Dark young adult fantasy and contemporary fiction blending eerie folklore, psychological tension, and emotional depth have gained a widespread international readership. Krystal Sutherland reached a broad audience with her debut novel Our Chemical Hearts and achieved The New York Times bestseller status with the dark fairytale House of Hollow.
Her fiction has been published in more than twenty countries and nominated for major honors including the Carnegie Medal and the YA Book Prize, establishing her work across screen and print media.
Career & Background
Born in 1990 in Townsville, Queensland, Australia, Sutherland grew up directly across the road from her local public library, where she developed an early passion for storytelling. After being shortlisted for the Queensland Young Writers Award, she pursued higher education in Sydney, where she edited her university's student magazine. Her career subsequently spanned multiple continents and roles, including working as a foreign correspondent in Amsterdam, interning at Bloomsbury Publishing, and residing in San Francisco and Hong Kong before relocating to London. Her 2016 debut novel, Our Chemical Hearts, was adapted into the 2020 Amazon Studios feature film Chemical Hearts, starring Lili Reinhart and Austin Abrams, with Sutherland serving as executive producer. Her second novel, A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares, was optioned for television by Yellow Bird US, and she has also co-authored the Time Lions series with Martin Seneviratne.
Writing Style & Themes
Sutherland's writing spans realistic contemporary young adult fiction, dark urban fantasy, and speculative mystery. Her works frequently examine emotional vulnerability, grief, sisterhood, and personal phobias through atmospheric narrative techniques. In early projects like A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares, she explores debilitating fears within romantic and coming-of-age contexts. Her transition into darker supernatural storytelling in House of Hollow and The Invocations incorporates elements of dark folklore, body horror, ghost doors, and occult mystery, maintaining a central focus on complex relationships between young women.
Major Works
- House of Hollow — Published in 2021, House of Hollow is a dark modern fairytale about three sisters who discover horrifying supernatural truths about their pasts and their connection to an evil realm.
- The Invocations — Published in 2024, The Invocations continues Sutherland's exploration of dark fantasy and supernatural suspense, weaving a mystery centered on dark magic and complex young women.
- Our Chemical Hearts — First published in 2016, Sutherland's debut young adult novel follows a story of first love, heartbreak, and emotional healing, later adapted into the feature film Chemical Hearts by Amazon Studios.
- A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares — This young adult novel centers on two outsiders confronting their deepest phobias and personal anxieties while navigating love and recovery.
