Shadows and Moonlit Spells

Mazzy, Nora, and Elliot, high school seniors on Cape Cod, gather on a cold November night to perform a spell on the beach under the full moon. Mazzy, cautious and anxious, is wary of Nora's impulsive approach to magic, especially when the spell comes from a mysterious online source. The trio's friendship is close but complicated—Elliot's feelings for Nora have shifted, and Mazzy is quietly drawn to him. As they set up their ritual, the air is thick with foreboding, and Mazzy's intuition screams that something is off. The spell, meant to reveal hidden things, is rushed and incomplete, leaving Mazzy unsettled. The night's magic feels unfinished, and the friends are left with a sense of unease as they walk the moonlit sand, not knowing their lives are about to change forever.

The Body on the Beach

After the spell, Nora's scream pierces the night. The friends race to find her standing over a woman's corpse, mutilated and missing hands and teeth. Shock and horror ripple through them as they realize this is no accident or overdose—someone has killed and desecrated her. The police arrive, and the trio is swept into a world of trauma and suspicion. Mazzy's anxiety deepens, and the group's dynamic shifts as they process the horror. The body's presence lingers in their minds, and the sense of safety in their small town is shattered. The event marks the end of their innocence, binding them together in fear and uncertainty, and setting them on a path toward dark secrets and dangerous magic.

Tarot and Nightmares

Haunted by the dead woman, Mazzy and Nora turn to tarot for answers. The cards—The Moon, Queen of Swords, Three and Ten of Swords, The Devil, The Tower—paint a picture of secrets, betrayal, and disaster. That night, Nora is possessed in her sleep, singing a chilling, wordless song and speaking in a voice not her own: "Tell them I'm here." Mazzy is terrified, unsure if this is trauma or something supernatural. The boundaries between dream and reality blur, and the friends realize the dead woman's presence is not finished with them. The Tower card's warning of destruction hangs over them, and Mazzy's sense of control slips further away.

Hauntings and Hidden Clues

The next day, Mazzy and Nora are plagued by the song from Nora's nightmare, which infects Mazzy's mind and even her little brother Henry, who draws the dead woman and claims her as a friend. The supernatural seems to be closing in, and Mazzy's attempts at protective magic offer little comfort. Elliot reaches out, but the tension between the friends grows as they struggle to process what's happening. The dead woman's influence spreads, and the line between haunting and possession becomes dangerously thin. The friends are drawn back to the beach, compelled to seek answers, even as fear and suspicion mount.

Teeth, Drawings, and Dread

Returning to the beach, Mazzy and Nora find human teeth where the body was discovered. The teeth buzz with unnatural energy, convincing them they belong to the dead woman. Nora wants to use them in a ritual, but Mazzy insists on turning them over to the police. Their disagreement highlights the growing rift in their approaches to magic and danger. A mysterious man with a vine tattoo appears, deepening their paranoia. The friends are caught between the mundane world of police and parents and the escalating supernatural threats, as the dead woman's story refuses to rest.

Visions and Warnings

Unable to contact a medium, Mazzy and Nora attempt a scrying ritual. Mazzy is pulled into a vivid vision: nine hooded figures perform a ritual on a sandbar, fire and song swirling around a bound woman—likely the dead woman, May. The vision is overwhelming, and Mazzy realizes their spell has connected them to something ancient and dangerous. Nora, meanwhile, is whispered to by May's spirit, who urges them to hurry—someone already knows. The friends are now entangled in a web of magic, murder, and secrets, with the sense that time is running out.

Scrying the Past

At the metaphysical shop, the girls meet Tina, who shares rumors of a secret group: the Hand of Nephthys, practitioners of dark sea magic and ritual murder. Tina claims the group removes hands and hearts as part of their rites. Online forums confirm the group's existence and their targeting of the vulnerable. Mazzy and Nora realize May and her "sisters" may have been members or victims. The girls' research and rituals draw them deeper into the Hand's orbit, and Mazzy's visions become more intense. The threat is no longer abstract—the Hand of Nephthys is real, and watching.

The Hand of Nephthys

As Mazzy, Nora, and Elliot investigate, they find themselves surveilled by Detective Huld, whose motives are unclear. The police are suspicious of the teens' involvement, and Huld's questions about their rituals and witchcraft unsettle them. The friends discover a key with a horseshoe crab skull—matching a symbol on a local mausoleum. They break into the morgue, only to find May's body missing and the key left behind. The sense of being hunted intensifies, and the friends realize the Hand of Nephthys has infiltrated every layer of their world. Trust between the trio is strained as secrets and paranoia mount.

Secrets in the Sand

The key leads the friends to a mausoleum, where they find empty coffins and a hidden trapdoor. Polaroids appear, showing May and her sisters before their deaths, each marked with tarot symbols. Someone is leaving clues—or luring them into a trap. Detective Huld's presence at the cemetery raises suspicions that she may be part of the Hand. The friends' unity is tested as they argue over what to do with the evidence and how to protect themselves. The supernatural and mundane dangers are now inseparable, and the friends are forced to confront the possibility of betrayal from within.

