By Cliff McNish (author)
"Guilt, grief, family bonds and quick-witted courage — this YA horror novel teems with terror and psychological edge."
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November 2025 Book of the Month
Brutally direct and psychologically rich, Cliff McNish’s Lily’s Monster is YA horror at its most genuinely horrifying. What begins as a story that sees a family all-but ruined by grief swerves fast into a disturbing tale of terrors in the form of a creepy little girl, a family possessed, and a house seething with strange sounds.
Just when you think things couldn’t possibly get worse — bam! Picture the opening of a menacing matryoshka, with each doll unleashing escalating terrors ahead of a fight for resolution fuelled by all-consuming love.
After heading to Gant House near the seaside, hoping to come together in the wake of the tragic death of a beloved son and brother, teenager Holly and her family are visited by a silent little girl called Lily. One by one, Lily manipulates the family like marionettes, exerting an uncanny power over everyone but Holly, who’s horrified by the monster her father is transformed into, and wracked by guilt over her brother’s death. Then there’s the strange noise emitted by the house, and the centuries-old discovery Holly makes during her perilous effort to save her loved ones.
Lily’s Monster should come with an advisory: read this if you’re into hard-hitting horror and ghost stories that pack psychological punch.
A burning nightmare of psychological horror with the pulse of a thriller.
Read the full description
Consumed with guilt following her elder brother's fatal accident, Holly escapes to the isolated seaside home of Gant House with her family.
But the house has a menacing history, and the restless spirit inside has been waiting a long time for a family as perfect as Holly's to turn up. Who is the child, Lily? And what is the terrifying dark power swirling at the heart of the house, whose touch means death?
Can Holly uncover the truth behind the monster in Lily's past? Or will she and her family simply become Gant House's next sacrificial victims?
From the multiple award-winning ghost story writer of Breathe and The Hunting Ground , comes his first novel in ten years - a burning nightmare of psychological horror with the pulse of a thriller.
“McNish’s master-storytelling skills are at their peak. Disturbing, extraordinary.” - Philip Ardagh
Cliff McNish is an English author of fantasy and supernatural novels for young adults. His best-known works include the 2006 ghost novel Breathe , The Silver Sequence , and T he Doomspell Trilogy , which has been translated into 26 languages.
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A burning nightmare of psychological horror with the pulse of a thriller. Consumed with guilt following her elder brother's fatal accident, Holly escapes to the isolated seaside home of Gant House with her family.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Lily's Monster and determined it is suitable for children aged 13-18 years old
Lily's Monster features in the following genres: Featured Books for 13+ readers, Featured Books for Young Adults, Books of the Month, Recommendations, Star Books, Horror & Ghost Stories, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational
Paperback. £8.09, down from the £8.99 cover price. Temporarily Out Of Stock.
Lily's Monster was written by Cliff McNish and published by Fox & Ink Books
Lily's Monster has 279 pages
£8.09, reduced from £8.99. Temporarily Out Of Stock.
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