The Devouring Light

Available now from HarperCollins

COME TO THE LIGHT.
IT’S BEEN EXPECTING YOU.

When Haden Romero, her bandmate, and their rivals are stranded on their way to a rock festival, she thinks missing the gig is the worst thing that could happen.

She’s wrong.

Marooned in treacherous swampland with no way out, the group stumbles upon the Light—an eerie, decaying house. It seems like a safe haven, a place to wait out the storm. The house, however, isn’t just abandoned—it’s been waiting for them.

It’s no accident that Haden and the others are here, and they’re about to find out what the house has planned for them.

Bodies begin to pile up. The walls start to close in. Twisted secrets come to light. And unless Haden and the others can survive long enough to escape, the house will claim them—forever.

Trigger warnings: body horror, blood, leech bites, death / dead bodies (shown on page), dismemberment, parental neglect (passing mention), drowning, sickness, narcotic addiction, bus crash, injuries, death of an animal (off page, mentioned briefly), violence, abduction, stalking.

Praise for The Devouring Light

“Exquisitely creepy, Kat Ellis delivers another beguiling feast that drew me in like a drowning—intensely, and all at once. The Haunting of Hill House by way of The Shining, The Devouring Light is a stunning and genuinely unsettling meditation on fame, cult mentality, and friendship-rivalry. Claustrophobic, insidious, and utterly brilliant, readers won’t escape these pages easily… but, then, why would they want to?” — Dawn Kurtagich, award-winning author of The Madness and The Thorns.

“This note-perfect horror plays such a beautiful and haunting tune, you’ll be left earwormed for days. Kat Ellis is one of my favourite horror authors, and this one rocks – a masterful blend of body horror and haunted-house mystery that is also a savagely funny dissection of fame and its attendant cost. I loved every leech-infested page.” — Josh Winning, author of Heads Will Roll

‘The Devouring Light is a great twist on classic haunted house tales, with wonderfully drawn characters and a sense of foreboding that remains long after the final page. A dark, twisted delight.’ — Vincent Ralph, New York Times bestselling author of Secrets Never Die

‘The Devouring Light is a masterclass in YA horror: compelling characters, edge-of-your-seat twists and some truly horrifying moments. This book will give you nightmares and leave you wanting more.’ — Kathryn Foxfield, author of Getting Away with Murder

‘Chilling, claustrophobic and intensely atmospheric, Kat Ellis has delivered another heart-pounding and twisty tale that had me racing to the finish.’— Amy McCaw, author of They Own the Night

“A stomach-turning take on haunted houses and what the pursuit of fame does to you – and your soul – The Devouring Light is as brutal and bloody as its leech-infested waters.” — Logan-Ashley Kisner, author of Old Wounds

“The Devouring Light is a dark and twisted descent into madness. I loved it.” — Cynthia Murphy, author of Keep Your Friends Close

“Unlike anything I’ve read before! The Devouring Light is clever, compelling, utterly original and perfectly terrifying!” — Katya de Becerra, Aurealis-winning author of They Watch From Below

“Utterly terrifying, skin-crawling horror… so intriguing that I couldn’t put it down!” — Josie Jaffrey, author of the QuickSilver trilogy

“The Devouring Light is a rock n’ roll fever dream from hell! From reality television childhood stars to old school hollywood glam, this fast paced and tightly crafted novel will keep you guessing til the very dark and satisfying end. A must read this summer! But if you break down in an isolated area while on a trip? Stay in your vehicle and start to pray!” — Ann Dávila Cardinal, author of You’ve Awoken Her and Breakup From Hell

“The Devouring Light will creep over you like fog and feed off your nightmares like a leech in your eye socket. You’ll be holding your breath (and wanting to shower) with each turn of the page.” — Georgia Bowers, author of Foes and Cons

“The Devouring Light is everything I want in horror. The swampy setting is a character in its own right (one I’m still thinking about!), and its sinister eddies and flows are the perfect breeding ground for a foggy miasma of fear. The human characters are note-perfect: flawed, believable, relatable in a way that had me questioning whether I’d have done anything different in their situation. I tried to read slowly because I didn’t want it to end, but it carried me along at a rock-and-roll pace. I will be eagerly awaiting Ellis’ next.” — Alison Ames, author of The Devourer