The Scald-Crow
by Grace Daly
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Pub Date 14 Oct 2025 | Archive Date 31 Oct 2025
Description
Shot through with gallows humor and speaking in the voice of a trusted best friend, this self-deprecating horror novel explores medical trauma through Irish folklore, asking “Can a sick woman ever be trusted?"
Brigid—that’s the Irish Breej, not “Bridge-id,” though it’s not like she’d correct you—has had a rough go of it. Her mother abused her when she was little, her best friend (and secret crush) is too busy chasing some blonde to answer Brigid’s calls, and she lost her job thanks to chronic pelvic pain with no identifiable cause. As a self-doubting, disabled adult, she’s certain that everything that has happened to her is her fault.
Now her mother has gone missing and Brigid’s only option is to move back into her childhood home in the idyllic Midwestern town of St. Charles, Illinois. Soon the uncanny begins: A particular crow that once harassed her reappears, following her everywhere. A painting of Jesus keeps coming back, no matter how many times she throws it away. Frozen body parts show up in places rubber band balls and door stoppers ought to be. Every night the same nightmare repeats: her real mother is dead and decaying in the closet, and the identical mother who raised her is not her mother. But it’s all in Brigid’s head. It’s all her fault. It must be. What other explanation could there be?
After all, since when can a sick woman be trusted?
Advance Praise
“Grace Daly absolutely nails internal character struggle as her protagonist, Brigid, is terrorized by an unseen force and doubting her own experiences while reckoning with a lifetime of trauma. Daly has penned an unflinching debut that is equal parts funny, chilling, delightful, and heartbreaking. Put this at the top of your TBR! You will recoil, you will laugh. You will laugh while recoiling. And Brigid will warm your cold, cold heart.” —Lauren Bolger, author of Kill Radio and The Barre Incidents
“Artful and clever, this often-funny meditation on chronic pain, mortality and trauma is exactly the cure for what ails you. Grace Daly has arrived, and The Scald-Crow is a triumph.” —Robert P. Ottone, author of The Vile Thing We Created and the Bram Stoker Award-winning novel The Triangle
“On one hand, The Scald-Crow is a prime example of what horror fiction does best: taking on timely, relevant real-world horrors via monstrous intermediaries. But Grace Daly does not shy away from reality in her storytelling. Instead, she uses folk horror trappings to highlight the very real agony, fear, and self-doubt endured by those living with chronic pain. A captivating and revelatory read, this novel is a confident and assured debut of an essential voice in horror fiction.” —Patrick Barb, author of Night of the Witch-Hunter
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781951971311 |
| PRICE | US$18.95 (USD) |
| PAGES | 258 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Heather A, Reviewer
Scald-Crow immediately caught my eye when I saw Creature Publishing's post for their new on NetGalley books. This story follows Brigid, who lives with chronic pelvic pain, as she moves into her now missing mother's home. She tries to find answers not only as to her mother's whereabouts, but also the cause of her chronic pain and illness. Irish mythology also plays a heavy part in this story.
Brigid has a difficult relationship with her mother who abused her as a child and made her believe everything was always her fault. This has lead her to doubt herself in everything. Doctors don't make anything easier when they would rather brush her off than find real answers.
On top of all that, Brigid starts experiencing the strangest things upon moving back into her childhood home. A crow that used to harass her comes back into her life, a painting of Jesus keeps reappearing no matter how many times she throws it out, and frozen body parts keep popping up in the weirdest of places.
Everything is in her head though, right? That's what everyone's always told her and made her believe. So why start questioning it now?
The chronic pelvic pain is what caught me, because it's something I've lived with for years and years. IC and Adenomyosis have both been parts of my story, and both are a part of Brigid's as well.
The chronic illness representation in this book is so well done. I can't thank Grace enough for writing this deeply needed story. Anything I can see myself in will have a deep impact on me, and I love that horror is becoming this for so many of us more and more. It's a safe way to see and experience the very real things we live with in real life. Before this, I don't think I've ever seen IC or adenomyosis mentioned in fiction, so thank you for helping to bring awareness to both of these diseases.
Thank you Grace Daly, Creature Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced E-book.
The Scald-Crow publishes October 14th. Be sure to read this one!
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