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Doe
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Expected 23 Jun 26Thrilling crossover YA Horror perfect for fans of Krystal Sutherland and Tiffany Jackson, where the captain of a high school cheer team is caught in a bitter rivalry and turns to an ancient, supernatural creature for help, not knowing she’s just made a deal with a devil and could lose everything that matters, including her life.
Maris Larsen is the captain of the West Eaton High cheer team. She’s Coach’s favorite and the team worships her. Being on the team makes her feel special—powerful. When she’s leading the girls on the mat, Maris doesn’t have to think about her dead-end life in a dead-end town. She can forget about her depressed mother and absent father and the fact that her girlfriend doesn’t really love her. But when newcomer and Coach’s new golden girl, Genevieve Ray, joins the team, the only thing going right in Maris’s life is suddenly in jeopardy. A bitter rivalry develops between the two, but Maris is determined to take Genevieve down. The knife she needs to wield comes to Maris in her dreams.
While sleepwalking, Maris is visited by a monstrous, decaying beast in the shape of an enormous deer. Doe is an ancient, tired creature who has been wandering, trapped in her current form for decades. She cannot die, but she cannot go on living as she has. Only a girl related by blood to those who bound her in this form can free her, but those girls she loved died years ago—murdered in a fire.
But Maris is somehow linked to Doe’s beloved girls—linked by blood—and so she has the power to free Doe, to unleash her immense power. In Maris’s dreams, she and Doe form a bond, but Maris doesn’t know the creature from her dreams is real. Maris doesn’t understand the danger she’s in. She only knows Doe has promised her a way to win her battle with Genevieve. But for Maris to win, someone has to die, and the only real winner in the end will be Doe.
Maris Larsen is the captain of the West Eaton High cheer team. She’s Coach’s favorite and the team worships her. Being on the team makes her feel special—powerful. When she’s leading the girls on the mat, Maris doesn’t have to think about her dead-end life in a dead-end town. She can forget about her depressed mother and absent father and the fact that her girlfriend doesn’t really love her. But when newcomer and Coach’s new golden girl, Genevieve Ray, joins the team, the only thing going right in Maris’s life is suddenly in jeopardy. A bitter rivalry develops between the two, but Maris is determined to take Genevieve down. The knife she needs to wield comes to Maris in her dreams.
While sleepwalking, Maris is visited by a monstrous, decaying beast in the shape of an enormous deer. Doe is an ancient, tired creature who has been wandering, trapped in her current form for decades. She cannot die, but she cannot go on living as she has. Only a girl related by blood to those who bound her in this form can free her, but those girls she loved died years ago—murdered in a fire.
But Maris is somehow linked to Doe’s beloved girls—linked by blood—and so she has the power to free Doe, to unleash her immense power. In Maris’s dreams, she and Doe form a bond, but Maris doesn’t know the creature from her dreams is real. Maris doesn’t understand the danger she’s in. She only knows Doe has promised her a way to win her battle with Genevieve. But for Maris to win, someone has to die, and the only real winner in the end will be Doe.
368 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication June 23, 2026
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About the author
Rebecca Barrow
11 books310 followersRebecca Barrow is the critically acclaimed author of Bad Things Happen Here, Interview with the Vixen, This Is What It Feels Like, and You Don’t Know Me But I Know You. She is a lover of sunshine, the sea, and Old Hollywood icons. She lives and writes in England. Visit her at www.rebeccabarrow.com
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
Maris is captain of a small-town cheerleading squad. The girls are like family, until their young coach adds a new member in the middle of the season. Genevieve is talented but unwilling to bow to Maris's mean-girl games, and threads of jealousy begin to tear the squad apart. Then a guardian spirit animal whispers in Maris's ear an offer she should - but doesn't -- refuse. This novel in verse builds tension quickly as the only good thing in most of these girls' lives -- the cheer team -- is slowly dismantled in front of them, and the small-town future after high school is nothing to look forward to. The novel is told in alternating voices, from the team, to Maris, to Doe, the spirit animal that was named long ago by a relative of Maris and who needs Maris to help break a curse. Fans of horror will enjoy the slow build that has plenty of hints of what's to come. The horror here is more psychological than bloody, although there are a handful of scenes that could stick with readers long after they've finished. For high school librarians, this is definitely worth adding a copy for general collections if you have any sort of a scary / horror section.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
Read in one sitting. Supernatural vibes with a deer that holds magical powers, through generations and now the cheer captain starts having “dreams,” which are actually her sleepwalking and encountering this deer. There is also some horror vibes. ARC copy won through Goodreads giveaways, and giving my honest review. Thank you for the ARC.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews