Nowhere Burning, Catriona Ward
Nowhere Burning, Catriona Ward
List: $26.99 | Sale: $18.89
Club: $13.49

Nowhere Burning

Author: Catriona Ward

Narrator: Christopher Ragland, Katherine Fenton

Unabridged: 12 hr 7 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/24/2026

Synopsis

Nowhere Burning is a harrowing tale of survival that places the dark fairy tale of Peter Pan and the ruthless dangers of Lord of the Flies into the unforgiving maw of the Colorado Rockies.

"[Narrators Katherine] Fenton and [Christopher] Ragland both create a seamless listening experience with clearly differentiated characters. They connect emotionally to their characters, conveying their fears as they untangle their realities." —BookTrib on Looking Glass Sound

"Gripping and beautiful, haunting and virtuously crafted…you won’t be able to stop reading."—Virginia Feito, author of Victorian Psycho

Secrets in the flames. Answers in the ashes.

Riley and her brother Oliver set off in the pitch-black night, fleeing their troubled home. They are heading for Nowhere—an abandoned ranch, once the playground of its former eccentric movie-star owner, now a haven for runaways.

What awaits could be the freedom they crave.

But this mysterious clan guards dark secrets, and the scorched grounds hold the ghosts of the past. Riley quickly realizes that while she and Oliver may have escaped the devil they knew, something darker lurks in the burnt shell of Nowhere.

Something which asks a terrible price for sanctuary…

Also by Catriona Ward:
Looking Glass Sound
Sundial
Little Eve
The Last House on Needless Street

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Nightfire

About Catriona Ward

CATRIONA WARD was born in Washington, DC, and grew up in the United States, Kenya, Madagascar, Yemen, and Morocco. She studied English at the University of Oxford and later earned her master’s degree in creative writing at the University of East Anglia. Ward is a three-time winner of the August Derleth Award for Best Horror Novel: for The Girl from Rawblood, her debut; Little Eve; and The Last House on Needless Street. Little Eve also won the Shirley Jackson Award for Best Novel. Ward is the international bestselling author of The Last House on Needless Street and Sundial.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Nilufer on March 11, 2026

How can I possibly resist a Catriona Ward book—especially when I know I’m about to be shaken to my core, physically and mentally? She never fails to disturb, devastate, and utterly mesmerize me. This time, she gifts us a twistedly clever yet heartbreakingly emotional reimagining of Peter Pan—one tha......more

Goodreads review by Dutchie on March 04, 2026

I hate to say it, but this one was a bit of a miss for this reader. I wasn’t feeling the Peter Pan vibe. Riley and her brother Oliver manage to escape from their abusive home in search of a place called Nowhere. It is rumored to be run by lost children high up in the mountains on a deserted property......more

Goodreads review by Melissa (Always Behind) on March 12, 2026

3.5 stars. Very dark at times, decent twists and I generally liked how it all came together This is a horror reimagining of Peter Pan (and also a bit of Michael Jackson) that goes in a very heart wrenching direction. It reads as a series of disconnected plot threads: of kids Riley and her brother Ol......more

Goodreads review by Summer on November 17, 2025

Nowhere Burning is an atmospheric and deliciously strange work of horror with Children of the Corn vibes. Written in Catriona’s trademark brisk writing style with short sentences which are hard to pull off but Catriona always makes it work. Like her prior works, Nowhere Burning is sprinkled with the......more

Quotes

Praise for Nowhere Burning:

“So sharp and beautiful it draws blood and leaves scars.”
—Grady Hendrix, New York Times bestselling author of Witchcraft for Wayward Girls

"Gripping and beautiful and haunting and virtuously crafted… you won’t be able to stop reading."
—Virginia Feito, author of Victorian Psycho

"Catriona Ward is a sorceress of the highest order and Nowhere Burning is nothing short of spellbinding. The scale of both tenderness and terror is a marvel. Ward's storytelling has reached such heights that I can only adequately compare her to herself: it's as eerily atmospheric as Little Eve, as twisty and complex as Looking Glass Sound, and as emotionally compelling as Sundial. I will follow Ward anywhere, holding my breath as I go."
—Olivie Blake, New York Times bestselling author of Girl Dinner

"One part fairy tale and one part horror story, Nowhere Burning is seductive and incendiary....The world of make-believe has never been so deadly."
—M.L. Rio, author of If We Were Villains

"Catriona Ward's instant classic Nowhere Burning is gorgeous, dangerous, mythic and horrific. Here the embers of long-ago fires still smolder, and a girl and her brother lead readers into an abandoned ranch unlike anyplace you've ever visited in a book. This unforgettable novel evokes Stephen King and fairy tales, but it's very much an original—a story for anyone who likes to marvel at a remarkable storyteller in full flower."
—A. J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window

“Anyone who has reached a hand toward the night sky will understand the beautifully incurable ache for belonging at the heart of Nowhere Burning, the latest unsettling fairytale from Catriona Ward.”
—Christopher Buehlman, USA Today bestselling author of Between Two Fires

“Fiercely original, full of malice and wild empathy. Ward is so damn good and always, always surprising. Every sentence is a barbed and glittering thread weaving through pop culture obsessions; the glamorous movie star recluse, the feral kid cult, the wounded true crime documentary makers, to reveal the dread secrets that lie hidden in the mountains and human hearts.”
—Lauren Beukes, author of The Shining Girls

“An amazing mix of intricate storytelling, edge-of-your-seat plotting, incredible worldbuilding and characters who will find a place in your heart. A bit Stranger Things, a bit Spielberg, a bit Stephen King, while also being completely original.”
—Araminta Hall, author of One of the Good Guys

“Bestseller Ward showcases her talent for twisty plotting, genuine scares, and unreliable narrators in this brilliant and brutal riff on Peter Pan. … Ward ably captures the slipperiness of reality through the eyes of a child and masterfully pulls off a devastating final reveal. This is sure to haunt readers long after the last page is turned.”
—Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW

"Ward explores love, family, and the cost of keeping secrets…Those who loved Ward's previous novels will welcome this book, and be captivated by the legend of Nowhere, as will fans of chilling fairy tale retellings."
—Booklist

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