I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
A Spell to Wake the Dead by Nicole Lesperance Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers on August 26, 2025
Genres: Paranormal, Thriller, Young Adult
Pages: 352 •Format: E-ARC •Source: NetGalley, Publisher
Goodreads
When Mazzy and her best friend Nora sneak down to the beach one moonlit night to cast a spell, they don’t expect to find a dead body. But as the tide rolls in, it carries the remains of a woman who is missing her hands and teeth.
The girls know they should leave the investigation to the police, but they can’t shake the weird, supernatural connection they feel with the dead woman. Using spellwork and divination, they set out to find answers of their own. But after they uncover a rash of local disappearances stretching back years—and both girls start having occult visions and hearing ghostly, whispering voices—Mazzy worries that she and Nora are in danger.
Then, Nora finds a second body. And a whispering voice is telling her where to find more. With everything spiraling, Mazzy needs to figure out who to trust and how to sever this supernatural connection—or she and Nora might be the next bodies to wash up on the beach.
I don’t read YA that often anymore (it used to be huge part of my life but now that I’m in my 30s it doesn’t resonate in quite the same way) but when I heard the words “witchy thriller” I knew it was time to dive back in! And new-to-me author Nicole Lesperance did not disappoint with her creepy, atmospheric paranormal mystery in A Spell to Wake the Dead.
I’ll be honest, at first I wasn’t sure how I was going to get on with this book. It opens with teens Mazzy and Nora who were at first giving off a bit of “not like other girls” vibes as they head to the beach to do a ritual under the full moon. But it quickly became apparent that the author must have done quite a bit of research into modern witchcraft because all of the girls’ rituals seemed very detailed, with explanations going into the items they were using, how they developed their spells, etc. I have no authority to say if it was “realistic” or not, but I appreciated that it at least seemed well thought-out and important to the girls’ identities rather than used as a plot device or to make them seem “edgy.”
So the witchy elements were great, but so were the thriller aspects to the novel! Mazzy and Nora start finding bodies washing ashore, and the original one they found seems to be haunting them, egging them on with clues to find the next ones and uncover a more nefarious mystery happening right under the town’s nose. Honestly I’m not one to be easily spooked but the almost possession-like manifestation of “May” in the girls’ minds was disturbing. It was really a build up of small details the ghost was leaving like little breadcrumbs (e.g., Mazzy’s four year old brother drawing pictures of May saying his “friend” told him to do it, etc) that created such an unsettling atmosphere for the story.
I was skeptical as to how the paranormal was going to weave into the thriller genre, as they’re both things I like reading separately but wasn’t sure how they’d mesh (Would they compete with each other? Would like paranormal elements be written off as a ruse or red herring? Would it feel unbelievable and cheesy?) Somehow, though, the two genres blended perfectly and made sense with the plot, which ultimately involves human sacrifice, cults, missing people, fake deaths, and more. It really was a wild ride! The ending had a good balance of closure (where we actually got some answers) with some open threads that I think could be pulled to warrant a sequel (I’d read it!)
Overall: I was really impressed by this one and now I’m eager to read more “witchy thrillers” for those perfect spooky season vibes!
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