The Wolf and the Woodsman

The Wolf and the Woodsman

The Sunday Times Bestseller

Summary

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

A dark, evocative and unforgettable fantasy debut steeped in Hungarian history and Jewish mythology, perfect for fans of Naomi Novik and Katherine Arden.

'Rooted in history and myth, The Wolf and the Woodsman is a stunning debut . . . It will twine like a dark forest around your heart.' Samantha Shannon, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Priory of the Orange Tree
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A spirited outcast. A disgraced prince.
A world where monsters roam free.

In her forest-veiled pagan village, Évike is the only woman without power. So when soldiers from the Holy Order of Woodsmen arrive to claim a girl for their king's blood sacrifice, the villagers only have one person to offer up.

But when they are attacked en-route to the capital, and everyone but Évike and a lone Woodsman are slaughtered, they have no choice but to rely on each other. Except he's no ordinary Woodsman - he's the disgraced prince, Gáspár Bárány, whose father needs pagan magic to consolidate his power.

As they travel from the bitter northern tundra to the smog-choked capital, they form a tenuous pact that slowly turns their loathing turns to affection. But trust is easily betrayed, and as Évike discovers her own hidden magic, she and Gaspar must decide where their loyalties really lie . . .
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'Entertaining, appealing, and strikingly imagined' Tor.com

'A
n intricate, gut-wrenching fantasy that will set the bar for dark historical fantasy for years to come.' The Book Report

'Gorgeously written and grimly real' Alix Harrow

'A grown-up, complicated, angsty, sexy, dark book' Cultured Vulture

'Richly imagined, densely textured, and endlessly delightful' Katherine Addison

'A powerful feminist story about acceptance, The Wolf and the Woodsman is perfect for fans of The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden' British Fantasy Society

Reviews

  • Rooted in history and myth, The Wolf and the Woodsman is a stunning debut - a powerful and haunting tale of a young woman's will to live, of love flowering in defiance of tyranny. It will twine like a dark forest around your heart.
    Samantha Shannon, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Priory of the Orange Tree

About the author

Ava Reid

Ava Reid is the triple Sunday Times and #1 New York Times bestselling author of the gothic fantasies A Study in Drowning, The Wolf and the Woodsman, Juniper & Thorn, and Lady Macbeth. She lives in California.
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