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Girl Reflected in Knife
“A haunting, bold portrait of a young woman whose world has reached fever pitch, whose grief has taken on a life of its own. Unputdownable and exquisitely written, Girl Reflected in Knife is chilling yet beautiful, fantastical yet all too real, as we follow one girl through the looking glass. I will be thinking about this book for a very long time to come.” —Amber Smith, New York Times bestselling author of The Way I Used to Be and The Way I Am Now
Destiny cannot count on anyone but herself. Her mother has struggled with addiction for all of Destiny’s seventeen years, moving them from town to town, bad boyfriend to bad boyfriend—including a particularly dark period in Texas, where Destiny ended up in a psychiatric hospital. But Destiny's mother is newly sober and stable. And Destiny is falling in love.
Destiny never believed in happily ever after, but that doesn't stop her confidence from fraying when the first guy she ever trusted casually shatters her heart. Spiraling hard, she tells a tiny, desperate lie to buy herself a moment of hope. But as the lie grows and the pressures tangle, she gets lost in her own deception, and the line between truth and fantasy starts to blur.
With time untethered and her perception in knots, Destiny must find a way to reclaim her story and weave a new ending—before the beginnings unravel.
Destiny cannot count on anyone but herself. Her mother has struggled with addiction for all of Destiny’s seventeen years, moving them from town to town, bad boyfriend to bad boyfriend—including a particularly dark period in Texas, where Destiny ended up in a psychiatric hospital. But Destiny's mother is newly sober and stable. And Destiny is falling in love.
Destiny never believed in happily ever after, but that doesn't stop her confidence from fraying when the first guy she ever trusted casually shatters her heart. Spiraling hard, she tells a tiny, desperate lie to buy herself a moment of hope. But as the lie grows and the pressures tangle, she gets lost in her own deception, and the line between truth and fantasy starts to blur.
With time untethered and her perception in knots, Destiny must find a way to reclaim her story and weave a new ending—before the beginnings unravel.
240 pages, Hardcover
Published April 7, 2026
About the author
Anica Mrose Rissi
21 books253 followersWriter, storyteller, editrix. Author of picture books, chapter books, middle grade, and YA. Fan of dogs and ice cream. Offers energetic, interactive presentations and writing workshops for students of all ages at libraries, festivals, and schools.
Anica Mrose Rissi grew up on an island off the coast of Maine, where she read a lot of books and loved a lot of pets. She now tells and collects stories, makes up songs on her violin, and eats cheese with her friends in central New Jersey, where she lives with her dog, Sweet Potato. As a former book editor turned writer and storyteller, Anica has spoken with kids and adults across the country about all pieces of the writing process. Her essays have been published by The Writer magazine and the New York Times, and she plays fiddle in and writes lyrics for the band Owen Lake and the Tragic Loves. Anica posts about bookish things at @anicarissi on Instagram.
Anica teaches in the Writing for Children & Young Adults MFA program at Vermont College of Fine Arts and is available for in-person and virtual writing workshops and presentations with groups of all sizes and ages. Find out more at http://anicarissi.com.
Author photograph (c) Kim Indresano
Anica Mrose Rissi grew up on an island off the coast of Maine, where she read a lot of books and loved a lot of pets. She now tells and collects stories, makes up songs on her violin, and eats cheese with her friends in central New Jersey, where she lives with her dog, Sweet Potato. As a former book editor turned writer and storyteller, Anica has spoken with kids and adults across the country about all pieces of the writing process. Her essays have been published by The Writer magazine and the New York Times, and she plays fiddle in and writes lyrics for the band Owen Lake and the Tragic Loves. Anica posts about bookish things at @anicarissi on Instagram.
Anica teaches in the Writing for Children & Young Adults MFA program at Vermont College of Fine Arts and is available for in-person and virtual writing workshops and presentations with groups of all sizes and ages. Find out more at http://anicarissi.com.
