“To the long and recently dead,” she says.

I grin. “May they stay that way for the days to come.”

DON’T MISS THE SPELLBINDING SEQUEL TO RAVENFALL…

HOLLOWTHORN

Coming Fall 2023!

Acknowledgments

This is a book I never thought I’d see published. It’s an early story I wrote and set aside years ago when it didn’t get me an agent, then revisited after the publication of The Storm Crow, only to realize that what I’d thought was a young adult novel was actually a fun, whimsical middle-grade story. So just getting to write acknowledgments for a story I never thought would make it this far is kind of surreal, and so many people helped get it here.

To my agent, Carrie Pestritto: I think this book caught both of us by surprise, but as always, I’m thankful to have you in my corner. This one’s journey was certainly an interesting ride.

To my editor, Hannah Hill, whose excitement and support of this book have absolutely blown me away. It means so much to work with someone who’s such a fan of the story and the things that inspired it. Thank you for all the Supernatural references and for being such an incredible champion of Anna and Colin’s (and most importantly, Max’s) story, and thank you to the Delacorte team!

As always, I wouldn’t have gotten through this journey without my Guillotine Queens: Sam Farkas, Jessica Jones, Brittney Arena, Kat Enright, Jennifer Gruenke, Tracy Badua, Alyssa Colman, Ashley Northup, and Rae Castor. This group is my rock, and I will forever be thankful for you all.

To Shannon and Joss, my SprintitySprintSprints, thank you for all your Sunday mornings. We’ll be back in coffee shops soon, but for now I’ll be there in a second, grabbing tea and a bagel!

To Rosiee Thor, for always reading my manuscripts and showing up in my DMs with a “what if you just—” that completely changes and fixes everything, and to Linsey Miller, for our very therapeutic chats.

Thank you to Rowan Witebsky (happy now, Rowan?!) for reading this too many times instead of working on her own writing. You did catch all my logical inconsistences, though, so maybe one day I’ll return the favor (hint, hint).

Finally, I have the most amazing and supportive group of friends and family, who make this whole process endlessly easier and more enjoyable. Thank you to all of you, and to my mom and dad: I love you.

About the Author

KALYN JOSEPHSON is a fantasy author living in the California Bay Area. She loves books, cats, books with cats, and making up other worlds to live in for a while. She is also the author of the Storm Crow duology.

kalynjosephson.com

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