
A Feast for the Eyes
Candlewick Press · Hardcover · October 7, 2025
Sawkill Girls meets Twin Peaks in a page-turning queer supernatural thriller, where four teens must track down a local cryptid that’s feeding off secrets, before their own hidden truths are exposed. “Alex Crespo thrills with a meticulously crafted page-turner.
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- Who it’s for
- A queer supernatural thriller pairs creeping horror with the tension of truths no one wants exposed.
- Themes
- Secrets and their consequences, Sapphic relationships, Found family
- Pacing
- Fast
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Sawkill Girls meets Twin Peaks in a page-turning queer supernatural thriller, where four teens must track down a local cryptid that’s feeding off secrets, before their own hidden truths are exposed. “Alex Crespo thrills with a meticulously crafted page-turner. A feast of twists, tension and secrets.” —C.S. Pacat, New York Times bestselling author of Dark Rise On the dreary Oregon coast, an all-seeing beast—known as the Watcher—lies in wait.
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When Shay and her girlfriend, Lauren, get into a fight over whether to go public with their clandestine relationship, they awaken the creature. Although Lauren is badly injured, the girls escape with their lives but can’t shake the feeling of the creature’s eyes tracking them. Meanwhile, aspiring photographer Zoe is desperate to put together a portfolio worthy of earning a scholarship to attend art college. Her photography teacher praises her skill but urges her to select more daring subjects for her submissions—a tall task when Zoe's camera acts as a barrier between herself and the rest of the world. As rumors swirl about Lauren's injuries, Shay remains steadfast in that the Watcher is to blame, not her. She asks for Zoe’s help in snapping a photo of the local legend. Proof would help Shay clear her name and certainly be daring enough for Zoe’s scholarship. Together with their friends Jack and Parker, they set out to expose the Watcher before its ever-creeping eyes cast the secrets they’re all keeping from the town—and one another—into the light. Eerily atmospheric and as piercing as a pair of eyes on the back of your head, Alex Crespo's LGBTQ+ supernatural thriller is a poignant story about the prices we pay to keep our secrets hidden—sometimes for good reason. Through creeping tension and mounting horror, readers will furiously turn the pages with their breaths held. Perfect for readers who love: - Sapphic yearning - Popular girl/ Unpopular girl romance - Slow Burn - Secret Relationship - Small Town with a Dark Secret - Found Family - Eldritch Abomination - Hunter Becomes the Hunted An NPR “Books We Love” Selection
Secrets in the Shadows
A queer supernatural thriller pairs creeping horror with the tension of truths no one wants exposed.
Come here for
- A watchful local legend and small-town secrets
- Sapphic yearning tangled with supernatural danger
Expect
- Creeping tension and mounting horror
- A group of teens drawn into a hunt for the Watcher
Where it sits
| YA LGBTQ+ | 70% |
|---|---|
| YA Supernatural Thrillers | 61% |
| YA Horror | 47% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- YA LGBTQ+
- Paranormal & Supernatural for Teens
- YA Supernatural Thrillers
- Authors
- Alex Crespo
- Publisher
- Candlewick Press
- Published
- October 7, 2025
- Format
- Hardcover
- Theme
- Secrets and their consequences · Sapphic relationships · Found family
- Reading lane
- YA LGBTQ+