A teenager, Wil Greene, enters a reluctant pact with her former best friend, Elwood, to uncover the truth about her missing mother. Over a year has passed since Wil's mother disappeared, and the police are ready to close the case, suggesting she may have left voluntarily. Wil, however, believes her mother could not simply vanish. She suspects Elwood's family is connected to her disappearance. As Elwood anxiously awaits his eighteenth birthday, which marks the end of school and his forced commitment to his pastor father, he discovers he is not his father's successor but rather a victim of his expectations. The woods surrounding their town crave blood, and Elwood decides to flee, seeking Wil's help, the only person who might believe him. Despite their past wounds, they form a pact: Wil will help Elwood hide, and he will assist her in finding evidence that his family killed her mother. Together, they uncover the dark activities of a cult led by the Clarkes, while Elwood harbors something inhuman that draws plants to him and calls to the forest. The book contains content unsuitable for readers under sixteen.
Skyla Arndt Book order (chronological)
