'A gorgeously gruesome Gothic romance.' Jacqueline Carey

'Reid is a singular, extraordinary talent.' Sasha Peyton Smith

'A powerful and essential voice.' Samantha Shannon

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Once there was an island where the dead walked the earth, and seven noble houses ruled by the arcane secrets of necromancy.

A conqueror’s blade brought them low, burning their libraries, killing their lords, and extinguishing their eldritch magic.

But defiant against the new order stands the House of Teeth and its last living members: beautiful Marozia, the heiress to the House, and her cousin, the uncanny Lady Agnes.

Though she has not spoken a word in seven years, Agnes is the true carrier of the House’s legacy. And she has her orders. She must recapture the secrets of death magic and avenge her family’s fallen honour. She must arrange the betrothal of her beloved cousin Marozia to Liuprand, heir to the conqueror’s throne, for access to the forbidden library in his grotesquely grand castle.

Revenge burns in Agnes’s heart, but so do stranger passions – and it is Liuprand, the golden prince, who speaks to her soul. This passion is as treasonous as it is powerful, poisoning the kingdom’s roots and threatening to tear the already shattered realm in two.

For Agnes’s final order is the gravest: She must not fall in love.

Book One of The House of Teeth Duology

‘Channelling the dark magic at the heart of one of Shakespeare’s most intriguing anti-heroes, this reimagining of Lady Macbeth is full of witchcraft, deadly power games, dark schemes, supernatural elements, and a touch of romance.‘
Cosmopolitan

‘A gargantuan hit…Dark and brooding, skillful storytelling and intricate character development breathe new life into literature’s most enigmatic character. Dripping in atmosphere…One to order immediately.’
Glamour

‘Ava Reid has done it again in this gothic, atmospheric reclamation of the story of Lady Macbeth.‘
Vaishnavi Patel, New York Times bestselling author of Kaikeyi

‘A triumph of a retelling.’
Shelley Parker-Chan, bestselling author of She Who Became the Sun

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Fair is foul and foul is fair.

From the Sunday Times bestselling author of A STUDY IN DROWNING comes a reimagining of Lady Macbeth, Shakespeare’s most famous villainess, giving her a voice, a past, and a power that transforms the story men have written for her.

The Lady knows the stories: that her eyes induce madness in men.

The Lady knows she will be wed to the Scottish brute, who does not leave his warrior ways behind when he comes to the marriage bed.

The Lady knows his hostile, suspicious court will be a game of survival, requiring all of her wiles and hidden witchcraft to survive.

But the Lady does not know her husband has occult secrets of his own. She does not know that prophecy girds him like armour. She does not know that her magic is greater, and more dangerous, and that it will threaten the order of the world.

She does not know this yet. But she will.

‘A gargantuan hit…Dark and brooding, skillful storytelling and intricate character development breathe new life into literature’s most enigmatic character. Dripping in atmosphere…One to order immediately.’ Glamour

‘Ava Reid has done it again in this gothic, atmospheric reclamation of the story of Lady Macbeth.‘ Vaishnavi Patel, New York Times bestselling author of Kaikeyi

‘A triumph of a retelling.’ Shelley Parker-Chan, bestselling author of She Who Became the Sun
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Fair is foul and foul is fair.

From the Sunday Times bestselling author of A STUDY IN DROWNING comes a reimagining of Lady Macbeth, Shakespeare’s most famous villainess, giving her a voice, a past, and a power that transforms the story men have written for her.

The Lady knows the stories: that her eyes induce madness in men.

The Lady knows she will be wed to the Scottish brute, who does not leave his warrior ways behind when he comes to the marriage bed.

The Lady knows his hostile, suspicious court will be a game of survival, requiring all of her wiles and hidden witchcraft to survive.

But the Lady does not know her husband has occult secrets of his own. She does not know that prophecy girds him like armour. She does not know that her magic is greater, and more dangerous, and that it will threaten the order of the world.

She does not know this yet. But she will.

‘A love letter to stories – and to everyone silenced or forgotten in their retelling.’ Allison Saft, author of A Far Wilder Magic

Effy has always believed in fairy tales. She’s had no choice. Since childhood, she’s been haunted by visions of the Fairy King. She’s found solace only in the pages of Angharad – a beloved epic about a mortal girl who falls in love with the Fairy King, and then destroys him.

