Local Gods by Melinda Salisbury – at a glance
The School Reading Lists’ five word review: gripping, magical modern fairytale thriller.
YA book title: Local Gods.
YA author: Melinda Salisbury.
Cover design: Michelle Brackenborough.
Genre: YA Thriller, Folk Horror.
Published by: David Fickling Books.
ISBN: 9781788452762.
Recommended for children aged: 14+.
First published: Paperback July 2026.
This YA book is ideal for: lovers of horror, folk and fairytale with a sinister undertone. An emotional journey where you will personally feel the pain, horror and frustration of the protagonist.
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Our review:
Local Gods pulls you into the mystery of Pine Ridge Hollow and the dreaded West Woods through the perspective of protagonist Sylvie. Sylvie was formerly a kind of princess within her town: privileged, wealthy and important. But, as in any good fairy tale, she falls on hard times at the hands of her conman father, who promptly abandons her and her mother after he finally gets into trouble with the law. It isn’t long before Sylvie becomes the image of the lonely, abandoned child living in the woods, similar to so many found within historical fairy tales such as Hansel and Gretel, Babes in the Wood, and Snow White and Rose Red. Any of these tales would make an excellent choice for use in a comparative discussion. The name Sylvie Singer itself sounds like something out of a fairy tale, but be warned: this fairy tale is more Brothers Grimm than Disney.
One delight of reading this book is that, even as a not-so-young adult, many aspects of the plot are not at all predictable and really do keep you guessing until the last moment. I genuinely did need a little time to process after reading the final page and closing the book. The fact that the protagonist herself is seventeen would, I imagine, really help a young person reading this book to relate to the emotional journey and severe injustices that Sylvie faces. You can deeply feel her emotions alongside her, which makes this a fantastic choice of book for examining character development. The situations that Sylvie faces range from fairly ordinary high school drama, exclusion from social groups, upcoming exams and people messing with her locker, to far more extreme challenges relating to her family, the town locals and the magic of the West Woods, a magic which, you will be glad to hear, is revealed for those who read to the end!
The mundane townsfolk and mysterious West Woods beings are juxtaposed throughout the narrative as Sylvie faces one set of challenges at school and in the town whilst experiencing a completely different way of being in the West Woods, as she becomes accustomed to the deceptively vicious, pure-white animals that live there and, most intriguingly, the enigmatic Illican, who speaks to her inside her head but is very much physically present.
There is an undercurrent of references to the weather and extreme heat which, whilst reading this amid a record-breaking heatwave, felt very relevant. The idea of extreme weather being a warning sign may feel especially poignant to the young people of today growing up in a world damaged by climate change, as might the idea of children and young people paying the price for the mistakes of others. There are some strong opportunities to make comparisons to the challenges faced in our real, modern-day world.
Due to the horror aspect of Local Gods, I would place this book firmly in the young adult category and not recommend it for early teens or pre-teens. The book requires some maturity from the reader.
Many thanks to David Fickling Books for the review copy.
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