Thirteen Midnights

by Isabel Strychacz

To save her best friend, a young woman must follow the mysterious figure that has plagued her village for generations into his sprawling, otherworldly realm in this dark fairy tale perfect for fans of The Cruel Prince and The Rose Bargain.

Love will unite them. Fate will break them.

In the superstitious town of Hollow there once lived a long and powerful line of witches. Determined to secure their power, they cast a curse on the only one who threatened their reign: the Lord of the Woods—the enigmatic Piper.

But the curse had a price.

Every thirteen years, someone from Hollow is stolen away into the Piper’s realm by his eerie melodies. No one is ever seen again.

Violet, the last witch left, is destined to break the curse. But when her best friend is taken instead, Violet ventures into the strange and enchanted land called Otherhollow to put things right and confront the Piper. But the Piper is wild, and charming, and different from the monstrous villain in her family’s stories.

Her fate is to kill the Piper and break the curse. But now fate must reckon with something wholly unexpected…Violet’s own traitorous heart.

Genres: Fantasy

368 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication November 17, 2026

About the author

Isabel Strychacz is the author of the YA novel Starling (2021) and upcoming House of Thorns (out 2024). She grew up in a small town in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she read all the books she could find and wrote the books she couldn’t.

She received two degrees in English/Creative Writing and History from Mills College in Oakland, California, and is getting her MFA degree in Creative Writing from Manchester Metropolitan University.

She currently lives in the heart of England with her husband Henry and daughter Imogen, and she works as a copywriter for a PR & Communications agency.

Strychacz is pronounced STREE-cash

Reviews

[Selene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to the author and publisher for my arc. The opinions are my own.

This is a vibe , dark atmospheric with curses secret and magic. It’s a fun mix of Labyrinth and beauty and the beast and while it does drag a bit at times it’s an overall fun read.

[B · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are no words. She has magic in her blood. The way that she writes is unlike anyone else I’ve ever read.

Not only has she outdone herself every single time she’s published a book, she consistently writes uniquely magical stories that have completely different plots and yet still hold you throughout.

I don’t know many authors who can do that and successfully. Maybe if everyone took a few years in between projects, they would have what Strychacz does.

This was everything. A Pied Piper retelling that surpassed my already high expectations, a hot af romance, gorgeous gothic prose, and a glittering dark world that rivals any fae novel you’ve ever read.

I felt like I was inside the woods right there along Violet. The imagery that she creates is so damn powerful and I was obsessed with the twists and the Otherhollow and how the story played out. I could not put this down.

You’re doing yourselves a disservice if you haven’t read any of her books. I need her to inject it into MY veins and to write everything magical and gothic from now on.

[Hannah Rowan · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5 stars! I couldn’t help but love this book. The story is an amalgamation of other stories: the pied piper, beauty and the beast, and the smallest trace of Rumpelstiltskin. It also shares many similarities to my favorite movie of all time, Labyrinth. I will eat up anything that is even remotely close to that masterpiece of a movie. And I did just that. Thirteen Midnights is a YA fantasy steeped in forest magic, forbidden romance, ancestral curses, and mild eldritch horror. The story takes place in a small superstitious town and its counterpart that is reminiscent of the fae realm. One of my only issues with the story is that the set up made me believe this would take place back in time. However, there was an occasional mentioning of modern technology in the beginning of the book that threw me off. It is only mentioned once or twice that our main character sends a text or her cell phone rings. It felt very unnecessary to the story and took me out of the atmospheric setting. The story could have existed without the few mentions of modern technology, especially since it only is mentioned at the beginning of the book. In fact, I think it would’ve been better without it. My only other issue was that we never find out the main character’s age. (Unless I missed a mentioning of it?) I had to guess she was about 18 given that it is a YA book. All that being said, I loved this book. I loved the romance. I loved the wild forest and its magic. I loved how unsettling the story was at times. It’s not perfect, but I don’t need it to be to enjoy it as much as I did.

(Read if you enjoyed: Keturah and Lord Death, Wintersong, My Throat an Open Grave, Where the Dark Stands Still)

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

[V · Rating 2 out of 5]

When Violet's best friend Blair is taken by the Piper, Violet has to make a bargain with the monster.

Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this book. This book wasn't for me at all.

