Wake the Wild Creatures

★ “Intersectionally diverse, insightfully rendered characters and their complex, continuously evolving relationships ground the tale, while a surreal setting and sensate prose impart an otherworldly air.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Wake the Wild Creatures is a ferocious expression of girlhood, of its seething potential, its most wild and secret places, from one of our greatest and most inimitably talented authors writing today. This is an urgent, important, and timely outing that must not be missed and Nova Ren Suma's particular brand of magic has earned a place alongside--and is perfect for fans of--the works of Shirley Jackson, Joyce Carol Oates, and Kelly Link."—Courtney Summers, New York Times bestselling author of SADIE and THE PROJECT

"Mesmerizing and fierce, vivid and dreamlike, WAKE THE WILD CREATURES is Nova Ren Suma's finest novel yet. I was enraptured from the first page to the last. Rarely has a novel made me think so deeply and so much about the confines of our lives and the expansive possibilities that might await us should we choose to trust our intuition and our own power to decide." —Nina LaCour, bestselling author of WATCH OVER ME and WE ARE OKAY

"A luminous, hard-eyed stare of a book, WAKE THE WILD CREATURES kicks open the cage girls are born into, and casts a powerful spell of rage and hope from which I emerged blinking and reluctant, wrapped in wistful magic, and longing for the forest. Nova Ren Suma can write."—Laini Taylor, author of STRANGE THE DREAMER and DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE

"Timely and atmospheric, WAKE THE WILD CREATURES explores the meaning of community and the places we call home. Nova Ren Suma is a master storyteller, and one of my favorite novelists. This book is one long, lyrical poem. A must read for 2025!"—Shea Ernshaw, New York Times bestselling author of THE WICKED DEEP and A HISTORY OF WILD PLACES

"Nova Ren Suma has done it again: WAKE THE WILD CREATURES is a visceral, stunningly written fever dream of a story. It wrapped itself around my throat and heart, and had me desperate for Talia to find her way home. This book is feral and magnificent and will leave you with scars."—Emily X.R. Pan, author of THE ASTONISHING COLOR OF AFTER and AN ARROW TO THE MOON

In Wake the Wild Creatures, Nova Ren Suma has created a secret and wondrous sanctuary for every girl who ever wished she could run away. A literary balm for these troubling times, this beautiful novel might make you want to wander the woods in search of the seven pine trees, and the magic and safety of the Neves.—Ann Dávila Cardinal, award-winning author of YOU'VE AWOKEN HER and BREAKUP FROM HELL

"With WAKE THE WILD CREATURES, Nova Ren Suma’s singular talent is once again on full display. Talia, Pola, and Lake practically catch fire on the page. This is an inspiring, unsettling, and absolutely essential book about girls, the agents of their confinement — both physical and emotional — and their means of escape. Nova’s a genius, and I loved this book."—Samantha Mabry, author of TIGERS, NOT DAUGHTERS and CLEVER CREATURES OF THE NIGHT

“Nova Ren Suma’s WAKE THE WILD CREATURES is raw, emotional, half-feral…but with delicate, stunning prose that tames the raging beast. A perfect balance.”—April Genevieve Tucholke, New York Times bestselling author of WINK POPPY MIDNIGHT and THE BONELESS MERCIES

“In Wake the Wild Creatures Nova Ren Suma gives us a vivid, fearless heroine with a lightning crack of a voice. This is a story unafraid to use its sharp teeth, written by one of the best in the field.”—Kat Howard, Alex Award-winning author of An Unkindness of Magicians

"[There is] plenty in which readers will luxuriate: the lush atmosphere and breathtaking setting of a modern fairy tale; the alluring pipe dream of this feminist community; and catharsis in the cast of antihero(ine)s’ modes of revenge and self-determination."—Horn Book