The author has described her own work as heavily influenced by the story of Joan of Arc and the more recent Venom films. In a world in which ghosts tend to remain and cause trouble for the living, a large portion of religious life is dedicated to laying the dead to rest, a task that Artemisia has been learning her entire life. However, when her convent is disrupted, she is forced to make a pact (hence the Venom reference) with a revenant to survive. So begins her larger fight to counter a flood of ghosts. This book is not exceptional for its plot, but rather for the characters’ interactions and world-building, which maintain the pacing of the story despite a slower second act. Those 13 to 15 might best enjoy this book as a Halloween-themed reading binge.

-Sasha