Shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2026

Sister, I hear you. I feel your hands in the dirt, beckoning. I will answer your call – I’ll return. A chilling Korean Gothic YA novel.

And the River Drags Her Down is a haunting, lyrical tale of grief, sisterhood and revenge that blends Gothic horror, mystery and Korean folklore, perfect for fans of She Is a Haunting, House of Hollow and CG Drews.

'This unsettling, poetic YA horror is full of fury, grief, love and hard-won acceptance.' Guardian

Soojin has always known the rules - never bring back anything larger than her palm from the dead, but that was before Mirae died.

Sister, I hear you. I feel your hands in the dirt, beckoning. I will answer your call – I’ll return.

When her older sister is found drowned in the river that cuts through their small, sleepy town, Soojin is beside herself with grief. Disregarding every rule, she uses her ancestral magic to bring Mirae back from the dead. At first, the sisters delight in their reunion, but Mirae soon grows tired of hiding from the world. She becomes restless and hungry.

As the town is rocked by a series of harrowing, unusual deaths, Soojin fears the sister she brought back to life isn't the one she knew.