Author photograph (c) Kim Indresano
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
April 20, 2026
I spent more than a decade figuring out how to make Girl Reflected in Knife the book I wanted it to be (short, sharp, addictive, unsettling). After all those years of keeping it in my head, heart, notebooks, and laptop, it’s finally time to send it out into the world to seek its fortune.
The path has not been easy, but this book would not let me go. I’ve been calling it my white whale for good reason.
Girl Reflected in Knife is a modern fractured fairy tale about a heartbroken teen who tells a desperate lie and starts to lose track of her own truth. It weaves together concepts of fantasy and reality and unravels notions of logic and time. It is by far my weirdest book—filled with wild ambition and creative risks.
Thank you for giving it a shot. I'm grateful for every reader.
News/updates:
In a starred review, Kirkus called Girl Reflected in Knife “breathless, mesmerizing...An emotionally immediate yet ethereal and darkly fantastical tale woven through with threads that ring all too true.” Shelf Awareness also gave it a star, and said the book "deftly examines mental health through the lens of internalized trauma and skewed self-perception." Booklist praised its “lush, harrowing language.” Publishers Weekly deemed it “propulsive.” The Bulletin said it’s “intensely compulsive...A truly immersive read.” And School Library Journal predicted, “Fans of dark fairy tales, unreliable narrators, and psychology will be drawn in to Destiny’s twisted web of lies and half-truths.”
Five authors whose work I deeply admire read advance copies and offered generous blurbs:
“Anica Mrose Rissi has written one hell of a book about the way trauma shapes people and what it takes to rebuild yourself and your life on your own terms. Destiny’s story of abuse, addiction, neglect, and her sheer will to survive by creating a world where she can thrive is at once elegant and bruising, bone-sharp and filmy as gossamer. I loved every exquisite sentence.” — Kathleen Glasgow, New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces
Anica Mrose Rissi has crafted a haunting, bold portrait of a young woman whose world has reached fever pitch, whose grief has taken on a life of its own. Unputdownable and exquisitely written, Girl Reflected in Knife is chilling yet beautiful, fantastical yet all too real, as we follow one girl through the looking glass. I will be thinking about this book for a very long time to come.” — Amber Smith, New York Times bestselling author of The Way I Used to Be and The Way I Am Now
“Anica Mrose Rissi has written a mind-warping gut punch of a book. I raced through this one with equal parts dread and curiosity, desperate to see how Destiny’s story would explode and unravel.” — Emily X.R. Pan, New York Times bestselling author of The Astonishing Color of After and An Arrow to the Moon
“Girl Reflected in Knife is simply jaw-dropping. It is brave and unblinking, imaginative and revelatory. Here is a true fractured fairy tale in every sense, showing the immense power in the stories you tell to yourself and the stories you need to believe in order to survive.” — Nova Ren Suma, New York Times bestselling author of The Walls Around Us and Wake the Wild Creatures
“Girl Reflected in Knife is beautiful and haunting, the kind of book that nests inside you, the kind of book you make space for and talk about and shove into the hands of everyone you know.” — Shaun David Hutchinson, award-winning author of We Are the Ants
The path has not been easy, but this book would not let me go. I’ve been calling it my white whale for good reason.
Girl Reflected in Knife is a modern fractured fairy tale about a heartbroken teen who tells a desperate lie and starts to lose track of her own truth. It weaves together concepts of fantasy and reality and unravels notions of logic and time. It is by far my weirdest book—filled with wild ambition and creative risks.
Thank you for giving it a shot. I'm grateful for every reader.
News/updates:
In a starred review, Kirkus called Girl Reflected in Knife “breathless, mesmerizing...An emotionally immediate yet ethereal and darkly fantastical tale woven through with threads that ring all too true.” Shelf Awareness also gave it a star, and said the book "deftly examines mental health through the lens of internalized trauma and skewed self-perception." Booklist praised its “lush, harrowing language.” Publishers Weekly deemed it “propulsive.” The Bulletin said it’s “intensely compulsive...A truly immersive read.” And School Library Journal predicted, “Fans of dark fairy tales, unreliable narrators, and psychology will be drawn in to Destiny’s twisted web of lies and half-truths.”
