Before the Devil Knows You're Here

Praise

★ “Her prose is descriptive and delicate, her mythical world populated with creatures both intriguing and terrifying. Krause delivers an excellently creepy legend perfect for Halloween reading.”—Shelf Awareness, Starred Review

★ “Mesmerizingly told through the eyes of both Catalina and the monster, the book invites readers to travel with characters who are reckoning with greed, fear, and love as they consider what makes a monster—and whether monsters can be redeemed. Highly imaginative and powerfully affecting.”—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

★ “By tapping into fears both folkloric and biblical, Krause pulls no punches, injecting this atmospheric telling with original and inviting horrors.”—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
 
“Catalina’s emotional growth, including reflections on her maternal Mexican heritage (her mother died years earlier) and identity as a poet, and several surprising plot twists carry this riveting tale to a satisfying conclusion.”—The Horn Book

“A lyrical story of greed, generational curses, forgiveness, and self-acceptance, this folkloric tale is a must-read.”—School Library Journal

“Readerly teens will appreciate Krause’s twisted take on the folk hero Johnny Appleseed, along with her nods to poisonous apples and Faustian bargains.”—The Bulletin for the Center of Children’s Books

“Rich, lyric prose; eerie monsters and devils; a stake planted in American myth with apple cores and sap. A bizarre and beautiful folktale that will have readers breathless with all its twists and turns.” —Andrew Joseph White, New York Times bestselling author of Hell Followed with Us
 
“Before the Devil Knows You’re Here offers a fresh look at American history and folklore, weaving familiar mythology into a fantastical and horror-tinged tale about the deals we make to survive and the scars that never fade.” —Erica Waters, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The River Has Teeth
 
“Lyrical and poetic, Before the Devil Knows You’re Here is a hauntingly beautiful dark fairytale of cursed orchards and Faustian bargains, set to ensnare readers until the final lines.”—Lyndall Clipstone, critically acclaimed author of Unholy Terrors.
 
“Deftly blending folklore, poetry, and horror into something wholly original, Before the Devil Knows You’re Here immersed me in its world of poisoned apples and deadly bargains. This is a story to savor.” —Mara Rutherford, author of The Poison Season