Small Angels - by Lauren Owen (Paperback)

About the Book

"As a teenager, Kate found a safe harbor from her parents' constant fighting in the company of the four Gonne sisters, who lived with their strict grandparents next to Small Angels, a church right on the edge of dense green woods. The first outsider to ever get close to the sisters, Kate eventually learned the family's secret: The woods are home to a capricious, menacing ghost whom generations of Gonnes had been charged with stopping from venturing into the village itself. But as the sisters grew older, braver, and more independent, and started bucking against the family's burden, the bulwark began to crack, culminating in a horrifying act of violence that drove a terrible wedge between the sisters and Kate. Chloe has been planning her dream wedding for months. She has the dress, the flowers, and the perfect venue: Small Angels, a charming old church in the village her fiancâe, Sam, and his sister, Kate, grew up in. But, days before the ceremony, she starts to hear unsettling stories about Small Angels. And worse, she begins to see, smell, and hear things that couldn't possibly be real. Now, Kate is returning home for the first time in years, for Sam and Chloe's wedding. But the woods are coming alive again, and Kate must reconnect with Lucia, the most troubled of the sisters and her first love, to protect Chloe, the village, and herself"--

Book Synopsis

In a hypnotic tale of sisterhood, first love, and hauntings, a wedding in a small English village stirs up unsettling magic and forces a troubled family's secrets out into the open.

"This beautifully written modern ghost story is an enchanting place to get lost."--Danielle Trussoni, The New York Times Book Review

"A twisting gothic tale of darkness, intrigue, heartbreak, and revenge."--Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne

The woods are stirring again. . . .

Lucia and her sisters grew up on the edge of Mockbeggar Woods. They knew it well--its danger, but also its beauty. As a lonely teenager, Kate was drawn to these sisters, who were unlike anyone she'd ever met. But when they brought her into the woods, something dark was awakened, and Kate has never been able to escape the terrible truth of what happened there.

Chloe has been planning her dream wedding for months. She has the dress, the flowers, and the perfect venue: Small Angels, a charming old church set alongside dense, green woods in the village that her fiancé, Sam, and his sister, Kate, grew up in. But days before the ceremony, Chloe starts to learn of unsettling stories about Small Angels and Mockbeggar Woods. And worse, she begins to see, smell, and hear things that couldn't possibly be real.

Now, Kate is returning home for the first time in years--for Sam and Chloe's wedding. But the woods are stirring again, and Kate must reconnect with Lucia, her first love, to protect Chloe, the village, and herself. An unforgettable novel about the memories that hold us back and those that show us the way forward, this is storytelling at its most magical. Enter Small Angels, if you dare.

Review Quotes

"This beautifully written modern ghost story is an enchanting place to get lost."--Danielle Trussoni, The New York Times Review

"Small Angels simmers with menace and ancient fury, shot through with sorrow, compassion, and hope. Gorgeously atmospheric and gripping!"--Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne

"Beautiful and frightening, Small Angels is both ghost story and love ballad to the art of storytelling. Lauren Owen has written a true page-turner. This book will haunt and bewitch you."--A. J. Gnuse, author of Girl in the Walls

"Small Angels is beautiful in every way--atmospheric, eerie, elegantly written. An intricately woven tale of characters haunted by love and pain, revenge and courage . . . It is a stunning book, perfect for lovers of folklore and gothic fiction."--Elizabeth Lee, author of Cunning Women

"With a flair for dramatic atmospherics, Owen offers a creepy, richly detailed [tale] . . . The characters engage and provoke readers in the best of ways. Fans of small-town horror should check this out."--Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Lauren Owen is the author of The Quick and Small Angels. She studied at St. Hilda's College Oxford, and holds an MA in Victorian literature from Leeds University and an MA in creative writing from the University of East Anglia, where she was awarded the Curtis Brown Prize.