Five authors whose work I deeply admire read advance copies and offered generous blurbs:
“Anica Mrose Rissi has written one hell of a book about the way trauma shapes people and what it takes to rebuild yourself and your life on your own terms. Destiny’s story of abuse, addiction, neglect, and her sheer will to survive by creating a world where she can thrive is at once elegant and bruising, bone-sharp and filmy as gossamer. I loved every exquisite sentence.” — Kathleen Glasgow, New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces
Anica Mrose Rissi has crafted a haunting, bold portrait of a young woman whose world has reached fever pitch, whose grief has taken on a life of its own. Unputdownable and exquisitely written, Girl Reflected in Knife is chilling yet beautiful, fantastical yet all too real, as we follow one girl through the looking glass. I will be thinking about this book for a very long time to come.” — Amber Smith, New York Times bestselling author of The Way I Used to Be and The Way I Am Now
“Anica Mrose Rissi has written a mind-warping gut punch of a book. I raced through this one with equal parts dread and curiosity, desperate to see how Destiny’s story would explode and unravel.” — Emily X.R. Pan, New York Times bestselling author of The Astonishing Color of After and An Arrow to the Moon
“Girl Reflected in Knife is simply jaw-dropping. It is brave and unblinking, imaginative and revelatory. Here is a true fractured fairy tale in every sense, showing the immense power in the stories you tell to yourself and the stories you need to believe in order to survive.” — Nova Ren Suma, New York Times bestselling author of The Walls Around Us and Wake the Wild Creatures
“Girl Reflected in Knife is beautiful and haunting, the kind of book that nests inside you, the kind of book you make space for and talk about and shove into the hands of everyone you know.” — Shaun David Hutchinson, award-winning author of We Are the Ants
April 16, 2026
2,5 stars
very well written, invites he reader in, but to my taste it was missing some complexities, specially towards the ending, maybe because it's for younger audiences
very well written, invites he reader in, but to my taste it was missing some complexities, specially towards the ending, maybe because it's for younger audiences
May 17, 2026
This one tugs—not just at your heart but at the place that makes you NEED to protect young women better. ❤️ Such a raw and thought provoking read that ends just as it should.
April 9, 2026
𝕞𝕦𝕔𝕙 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕜𝕤 𝕥𝕠 ℙ𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕦𝕚𝕟 𝕒𝕟𝕕 ℕ𝕖𝕥𝔾𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕖𝕪 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕒𝕣𝕔 𝕚𝕟 𝕖𝕩𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕘𝕖 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕒𝕟 𝕙𝕠𝕟𝕖𝕤𝕥 𝕣𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨
This book is heartbreaking, sad, emotional, and, quite honestly, beautiful. It handles hard topics well and mentions things people tend to shy away from. I was taken by the stunning style of writing, the prose, and the descriptions, I would say, which is what really sucked me into this story.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.✨
Some things you should be aware of before reading this novel: there are some content warnings, such as abusive parents, the feeling of an unfinished story, and some sexual activity seen on page—mental illness and fantasies that are 'real' depression, anxiety, heartbreak, and a miscarriage.
This book was an impressive display of a second chance, not just in love but in life. There were Christian elements I loved, and the fact that she explores a new town. which, by the way, I adored. The way this town was described was how cute, but like 'big city', but also the fact that it felt like a small town, but everyone knew it wasn't.
The only reason this isn't a five-star for me is that it didn't feel like the story was done. Yes, the book was finished; yes, the main event happened, but so much remained to resolve. And for that reason alone, I will not be gifting this book a five-star, but trust me and my tears. This book was worth it—every page.
Read books and drink coffee,
Katherine <3
This book is heartbreaking, sad, emotional, and, quite honestly, beautiful. It handles hard topics well and mentions things people tend to shy away from. I was taken by the stunning style of writing, the prose, and the descriptions, I would say, which is what really sucked me into this story.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.✨
Some things you should be aware of before reading this novel: there are some content warnings, such as abusive parents, the feeling of an unfinished story, and some sexual activity seen on page—mental illness and fantasies that are 'real' depression, anxiety, heartbreak, and a miscarriage.
