After Lissy’s sister is murdered, time drags her onward past all hope of explanation or resolution. It is hard to go on living when other people die, so Lissy stalls as much as she can, working her dead-end job and preventing a potential relationship. Until whatever killed her sister comes back—for her. In Clawing Free, Josh Roberts tells a modern fairy tale bordering on allegory. Fears of serial killers and creature conspiracy theories lead into myth and legend. The novel is not explicitly Christian, yet draws free inspiration from biblical imagery. Its young heroine is effective and sympathetic, and forces targeting her evoke genuine horror. Clawing Free is an absorbing story that seamlessly joins modernity and myth.

Best for: Fans of allegory, mythology, and horror.

Discern: Many victims die violent and gruesome deaths, and people discover mutilated corpses; the book’s Eastern mythology may suggest dualism, although the allegory leaves space for interpretation.