Violet is not a character I could root for. Her friendship with Blair is only told to us and never really shown, so when she's devastated after Blair is taken, I felt pretty flat despite trying to sympathize with her. Blair is constantly described as her best friend, but we never really get to see how they even became besties in the first place. I couldn't care about Blair or their friendship.

I also feel like Violet is just a regular girl. She's supposedly a witch, but the magic in this story is so minimal that I genuinely felt like I barely found any magic at all by the time I finished the book.

And I really don't understand how Violet and Piper were suddenly able to make up, become attracted to each other, and kiss, when Violet spends most of the story being nothing but an insufferable brat. It's such a shame because Piper had a potential, but the reason he suddenly became interested in Violet after being cursed for decades just didn't make sense to me.

I hate it when a book has a character loudly declaring, "But I love him!!!" when there has been absolutely no proper or convincing build-up, especially when they just met and barely know each other. This book is one of those. Also, Violet's internal monologue was exhausting. It was too much.

[Tee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed my time reading this YA fantasy!

I love stories with fairytale vibes, and this story definitely fits the bill. It’s a combination of various fairytales we know and love—like Beauty and the Beast, The Pied Piper, and hints of Rumpelstiltskin. This novel features a superstitious town, a haunting atmosphere, forest magic, ancestral curses, forbidden romance, and eldritch horror, which also added to the fairytale vibes in a great way.

I will say there were some more modern elements/technology that took me out of the story a bit—like the main character using her cell phone. I wish that the story had more of the historical feel that many fairytales have, but that’s just a personal taste.

I thought the pacing slowed down a bit too much for my liking, specifically in the middle. The plot also was a bit predictable at times.

But I still enjoyed my time reading this book, and I think fairytale lovers will also enjoy this read!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing | Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for allowing me to read an eARC!

[Amanda Hilliard · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a first time reader of this author I came in with no expectations. I found that I enjoyed myself quite a bit. Violet as a character I was glad did not annoy me. She just wanted to protect those she loved and was conflicted on how to help them. At the same time there could only be one way. To live in a place that had to essentially sacrifice someone damed the whole community regardless of the off putting good that gave them. That kind of debt bleeds into the minds of people and presents in the behaviors and actions of the community that can never quite let go of evil they themselves allow. VIolet want to see the end this but she ends up finding out there is another side of the story. I enjoyed the progression of the story. It was a easy read and there are areas that could be developed more but I didn't find too much fault.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a huge fan of everything Isabel Strychacz does. What I love most about her writing is that every story feels completely different. So many authors find one formula and stick to it, but every book she writes has its own unique world, plot and atmosphere while still feeling unmistakably hers.

This was everything I wanted and more. A story that had me hooked, beautiful gothic writing, and a world that I never wanted to leave.

If you haven’t picked up one of her books yet, you’re seriously missing out. She has such a unique way of telling stories, and I honestly just need her to keep writing dark, magical, gothic books forever because I’ll read every single one.

[fanboyriot · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off this cover is absolutely beautiful, I love it so much. Second, this book was so good! The vibes and atmosphere were amazing and I loved how the story felt like a dark Disney villain movie.

(Note: I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publisher/author for the opportunity.)

POV: First Person
Sad Level: 💧
Would I Recommend? Yes
Favorite Character(s): Piper and Violet
Emojis Based on Vibes: 🥀👑🔮

[Mia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know if it was the timing or my mood or the book itself, but friends - I struggled.This book is glacially paced and mostly vibes; its atmosphere shine but unfortunately it falls short with the characters.

[Michelle (easy.vesey.reads)]

DNF at 42%.

I liked the writing style but I wasn't super invested in the plot of the story. I think this book has potential but it's just not for me. It ended up being darker/more eerie than I was expecting.

Thank you to Simon Teen for the advanced copy.

[Liana Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

RTC!

[Deirdre Megan Byrd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thirteen Midnights by Isabel Strychacz is a haunting, atmospheric fantasy that completely hooks you from the start with its eerie legend of the Piper. Violet is a strong, determined protagonist, and watching her enter the enchanted realm of Otherhollow to save her best friend makes for an exciting ride. The world-building is detailed and interesting. However, the pacing slows down a bit toward the middle, and a few plot turns felt slightly predictable. Overall, it’s a solid 3.75-star read that I’d definitely recommend if you love dark fairytale retellings with forbidden romance!