If Looks Could Kill
Two starred reviews!
An instant New York Times bestseller!
From Printz Honor–winning and New York Times bestselling author Julie Berry, a true-crime-nail-biter-turned-mythic-odyssey pitting Jack the Ripper against Medusa. “A powerful exploration of human connection during nightmarish times” (Kirkus Reviews).
It’s autumn 1888, and Jack the Ripper is on the run. As London police close in, he flees England for New York City seeking new victims. But a primal force of female vengeance has had enough. With serpents for hair and a fearsome gaze, an awakened Medusa is hunting for one thing: Jack.
And other dangers lurk in Manhattan’s Bowery. Salvation Army volunteers Tabitha and Pearl discover that a girl they once helped has been forced to work in a local brothel. Tabitha’s an upstate city girl with a wry humor and a thirst for adventure, while farmgirl Pearl takes everything with stone-cold seriousness. Their brittle partnership is tested as they team up with an aspiring girl reporter and a handsome Irish bartender to mount a rescue effort, only to find their fates entwine with Medusa’s and Jack’s.
An instant New York Times bestseller!
From Printz Honor–winning and New York Times bestselling author Julie Berry, a true-crime-nail-biter-turned-mythic-odyssey pitting Jack the Ripper against Medusa. “A powerful exploration of human connection during nightmarish times” (Kirkus Reviews).
It’s autumn 1888, and Jack the Ripper is on the run. As London police close in, he flees England for New York City seeking new victims. But a primal force of female vengeance has had enough. With serpents for hair and a fearsome gaze, an awakened Medusa is hunting for one thing: Jack.
And other dangers lurk in Manhattan’s Bowery. Salvation Army volunteers Tabitha and Pearl discover that a girl they once helped has been forced to work in a local brothel. Tabitha’s an upstate city girl with a wry humor and a thirst for adventure, while farmgirl Pearl takes everything with stone-cold seriousness. Their brittle partnership is tested as they team up with an aspiring girl reporter and a handsome Irish bartender to mount a rescue effort, only to find their fates entwine with Medusa’s and Jack’s.
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Community Reviews
Julie Berry is unlike any other writer I have read! Her beautiful prose, combined with unique plots, will always draw me back. After her book, Lovely War, in which the Greek gods watched the love stories of two different couples caught in the midst of WWI unfold, I didn't think there would ever be another book so unique and captivating. I should have known Julie Berry's brilliant imagination would give us another piece of gold! In If Looks Could Kill, Julie Berry brings us back in time once again, but this time, instead of the gods, we get Medusa. And Medusa is coming for Jack the Ripper. If that premise alone doesn’t hook you, Berry’s execution certainly will.
This novel brims with righteous anger, sharp wit, and unapologetically feminist characters who refuse to be silenced. It’s bold, powerful, and unlike anything else in YA historical fiction right now.
✨ If Looks Could Kill is the kind of book I want to press into the hands of every reader who loves mythology, history, and stories where women’s voices are fierce, defiant, and unforgettable.
This novel brims with righteous anger, sharp wit, and unapologetically feminist characters who refuse to be silenced. It’s bold, powerful, and unlike anything else in YA historical fiction right now.
✨ If Looks Could Kill is the kind of book I want to press into the hands of every reader who loves mythology, history, and stories where women’s voices are fierce, defiant, and unforgettable.
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