Mediums and Misdirection

Unable to sever their connection to May, Mazzy and Nora seek help from Ione, their trusted mentor. Ione warns them to stop investigating, revealing the Hand's long history of murder and appropriation of magical traditions. She gives them a counter-spell to break May's hold, but the ritual goes awry—Mazzy and Nora are nearly possessed, and a corpse-like hand reaches from the mirror. Elliot saves them, but the experience leaves them shaken and divided. The friends' desperation grows, and their ability to trust each other—and themselves—wanes as the Hand's power becomes undeniable.

Rituals and Revelations

Nora disappears after a fight, and Mazzy's attempts to find her are thwarted by missing evidence, unhelpful police, and the erasure of digital clues. The bodies they found vanish, and the adults dismiss their fears as trauma. Mazzy discovers Nora has been communicating with Anon09, a mysterious online figure who may be part of the Hand. The friends are isolated, hunted, and manipulated by forces they can barely comprehend. The boundaries between victim and perpetrator blur, and Mazzy is forced to question everything she believes about magic, friendship, and reality.

Coffins and Keys

Mazzy and Elliot are lured to a remote house on a cliff—the Tower from the Polaroids—where they are captured by the Hand of Nephthys. Chained in a basement, Mazzy finds Nora, who reveals she was tricked by Anon09 and is now meant to channel May's spirit for the cult's resurrection ritual. The cultists prepare six coffins—three for the dead sisters, three for the living friends. The ritual is set to begin, and the friends' only hope is to outwit the cult and the vengeful spirit that has haunted them from the start.

The Disappearing Dead

As the ritual begins, Ione appears, revealing herself as the one who killed the Hand's members and took their hearts to prevent their resurrection. She confronts Valia, the cult's leader, and chaos erupts. Ione is overpowered, and the cult resumes the ritual, using Mazzy, Nora, and Elliot as sacrifices. May's spirit possesses Mazzy, forcing her to the brink of murder. In a final act of will, Mazzy turns the blade on herself, breaking May's hold and shattering the ritual. Ione, Mazzy, and Nora bind May's spirit into a mirror, ending her reign of terror. The police arrive, arresting the surviving cultists, and the friends are finally safe.

Polaroids and Tarot

In the days that follow, the truth about the Hand of Nephthys emerges: a coven of women who faked their deaths, murdered the vulnerable, and sought immortality through stolen hearts. Ione vanishes, her fate unknown. Mazzy, Nora, and Elliot recover, their friendship deepened by trauma and survival. Mazzy's music flourishes, inspired by her ordeal, and she and Elliot finally confess their feelings for each other. The friends perform a final ritual to banish May's spirit, reclaiming their power and agency. The story ends with hope, healing, and the promise of new songs—written by their own hands.

Characters

Mazzy Carlin

Mazzy is the narrator and emotional core of the story—a thoughtful, anxious teen who craves control and safety in a world that keeps spiraling into chaos. Her relationships with Nora and Elliot are deep and complex, marked by loyalty, jealousy, and longing. Mazzy's approach to magic is methodical and book-based, contrasting with Nora's impulsive style. As the supernatural dangers escalate, Mazzy is forced to confront her own fears, step into leadership, and ultimately sacrifice her own safety to save her friends. Her journey is one of self-discovery, resilience, and the painful transition from innocence to hard-won wisdom.

Nora Hawthorne

Nora is Mazzy's best friend and magical partner, a vibrant, goth-leaning girl whose intuition and openness to the unknown make her both powerful and vulnerable. Nora's willingness to experiment with magic draws the group into danger, and her psychic sensitivity makes her the primary conduit for May's vengeful spirit. Nora's struggles with her identity, her family's instability, and her own sense of powerlessness are central to her arc. She is both a victim and a catalyst, and her relationship with Mazzy is tested by secrets, possession, and the burden of being chosen by the dead.

Elliot Winters

Elliot is the third member of the trio, an artist and skeptic who grounds Mazzy and Nora with his practicality and loyalty. His unrequited crush on Nora and growing feelings for Mazzy create emotional tension, but his true strength lies in his willingness to follow his friends into danger, even when he doesn't believe in magic. Elliot's journey is one of awakening—to the reality of the supernatural, to his own courage, and to the depth of his feelings for Mazzy. He is the group's anchor, and his survival is a testament to the power of friendship and love.

May / Rosemary Newcombe

May, later revealed as Rosemary, is the murdered woman whose restless spirit haunts the friends. Initially a victim, she is gradually revealed as a member of the Hand of Nephthys, complicit in dark rituals and desperate for resurrection. Her possession of Nora and Mazzy is both a cry for help and an act of manipulation, blurring the line between victim and villain. Rosemary's presence is a catalyst for the story's events, and her ultimate defeat is both a liberation and a warning about the dangers of unchecked power and unresolved trauma.