Effy’s tattered copy is all that’s keeping her afloat through her stifling first term her prestigious architecture college. So when the late author’s family announces a contest to design his house, Effy fells certain this is her destiny.

But Hiraeth Manor is an impossible task: a musty, decrepit estate on the brink of crumbling into a hungry sea. And when Effy arrives, she finds she isn’t the only one who’s made a temporary home there. Preston Héloury, a stodgy young literature scholar, is studying Myrddin’s papers and is determined to prove her favourite author is a fraud.

As the two rival students investigate the reclusive author’s legacy, piecing together clues through his letters, books, and diaries, they discover that the house’s foundation isn’t the only thing that can’t be trusted. There are dark forces, both mortal and magical, conspiring against them – and the truth may bring them both to ruin.

Sunday Times bestseller, September 2023
New York Times bestseller, November 2023

‘A love letter to stories – and to everyone silenced or forgotten in their retelling.’ Allison Saft, author of A Far Wilder Magic.

Effy has always believed in fairy tales. She’s had no choice. Since childhood, she’s been haunted by visions of the Fairy King. She’s found solace only in the pages of Angharad – a beloved epic about a mortal girl who falls in love with the Fairy King, and then destroys him.

Effy’s tattered copy is all that’s keeping her afloat through her stifling first term at her prestigious architecture college. So when the late author’s family announces a contest to design his house, Effy feels certain this is her destiny.

But Hiraeth Manor is an impossible task: a musty, decrepit estate on the brink of crumbling into a hungry sea. And when Effy arrives, she finds she isn’t the only one who’s made a temporary home there. Preston Héloury, a stodgy young literature scholar, is studying Myrddin’s papers and is determined to prove her favourite author is a fraud.

As the two rival students investigate the reclusive author’s legacy, piecing together clues through his letters, books, and diaries, they discover that the house’s foundation isn’t the only thing that can’t be trusted. There are dark forces, both mortal and magical, conspiring against them – and the truth may bring them both to ruin.

From the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Wolf and the Woodsman comes a gothic retelling of The Juniper Tree, where a young witch seeks to discover her identity and escape the domination of her abusive wizard father. Perfect for fans of Angela Carter, Catherynne M. Valente and Shirley Jackson
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A gruesome curse. A city in upheaval. A monster with unquenchable appetites.

Marlinchen and her sisters are the last true witches in a city shifting from magic to industry. Viewed as little more than tourist traps, they spend their days treating clients with archaic remedies and nostalgic charm, while attempting to placate their tyrannical, xenophobic wizard father, who keeps his daughters locked away in their crumbling home.

But at night, they sneak out to revel in the city’s thrills, particularly the recently established ballet theatre, where Marlinchen meets a dancer who quickly captures her heart. But as their late-night trysts grow more fervent and frequent, so does the threat of her father’s rage. And while their city flourishes, a monster lurks in its midst, borne of intolerance and resentment and suffused with old-world power.

From the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Wolf and the Woodsman comes a gothic retelling of The Juniper Tree, where a young witch seeks to discover her identity and escape the domination of her abusive wizard father. Perfect for fans of Angela Carter, Catherynne M. Valente and Shirley Jackson
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A gruesome curse. A city in upheaval. A monster with unquenchable appetites.

As the last true witches living in a city shifting from magic to industry, Marlinchen and her two sisters are little more than tourist traps as they treat their clients with archaic remedies and beguile them with nostalgic charm. Marlinchen spends her days divining secrets in exchange for rubles and trying to placate their tyrannical, xenophobic wizard father, who keeps his daughters sequestered from the outside world. While at night, she and her sisters sneak out to enjoy the city’s amenities and revel in its thrills, particularly the recently established ballet theatre, where Marlinchen meets a dancer who quickly captures her heart.

But as Marlinchen’s late-night trysts grow more fervent and frequent, so does the threat of her father’s rage and magic. And while the city flourishes with culture and bustles with enterprise, a monster lurks in its midst, borne of intolerance and resentment and suffused with old-world power. Caught between history and progress and blood and desire, Marlinchen must draw upon her own magic to keep her city safe and find her place within it.

