The Violent Season

Age range 14 to 18

An unputdownable debut about a town marred by violence, a girl ruined by grief, and the harsh reality about what makes people decide to hurt one another. The Violent Season is a searing, unforgettable, and thrilling novel that belongs on shelf with Sadie and Girl in Pieces.

Every November, the people in Wolf Ridge are overwhelmed with a hunger for violence - at least that’s the town rumour. Last fall Wyatt Green’s mother was brutally murdered, convincing Wyatt that this yearning isn’t morbid urban legend. but rather a palpable force infecting her neighbours.

This year, Wyatt fears the call of violence has spread to her best friend Cash - who also happens to be the guy she can’t stop wanting no matter how much he hurts her. At the same time, she’s drawn to Cash’s nemesis Porter, now that they’re partners on an ambitious project for lit class. When Wyatt pulls away from Cash, and spends more time with Porter, she learns secrets about both of them she can’t forget.

And as the truth about her mother’s death begins to emerge from the shadows, Wyatt is faced with a series of hard realities about the people she trusts the most, rethinking everything she believes about what makes people decide to hurt one another.

‘As poignant as it is creepy, and filled with memorable twists and reveals, this book asks what we do when others won’t listen to our stories of survival. It deals with grief, death, violence, and difficult conversations seldom found in YA thrillers, all done in a thought-provoking way that will leave readers hungry for more of Walters’ work.‘ - Booklist