NATIONAL BESTSELLER

In this breathtaking work of Indigenous futurism, Darcie Little Badger weaves an unforgettable tale of monsters, magic, and family 

Nina is a Lipan girl in our world. She’s always felt there was something more out there. She still believes in the old stories.

Oli is a cottonmouth kid, from the land of spirits and monsters. Like all cottonmouths, he’s been cast from home. He's found a new one on the banks of the bottomless lake.

Nina and Oli have no idea the other exists. But a catastrophic event on Earth, and a strange sickness that befalls Oli’s best friend, will drive their worlds together in ways they haven’t been in centuries.

And there are some who will kill to keep them apart. 

BEST OF THE YEAR

Minneapolis Star Tribune • Publishers Weekly • Kirkus • Apple Books • New York Public Library • Chicago Public Library • Autostraddle

AWARDS

NEBULA AWARD WINNER
NEWBERY AWARD HONOR
AMERICAN INDIAN YOUTH LITERATURE AWARD HONOR
NATIONAL BOOK AWARD LONGLIST

P R A I S E

“A spellbinding tale.” —Texas Monthly

“Genre-bending.”—TIME

“Undeniably charming.”—Tor.com

★ “Evokes the timeless feeling of listening to traditional oral storytelling.”—Kirkus (starred) 

★ “Fun, imaginative, and deeply immersive, this story will be long in the minds of readers.”—Publishers Weekly (starred)

★ “Magical, stunning, and wholly original.”—Booklist (starred)

“A highly descriptive story which absorbs the audience into its world, readers will become invested in reading until the very end."—School Library Connection

“A highly descriptive story which absorbs the audience into its world, readers will become invested in reading until the very end."—School Library Connection