The Winter Folk
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
A woman returns to the mysterious lodge in the woods where she once worked, and to the inscrutable creature that bound her there, in this haunting Appalachian gothic horror from singular voice Jen Julian. Perfect for fans of Alix E. Harrow and T. Kingfisher.
"A mesmerizing and spell-binding tale, beautifully told, that you will not want to end. You, too, will never want to leave Deerhaven." – Bitter Karella, author of Moonflow
This is the story of Moth, who earned her name working for the Winter Folk.
Every year, the mythical Winter Folk gather at a secret lodge, a place known only as Deerhaven.
Moth was a housekeeper there once. A trusted confidant of Mr. Oslin, the enigmatic master of the house.
But Deerhaven is dangerous. The rules are exacting. The consequences for break them are dire.
Moth has not been allowed back in decades. Still, she feels its call. She will finder her way back. She needs to see him again. No matter the cost.
"The Winter Folk feels like an Appalachian Spirited Away, blending the Blue Ridge with Studio Ghibli, teeming with haints, haunts, and monsters. Jen Julian crafts a tale that feels as if it has been handed down through generations of storytellers, a hauntingly evocative gothic for every campfire." – Clay McLeod Chapman, author of Devil Inside
★ “Julian creates an emotionally rich blend of the mythical and the mundane in this dark, multigenerational Appalachian horror novel. The denizens of Deerhaven are delightfully terrible in myriad inventive ways, and the worldbuilding as a whole is beautifully executed. It's an impressive feat.” – Publishers Weekly (starred review)
★ “An immersive blend of Appalachian gothic, portal fantasy, and dark fairy tale. Like Moth, readers will feel drawn to Deerhaven, whose labyrinthine mysteries aren’t easily solved. Fans of Stephen King's Fairy Tale . . . will find their time in Deerhaven a bargain worth making.” – Booklist (starred review)
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Julian (Red Rabbit Ghost) creates an emotionally rich blend of the mythical and the mundane in this dark, multigenerational Appalachian horror novel. Vera Stoker has never really trusted the tall tales of her erratic mother, but a childhood encounter with a biting ghost in their small town of Little Gunning means she does believe her mother's stories about the dangerous, otherworldly Winter Folk and their yearly retreat at the mysterious Deerhaven lodge. A college dropout, Vera is hired by Deerhaven's Mr. Oslin, who renames her Moth, to serve as a housekeeper for several winters. The position is bound by a strict set of rules, and navigating the needs of wild and magically powerful guests is a challenge, but in exchange she'll receive a boon of her choosing. Julian toggles between these surreal winters and decades later, when an older Moth brings her husband and teenage daughter back to Little Gunning. The back-and-forth between Moth's trauma in the real world and the harrowing situations at Deerhaven gives her story both a sense of adventure and of claustrophobia, as neither realm truly offers her freedom, safety, or comfort, and even wishes that come true can't quite satisfy. Moth's frustrations are palpable, the denizens of Deerhaven are delightfully terrible in myriad inventive ways, and the worldbuilding as a whole is beautifully executed. It's an impressive feat.