This book was an impressive display of a second chance, not just in love but in life. There were Christian elements I loved, and the fact that she explores a new town. which, by the way, I adored. The way this town was described was how cute, but like 'big city', but also the fact that it felt like a small town, but everyone knew it wasn't.
The only reason this isn't a five-star for me is that it didn't feel like the story was done. Yes, the book was finished; yes, the main event happened, but so much remained to resolve. And for that reason alone, I will not be gifting this book a five-star, but trust me and my tears. This book was worth it—every page.
Read books and drink coffee,
Katherine <3
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
⭐⭐⭐⭐
THE GIRL REFLECTED IN KNIFE by Anica Mrose Rissi (April 7, 2026)
Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Teen for the earc
When Destiny's heart is broken by the only guy she's ever trusted, she latches onto a lie that tethers itself to her and him---growing until she can no longer tell the difference between reality and fantasy.
THE GIRL REFLECTED IN KNIFE is a YA realistic fiction novel mixed with fantasy. This book is different, a story within a story, if you will---as Destiny's two worlds collide. Destiny had been through a lot, and I felt bad for her...but I also disliked her.
This is a very fast-paced, gripping read. Because of the fine line between what was real and what wasn't, truths and lies, it's eerie and confusing. THE GIRL REFLECTED IN KNIFE is disturbing, and it's interesting. I don't quite know how to describe it. I do know, though, that it felt incomplete. This book is short, and I wanted more closure at the end. More reactions to what happened once everything was revealed. More about Destiny and what happened to her because her story felt far from over.
THE GIRL REFLECTED IN KNIFE by Anica Mrose Rissi (April 7, 2026)
Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Teen for the earc
When Destiny's heart is broken by the only guy she's ever trusted, she latches onto a lie that tethers itself to her and him---growing until she can no longer tell the difference between reality and fantasy.
THE GIRL REFLECTED IN KNIFE is a YA realistic fiction novel mixed with fantasy. This book is different, a story within a story, if you will---as Destiny's two worlds collide. Destiny had been through a lot, and I felt bad for her...but I also disliked her.
This is a very fast-paced, gripping read. Because of the fine line between what was real and what wasn't, truths and lies, it's eerie and confusing. THE GIRL REFLECTED IN KNIFE is disturbing, and it's interesting. I don't quite know how to describe it. I do know, though, that it felt incomplete. This book is short, and I wanted more closure at the end. More reactions to what happened once everything was revealed. More about Destiny and what happened to her because her story felt far from over.
April 11, 2026
4.5 STARS
Destiny’s chronically addicted mother leads to a childhood of instability. She doesn’t trust her mom’s newfound sobriety or the boyfriend in whose house they’re living. Somehow, against all odds she’s dating a gorgeous, popular guy. A pregnancy scare triggers old mental illness issues causing Destiny to believe she’s pregnant while also understanding she’s probably not.
GIRL REFLECTED IN KNIFE was a solid 5 star book right up until the abrupt ending. Anica Mrose Rissi gave me GIRL IN PIECES vibes as Destiny’s mind blurs fantasy with reality. As a child she created a fictitious world to escape her tumultuous home life. Hospitalized and cured of her delusions they come crashing back.
I really, really wish Rissi had given readers an epilogue or at least a better ending than to leave us hanging about Destiny’s reliability as a narrator in the last chapter.
Destiny’s chronically addicted mother leads to a childhood of instability. She doesn’t trust her mom’s newfound sobriety or the boyfriend in whose house they’re living. Somehow, against all odds she’s dating a gorgeous, popular guy. A pregnancy scare triggers old mental illness issues causing Destiny to believe she’s pregnant while also understanding she’s probably not.
GIRL REFLECTED IN KNIFE was a solid 5 star book right up until the abrupt ending. Anica Mrose Rissi gave me GIRL IN PIECES vibes as Destiny’s mind blurs fantasy with reality. As a child she created a fictitious world to escape her tumultuous home life. Hospitalized and cured of her delusions they come crashing back.