Ione Monroe

Ione is Mazzy and Nora's trusted guide in the world of magic, a wise and compassionate shop owner who warns them against the dangers of the Hand of Nephthys. Her true role as the killer of the cult's members is a shocking twist—she acts to prevent their resurrection and protect the living, but her methods are ruthless. Ione embodies the moral ambiguity of power and the cost of justice. Her disappearance at the end leaves her fate—and the possibility of further reckoning—unresolved.

Detective Eva Huld

Detective Huld is the enigmatic police investigator whose interest in the case and the teens' rituals raises suspicion. Her cold, unreadable demeanor and knowledge of runes and magic make her a possible suspect, but she is ultimately revealed as an undercover investigator of the Hand of Nephthys. Huld represents the limits of institutional power in the face of supernatural evil, and her presence is a constant reminder of the thin line between protection and complicity.

Valia

Valia is the leader of the Hand of Nephthys, orchestrating the rituals and murders in pursuit of immortality and power. Her charisma and cruelty are matched by her magical strength, and she is both a mother figure and a tyrant to her followers. Valia's willingness to sacrifice anyone—including her own sisters—reveals the cult's true nature. Her death marks the end of the Hand's reign, but her legacy of violence and manipulation lingers.

Rowan Moore

Rowan is a Delaware man searching for his missing girlfriend, Kaia, who was secretly a member of the Hand of Nephthys. His stalking of the teens and distribution of Polaroids make him both a threat and a potential ally. Rowan's grief and obsession blind him to the dangers he brings, and his actions are a cautionary tale about the costs of love and the perils of seeking truth at any price.

Kaia Monroe

Kaia is Ione's half-sister and a former member of the Hand of Nephthys, whose tarot deck of Polaroids becomes the key to unraveling the cult's secrets. Her betrayal of the Hand and subsequent disappearance set the events of the story in motion. Kaia's legacy is one of both warning and hope—the power of memory, art, and resistance in the face of evil.

Tina

Tina is a regular at the metaphysical shop, a source of rumors and wild theories who ultimately proves invaluable. Her struggles with addiction and her outsider status make her both vulnerable and perceptive. Tina's warnings and actions help save the teens, and her presence is a reminder of the overlooked and underestimated people who bear witness to the world's hidden dangers.

Plot Devices

Ritual Magic and Possession

The story's structure is built around rituals—both mundane and supernatural—that shape the characters' fates. Spells, scrying, and tarot readings serve as both plot engines and metaphors for the search for meaning and control in a chaotic world. Possession and haunting blur the boundaries between self and other, victim and perpetrator, and force the characters to confront the darkness within and without. The escalation of magical danger mirrors the unraveling of the friends' relationships and the collapse of their safe, ordinary lives.

Tarot and Symbolism

Tarot cards are woven throughout the narrative, providing both literal clues and symbolic foreshadowing. The Tower, The Moon, The Devil, and other cards mark turning points and signal impending disaster. The Polaroids, marked with tarot symbols, become a physical manifestation of fate and the inescapable pull of the past. The story's structure echoes a tarot reading—each chapter a card turned, each revelation a new layer of meaning.

Unreliable Evidence and Erasure

The Hand of Nephthys's power is not just magical but psychological—they erase evidence, manipulate memories, and gaslight the protagonists and the authorities. The vanishing of bodies, the deletion of messages, and the shifting of blame create a sense of unreality and paranoia. The teens' struggle to prove what they've seen and experienced is a central tension, highlighting the fragility of truth in a world of secrets and lies.

Duality and Betrayal

The story is driven by dualities—Mazzy's caution and Nora's recklessness, victim and villain, mentor and murderer. Betrayal is a constant threat, whether from friends, family, or the self. The Hand of Nephthys's appropriation of magical traditions mirrors the personal betrayals among the characters. The ultimate victory comes not from purity or power, but from the willingness to face the darkness, own one's mistakes, and choose connection over control.

Analysis

A Spell to Wake the Dead is a haunting, emotionally charged exploration of friendship, trauma, and the seductive dangers of power. Nicole Lesperance weaves a narrative that is both a supernatural thriller and a coming-of-age story, using the language of magic and ritual to probe the boundaries between self and other, innocence and complicity. The book's central lesson is the peril of seeking control—over fate, over others, over the unknown—at the expense of empathy and humility. The Hand of Nephthys, with their patchwork magic and ruthless pursuit of immortality, serve as a warning against the appropriation and distortion of tradition for personal gain. The protagonists' journey is one of learning to trust intuition, to accept uncertainty, and to find strength in vulnerability and connection. The story's resolution—banishing the vengeful spirit, reclaiming agency, and choosing to write their own songs—offers a powerful message of healing and hope. In a world where the past refuses to stay buried and the dead demand justice, the only way forward is through honesty, courage, and the willingness to face the darkness together.

Last updated: September 28, 2025