A Spell to Wake the Dead

For years, best friends Mazzy Carlin and Nora Hawthorne—both 17 and queer—have been teaching themselves magic, though their spellcasting attempts never bore fruit. Lately, Mazzy’s cautious nature clashes with Nora’s desire to undertake riskier, more powerful enchantments. Moreover, complex feelings for the pair’s mutual best friend, Elliot—who Mazzy believes is attracted to Nora—has Mazzy feeling the friction between her and Nora more acutely than ever. When the girls find a dead woman missing her hands and teeth at the beach one night, the magic they’ve never been able to conjure suddenly manifests: Mazzy sees a vision of the past depicting a group dancing on the beach prior to the woman’s death, while a sleeping Nora sings an eerie song in the victim’s voice. To uncover the body’s identity and stop the dangers that lurk around her death, the girls dive deeper into witchcraft, all while dodging the suspicion of a strange detective. Lesperance (The Depths) utilizes sharp and evocative prose to present a witchy, friendship-focused tale that boasts creeping, gothic ambiance and whirlwind pacing. Protagonists cue as white. Ages 14–up. Agent: Kathleen Rushall, Andrea Brown Literary. (Aug.)