Welcome to Dead Town Raven McKay

by Eibhlís Carcione

On her first day in Grave’s Pass, Raven McKay spotted a pooka horses chasing goblins in a vacant lot, three banshees on a bus, a zombie in ripped jeans staring in the window of a phone shop, a bogeyman walking a labradoodle, a ghost on a ladder cleaning windows, a ghoul sipping coffee at an outdoor café. This is Dead Town― this is Raven's new home. But will Raven find her parents who have mysteriously disappeared? And who in Dead Town Can she trust? All her parents have left her is a suit case with a black butterfly and a cryptic note.

Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Fiction

288 pages, Paperback

Published June 1, 2023

About the author

Eibhlís Carcione is a children’s author and teacher. She is also a bilingual poet who writes poems in Irish and English. She has published three poetry books in Irish and has won many prestigious prizes. She has written hundreds of poems, often about the power of nature, mermaids, myths, magic, and the occasional ghost. She lives in Cork city with her husband, daughter, and two faithful canine companions. Welcome to Dead Town Raven McKay is her debut novel.

Reviews

[Matilda · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderfully strange and fantastical book. The beautiful writing - and the illustrations - perfectly capture the creepy and somewhat surreal atmosphere. But, like any good book, it is more than just atmosphere. There is also an scary villain to fight and a strange mystery to solve. A captivating and frightening gothic mystery for the braver middle-grade reader (and any age above that).

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is unlike any children’s book I’ve read for a while, and was both wonderfully refreshing and deeply inspiring. It tells the story of Raven, who moves to a town were the dead and the living live side by side, although not always harmoniously!

It has an atmosphere all of its own: there is something refined and restrained about it, while at the same time it’s wildly lyrical and imaginative. Quite a heady combination! I’m normally drawn to simpler writing styles, but in this context, descriptions such as: “The streets were bone-thin and twisted, with smoke-tendrilled lanes where tentacled shadows seemed ready to reach out and grab her” — serve to give you a sense of Raven’s wide-eyed awe and creativity.

It is deeply gothic and quite dark and creepy, so while more sensitive children may want to approach with caution, I know many 9-12 year olds who will adore it for that. It will challenge and unnerve and excite them for sure! Oh, and it is full of utterly beguiling illustrations by Polish artist Ewa Beniak-Haremska.

[By Book and Bone (Sally) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have so many thoughts on this little book that I found on a train station bookshelf. First, the illustrations are to die for. I added a whole star just for them. Second, there were aspects of the writing and story that needed work.

I loved the prose. It was nice and easy to read. The aesthetics of Grave's Pass and Deadtown were fun to read about. However, the story itself felt rushed and the worldbuilding was lacklustre. Perhaps the author intends this to be a long running children's series, in which this style of writing would make sense but as a standalone, I wish we got more.

The characters are fun but a little flat and I could not get a handle on why anyone put up with 90% of Deadtown if they're so obviously murderous. This is where the worldbuilding/lore was needed the most for the small book.

I think it's worth the read but maybe not a reread.

[Fern · Rating 4 out of 5]

Move aside Wednesday Addams, there’s a new girl in (dead) town!

Set in the Shirley Jackson-esque small town of Grave’s Pass, a place where pooka horses, ghouls, and ghosts live side by side with ordinary folk, our fearless heroine, Raven McKay, arrives with a battered suitcase of mysteries and uncovered memories.

In this startlingly original gothic ghost story, debut children's author Eibhlís Carcione pairs thrills and chills with empathy and emotion, efficiently delivered with poetic precision and bold simplicity. Literary echos of Neil Gaiman and Pádraig Kenny ring throughout.

Magnificently illustrated by Ewa Beniak-Haremska, who's intoxicating artwork adds an entirely new level of enchantment and curiosity to an already absorbing and thought-provoking tale.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a baffling book that really highlighted, for me, how hard it is to write a novel--how even novels that I think are not very good are still the result of a lot of skill and organization such that I as a reader know who is who and how they move through setting and plot. Which is all to say I was unable to follow who was who (one character seems to have two names? Who is Amber? Is she Luperca? Unclear to me!), sometimes you jump from one setting to another as though time did not pass at all, and there is very little internal logic to either characterization or the way magic works. This is not a request for a highly organized magical system, but a more basic need to buy what is being sold to me at any given moment. The illustrations, however, are fucking rad.

[Serena Molloy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best way I can describe this dazzling book is like taking a wild trip on a ghost train into the dark crevices of a creepy, strange world. Grave’s Pass is a town where the living and the dead live together and where anything is possible. Restless ghosts, werewolves and zombies fill the streets (and the pages) as we follow Raven on her quest to find her missing parents and defeat the evil Bram. The writing is powerful and beautiful, not surprising as the author is also an extremely accomplished poet. With amazingly detailed images by the wonderfully talented Ewa Beniak-Haremska, this novel will suit readers who enjoy the thrill of an action-packed horror story.

[Angela Kecojevic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Glorious, glorious, glorious! I LOVED this book. Deeply Gothic. Gorgeous characters. The name Raven sets the scene perfectly. Oh, and Grave's Pass too! What wonderful names! The mix of Dead Town folk and everyday folk was clever, exciting and so well imagined. It felt like I was stepping into a movie. I loved the friendship between Raven and Mack. The added intrigue with the black butterflies kept me hooked from start to finish! And the illustrations were perfect. Can't wait to read more from this exciting author!

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a spooky and beautiful story created by author Eibhlís Carcione. It's obvious from the lyrical and stunning imagery that Eibhlís is also a poet, and creates a unique world that you can really immerse yourself in. It’s unlike anything I’ve read before, and I can't wait to read more from this author.

[CJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Raven McKay is put into foster care in Grave's Pass, a creepy town where the living and the dead live side by side, she must uncover the truth behind her parents' disappearance. A frightfully fun book full of odd and supernatural characters that young readers will love. This is another delightfully dark tale for children ages 9+ by Eibhlis Carcione.

[Eve McDonnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oooh! 👻 This is a spine-chilling, fever-dream of a read by writer / poet Eibhlís Carcione. The descriptions of people and places are so uniquely imagined, it was hard not to pause and soak it up. It’s unlike anything I’ve read before - a real palate cleanser! 9+

[Emily Randall-Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm astounded by this writer's ability to create a fantastic character, stunning lyrical sentences and a thrilling plot all in one fell swoop. It's like opening a door into another world, visceral and haunting and beautiful.

[Carolyn Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous, spooky, haunting .. read it!

[Eimear · Rating 3 out of 5]

The actual story gets 2/5. The extra star is for the illustrations.

[Sarah Merrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book so much. It’s a wonderfully unique, atmospheric and spooky story with a whole host of weird characters, along with Raven, the loveable protagonist. A great read.

[Anastaciya]

The story may be great for young readers. Unfortunately, the Russian translation is a total disaster 💔

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous, poetic, unusual horror story. Absolutely loved it!