Speak No Evil Named #14 in Ginger Nuts of Horror's Top 100 YA Horror Novels of the Decade
Liana Gardner named to the Ginger Nuts of Horror 30 YA Authors You Should Know List
Featured in The YA Horror 400: an almanac of 400 teen horror novel reviews published between 2008-2024
Speak No Evil is featured in: The Silent Treatment: 7 Books Featuring Mute Characters
Awards
- Nominee for Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel
2019 Bram Stoker Awards® - Bronze Medal Winner in Young Adult Fiction
2021 Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY) - Gold Medal Winner in New Adult Fiction
2019 NYC Big Book Awards - Quarterfinalist
2019 ScreenCraft Cinematic Book Competition
- Silver Medal Winner: Young Adult Fiction
2019 Nautilus Book Awards - Gold Medal Winner in Young Adult Fiction — Mature Issues
2019 Moonbeam Children's Book Awards - Finalist in Young Adult Fiction
2019 International Book Awards
Preview the audiobook
What if every time you told the truth, evil followed?
The daughter of Appalachian snake handlers becomes a ward of the state after her eerie “gift” causes a tragedy that leaves her orphaned.
My name is Melody Fisher. My daddy was a snake handler in Appalachia until Mama died. Though years have passed, I can still hear the rattle before the strike that took her from me.
And it’s all my fault.
Since then, I’ve been passed around from foster home to foster home. I didn’t think anything could be as bad as losing Mama.
I was wrong.
But I will not speak of things people have done to me. Every time I do, worse evil follows. Now, the only thing I trust is what saved me years ago.
Back when I would sing the snakes calm …
Original cover art by: Marcela Bolivar
Title treatment by: Michael J. Canales
"Compelling, gripping, and evocative, Speak No Evil is a study in personality development, horror, how support systems for teens can either succeed or fail, and the impact a caring adult can have on a teenager's life." ~D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
“... outstanding ... I had a tear in my eye on more than one occasion. A quite beautiful book I am very happy to champion by buying for my library.” ~Ginger Nuts of Horror
“Expect a paranormal twist, spooky mountain folklore, rattlesnake handling and much soul searching as Melody makes peace with herself—and the trauma she has endured.” ~Girls' Life Magazine (Oct/Nov 2019 issue)
“[With] suspense and intrigue, Melody’s story is grim, but hope is weaved in throughout. Highly emotional.” ~School Library Journal
“Gardner’s storytelling displays the same sort of sinister charm as she unravels Melody’s past to tell the story of her present. Speak No Evil is at once hypnotic, vaguely sinister, and decidedly beautiful, with sharp, poignant prose that handles the heaviest of issues with grace and delicacy.”
~The Nerd Daily