"a wild, creepy, and thoroughly exhilarating creation" Jonathan Maberry | "a bone-chilling monster [...] a debut not to be missed" Gretchen McNeil | "unnerving [...] a frightful delight [...] fearless imagination and a playful appreciation of the terrifying" Nova Ren Suma | "charming, funny and honestly very touching [...] delivers on the promise of monster-y fun" Robert Ottone | "skincrawly [...] a fun and absorbing read." Amelinda Bérubé | "atmospheric [...] deliciously dark and twisty" Keely Parrack
Lemon Ziegler wants to escape rural Devil’s Elbow, Pennsylvania to attend college—but that’s impossible now that she’s expected to impersonate the town’s lake monster for the rest of her life. Her family has been secretly keeping the tradition of Old Lucy, the famed (and very fake) monster of Lake Lokakoma, alive for generations, all to keep the tourists coming. Without Lemon, the town dies, and she can’t disappoint her grandparents . . . or tell her best friends about any of it. That includes Troy Ramirez, who has been covertly in love with Lemon for years, afraid to ruin their friendship by confessing his feelings. When a very real, and very hungry monster is discovered in the lake, secrets must fall by the wayside. Determined to stop the monster, Lemon and her best friends are the only thing standing between Devil’s Elbow and the monster out for blood.
“Wolverton’s knack for vivid descriptions, creepy settings, and snappy banter among the relatable characters keeps this entertaining horror novel moving at a fast pace.”
— Booklist
“High stakes and an endearing romance rocket the thriller A Misfortune of Lake Monsters to mythical heights.”
— Foreward Reviews
A compelling, deftly crafted, and original fantasy novel, “A Misfortune of Lake Monsters” by Nicole M. Wolverton is a fun and compelling read from start to finish. Unreservedly recommended for middle school, highschool, and community library YA Fantasy collections for young readers ages 13-18.
— Midwest Book Reviews
A Misfortune of Lake Monsters develops into a highly entertaining high school and family drama, with superb characters, blended with action thriller, which heads into wild places in the final quarter.
— Tony Jones for Ginger Nuts of Horror
“Nicole M. Wolverton delivers a wild, creepy, and thoroughly exhilarating creation with A Misfortune of Lake Monsters! This is everything you’d ever want in a monster story!”
— Jonathan Maberry, NY Times bestselling author of Rot & Ruin and Long Past Midnight
“This unnerving journey into the safeguarded secrets and deep depths of a small town called Devil’s Elbow is a frightful delight. Nicole M. Wolverton reveals a fearless imagination and a playful appreciation of the terrifying in her pulse-pounding debut.”
—Nova Ren Suma, New York Times bestselling author of The Walls Around Us
