Part of Wayward Children
First published 2026
Nancy thought she had found her forever home when she returned to the Halls of the Dead. She left Eleanor West's School for Wayward Children behind without hesitation, ready to spend eternity among the living statues in her beloved underworld. Years pass in contentment until a crisis strikes the Halls. The dead have turned violent, systematically killing the living statues who serve as the realm's inhabitants. The Lord and Lady who govern this domain cannot stop the massacre spreading through their kingdom. Nancy faces an impossible choice. She must abandon her sanctuary and return to the world she rejected, seeking aid from the very schoolmates she left behind. Her mission requires convincing someone to enter a realm where death walks freely and the deceased actively hunt the living. As Nancy confronts her past decisions and present desperation, she discovers that some doors lead home while others lead to war.
Genres: fiction, adventure, fantasy, young-adult, dark-fantasy
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, emotional, haunting, introspective, suspenseful
Tropes: forced-proximity, found-family, high-stakes-mission, return-to-roots
Setting: Halls of the Dead, Eleanor West's School for Wayward Children
149 pages · Hardcover · Tordotcom
Content warnings: death, violence