The Sea Witch Follows

A seventeen-year-old boy's simple life of crabbing with his father is violently upended by a storm, leaving him a battered castaway on a remote island dominated by a single, lonely lighthouse. There, he discovers a mysterious teenage girl named Ash, who claims to have always lived there in solitude, but their fragile sanctuary is threatened by the ominous presence of a sea witch lurking in the shadows. This young adult novel masterfully blends survival horror with a creeping gothic mystery, creating a tense atmosphere where the line between safety and supernatural danger is perilously thin.

The narrative's strength lies in its compelling character dynamics, pitting the pragmatic, world-weary Finn against the isolated and potentially untrustworthy Ash, whose history with the island's dark magic is deeply ambiguous. Readers who relish slow-burn psychological tension and eerie coastal settings will be captivated by the unfolding dread and the unsettling question of whether the true monster is the mythical sea witch or the isolation and secrets the island breeds. This is a haunting tale of survival that will linger long after the final page, leaving readers to question what truly hides in the deep.