After the Forest |
The Sunday Times Bestseller
"Set in the Black Forest of Wurttemberg during the mid-17th century, After the Forest is a dark, compelling, and enchanting meld of love-story, fairy-tale, magic and history that explores the repercussions of a childhood filled with magic - and how happily ever after isn’t always so happy."
Ginger. Honey. Cinnamon. Flour.
Fifteen years after the witch in the gingerbread house, Greta and Hans are struggling to get by. Their father and stepmother are long dead, Hans has his debts, and a bloody war has ravaged the land. But as long as Greta has her gingerbread recipe (found in a book from the witch long ago), she can keep their small family afloat.
But dark magic is returning to the woods. Wolves howl in the night, there have been bodies, gruesomely murdered, found in the woods, and Greta has even caught sight of an enormous black bear wandering the forest.
In a village full of superstition, Greta, with her red hair, her past with the witch, and her mysteriously addictive gingerbread, is a source of gossip and suspicion. But something dark looms on the horizon, and Greta’s secret magic—a magic she is still discovering herself—may be the only thing that can stop it.
Published simultaneously by Tor Books (US), Titan Books (UK) and Harper Voyager (AU/NZ) in October 2023, After the Forest was chosen for Illumicrate (UK), Owlcrate (US), Guiltless Book Club (AU) and The Book Case (South Africa) book subscription boxes.
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"Woods is a powerful new voice in speculative fiction.”—Publishers Weekly, STARRED review.
"After the Forest is high up on my list of best books of 2023. An author to watch and a powerhouse debut.”—Grimdark Magazine
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"“Readers will root for Greta to finally achieve her happily ever after while also relishing Woods’ dark, folklore-infused story. After the Forest is full of enchanting references to various folk tales and truly feels like a children’s storybook come to life, albeit one with delightfully wicked and haunting twists. With its cookbooks that speak (and bite!) and enchanted gingerbread, After the Forest is a tantalizing treat.”—BookPage, STARRED review.
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Upon A Starlit Tide |
Coming February 2025
"Far out in the sea the water is as blue as the petals of the most beautiful corn-flower, and as clear as the purest glass."
"Upon a Starlit Tide is a dark and enchanting fairy tale-inspired historical fantasy combining elements of "The Little Mermaid" and "Cinderella" into a wholly original tale of love, power, and betrayal."
Saint-Malo, Brittany, 1758. For Lucinde Leon, the youngest daughter of one of Saint-Malo's wealthiest ship-owners, the high walls of the city are more hindrance than haven. While her sisters are interested in securing advantageous marriages, Luce dreams of escaping her elegant but stifling home and joining a ship’s crew. Only Samuel—Luce’s best friend and an English smuggler—understands her longing for the sea, secretly teaching her to sail whenever she can sneak away. For Luce, the stolen time on the water with Samuel is precious.
One stormy morning, Luce’s plans are blown off course when she rescues Morgan de Chatelaine, the youngest son of the most powerful ship-owner in Saint-Malo, from the sea. Immediately drawn to his charm and sense of adventure, she longs to attend the glittering ball held in honor of his safe return and begins to contemplate a different kind of future for herself.
But it is not only Luce’s hopes that are at stake—the local fae are leaving Brittany and taking their magic with them, while the long-standing war with the English means Saint-Malo is always at risk of attack. As Luce is plunged into a world of magic, brutality, and seduction, secrets that have long been lost in the shadowy depths of the ocean begin to rise to the surface, as dangerous as any reef. Even so, she finds that the truth of her own power is growing brighter and brighter, shining like a sea-glass slipper.
Or the scales of a sea-maid's tail.
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