She Waits for You Beyond the Dark

The epic conclusion to Kristen Simmon's masterful breakout duology for young adult readers that's "Jumanji but Japanese-inspired" (Kendare Blake) about estranged friends playing a deadly game in an eerie folkloric underworld.

"Death is not an ending, it’s simply the next chapter. Do not be afraid to turn the page...."

It’s been one month since the hellish game of Meido ended, and Owen, Maddy, and Emerson are still reeling over the trials they endured there. With Empress Izanami destroyed, and the gate to the world of the dead closed, they take solace in the fact that they rescued Ian from that nightmare. There’s just one problem—Ian didn’t come home alone.

While Maddy chases a lead to find their yokai friend, and Emerson is haunted by a new, deadly creature, Owen is forced to face the empress—now possessing Ian's body—by himself. She tells Owen that the only way to free Ian is to find the artifacts—three sacred objects—which have been hidden across the realms of Hell, Heaven, and Earth. Unwilling to leave Ian behind, Owen dives into a new deadly game, but even when he’s joined by Maddy and Emerson, the challenges prove impossible. If they don’t solve each terrifying task and get the artifacts by the time the giant’s eye closes, Ian will be lost forever, but if they do, it's the end of the world as they know it.

There’s only one person who can help, but Dax hasn’t been human in a long time, and he’s got some serious yokai problems of his own.