The Maiden and Her Monster

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The forest eats the girls who wander out after dark . . . An atmospheric dark fantasy rooted in fairytales, folklore, and sapphic romance. The Maiden and Her Monster by Maddie Martinez is perfect for fans of Katherine Arden, Ava Reid, and Naomi Novik. As the healer's daughter, Malka has seen how the forest's curse has plagued her village. But the Ozmini Church only comes to collect its tithe, not to listen to heretics with false tales of monsters in the trees. When a clergy girl wanders too close to the woods and Malka's mother is accused of her murder, Malka strikes an impossible bargain with a zealot Ozmini priest. If she brings him the monster, he will spare her mother from execution. When she ventures into the blood-soaked woods, Malka finds a monster, though not the one she expects: an inscrutable, disgraced golem who agrees to implicate herself, but only after Malka helps her fulfil an ancient promise by freeing the imprisoned rabbi who created her. But a deal easily made is not easily kept. And as their bargain unravels a much more sinister threat, protecting her people may force Malka to endanger the one person she left home to save - and face her growing feelings for the very creature she was taught to fear. 'A dark and endlessly enchanting fairy tale' - Ava Reid, No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of A Study in Drowning 'A gorgeous dark fantasy rendered in detail sharp as a tailor's needle' - S. T. Gibson, No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling author of A Dowry of Blood 'A dark, poignant fairy tale about resilience, faith, and redemption' - Allison Saft, the Sunday Times bestselling author of A Dark and Drowning Tide

Reviews

A dark and endlessly enchanting fairy tale, unfurled in frost and wood-smoke, the kind that is whispered by candlelight and brushes up against history itself. I adored every page -- Ava Reid, No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of The Wolf and the Woodsman
The Maiden and Her Monster is an evocative, harrowing and deeply romantic dark fantasy debut that will move so many readers the way it did me. Maddie Martinez is an incredible talent and definitely one to watch -- Alexis Henderson, author ofThe Year of the Witching andAn Academy for Liars
A gorgeous dark fantasy rendered in detail sharp as a tailor's needle, threaded through with longing, resilience, and enchantment. -- S. T. Gibson,No. 1Sunday Timesbestselling author ofA Dowry of Blood
Told with exquisite yearning and gorgeous prose, The Maiden and Her Monster is a dark, poignant fairy tale about resilience, faith, and redemption. Martinezs debut will enspell you. -- Allison Saft, No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of A Dark and Drowning Tide
Blending tradition, faith and folklore with a deft hand, Martinez crafts a profound tale of self-acceptance and the bittersweet price of progress, woven through on a thread of unyielding hope -- K. M. Enright, Sunday Times bestselling author of Mistress of Lies
Reminiscent of the folktales of old, The Maiden and Her Monster is a beautifully haunting debut with sharp teeth. Maddie Martinez weaves words like a magic spell, ensnaring readers with her poignant prose and beguiling atmosphere -- Chelsea Abdullah, award-winning author ofThe Stardust Thief
Martinez delivers a taut and delicious debut, threading a sultry romance and tense political intrigue through an atmospheric and haunting world inspired by Jewish myth -- Laura R. Samotin, author ofThe Sins on Their Bones
An exquisite debut about an eldest daughter and how far she would go to protect her family. Malka's journey toward finding confidence in herself and falling in love with a certain surly golem is as legendary as the myths peppered throughout the story. This book is an instant classic -- Kamilah Cole, bestselling author of So Let Them Burn

Author Bio

Maddie Martinez was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where her love of stories began with desert plumes and watermelon sunsets. She holds a BA in Political Science and International Affairs from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts and an MA in Peace and Conflict Resolution from American University in Washington, DC. The Maiden and Her Monster is her first novel.