits. The more they uncover about the Man of Sap, the more they learn how deeply Catalina’s fate is entwined with his, planted long ago in cursed seeds.
An enchanting mixture of American tall tales and Faustian elements, Before the Devil Knows You’re Here centers a fierce Mexican American poet on a quest to save her brother. Autumn Krause’s vivid, haunting prose and rich symbolism make this a must-read for fans of Maggie Stiefvater and Erin Craig.
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Praise for this book
"Lyrical and poetic, Before the Devil Knows You're Here is a hauntingly beautiful dark fairytale of cursed orchards and Faustian bargains, set to ensnare readers until the final lines." - Lyndall Clipstone
"Deftly blending folklore, poetry, and horror into something wholly original, Before the Devil Knows You're Here immersed me in its world of poisoned apples and deadly bargains. This is a story to savor." - Mara Rutherford
"Before the Devil Knows You're Here offers a fresh look at American history and folklore, weaving familiar mythology into a fantastical and horror-tinged tale about the deals we make to survive and the scars that never fade." - Erica Waters
"Rich, lyric prose; eerie monsters and devils; a stake planted in American myth with apple cores and sap. A bizarre and beautiful folktale that will have readers breathless with all its twists and turns." - Andrew Joseph White
"Deftly blending folklore, poetry, and horror into something wholly original, Before the Devil Knows You're Here immersed me in its world of poisoned apples and deadly bargains. This is a story to savor." - Mara Rutherford
"Before the Devil Knows You're Here offers a fresh look at American history and folklore, weaving familiar mythology into a fantastical and horror-tinged tale about the deals we make to survive and the scars that never fade." - Erica Waters
"Rich, lyric prose; eerie monsters and devils; a stake planted in American myth with apple cores and sap. A bizarre and beautiful folktale that will have readers breathless with all its twists and turns." - Andrew Joseph White
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