Promotional Information

In this velvet-clad 1990s gothic horror, Aja encounters a charming vampire who wants to lure her into the woods-just like her missing sister.

About the Author

Catherine Yu is a freelance writer and editor. She is a first-generation immigrant, born in Nanjing, China, and now lives in New York City. In late 2020 she had a short story published in Andromeda Spaceways Magazine. This is her debut novel.

Reviews

"Yu has crafted a dark, bloody debut with rich Gothic atmosphere and a naive yet determined protagonist [...] There are deep psychological threads at work in this story, [...] with a lot for readers to sink their teeth into."
--School Library Journal "Flesh-eating caterpillars, blood-sucking butterflies, and gruesome seductions make this a good choice for readers looking for a throwback vampire story."
--Booklist "[...] filled with atmospheric creepiness and gore."
--Kirkus Reviews

"An intriguing combination of horror and coming of age [...] that will have readers haunted for weeks after it's finished."
--BCCB "Yu carefully balances gory horror and vampire mysticism with the protagonist's desire for independence [...] [A] riveting paranormal romance [...] that thoughtfully contemplates fitting in amid societal pressures."
--Publishers Weekly "Drenched in blood-slick gothic dread and chewing under your skin to unsettle you down to the bones, Direwood is as sharp and hungry as the vampires inside it. Go on, open the door. See what happens."
--Andrew Joseph White, author of Hell Followed with Us "A blood-damp, butterfly-riddled fever dream, Direwood is both swoon- and shudder-worthy. What starts as a patter of fear turns into a torrential onslaught of dread as this surreal story beckons you down into its depths where something terrifying lurks in wait."
--Elizabeth Kilcoyne, author of Wake the Bones "Direwood is a lush, eerie debut, a gothic tangle of familial and societal expectations that is challenged--and then unraveled--by a supernatural presence. Yu makes the macabre beautiful and captivating, just like the creatures at the heart of the dire woods."
--Alison Ames, author of To Break a Covenant "Direwood is a sumptuous fever dream of a novel in the best way. Yu's ethereal prose shines in this gothic dissection of sisterhood, sacrifice, and monstrosity."
--Tori Bovalino, author of Not Good for Maidens