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I keep saying I don't read young adult books, but then one surprises me and I have to have a bit of a think about whether I actually dislike young adult books. I picked up Empty Heaven by Freddie Kolsch from a sale on Libro.fm, the audiobook service that's not owned by Amazon and a portion of sales goes to an indie bookstore of your choosing. They have sales frequently, and this was from their BOGO sale. I always look at the LGBTQIA+ books on offer first. The cover of Empty Heaven was metal, so I picked it up, not realizing it was YA. And I loved this book.

Darian is going into her senior year in the year 2000 at a posh private school in Manhattan, but she spends her summers in her late mother's New England hometown of Kesuquosh. She constructs a tenuous excuse to visit her crush, KJ, on Halloween, when the town venerates their pagan-esque god, Good Arcturus, in a strange ritual. Darian quickly realizes the town's quaint religion isn't as benign as she'd once believed after KJ falls victim to a ritualistic sacrifice. She and her friends have to uncover the ugly truth lurking beneath the sunny surface of Kesuquosh to save KJ before it's too late. All while Darian's own personal demons stalk her in the shadows.

This sounds like a gripping, serious thriller, and in some ways it is, but it has the humor of The Goonies or Stranger Things, if they were teenagers. Their friendship and banter are absolutely perfect for teenagers in 2000. I would have been a few years younger than Darian and her friends, but all the references hit the same. Their love of music, their chaotic garage band, and references to The Smashing Pumpkins and other 90s bands are so relatable. Their love and dedication to each other tempers the teenage sarcasm and friendly ribbing.

For the first quarter of the book, I was anxious as Darian convinces herself that Kesuquosh and the town's ritual to a god embodied by a giant scarecrow were weird but benign. We know her bubble is going to burst, and it had me on the edge of my seat/audiobook. After KJ's sacrifice, I thought it would get super dark; instead, it just gets funnier. The pacing, foreshadowing, and split timeline helped build tension and keep me listening. Also, everyone who matters is queer, and I love that for us.

While the themes are nothing new: self-determination over a controlled, perfect existence, found family, taking back control after trauma—it's a fun and fascinating execution. Please check the trigger warnings. There are a few big ones in there for past pedophilia, sexual assault, and drug abuse.

The audiobook is well executed, and I'd highly recommend it. There is one steamy moment, but it's brief and more like heavy petting.

I think the cover might scare some people off. I'd argue that there is almost no gore in this book. There were moments that gave me the willies, but nothing terribly graphic. If you like horror thrillers with a side of queer romance, then this is a splendid book for you. I can't emphasize enough how much fun I had reading this book. Despite the high stakes and heavy themes, the banter between the characters and their overall personalities are hilarious and endearing. I know this is a book I won't shut up about for a long time.

/rae/