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by Emily Cooper (Author)
Night of the Witch meets The Handmaid's Tale in this queer Gothic horror debut set against the monstrous Bavarian forest of Hexenwald.
In the Bavarian village of Heulensee, women feed their terror to an ancient Saint of Fear. In return, it protects them from the monsters of the Hexenwald, the haunted forest on their doorstep. Born unfearing, Ilse Odenwald has felt like an outsider all her life. When the Saint discovers Ilse's divergence, it levels a threat: she must find her fear, or the Saint will devour her sister, Dorothea--the only person who loves Ilse unconditionally.
Unwilling to lose Thea, Ilse enters the Hexenwald. She hopes that its horrors will finally unleash her fear and, in turn, save her sister. But during her quest Ilse inadvertently uncovers something far more sinister than the monsters that hunt her: a darkness within herself. As the forest closes in, Ilse's hopes for a normal future begin to slip away, as well as the chance to save not just Thea, but all women in Heulensee.
Author Biography
Emily Cooper is a published scientist who works in marine policy. Nobody knows what she means when she says that, so she also calls herself a conservationist. Her career was preceded by a Master's degree in Biology and a lifelong obsession with the natural world. Emily lives near Manchester in a 330-year-old cottage, which she's fairly certain is haunted. Emily doesn't mind; it provides ample inspiration for her novels. When not writing, you can generally find her confidently misidentifying the birds in her garden. She is on Instagram and X @ohdeeremily.
