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Summary
Summary
"A dark and enchanting tale." -- Bustle
"Fiercely written and beautifully feminist." --Lisa Maxwell, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Magician
One girl must uncover secrets of the past to save her friend from a terrible curse in this "dark, angry fairy tale" ( BCCB, starred review ) filled with love, revenge, and redemption that is inspired by the myth of Medusa.
Milla knows two things to be true: Demons are real, and fear will keep her safe.
Milla's whole world is her family's farm. She is never allowed to travel to the village and her only friend is her beloved older brother, Niklas. When a bright-eyed girl named Iris comes to stay, Milla hopes her loneliness might finally be coming to an end. But Iris has a secret she's forbidden to share: The village is cursed by a demon who possesses girls at random, and the townspeople live in terror of who it will come for next.
Now, it seems, the demon has come for Iris. When Iris is captured and imprisoned with other possessed girls, Milla leaves home to rescue her and break the curse forever. Her only company on the journey is a terrible new secret of her own: Milla is changing, too, and may soon be a demon herself.
Suspenseful and vividly imagined, The Cold Is in Her Bones is a novel about the dark, reverberating power of pain, the yearning to be seen and understood, and the fragile optimism of love.
Author Notes
Peternelle van Arsdale is a book editor, essay and short story writer, and the author of The Beast Is an Animal and The Cold Is in Her Bones . She lives in Brooklyn, New York, where she is at work on her third novel. Visit her at PeternellevanArsdale.com.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 7-10-The myth of Medusa is revisited in this haunting retelling. Milla resents her life of servitude on her family's isolated farm and balks at the idea of conforming to her parents' selfish wishes. Most women of Milla's acquaintance live compliant lives, serving the needs of their husbands. Meanwhile, the superstitious villagers tremble in fear of a demon's curse, which manifests itself as reptilian skin and snakes in the hair and results in the loss of its victims' souls. The arrival of a newcomer, Iris, offers lonely Milla something she's never had: a true friend. But Iris bears a dark secret-she's already been afflicted by the curse. When Milla's parents discover Iris's condition, they send her away to The Place, an awful fortress where demon-possessed young women are banished. Milla is determined to save her friend and sets out to free her. However, the curse has begun to spread to Milla, creating disturbing thoughts and physical changes in her. Part fairy tale and part allegory, the story pits serpents, witches, and demons against seemingly powerless female characters who must learn to speak up for themselves. The author has created a cautionary tale that warns against ignorance and shines a spotlight on feminism. Van Arsdale's writing will appeal to young adults with its strong themes of loyalty and friendship. VERDICT A good selection for those who enjoy fairy tales and to spark discussion about gender roles and feminism.-Sandi Jones, Wynne High School, Wynne, AR © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
This feminist retelling of the Medusa legend by (The Beast Is an Animal) brims with raw emotion and offers adult crossover appeal. Isolated on her parents' rural farm and forbidden from contact with the outside world, 16-year-old Milla leads a sheltered life. She is desperate to please her parents, who view her with fear and disappointment, and her only consolation is her older brother, Niklas, who is being inexorably pulled away from her by new responsibilities. When Iris, a young woman from the village, comes to stay with her grandparents nearby, Milla finds a true friend for the first time in her life. It's through Iris that Milla learns the dark truth about a demon claiming girls and women in the village. Even worse, Milla begins to experience changes that raise terrifying questions about her own identity. Lush with detail and symbolism and filled with strong characters who defy basic labels, the tale brings into sharp relief the experiences of the disenfranchised, the angry, and the powerless. unrolls an artfully constructed series of events that will engage, frighten, and delight. Ages 12-up. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
In this dark fantasy, sixteen-year-old Milla has never left her familys isolated farm. Despite her obedienceincluding dutifully performing a nightly ritual to ward off demonsMilla fears she will never be virtuous enough to win her emotionally distant, disapproving parents love or to escape the ever-present threat of demonic possession. She could control her behavior, but she couldnt control her mind. Her mind would have its way. When charismatic Iris visits from the nearby village, the two become fast friends, but soon Milla notices disturbing changes in Iris. Iris confides that the village girls are becoming possessed by a vengeful demon named Hulda, and Iris believes she will be the next to succumb. (Hulda, a woman made of snakes, is a fantastically creepy and original supernatural entity.) When Iris is dragged away and quarantined, Milla follows, accompanied by unusual, but comforting, companions: two tiny snakes that have grown from her scalp. Though Milla initially worries this means that she, too, is possessed, ultimately the snakes help her to embrace her true, strong, wild self. Unsettling and thought-provoking, this powerful novel confronts the stifling expectations placed on young women, the toxicity of patriarchal systems and internalized misogyny, and the damage caused by transgenerational trauma; in its exploration of the revolutionary power of womens anger and the strength of sisterhood, it offers hope and beauty as well. katie bircher (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Until Iris moved next door, Milla had never met a person from town, let alone a girl her own age. Her life on the family farm was one of work, duty, unanswered questions, and prayers to keep the demon at bay. Yet despite the family's precautions, this vengeful spirit takes control of Iris, like it has of countless girls in town, and Milla grows determined to save her newfound friend. Van Arsdale coils tension within her prose, winding it tighter as Milla learns the truth about the curse plaguing the town and the role she must play in lifting it. The palpable fear and paranoia surrounding demon-possessed girls easily brings to mind Salem's hysteria-fueled witch trials and is further heightened by fantasy elements that render this demon real not to mention droves of snakes. The primary narrative is devoted to Milla's journey of identity and personal transformation, but it is strongly informed by sibling bonds, friendship, and themes of vengeance and forgiveness. A dark, magic-infused story lit by bravery and hope.--Julia Smith Copyright 2018 Booklist
Excerpts
Excerpts
The Cold Is in Her Bones 1 TO PROTECT YOUR HOME FROM demons: 1. If you see a snake, kill it. Then burn it. 2. Pour salt where the air comes in--sills, thresholds, hearths. 3. Stay inside after dark. Lock tight doors and windows. 4. Pray. Excerpted from The Cold Is in Her Bones by Peternelle van Arsdale All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
