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  • Published: 8 June 2021
  • ISBN: 9781473582637
  • Imprint: Cornerstone Digital
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 432
Categories:

The Wolf and the Woodsman

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.

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

  • Published: 8 June 2021
  • ISBN: 9781473582637
  • Imprint: Cornerstone Digital
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 432
Categories:

About the author

Ava Reid

Ava Reid was born in Manhattan and raised right across the Hudson River in Hoboken, but currently lives in Palo Alto, where the weather is too sunny and the people are too friendly. She has a degree in political science from Barnard College, focusing on religion and ethnonationalism.

Also by Ava Reid

See all

Praise for The Wolf and the Woodsman

Évike may be the only one in her village without 'powers,' but that doesn't stop her from being an in-your-face heroine who stands up for the things she believes in and never backs down. Reid has crafted a story that is not only relevant for our times, but has timelessness about it that truly makes it shine. The Wolf and the Woodsman is not a book I will soon forget.

Genevieve Gornichec, author of The Witch’s Heart

Combining religion, magic, and evocative language, Ava Reid has created a daring fantasy world full of imagination and fierce heroics.

Luanne G. Smith, bestselling author of The Vine Witch

I enjoyed The Wolf and the Woodsman very much. Évike is a memorable protagonist, deeply flawed but trying, almost despite herself, to do the right thing. The writing is assured and compelling throughout, and the worldbuilding is richly imagined, densely textured, and endlessly delightful.

Katherine Addison, author of The Goblin Emperor

The Wolf and The Woodsman is one hell of a ride. Évike is an unlikely heroine, torn by warring duties and identities but despite it all, she discovers a power that could save a nation from itself. But only if she lives. I couldn't put it down.

Greta Kelly, author of The Frozen Crown

Gorgeously written and grimly real, The Wolf and the Woodsman is a bloody fable about two people caught in the jaws of history. It quite literally took my breath away.

Alix E. Harrow, Hugo-award winning author of The Ten Thousand Doors of January

The Wolf and the Woodsman, beautifully written and expertly told, is a darkly magical tale from beginning to end. I was equal parts terrified and delighted, somehow swept away and grounded in a world as beautiful as it is deadly.

Isabel Ibañez, author of Woven in Moonlight

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

Beautiful and gut wrenching . . . It's a fundamentally Jewish tale that gripped me from beginning to end. A riveting debut that will keep you up all night, desperately chasing the heart-pounding conclusion.

Victoria Lee, author of The Fever King

A thought-provoking, thrilling magical twist on the history of religion and politics that I couldn't put down . . . stunningly rendered

S.A. Chakraborty, bestselling author of The Empire of Gold

A seriously impressive debut novel . . . grown-up, complicated, angsty, sexy, dark book - and one that I will be recommending far and wide

Cultured Vulture

Examines religious freedom through the lens of myth and magic . . . The convincing enemies-to-lovers romance, fascinating religion-based magic system, and thoughtful examination of zealotry make this a notable debut.

Publishers Weekly

Written with a timelessness of spirit, a magical world that knows no bounds, and characters who will make your heart pound and your eyes well up, The Wolf and the Woodsman is an intricate, gut-wrenching fantasy that will set the bar for dark historical fantasy for years to come.

The Book Report

Compelling, complicated, and worthwhile

Kirkus

A striking debut . . . Entertaining, appealing, and strikingly imagined

Tor.com

A richly imagined exploration of faith and folklore . . . lushly written and thoroughly evocative

Culturess

Rich with vivid description, fantastical monsters, and magic unmatched by most other books for its pure physicality, this story may be strongly influenced by Jewish folklore, but the voice is original, perhaps as it's refreshingly female.

The Jewish Book Council

Ava Reid has boldly announced herself as a literary force with The Wolf and the Woodsman. The novel is impressive in its beauty, characters, and uncompromising nature and is all the more impressive for being Reid's debut novel.

SFF World

A powerful feminist story about acceptance, The Wolf and the Woodsman is perfect for fans of The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden and John Gwynne's The Shadow of the Gods.

British Fantasy Society

One of the best books I've read this year. From page one, I could tell that I was in expert hands . . . Juniper & Thorn is out there waiting for you to read it and be seen in a way you've been aching for. Please go and read it.

Tor.com