I was promised gore and mayhem, and Dead Girls Walking absolutely delivered. The slasher horror vibes were consistent throughout. The story moved fast from one catastrophe to another.
I felt that the breakneck pace left very little room for character or relationship development in the first half. There was some enjoyable progress in those areas in the second half, but it was just too little too late for my reading preferences.
If you are searching for a fast-moving gore soaked thriller, but don’t need relational depth, this is a fabulous choice!

Plot - 3
Writing and Editing - 4
Character Development - 2
Personal Bias - 2
Final Score - 2.75

Thank you Sami Ellis, Amulet Books, and NetGalley for my advanced review copy. My opinions are my own.

I was really excited to read this one from Sami Ellis. It failed to hit the mark unfortunately. Young adult isn’t always my cup of tea but if done correctly, it can be just as frightening as adult horror. This wasn’t one of those experiences. It was scary at all, and read more like a murder mystery than horror. Oh and summer camp horror is a trope that has been done to death and it didn’t really bring anything new and fresh to the table.

FMC, Temple’s dad is a psychopath. He is in jail for killing many, many girls. Think Ted Bundy on crack. She is desperate to find out what happened to her mother. One minute she was there, hiding in the bathtub with Temple, protecting her from her father and the next she was gone. Can she find her or did her father kill her like he claims? In order to go back to the start, she volunteers as a camp counsellor to access her old property. It’s a tricky business. She doesn’t want to be there and is unwilling to forge any friendships. Each teenager is obsessed with horror and a certain book and Temple finds herself cringing at their immaturity.

My main issue with the book wasn’t that it was YA, more that it read much younger than YA. It was a real hard slog to get through and felt very immature in places. Perhaps it was more middle grade. Again, I feel this book was marketed poorly – It wasn’t really horror and it didn’t feel like YA.

2.5 rounded up to 3/5 stars

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
this story was just Very convoluted and confusing...? i usually love a horror story especially one based in a camp, love a slasher summer horror story but this was just not the right pick for me. the storyline was really confusing and there were So many characters it was hard to follow at times. i was hoping the mixed media format would tie in more of the story and make it less confusing, but it just confused me more sometimes. i wish more time had been spent developing the friendship between temple, cali, and yaya because their bond really made the story semi-enjoyable for me.

overall, i wouldn't pick this up again but i would knock it until you try it, i think it just wasn't the right pick for me.

The set up for Dead Girls Walking is an instant hook. It's bloody, not afraid to pull its punches, and is full of action. While there were a few moments, especially towards the end, where I wasn't sure where the book was taking me, I enjoyed this high action horror. I'm not even a horror girlie! There's a healthy dash of supernatural and this is more for the horror vibes. It's not going to be one of those whodunnit boards with red string and theorems. It's for the "I'm too busy running to dwell too long on who's behind me".

This one took me a long time to get through. I wanted to love it so much but it was confusing and all over the place. With that being said, anyone interested in creepy, horror, psychological books would probably love this one. I did adore the main character, Temple, though. Overall, although, I didn't care much for this story, I am Intrigued by the author and would probably give another of her books a try.

Meh, it was okay. Like a cold breakfast sammie. You eat it because you are hungry but you don't really enjoy it. Maybe a bit or two but def not the whole thing,.. If that makes sense.

Temple is the daughter of a serial killer. Determined to find her mother’s body, she signs up to be a summer camp counselor. However, she gets more than she bargained for when a copycat of her dad starts killing.

I really liked the premise here, but the writing style was just not for me. Maybe others would like enjoy it more though.

Temple Baker’s journey to uncover the truth about her mother’s death while dealing with the horrifying legacy of her serial killer father is both gripping and deeply emotional. Ellis does an incredible job creating an atmosphere of suspense and dread. When a girl turns up dead in the woods, the fear and paranoia are palpable. Temple’s determination to protect the campers and solve the mystery, despite the dark family history hanging over her, is addictive stuff.

DEAD GIRLS WALKING is a must-read for anyone who loves a good scare and a powerful story about facing your demons.

TW: Language, racism, homophobia, slurs, violence, blood, gory scenes, toxic family relationships

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:
Temple Baker knows that evil runs in her blood. Her father is the North Point Killer, an infamous serial killer known for how he marked each of his victims with a brand. He was convicted for murdering 20 people and was the talk of countless true crime blogs for years. Some say he was possessed by a demon. Some say that they never found all his victims. Some say that even though he’s now behind bars, people are still dying in the woods. Despite everything though, Temple never believed that her dad killed her mom. But when he confesses to that crime while on death row, she has no choice but to return to his old hunting grounds to try see if she can find a body and prove it.

