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The Wicked Deep

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About The Book

A New York Times bestseller.

“A wickedly chilling debut.” —School Library Journal
“Complex and sweetly satisfying.” —Booklist
“Prepare to be bewitched.” —Paula Stokes, author of Girl Against the Universe
“A story about the redemptive power of love.” —Amber Smith, New York Times bestselling author of The Way I Used to Be
“Eerie and enchanting.” —Jessica Spotswood, author of The Cahill Witch Chronicles


Hocus Pocus and Practical Magic meets the Salem Witch trials in this haunting story about three sisters on a quest for revenge—and how love may be the only thing powerful enough to stop them.

Welcome to the cursed town of Sparrow…

Where, two centuries ago, three sisters were sentenced to death for witchery. Stones were tied to their ankles and they were drowned in the deep waters surrounding the town.

Now, for a brief time each summer, the sisters return, stealing the bodies of three weak-hearted girls so that they may seek their revenge, luring boys into the harbor and pulling them under.

Like many locals, seventeen-year-old Penny Talbot has accepted the fate of the town. But this year, on the eve of the sisters’ return, a boy named Bo Carter arrives; unaware of the danger he has just stumbled into.

Mistrust and lies spread quickly through the salty, rain-soaked streets. The townspeople turn against one another. Penny and Bo suspect each other of hiding secrets. And death comes swiftly to those who cannot resist the call of the sisters.

But only Penny sees what others cannot. And she will be forced to choose: save Bo, or save herself.

About The Author

Photograph by Sky Pinnick

Shea Ernshaw is a #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author. Her books have been published in over twenty countries, and she is the winner of the Oregon Book Award. She lives in a small mountain town in Oregon and is happiest when lost in a good book, lost in the woods, or writing her next novel. Visit her online at SheaErnshaw.com.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (March 6, 2018)
  • Length: 320 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781481497367
  • Grades: 9 and up
  • Ages: 14 - 99
  • Lexile ® HL830L The Lexile reading levels have been certified by the Lexile developer, MetaMetrics®

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Raves and Reviews

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"A wickedly chilling debut about ghosts, witches, love, and revenge." -- School Library Journal

"Chilling both by the damp, briny streets of Sparrow and by its residents’ sudden fervor for vengeance." -- BCCB, starred review

"Balancing delicate emotion and authentic suspense, the hypnotic prose pulls readers into the question of how, or if, the curse of the sisters can be broken." --Publishers Weekly

"Readers will drown in this finely crafted, atmospheric book." -- Kirkus

"Complex and sweetly satisfying." -- Booklist

"A tale with substance and depth, one of magic and curses, betrayal and revenge, but most importantly, it is a story about the redemptive power of love to make even the worst wrongs, right. -- Amber Smith, New York Times bestselling author of The Way I Used to Be.

"Prepare to be bewitched." -- Paula Stokes, author of Liars, Inc. and Girl Against The Universe.

"Eerie and enchanting." -- Jessica Spotswood, author of The Cahill Witch Chronicles and editor of Toil & Trouble

"A magical, haunted tale of the sea, spells and secrets. . . . Beware!" -- Shannon Parker, author of The Rattled Bones

Awards and Honors

  • Oregon Book Award

Resources and Downloads

High Resolution Images

More books from this author: Shea Ernshaw