Lyndall Clipstone: In defence of messy, monstrous girls
Unholy Terrors, my third book, is dedicated to “all the sharp toothed monster girls.” It’s a story written with my teen self in mind, a girl who was messy and fallible, and who wondered if she would ever fit in.
Everline Blackthorn, the main character of Unholy Terrors, defies every expectation laid out for her. A holy warden, raised to protect the bone wall which divides her homeland from the dangerous Thousandfold, Everline’s path is clear: obey the rules, fight the monsters, and keep her sacred vows. Yet, when she discovers the only chance at finding the truth about her birth—and her mother’s death—will come from an alliance with her sworn enemy, she finds herself breaking rule after rule as she strays far from the safety of her home.
And it’s through this transgression that she discovers her true self, forms a tight-knit bond with her fellow wardens, and realises that perhaps the monsters she has sworn to fight are not so monstrous after all…
It is my intention, in all my work, to explore the messiness of girlhood, to celebrate girls who are selfish and foolish, make bad choices yet come out thriving. If readers take anything away from my stories, I hope it is this: you have permission to be imperfect.
Here are five of my recommendations for messy, monstrous girl books:
What Big Teeth by Rose Szabo
Eleanor lives in a family of literal monsters. Her father is a werewolf, her mother a strange sea-creature. Yet unlike her siblings who have all come into their monstrous powers, Eleanor is yet to change. The way that she feels like a misfit, despite being surrounded by such replete strangeness, was my favourite part of the book. The weirdness of the plot and Rose Szabo’s beautiful prose style are an immaculate combination.
The Boneless Mercies by April G. Tucholke
Following a group of Mercies—young women who travel from place to place and perform mercy killings—this is a compelling story of messy, complex girlhood and the desire to cut your own path through the world. Frey, the main character, has no family, home, or fortune. Her fate is tied to the Mercies, until she hears of a mythical monster terrorising the realm and convinces her band to change their future by seizing the chance for glory.
Bunny by Mona Awad
A scholarship student in an elite MFA program, Samantha feels like an utter misfit. She despises her classmates, particular the group of cosmopolitan girls who call each other “Bunny”. Yet when she is drawn into their circle, she discovers an aptitude for incredibly weird magic — or is it just her imagination? — and the borders of her reality begin to dissolve. This book is a fever-dream from start to finish, yet also a deeply compelling commentary on loneliness and search for connection in those complicated post high school years.
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
At first this tale seems deceptively neat: Merricat and her sister are the survivors of a poisoning which killed their parents and brother. They live out a careful, contained existence in their home on the outskirts of a cruel and suspicious small town. Yet Merricat drags the reader into the depths of her cloistered world and doesn’t let go until you’re gasping for breath. This is a story I’ve reread countless times, each with the sense that if I look closely enough, I can unlock the secrets of Merricat’s unreliable narration. She is unobjectively terrible and yet I can’t help but respect the way she carves out a life where the few things she loves—her sister, her cat, her house—are protected and safe.
Tenderly, I am Devoured by Lyndall Clipstone
Yes, this is my book, set to publish in summer 2025—a standalone romantic folk horror where Saltburn meets The Secret History.
After being expelled from boarding school following a violent incident, Lacrimosa Arriscane returns home to discover her family on the brink of financial ruin. Heartsick and headstrong, she agrees to marry Therion, the swan god worshipped by her isolated hometown, who promises to restore her family’s fortune in exchange for their union. Yet when the betrothal goes horribly wrong, Lark will need the help of her childhood rival—and his alluring older sister—to save herself from being lost to the chthonic realm.
I am so excited to follow Unholy Terrors with another book that explores the complex emotions of girlhood and cannot wait for readers to enter the world of Tenderly, I am Devoured.
Unholy Terrors is out in paperback now.