Turns out, the farm that was once her father’s hunting grounds and her home has been turned into an overnight camp for queer, horror-obsessed girls. So Temple poses as a camp counselor to go digging in the woods. While she’s not used to hanging out with girls her own age and feels ambivalent at best about these true crime enthusiasts, she tries her best to fit in and keep her true identity hidden.

But when a girl turns up dead in the woods, she fears that one of her father’s “fans” might be mimicking his crimes. As Temple tries to uncover the truth and keep the campers safe, she comes to realize that there may be something stranger and more sinister at work—and that her father may not have been the only monster in these woods.
Release Date: March 26th, 2024
Genre: YA Horror
Pages: 368
Rating:

What I Liked:
1. Pov of black queer characters
2. Daughter of a killer
3. Scooby-Doo aspect to solve a case
4. Cabin atmosphere

What I Didn't Like:
1. Shallow characters that didn't matter
2. No back stories about characters
3. Temple's constant one track thoughts dragging the story down
4. Some parts rambled and felt so long
5. Hate characters that bicker over and over

Overall Thoughts:
Okay Temple going to this queer black camp to find out what happened to her mother. Interesting. Why is her father so evil to her to not just tell her the truth?

Did I miss the part where she doesn't have the same last name as her father - the famous killer?

Ummm it's so weird how they don't call for help but they laugh about the situation. Plus wanting to post to tiktok and not calling for help. Was weird that no one wants to call the police. Maybe it's because I am white but I'd be freaking out that I am next and would take my chances. I guess I don't really know the dread to feel.

Are we supposed to like Temple? She keeps siding with her father and painting him as this innocent person despite she suspects her father killed her mother, and has seen him kill other women. It's so difficult to like her.

I'm so over all these characters just yelling at one another. Also they find a body and in the same breathe they are laughing and joking.

So Temple's grandmother is apart of murdering people too.

Dnf 90% in. I just can't find myself caring enough to finish it.

Final Thoughts:
I feel so torn over this book. On one hand I enjoyed the story of a girl trying to find out if her mother was really killed by her father, while also trying to fit in with some girls that she has stuff in common. Sadly though I felt conflicted because it is a book that is YA, but kept trying to throw in language that tried to make it seem older. It made me think of 10 year olds that swear when the parents are away. I just didn't know how I was supposed to take this book.

I felt so thrown into the story that I left confused if I even cared about Temple's mother or that her father was a killer. We never really get to learn who her mother was or why we as readers should feel anything beyond just another character in the book that someone else cared about. Maybe that's on me as I do need to know something about the characters if they are going to be victims. If I told you about someone dying that I knew you'd be less sympathetic than if you knew the person who died. When you put a personality and a face to a person who has died they're more likely to actually care what happened, unfortunately I never felt that way in this book. We do learn that her mother was trying to bring Temple to death with her.

I tried to care about the characters that were in the book and were explained, but I feel like their personalities were so overshadowed, and they were just side characters to Temple's paranoia personality. Every time we had a moment to feel for one of the characters we were pushed into Temple's daydreams and terrors of was that her mother or could that be her mother dead there. It all became so much for me. I needed more than just Temple hyper fixating on the same thought over and over.

I really tried to get into this book but I started it and put it down for a week before making an effort to even finish it. I just wasn't interested.

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Thanks to Netgalley, Amulet Books (ebook) and Recorded Books (audiobook) for this advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The story was good but I did not like how it was told. The pacing felt off to me and some of the twists weren’t needed.

For this cover and synopsis to be so amazing, I was expecting an epic slasher, but it was completely different than that lol It wasn’t as scary as I thought it was going to be, but it also wasn’t anything like I was thinking. And for that, I think I liked it more.

Ok so the horror aspect of this was ok, but I was left a little disappointed. I thought it was going to be more of a slasher horror story. But instead there were ghosts and a real villain that I never saw coming. So I guess I can’t say I was disappointed. It just wasn’t what I thought it would be. But it really didn’t matter because the horror elements that were there were a good substitute. The house in the woods was a crazy place. I spent a lot of time saying WTF.

