2020 Killer Nashville Claymore Award, finalist
2023 CIBA Ozma fantasy book award, longlisted
2023 Spring the Bookfest Awards, third place winner for best YA thriller
"YA Horror lovers, this is a must read." -Reading with Nicole
"...a riveting coming-of-age story that blends spiritual, supernatural, and modern elements into a well-written book. There is also a rich inclusion of Filipino history and folklore, which is both interesting and educational I highly recommend." -Literary Titan
THE PARENTS KNEW IT HAD BEEN A MISTAKE TO HAVE A GIRL.
At birth, the girl's long, elegant fingers wriggled and grasped forward, motioning to strangle the very air from her mother's lungs. As she grew older, she grew more like her father, whose ancestors would dream of those soon to die. She walked and talked in her sleep, and her parents warded themselves, telling the girl that she was evil, unlovable, their burden to bear only until her eighteenth birthday released them.
The average person on the streets of Los Angeles would look at the girl and see a young woman with dark chocolate eyes, curly long hair, and tanned skin of her Filipina heritage. Her teachers praised her for her scholarly achievements and extracurricular activities, from academic decathlon to cheer.
But the girl knew she was different.
Her parents whispered about their pact as odd and disturbing occurrences continued to happen around her. The girl thought being an evil demon should require the skies to bleed, the ground to tremble, an animal sacrifice to seal the bargain, or at least cause some general mayhem. Did other demons work so hard to find friends, do well on their homework, and protect their spoiled younger brother?
The demon was patient. It could afford to wait, to remind the girl when she was hurt that power was hers to take. She needed only embrace it. It could wait. The girl's parents were doing much of its work already.
The Girl is a suspenseful story of a troubled girl pursuing self-acceptance.
