Scarlet Hunger: A Nile Ghost Story

by Cristine Courcy

You can’t skip a stone across Lake Champlain without hitting a Nile legend. Some you have to hunt down…but some end up hunting you. And this one…well, it’s going to keep you up at night…

Jacqueline Charlebois, teenage internet personality and paranormal investigator, has made it her life’s mission to share the truth of the supernatural with the world—whether they want to hear it or not. So, when a local Nile girl falls victim to a demonic attack, Jacqueline takes it upon herself to expose the reality that the authorities refuse to acknowledge. And in the process, she crosses a line, falling forward into viral infamy.

Now all eyes are on her, and Jacqueline’s reputation as a truth-teller and everything she’s worked for is in jeopardy. To clear her name, she and her friends hunt down the mysterious Scarlet Witch, the ghost at the heart of Nile’s most elusive legend.

But things aren’t what they seem. There’s something much more sinister than a ghost lurking in the woods. And what began as a search for proof ends in a hunt for blood, when, one by one, kids start getting hungry…for each other.


Scarlet Hunger is a fast-paced YA paranormal novel with magic, monsters, and mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end. A Nancy Drew meets Supernatural thriller with a horrific twist on the tale of Red Riding Hood that will haunt you long after you’ve finished.

256 pages, Paperback

Published March 16, 2025

About the author

I peaked in high school, so that's what I write about.

With my stories, I'm creating my own genre: cozy dark fantasy. Dark fantasy with a light heart. And I can promise you—I write every story with purposeful intention to keep the story as heartfelt and action-packed as possible, without adding unnecessary negativity or mature themes. There will be horror, there will be darkness, but I hope at the end of every story, you feel uplifted and hopeful. (cliffhangers aside...)

Reviews

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this standalone story in a familiar universe and I'm so glad the author included Lacey in this story. She's very much inspired by Luna Lovegood and that's a good thing. I love the way the author wove in various folklore about the more traditional werewolves but connected it with a fairytale, the lopu-garou, and a family curse, and somehow made it all work. The story started out somewhat slow, but that's not unusual for these stories because it always takes me time to recall the characters in the universe and usually, I'm trying at the beginning to see if it's a character I've met before. So it always slows me down. But that said, I really enjoyed the book and was pleased to have a few surprise twists thrown in. I loved the development of Jacqueline's character throughout the book as she learns more about her family history. I think this was probably my favorite story in this universe so far. The Grey sisters and their family are interesting, but I like that the author has developed standalone stories of other people in the town. That said, I would love a novel that centers around the youngest Grey sister.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from BookSirens. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Nicole Nash (Costanza) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jacqueline Charlebois is a paranormal investigator who has made it her life's mission to share her findings and truths of the paranormal within our world. And how does she do it? Through her internet personality.
When a local girl is brutally killed, she decides to expose the truth. Until she falls into internet infamy.

Now her and her friends are on the hunt for the Scarlet Witch, which starts out as a way to clear Jacqueline's name...until she learns there's something more sinister lurking in the woods... 🐺

I really enjoyed this book! I read Dark Reflections last year and was so excited to see the author released another paranormal story about the Nile! 👻

What I liked:
• The action...WOW! When something was happening, I couldn't read fast enough!
• Seeing Jacqueline's growth throughout the story.
• So happy to see Lacey again! I really liked her in Dark Reflections.
• I love the magic throughout the story; potions to heal, etc. It gives it a more magical aspect.
• The pace of the story was good (during certain scenes)
• The slow burn with Jacqueline and Chris!
• .....the ENDING.

What I didn't like:
• I wish there was more in-depth storytelling with Jacqueline and and her mom. The one scene with them made it seem like it was thrown in there for extra drama and didn't provide anything to the story.
• There were some spelling errors that threw me off.
• It was slow at certain points...some scenes did drag longer than I thought they should.
• Certain scenes give you so much information at once that it could be overwhelming.

This is a standalone read that I highly recommend! I can't wait to read more Nile stories!

