Set in Jim Crow Florida, *The Reformatory* is a historical horror novel that draws on elements of the author’s own family history—the book is dedicated in part to her great-uncle, who died at the Dozier School for Boys in 1937. This period thriller functions as a ghost story and an adventure, depicting the callous injustice and abuse of the era. The narrative explores the cruelty of racism and the generational trauma it inflicts, centering on human monsters that are chilling, while incorporating supernatural elements.