“Shirley Jackson meets The Hazel Wood in this enthralling, unsettling, no-holds-barred YA folk horror.”
—The Guardian

“A twisty, mystical, supernatural folk-horror novel about a teen whose town’s fate drops into her hands when she meets its dying god . . . visceral, atmospheric sequences are the perfect backdrop for this absorbing small-town mystery about magic, rebirth, and longing to belong.”
—Shelf Awareness, starred review

“Salisbury injects unique twists into common folk horror tropes around small-town politics to deliver an evocative paranormal thriller . . . Astute examinations of privilege, accountability, and the danger of conformity render Sylvie’s attempts at redemption—and the townspeople’s scapegoating of the teen in her father’s place—with piercing complexity. It all coalesces into a socially conscious and serpentine mystery topped with spine-tingling supernatural imagery.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Author Melinda Salisbury’s newest novel, Local Gods, is billed as YA, but this folk horror tale set in the hills of northern New England is so engrossing and involving, it’s sure to make any fan of supernatural fiction want to immerse themselves in the tale of Sylvie Singer’s experiences in the West Woods outside Pine Ridge Hollow.”
—The Pitch (Kansas City)

“I burned through this tale of old magic, lush and glorious revenge, and an underestimated girl who has to lose everything in order to figure out who—and what—she really is. A brilliant addition to the canon of tales set in the wild woods.”
—Melissa Albert, author of The Hazel Wood

“Haunting and unputdownable, Local Gods had me entranced. It will make you fear and revere the forest and want to kiss a woodland god as you’re sucked into the mysteries of this twisted small town. Be prepared to fall in love, to rage, to be consumed.” 
—CG Drews, author of Don’t Let the Forest In

“Deliciousy sinister, mesmerizing YA folk horror at its best . . . stunning.”
—The Nerd Daily

“An engaging, twisty, folk horror that steadily builds to a truly shocking ending, this will thrill teens looking for wild stories of revenge.”
—Booklist

“With beautiful, unsettling imagery that brings the oppressive, declining resort town of Pine Ridge Hollow to vivid life, Salisbury paints a folk horror that is propulsive and emotionally serrated in equal measure. Both a broader tale of the long-creeping rot of an insular community, and a more intimate examination of a youth’s desperation after being failed by the adults that should be beholden to her—Local Gods asks us to interrogate if hauntings and the harms left in their wake are inherited or made.”
—Jihyun Yun, author of And the River Dragged Her Down

“This fast-paced work’s vivid prose and creative incorporation of horror elements effectively convey the high stakes and illustrate the complexity of Sylvie’s developing connection to the woods . . . A highly suspenseful, darkly romantic exploration of redemption, hope, and belonging.”
—Kirkus Reviews