𝙄 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙎𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬 𝙫𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙮.

[Angela Brannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Nile witch books are great and this companion story is no exception. The FMC was somewhat narcissistic and hard to like at first. Jacqueline Charlebois is a You Tuber who is determined to make a name for herself as a paranormal investigator. As a descendant of original Nile settlers, she grew up hearing all the legends of the island. Her particular obsession is the Scarlet Witch, who she is determined to find.

Her team of friends who help her with her videos try to discourage her from posting a gory video of a local murdered girl but she insists. The video goes viral and the trolls close in. She is thrust into several scenarios where she makes questionable decisions and lots of teen drama ensues.

She is also close to her grandmother, who is suffering from Alzheimer's disease and getting more demented by the day. She can't stop biting her nurse, claiming to suffer from scarlet hunger, which she says plagues the women of their family through a curse.

The hunt to discover the truth about the Scarlet Witch and the history of her family makes for a great paranormal romp. I really loved the clues and red herrings that made this a twisting and unpredictable story. The truth about the scarlet hunger was unexpected and disconcerting. The end of the book was very dramatic and sad, and left me heartbroken for Jacqueline. I am hoping to see more of her and the YouTube team in new Nile stories. The island is fascinating and I want to hear more about it in future books as there is so much local lore that needs exploring!!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Billi · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 4/5⭐️

Scarlet Hunger by Cristine Courcy is a young adult paranormal Jacqueline is a paranormal investigator in her small town and when a local girl is killed she wants to expose the truth on her internet website. Her and her friends are on the hunt for the Scarlet Witch which leads her to startling truths about her own family.

This book is set in a larger universe but is the first for Jacqueline! I have not read anything else by this author and I was pleasantly surprised that this can be read as a stand-a-lone. I was super intrigued by the blurb! I definitely want to check out the other books set in this universe!

I loved Lacey! She was very spunky and kind of whimsical! Jacqueline was a powerhouse. She was headstrong and always wanted to do the right thing. She handled everything in stride and was really pushing to save her town.

The one thing that I would say is it was a little predictable but there were a few twists at the end that I did not see coming! The writing also did seem repetitive. Overall a solid 4 star read for me and I am excited to read more from her!

Thank you to the author and BookSirens for the ARC.

[Taisanz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t normally read this genre, but this year I’m challenging myself to read new things, and when I was reading the sypnosis it called to me. It was such an exiting read, I was at the edge of my seat the whole time, and as I said it’s not a genre I normally read, so I took my time in the beginning but when it picked up I couldn’t put this book down trying to find out what’s going to happen next. And I was actually scared, like really, I mostly read at night so imagine 3:00 a.m reading horror, S-C-A-R-Y.

this book is really short so you can read it pretty quickly, I liked that.

Jackeline was such an entertaining character to read. She is so determined in her goal to find what she wants to find that, in a way, it was inspiring to me, because she does whatever she has to do to achieve her goal.

Also…there was a sprinkle of romance in this book and I was all in for it.

Definitely reading more of this in the future.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Lely · Rating 3 out of 5]

So firstly, I LOVED Lacey and Chris amongst a few other side characters. Lacey reminded me SO MUCH of Luna Lovegood, so whimsical and just unique and adorable! And Chris, real white knight and dreamy!
For an ARC it’s pretty good no grammar errors that I noticed. Maybe just change a few words so it’s not too repetitive. One thing issue I did have was that I got lost the moment they went to Wolf’s Rock the first time. The timing had me so confused, might just be me though, but other than that the story was good.
I would recommend inserting some sort of map too because I feel like it would also better help to understand the distance of one location to another. Plus who doesn’t like maps?
That aside though it was a good plot, good story, and really suspenseful and perfect for horror lovers!

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last year the author released Dark Reflections, another book about the Nile. I haven’t read this just so I was interested to see if it was part of a series or a standalone. Well after reading this I can definitely say that this is a standalone but with a returning character.

There was so  much action and as you read you could see the character's growth as the book went on.

