Cruel Instincts - by Clare Edge (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

A grieving teen uncovers her family's twisted secrets when she's drawn into the orbit of a charismatic and privileged clique--Cruel Intentions meets The Birds in this daring speculative thriller from the author of Natural Selection.

Tesla Wilde barely escaped the horrific car crash that killed her mother. Now she's been sent to live with an aunt she's never met in the Aviary, the Wilde Family's sprawling estate in Montana. No cell service. No internet. Not another soul for miles, except her eccentric aunt, Robin.

That is until Tesla's cousin Arden and his privileged, impossibly beautiful friends descend upon the Aviary, uninvited. Robin begs Tesla to stay away from them, but they're magnetic. And a convenient distraction from her all-consuming grief. Especially their leader, Vida, an aggressively free spirit who swears her tarot deck never lies. And who knows a suspicious amount about Wilde family history.

As Tesla's confusion grows, Vida and her cards promise answers Aunt Robin refuses to give. Then Robin disappears and Tesla starts hearing voices as birds follow her around the Aviary. And she can't help but wonder, is someone actually trying to communicate with her from beyond the grave? Or are her cousin and his friends playing an elaborate game with deadly stakes?

Review Quotes

"A darkly twisty delight of a book, I absolutely devoured Cruel Instincts. Clare Edge is a thrilling voice not to be missed!" --C. G. Drews, New York Times bestselling author of Don't Let the Forest In

"Chilling, mystical, and totally unhinged. Cruel Instincts includes a wild cast of unforgettable characters." --Katie Bernet, New York Times bestselling author of Beth is Dead

"Clare Edge delivers a breathlessly claustrophobic tale about toxic devotion, family secrets, and that which festers in isolation. At once a twisty paranormal mystery and a grief saga with a wide emotional wingspan, it enthralled me until the very end." --Jihyun Yun, author of And the River Drags Her Down

"Cruel Instincts is both dark and delicious." --Hildur Knútsdóttir, author of The Night Guest and Dead Weight

"Dark, deranged, and deliciously devious, Cruel Instincts was the most unhinged (positive) book I've read all year, delivering a uniquely iconic villain readers will love to hate." --Darianne Schramm, author of 72 Hours of You

"The toxic sapphic train wreck of your dreams (and nightmares). Edge's entry into the 'rich kids behaving badly' canon is delightfully strange, wonderfully creepy, and perfect for fans of E. Lockhart, C. G. Drews, and Kelly Andrew." --Erin Baldwin, author of Wish You Weren't Here and Good Luck, Babe!

"Absolutely intoxicating and totally twisted. Edge writes protagonists with a poisonous pen, asking us to interrogate our own worst instincts."--Kirsten King, author of A Good Person

"Strange and surprising and disarmingly claustrophobic, Cruel Instincts sticks the landing to crown Clare Edge a reigning voice in YA suspense." --Claire Rose, author of The Cove

"Cruel Instincts is a deliciously gothic master class in supernatural suspense. Even the most clairvoyant of tarot spreads would be shocked by its final, breathtaking twist." --Trish Lundy, author of The One That Got Away with Murder

About the Author

Clare Edge is an author (and witch) who was raised in the Rocky Mountains and now makes her home in the Pacific Northwest with her spouse and their utterly perfect corgi, Carbs. She's a huge theater nerd, recovering academic, and is rarely found without a tarot deck nearby. She writes weird girl fiction in various disguises. Her previously published works include Natural Selection, Hamlet & Juliet, and Accidental Demons.