A woman from Appalachia works in a resort for monsters in the atmospheric fantasy horror novel The Winter Folk by Jen Julian (Red Rabbit Ghost).
Vera has returned to her hometown with her husband and teenage daughter after years away. She hasn't told them she's keeping her eyes open for any sign of the Winter Folk, wondrous but monstrous creatures who came every winter to stay at Deerhaven, a resort that lies through a magical door. Mr. Oslin, Deerhaven's antlered host, recruited Vera to the housekeeping staff when she was a struggling young woman by offering a wish in exchange for her service. Vera had to abide by strict rules, such as going by "Moth" and never speaking her true name, or she'd face dire consequences. She earned the trust of chillingly strange residents (including a "spindly, white-eyed specter who was twelve feet tall"), befriended other human staff members, and fell madly in love with the gentle, mysterious Oslin. She also left under disastrous circumstances. Vera/Moth details her adventures at Deerhaven with interstitial scenes from the present day.
Julian's gothic horror story has the feel of folklore and reads like a Cheshire cat smile with very sharp teeth indeed. Vera's struggles with her family's history of mental illness, addiction, and poverty underscore her drive to make a place for herself at Deerhaven. The dual timelines work together toward a propulsive conclusion that leaves the magic portal ajar for further horrors or healing. --Jaclyn Fulwood, blogger at Infinite Reads