The characters were what I wish I could have changed lol The MC was fine, but Brenda was annoying af. I can’t lie there were a few times where I was asking if she ever got caught because girl, shut up lol And she lied too much and was too into her dad’s case. But I DO know that true crime is something all people are interested in nowadays, so I can’t really be mad at her. Temple was so much better. She was a take no ish don’t wanna hear nothing that don’t make sense, I just want to get this done. And she deserved every bit of that. I mean she was running up on corpses in the middle of the woods lol

I hate reviewing riveting horror and thrillers because I’m so terrified about giving a spoiler lol I try to avoid talking about the end because if it was good I get excited and just start running my mouth. And if I didn’t like it, I always seem to complain about it in too much detail lol I can never find a middle ground. So with that being said, I liked it and you need to go get it on release day. When you get to the WTF parts, feel free to email me lmao

"Dead Girls Walking" by Sami Ellis is an exciting YA horror that weaves together horror tropes with a fresh perspective, placing queer black girls at the forefront. Temple's quest to uncover her family's secrets amidst a backdrop of generational trauma and a sinister summer camp setting is both chilling and compelling. Ellis balances humor and horror, keeping readers on edge with shocking twists and grisly scenes. Temple's character development, from a solitary figure burdened by her past to a determined seeker of truth, is deeply satisfying. Despite its graphic violence and dark themes, this novel offers a powerful exploration of resilience and healing. With its deliciously grotesque imagery and relatable protagonist, "Dead Girls Walking" is a must-read for fans of slasher/horror stories. Thank you NetGalley and Sami Ellis for letting me read this book.

I thought this was really well written and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. I think it will find readers at our library, so we will definitely be purchasing for the collection.

A dark and grim tale. The descriptions of violence and blood are a bit over the top. It's supernatural which can be difficult to engage with. THe characters are interesting but not especially well portrayed.

This YA horror novel sure was a wild ride. Temple Baker’s father is a serial killer. He is in prison now but people are still going missing and dying in the woods where he commit his crimes. Temple’s mom is also missing and her father has admitted to killing her, but Temple doesn’t believe him. The farm that Temple and her family used to live on has since been turned into a horror camp for queer teens and Temple has applied to be a camp counselor so she can get back on the grounds and look for her mothers body. Things quickly go downhill when one of the girls turns up dead. Temple suspects there is a copycat at work, but it becomes clear that something else is going on here.

This book had suspense and tension, blood and gore, supernatural elements and sinister vibes. It is a YA horror novel and the story reads as such, there were a lot of funny one liners from the teens which gave welcome relief from the tension at points. Though I did feel like the pacing was uneven. Where this novel surprised me was the emotional moments involving Temple’s backstory and relationship with her family. It wasn’t so much that it fully pulled you out of the horror feel, but enough that I appreciated it.

I will say, initially I was taking this one in via audiobook and it just did not work for me. I was having such a hard time following it in the beginning and the voices just did not allow for me to really immerse myself in the book or connect with the characters. Once I switched over to reading with my eyes I liked the story, characters, and overall experience much more!

Such a good thriller, I liked the connection to Temple and her father being a serial killer made this thriller even more interesting. How are more people being murdered if her serial killer father is in prison? I am such a fan of the horror genre and Friday the 13th so I really enjoyed this book. Although the plot is interesting, there are some areas where a reader can get confused, I had to go back and read things over sometimes just to keep my head on straight, but overall I think the novel works itself out in the end. Great job by Sami Ellis.

A suspenseful and very well-written YA horror novel. Appreciated how it alluded to and built off of cult horror/slasher in though-provoking ways.

n "Dead Girls Walking," Sami Ellis delivers a riveting thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the very end. With its compelling characters, taut prose, and electrifying plot twists, this novel is a must-read for fans of dark and atmospheric crime fiction. As the first installment in what promises to be an electrifying series, "Dead Girls Walking" announces Ellis as a talent to watch in the world of suspense literature.

The audiobook and eArc tandem read made the story so much fun . I adore the main character and her exploration of grief .

Thank you for the Arc .

Thank you ABRAMS KIDS & Sami Ellis for this read!

This was an interesting plot and I loved the slasher vibes and the excellent representation throughout the book. Multiple deaths, supernatural elements and well written characters was a win for me

It was fast paced and the protagonist was likeable. It did take me a long time to get through this book, just because it didn't hook me the whole time. I did however enjoy it and I was glad I pushed through.

Overall I enjoyed this book and look forward to more from this author.