Girl of Lore

4.3

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Author(s)

Melanie Dale

Publisher

Aladdin

Genre(s)

Age Range

10+

Release Date

April 21, 2026

ISBN

978-1665969826

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A girl who’s used to battling the monster of her own mind discovers there’s a sinister evil lurking in her small town in this atmospheric paranormal novel that’s perfect for fans of Tracy Wolff and Maggie Stiefvater.

Stories of dark magic and even darker creatures have always swirled about Mina Murray’s town of London, Georgia. Mina knows they aren’t true—and are likely perpetuated only to drive the quirky tourist-trap ghost tours of downtown—but that doesn’t stop her from collecting the stories and drawing them in her sketchbook. Something about the possibility of real monsters helps her deal with the monster in her own head: her OCD, which convinces her danger lurks everywhere.

But when a body is found drained of blood and a classmate goes missing, Mina is thrust into a tangled web of London secrets…that she seems to be at the center of.

Editor review

1 review

Battling demons

March 15, 2026 (Updated: June 04, 2026)

Overall rating

4.3

Plot

4.0

Characters

5.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

N/A

What worked:
Mina is the main character, and she has a variety of issues. Her psychiatrist says it’s unlikely that she’ll ever act on her thoughts of stabbing people, and her OCD is how her body maintains control. She doesn’t know how to get along with people, and she’s not sure why popular, pretty Jackie is still her friend. Mina needs Jackie’s support, but what does Mina have to offer? She hides her sketches of gory scenes, and visiting the graveyard is her favorite activity. Mina feels disturbed and confused when she “hears” a book telling her to “release me”.

Readers immediately know this will be a strange story when Mina dreams of possessing a body. The body is in a car that crashes into a sinkhole, while three shadowy figures watch from above. The next day, Mina learns that a car crashed into a sinkhole near her home. Coincidence? Animals seem to attack her, which is confusing when, later, she calms some dogs and a horse with her mind. Most people in London, Georgia, are skeptical about creatures of the night, but Mina sees evidence and hears stories that make her think something dangerous is going on. A woman wrote a book about local lore, but Mina later finds her dead, with bite marks on her neck. These events will interest readers interested in the paranormal.

The author uses a familiar point of view about vampires, making them easy to understand. These vampires don’t like sunlight and anything related to God. They can control the amount of blood they take, meaning victims can be killed or turned into vampires. Victims can be saved from turning if the vampire is killed before the victim dies. Vampires grow fangs and have heightened senses. An additional danger is added to this story when readers learn that something powerful is beginning to rise in London, and it is capable of killing all humans on earth.

What didn’t work as well:

Different sources indicate this book is for middle grade, but it’s for tweens and young adults. The characters are high school age, and the scary emotions generated by the author’s writing can get pretty intense. The book has a dark tone, especially when the topic of vampires arises.

The final verdict:

Again, this book is not for most middle-grade readers due to strong, dark emotions. However, the overall story is captivating, and I recommend that mature readers try it for

Mark Buxton, Staff Reviewer Top 10 Reviewer 746 reviews

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User reviews

1 review

Overall rating

5.0

Plot

5.0(1)

Characters

5.0(1)

Writing Style

5.0(1)

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

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What if the monsters in your sketchbook… were actually real?

June 03, 2026 (Updated: June 04, 2026)

Overall rating

5.0

Plot

5.0

Characters

5.0

Writing Style

5.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

N/A

Our teen book club dove into Girl of Lore and WOW this one gave us spooky vibes, small-town secrets, and a main character we couldn’t stop rooting for.

Set in the eerie and oddly charming town of London, Georgia, this story follows Mina Murray a girl who copes with her OCD by sketching all the creepy legends her town is known for. At first, it feels like classic ghost-tour folklore until things get very real. A drained body. A missing classmate. And suddenly, those fake stories don’t feel so fake anymore.

As a group, we loved how Mina’s OCD is portrayed with honesty and care it adds real depth to her character and raises the stakes in such a unique way. Her fear, bravery, and determination felt so real, especially as she’s pulled deeper into the mystery whether she wants to be or not.

The plot kept us guessing, and the mix of supernatural elements with real-life struggles made this feel like more than just a spooky read. It’s about facing your fears both internal and external and figuring out what’s real, what’s myth, and what’s been hiding in plain sight all along.

If your book club loves eerie mysteries, relatable characters, and a little bit of dark magic, this one is SUCH a fun discussion pick.