The Darkness Greeted Her
In this atmospheric sapphic horror, a troubled teen is sent to a remote therapy camp in the Appalachian wilderness, where she must unravel a mystery of deadly occurrences as she battles harmful visions of her abusive father, sinister motives, and a lurking monster.
Penny’s abusive father is dead…but she still hears his voice in her head, encouraging her to hurt those around her. She can’t go to school or be around her friends or even draw with a sharp pencil without her intrusive thoughts urging her toward violence. Desperate to get a handle on her OCD, she agrees to spend the summer at Camp Whitewood–an exclusive therapy retreat in the woods.
She feels optimistic when she arrives. The other girls all have their reasons for being there, which makes Penny feel a little less alone. But then she starts seeing things that can’t possibly be there: the gold watch her father was buried with, his favorite whiskey spilled on her cabin floor…a terrifying figure she calls the Shadow Man looming at the foot of her bed. Penny thinks she is losing her mind, but when a girl goes missing, and is later found dead, it’s clear that whatever is happening at Camp Whitewood isn’t all in her head.
As the hallucinations become increasingly intense and more girls wind up dead, Penny must work with whoever is left standing to figure out what is real before the Shadow Man uses their traumas against them and claims their lives.
Additional information
| Genre | Horror |
|---|---|
| Age | Young Adult |
| Publisher | Sourcebooks |
| Imprint | Sourcebook Fire (Line: Midnight Reads) |
| Language(s) | English |
| Format(s) | Audiobook, eBook, Mass Market Paperback |
| Author | Christina Ferko |
| Release Date | 03 February 2026 |
| Release Month | February Releases |
| Author Identity | LGBTQIA+, Neurodivergent |
About the Author
Christina Ferko grew up in a family of seven girls, including her identical twin sister–whom she only occasionally switched places with to confuse people. Before writing, she dreamed of running away and joining a circus. She even learned how to eat and breathe fire, but now reserves those tricks for parties instead.
Christina loves dark and magical shows like The Magicians and creepy ones like The Haunting of Hill House, along with most zombie movies–even if they scare her. And she never has enough time for all the k-dramas she wants to watch or books she wants to read. She’s also a fan of tattoos and hair dyed unnatural colors. Christina lives in Maryland with her husband and two kids, along with her ever-growing number of animals. She spends her time happily at home writing and is represented by Cole Lanahan from The Seymour Agency.