The pace of the book was interesting, it was a slow burner but when it needed the pace picked up. This made the pacing perfect. And that ending….

I plan on reading more of the Nile series.

Many thanks to Book Sirens and I leave this review voluntary.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is a cozy horror YA that I didn’t know I needed. At first I felt like it was a bit slow paced, but after it started picking up I couldn’t put it down and read well into the night to finish it. I did get spooked, so good job on that! Some parts were a bit predictable, but there was a nice twist at the end. What would’ve made it five stars for me, is if it was a little less repetitive and the main character had a little more growth. Other than that it was a fantastic read!

[Dora Reads a Lot · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how the island is becoming populated with even more interesting characters after the Grey sisters.

Our FMC, Jacqueline herself is pretty interesting, but her story shows that a lot more is going on in Nile than we have seen before! I liked the folklore elements, the relationships and the references to the prior books in this story. (Although that doesn't mean that this cannot be read As an entry point to this universe!) I could barely put the book down when I had to go to sleep.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Danielle H · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was simply fun and amazing. I instantly fell in love with all of the characters. I knew from the start that this was going to be a fun book and it definitely did not disappoint.

Honestly, I'd give ANYTHING to read more books with these characters again. They all felt so incredibly real to me. The vibes were perfect; the setup was perfect. It was fun and I hope this book finds its way into many, many hands.

Four whole stars because I loved it so much.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Scarlette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one of the scariest I’ve read. Definitely one of my favorites & the scariest book in the series so far. Loved the recurring character appearances from earlier books. The twists were completely unexpected. I was busy connecting the obvious and missed the actual twists. I appreciated Jacqueline’s character development throughout the story. And as always with a Courcy book, love the Easter eggs and pop culture references.

[Christinaraven]

Jacqueline is a paranormal investigator on Nile ends up in a bit of a bind due to her latest posting to her channel. So of course she must go into the scary woods and hunt down a legend. The story was a blast to read and had me glued to the end to see what would happen and what twists and surprises would be thrown her way, Loved it and had me laughing and shaking my head a times as I would expect from a Nile story.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jacqueline Charlebois is what happens when a TikTok ghost hunter accidentally uncovers actual demons—and refuses to shut up about it.

This book is like Good Girl’s Guide to Murder met Buffy in a haunted forest and said, “Let’s get weird.” Teens are turning into cannibals, ghosts are petty, and Jacqueline’s solving mysteries while her online reputation burns. It’s creepy, chaotic, and I loved every unhinged second.

Would definitely read again.

[Melissa Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazingly written and kept me intrigued the whole time. The ending is something I never would have guessed and I loved it. I was in a reading slump before I started this book, but once I started I couldn't put it down. I will recommend this book to all my reader friends. **I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily**

[Maya_Bibliomaniac_Madness · Rating 3 out of 5]

📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖
Title: Scarlet Hunger
Author: Cristine Courcy
Page Count: 256
Format:E-book ARC
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Book Number: 50
Dates Read: 4/10-12
Review:

I received this free advanced copy, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A dark and twisty tale steeped with mystery and intrigue. I really liked the format of the writing with a podcast feel. I would recommend to my friends and family.

[Christina Luberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Supernatural exposed and mystery. This is Jacqueline's story of trying to expose the truth about the supernatural world. They are on the search for the Scarlett Witch. While searching for her, they find something more sinister. Can she find the witch? Can she and her friends survive whats in the woods?

[AMBER CLARK]

Jacqueline Charlebois is a paranormal investigator who has made it her life's mission to share her findings and truths of the paranormal within our world and what better way to do it then online, right? But then she goes too far. As a way to clear her name, she and her friends are on the hunt for the Scarlet Witch. The ending is something I never would have guessed, and I loved it.

[Cheryl Titus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic, entertaining and fast paced book. Didn’t want to put it down!

[Lola Jansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read!

Dark, spooky, well written characters and easy to read storylines.

Definitely very interesting to see how everything wouod play out.

Good read!