Critiquing Cult Reads: Kelly Andrew’s Trilogy on Girlhood and the Monstrous Female

By Rowen Murphy
Entertainment Columnist

On our first edition of Critiquing Cult Reads, I am thrilled to introduce you to the works of Kelly Andrew. With the release of her latest novel, ‘I Am Made Of Death’, she adds to the narrative of her paranormal trilogy which features a cast of new characters along with some recurring ones. Andrew’s linked trilogy is comprised of ‘The Whispering Dark’, ‘Your Blood, My Bones’ and ‘I Am Made Of Death’.

The Whispering Dark
Perfect for fans of Maggie Stiefvater’s ‘The Raven Cycle’ and C.G. Wells’s ‘Don’t Let The Forest In’, Andrew’s ‘The Whispering Dark’ is marked by an intersection between dark academia and urban fantasy. With her atmospheric writing, Andrew is sure to transport you into a whirlwind romance which she cleverly sets against the backdrop of a sprawling college campus, a secret society and research on an obscure theory best left forgotten.

As a transfer student of Godbole University, Delaney must navigate her life devoid of sound, that is, until her hearing aid begins picking up voices that are not of this world.

Your Blood, My Bones
With Andrew’s lush prose drawing its likeness from the conscious forest creeping ever closer, ‘Your Blood, My Bones’ is perfect for anyone in need of a fresh twist on a dark fairytale. Bringing together aspects of the well-loved story, Peter Pan, Andrew displays the profound ability to pick apart pieces of the legend and twist them into something almost unrecognizable, yet achingly familiar.

Returning with a matchbook in hand, Wyatt plans to reduce her childhood home to cinders. That is, until she unveils the century-long mystery surrounding the grounds of the farmhouse and that of the person chained to its basement walls. With the forest encroaching on the house, Wyatt’s loyalty to an old friend is called into question.

Her task is to assume her rightful place as keeper of the forest.
His task is to stop her. No matter the cost.

I Am Made Of Death

With elements glimpsed in the film Black Swan and allusions to the upside-down world of Wonderland, Andrew revisits themes of her first work through the lens of an art school in the south, cults posing as college clubs and the gauzy veneer of funhouse mirrors in an empty ballet studio.

In her latest work, ‘I Am Made Of Death’, Andrew blends the monstrous feminine with aspects of girlhood revolving around an inherently female urge to break free and become something more. She explores adolescence and the staggered changes that come with transforming into a young woman through the intervention of an accidental possession, impacting the main character's personal agency.

With a focus on body horror, nightmare-scapes and a distinct disillusionment from reality, Andrew paints a macabre portraiture of the main character, Vivienne. With this comes the narrative of a woman choosing to remain mute, solely using sign language, as the powers imbued in her words become poison.

Beneath her facade as a moneyed ballet dancer, Vivienne hides a chilling secret. She is not the only one to share her body. Disaster will befall those who surround her if she is unable to break the ties that keep the monster burrowed in her mind.

I chose to spotlight Kelly Andrew due to her lush literary prose, which gives voice to the competent female protagonist we all need. Andrew’s work is best viewed through a fantastical lens, yet it also garners respect by highlighting the stories of young women, which is necessary given the era where erasure of these voices is perpetuated by male-dominated media. As such, it is essential that we uplift female-centric stories and celebrate diversified points of view. I hope you’ll pick up this charmingly haunted trilogy.