I really, really wish Rissi had given readers an epilogue or at least a better ending than to leave us hanging about Destiny’s reliability as a narrator in the last chapter.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Haunting, unputdownable, harrowing yet beautiful.
Destiny follows her newly sober mum to start over in a new town over summer, and before school starts she’s falling in love with Ryan, they end it so he can concentrate on football and then she thinks she’s pregnant.
A little lie to buy time and closeness, sees Destiny spiraling back into her childhood fantasy land and a blurring of her reality and her comfortable fantasy.
A gorgeous, challenging YA read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Penguin Young Readers Group |Dutton Books for Young Readers for the ARC, in exchange for an honest review.
Destiny follows her newly sober mum to start over in a new town over summer, and before school starts she’s falling in love with Ryan, they end it so he can concentrate on football and then she thinks she’s pregnant.
A little lie to buy time and closeness, sees Destiny spiraling back into her childhood fantasy land and a blurring of her reality and her comfortable fantasy.
A gorgeous, challenging YA read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Penguin Young Readers Group |Dutton Books for Young Readers for the ARC, in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Wow there was a lot to unpack in this short book! Stories layered upon stories gave this a haunting vibe where it was hard to tell what was fact and what was fiction. I didn't love Destiny perpetuating such a big lie, but in the context of the world she created for herself to escape her harsh upbringing, it really was understandable.
I think young readers will get a lot out of this one! Very well done, just don't know if I was the right audience.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!
I think young readers will get a lot out of this one! Very well done, just don't know if I was the right audience.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Haunting and interesting YA book about a girl named Destiny. She's had a rough life, but things seem like they might finally be looking up for her. But then she gets her heart broken and one lie snowballs further and further until she's tangled up again.
The plotting is fantastic and the writing style is really effective. You definitely root quite a bit for Destiny and also get a clear view of her. I'd definitely recommend this one. 4.5, rounded up. Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Young Readers/Dutton Young Readers for this ARC.
The plotting is fantastic and the writing style is really effective. You definitely root quite a bit for Destiny and also get a clear view of her. I'd definitely recommend this one. 4.5, rounded up. Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Young Readers/Dutton Young Readers for this ARC.
Review of advance copy
Starting over with her sober mother in a new town, former foster care kid 16-year-old Destiny Black falls in mutual love with football star Ryan. But when the relationship ends, Destiny's reality fractures. Could she be pregnant? Could her unborn child fulfill a prophecy in a secret world that may or may not only exist in her head? This is a deceptively brief, layered tale about the stories we tell ourselves--and the ways they save us.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This is an interesting tale of a neglected and abused girl who creates a fantasy world to avoid the reality of what is going on around her. As she enters later teen years, this tendency mixes with the complex social relationships of high school in unexpected ways. This is somewhere between a short story and a novel. I wish that the fantasy world had been explored a little more and that the ending was not so abrupt, which would have lengthened it a little.
April 26, 2026
2.5 ⭐️
This book was definitely well written and had real potential to be amazing. I was so excited for this when I found out it was coming out and that it was said to be for fans of Kathleen Glasgow book!
However, for me, this just didn’t hit how I expected it to! I felt like there were so many complex themes that should’ve and I feel needed to be addressed and delved into, but they were and because of that I just found the book really disappointing.
This book was definitely well written and had real potential to be amazing. I was so excited for this when I found out it was coming out and that it was said to be for fans of Kathleen Glasgow book!
However, for me, this just didn’t hit how I expected it to! I felt like there were so many complex themes that should’ve and I feel needed to be addressed and delved into, but they were and because of that I just found the book really disappointing.
April 8, 2026
3.25/5 stars. This was an okay book, it wasn’t anything special. I feel like it was too short to have any complexities surrounding how Destiny felt about her life. I wanted more from this. However, the writing was very good.
April 21, 2026
Decent story, but the ending felt unfinished. I felt it could've been a 5 star with more written at the end about the main character.
May 16, 2026
Not for me.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews