A Girl Walks into the Forest
-
- $6.99
Publisher Description
Midsommar meets The Shadows Between Us in this alluring mash-up of horror and fairy tale from New York Times bestselling author Madeleine Roux, where a girl must embark on a harrowing journey through a deadly forest filled with otherworldly creatures, supernatural forces, and one maniacal villain who will stop at nothing to bring her down.
For as long as she can remember, Valla’s been told her beauty would give her a life most people only dreamed of. So when the mysterious Count Leonid calls on her to be his betrothed, Valla jumps at the chance to leave her small, bleak village. The only thing standing in her way? The journey through the dangerous Gottyar Wood that many don’t survive.
Filled with deadly and cunning creatures, the Gottyar immediately delivers on its reputation with an attack that leaves Valla injured; her face torn to shreds. Barely making it to the castle in one piece, Valla is relieved to finally be safe. But things have changed. Valla’s face is no longer beautiful. And the Count is not happy…Valla thought making it through the Gottyar was a victory, but when she sees what awaits beyond the palace walls, the true battle begins.
In this ruthlessly female-forward narrative that borrows from the best of horror, fairy tales, and folklore, a chewed-up-and-spit-out heroine must lean on the brutality of nature and her biggest fears in order to win back what’s she's been robbed of: her life.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Having been chosen to marry powerful and wealthy Count Leonid in exchange for resources for her small village, teenage Valla sets off with her brother and his wife to make the difficult journey to her betrothed's castle home. Along the way, the trio must venture through the dangerous Gottyar, an enchanted forest from which the count makes his fortune selling lumber. But when Valla's face is clawed by one of the wood's creatures, her anticipated arrival turns sour. Disgusted and no longer perceiving her as beautiful, Count Leonid starves her and cages her to her bed at night. The days grow long and unbearable for Valla, who's forced to endure the count's torment even as she begins hearing voices urging her to kill him and return to the forest. As the physical and mental abuse worsens, Valla searches for a way to escape the castle alive, even if that means submitting to the darkness of the Gottyar. Though a slow third act puts a pause on the novel's earlier riveting action and break-neck pacing, Roux (Much Ado About Margaret) conjures a raw horror narrative using deliciously grisly moments that subvert traditional fairy tale fare and exemplify Valla's rage. Characters cue as white. Ages 13–up.
