Leigh Baxton is terrified her mom will come back from the dead—just like the prom queen did. While the town goes beehive over the news, Leigh bikes to the local cemetery and buries some of her mom’s things in her grave to keep her there. When the hot and mysterious caretaker warns her not to give gifts to the dead, Leigh cranks up her punk music and keeps digging. She should have listened. Two dead sorceresses evicted the prom queen from her grave to bury someone who offered certain gifts. Bury them alive, that is, then resurrect them to create a trio of undead powerful enough to free the darkest sorceress ever from her prison inside the earth. With help from the caretaker and the dead prom queen, Leigh must find out what’s so special about the gifts she gave, and why the sorceresses are stalking her and her little sister. If she doesn’t, she’ll either lose another loved one or have to give the ultimate gift to the dead – herself.

Leigh Baxton just wants to pick up the pieces of her life-if you could call it that-but someone keeps resurrecting the dead. These new zombies have a knack for spilling Leigh's precious blood, something she was once warned about by a certain pair of undead sorceresses. Desperate to find out why they're here so she can put the nightmares behind her, Leigh must learn more about the gifts she carries. With Tram's training and clues from her mom's past, Leigh begins to piece together what she's capable of. Too bad there isn't a Cliff's Notes version to saving the world. The zombies have teamed up with the followers of the darkest sorceress who ever lived, and they'll play a wicked game until they see their leader freed. When the battle to the death begins, Leigh must rely on friends, crushes, and even her enemies to win the war, but not the grave.

_The light chases away the dark. The light commands. But the light has a weakness in its spark. A single burst of air, and I will do what the dark demands. Tick-tock, tick-tock, for darkness is bound by mere hours. The sun will rise once more, weakening the dark’s powers. But at night, what is done cannot be undone, yet one last gift to the dead can restore the semblance of breath. Break the ties that bind you to death._ Tick-tock, Leigh. Tick-tock.