Dead Girls Don't Dream
by Nino Cipri

Reviewed by Galen Strickland
Posted November 5, 2024

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I received a free digital review copy of this book from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. Nino Cipri's debut novel will be published in one week, November 12. It is possible its release was pushed back for various reasons, but it would have been more appropriate for October. It is very good, with several girls who die, or had died long ago, even one who might possibly have been dead but then revived multiple times. At least one of them does dream, so the title is not completely accurate. In any case, it is very good, very spooky, highly recommended.

There have been many stories about enchanted, haunted woods, and I am sure there will be many more in the future. The Voynich Woods near Roscoe, New Hampshire had been the epicenter of multiple disappearances over the years, possibly hundreds of years, but the earliest displayed at the Roscoe Mysteries Museum and Tour Center was Camille Voynich in 1938. The museum is curated by Toby, uncle and adoptive parent of Riley Walcott and her sister Sam. Little was said about their father, other than he was dead. Their mother, Anna Walcott, disappeared five years prior to the current events, but it was not known if she was also lost to the woods. It is possible she simply abandoned her daughters, skipping out to avoid an arrest warrant. She was an addict who had frequently promised to get sober, but she always relapsed, and her latest boss had accused her of stealing money from the till.

There are rules for Voynich Woods: Always carry a whistle. Never go alone. Always come home before dark. And if anyone calls your name, don't answer. Because anyone who wanders from the path is never seen again. Except for Riley. She and Sam help Toby at the museum, which is in an old barn on his property. They usually accompany him when he conducts tours of the woods, although those are only around the periphery. One of the latest guests has a podcast devoted to mysterious happenings, and without naming names, implies Toby should have Anna Walcott on his board of missing/presumed dead persons. She also grills Riley and Sam during the tour, which upsets Sam enough she turns and walks away. Riley follows her, but quickly loses sight of her sister. Sam has an obsession about finding the Wishing Tree, and Riley fears Sam is too reckless and oblivious to the dangers if one leaves the path. Exactly the opposite though. Sam knows as much about the woods as anyone, including Toby, and is convinced if she can find the Wishing Tree she will also find her mother.

The whistle is to signal the need for help, which Riley hopes will bring Toby to the rescue, or maybe Sam will respond. Calling her name will not work, since everyone knows not to respond to anyone calling you from the woods. The one who answers her whistle is Mr. Bancroft, the recreational park ranger, who says he will help search for Sam. Riley loses track of him too, and then hears Sam calling for her. Uh oh! The next thing she knows she is accosted by a masked man, who apparently has an accomplice, since Riley receives a blow to the back of her head. Before losing consciousness she also knows she has been knifed in the back. At that point I was thinking most of the disappearances had been serial killings by mortal men (or women), but there are those with magical abilities. Everyone knows the legends of the Witch of the Woods, from long before 1938, so the witch is either very longed lived, or else there have been more than one. The current one appears to be Lillian, who lives in an isolated house protected by many wards. Her "daughter" Madelyn lives with her, but Maddie is not the only creature she has created, a la Frankenstein.

I'll refrain from saying too much more. I won't say who else is a construct of Lillian's, nor what other persona she assumes when she ventures into town. Just knowing that, when and if you read this, I am sure you will figure it out when a certain someone appears, but I didn't catch on until later. Roscoe is a very small town, the kind where everyone knows everyone else. One of the sheriff's deputies had been a classmate of Anna's, and also knew Toby, even though he was a few years younger. They all knew what Riley and Sam had been through because of Anna's drug and alcohol problems. They all know Toby is gay. Not all believe in the witchy happenings in the woods, even though they all avoid the deepest parts of the woods. When Riley returns, Toby is convinced something is wrong, but he doesn't press her on it. Riley and Madelyn become friends, perhaps something more. Madelyn incurs the wrath of Lillian. Madelyn learns more about her past, even if some of that might apply to previous versions of herself, or other constructs. This is not just a spooky story of ethereal witches in a dark wood. Lillian is not the source of the magic, merely one of its caretakers. Much more malevolent forces are in play. The Wishing Tree, which Riley prefers to call a wolf tree, contains many secrets, including in the cave below it.

Part mystery, part thriller. Sometimes inspirational, at other times gross and repulsive. As with any good story, the characters matter; their hopes, fears, and anxieties. Their connections with others, both family and friends. The only other thing I will say is that if I was ever confronted with such horrors, I would want the support of an uncle like Toby, and most especially a sister like Sam, who it was implied was named after Samara Morgan from The Ring. Highly recommended. Now I need to see if I can track down episodes of Madelyn's favorite show (and apparently the only one she ever watched), HMS Broomstick.