A dark, evocative and unforgettable fantasy debut steeped in Hungarian history and Jewish mythology, perfect for fans of Naomi Novik and Katherine Arden.

‘Rooted in history and myth, The Wolf and the Woodsman is a stunning debut . . . It will twine like a dark forest around your heart.’ Samantha Shannon, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Priory of the Orange Tree
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A spirited outcast. A disgraced prince.
A world where monsters roam free.

In her forest-veiled pagan village, Évike is the only woman without power. So when soldiers from the Holy Order of Woodsmen arrive to claim a girl for their king’s blood sacrifice, the villagers only have one person to offer up.

But when they are attacked en-route to the capital, and everyone but Évike and a lone Woodsman are slaughtered, they have no choice but to rely on each other. Except he’s no ordinary Woodsman – he’s the disgraced prince, Gáspár Bárány, whose father needs pagan magic to consolidate his power.

As they travel from the bitter northern tundra to the smog-choked capital, they form a tenuous pact that slowly turns their loathing turns to affection. But trust is easily betrayed, and as Évike discovers her own hidden magic, she and Gaspar must decide where their loyalties really lie . . .
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‘Entertaining, appealing, and strikingly imagined’ Tor.com

‘An intricate, gut-wrenching fantasy that will set the bar for dark historical fantasy for years to come.‘ The Book Report

‘Gorgeously written and grimly real’ Alix Harrow

‘A grown-up, complicated, angsty, sexy, dark book’ Cultured Vulture

‘Richly imagined, densely textured, and endlessly delightful’ Katherine Addison

‘A powerful feminist story about acceptance, The Wolf and the Woodsman is perfect for fans of The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden’ British Fantasy Society

A dark, evocative and unforgettable fantasy debut steeped in Hungarian history and Jewish mythology, perfect for fans of Naomi Novik and Katherine Arden.

‘Rooted in history and myth, The Wolf and the Woodsman is a stunning debut . . . It will twine like a dark forest around your heart.’ Samantha Shannon, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Priory of the Orange Tree
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Stories don’t have to be true to be real…

In her forest-veiled pagan village, Évike is the only woman without power, making her an outcast clearly abandoned by the gods. When soldiers arrive from the Holy Order of Woodsmen to claim a pagan girl for the king’s blood sacrifice, Évike is betrayed by her fellow villagers and surrendered.

But when monsters attack the Woodsmen and their captive en route, slaughtering everyone but Évike and the cold, one-eyed captain, they have no choice but to rely on each other. Except he’s no ordinary Woodsman – he’s the disgraced prince, Gáspár Bárány, whose father needs pagan magic to consolidate his power. Gáspár fears that his cruelly zealous brother plans to seize the throne and instigate a violent reign that would damn the pagans and the Yehuli alike. As the son of a reviled foreign queen, Gáspár understands what it’s like to be an outcast, and he and Évike make a tenuous pact to stop his brother.

As their mission takes them from the bitter northern tundra to the smog-choked capital, their mutual loathing slowly turns to affection, bound by a shared history of alienation and oppression. However, trust can easily turn to betrayal, and as Évike reconnects with her estranged father and discovers her own hidden magic, she and Gáspár need to decide whose side they’re on, and what they’re willing to give up for a nation that never cared for them at all.
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‘Gorgeously written and grimly real, The Wolf and the Woodsman quite literally took my breath away. It has the unsettling-but-compelling gore of Henderson’s The Year of the Witching, the folkloric lilt of The Bear and the Nightingale, and the moral complexity of Seeing Like a State. I’m obsessed.’ Alex E. Harrow, Hugo-award winning author of The Ten Thousand Doors of January

‘Assured and compelling throughout, and the worldbuilding is richly imagined, densely textured, and endlessly delightful.’ Katherine Addison, author of The Goblin Emperor

‘Reid has crafted a story that is not only relevant for our times, but has timelessness about it that truly makes it shine. The Wolf and the Woodsman is not a book I will soon forget.‘ Genevieve Gornichec, author of The Witch’s Heart

‘Combining religion, magic, and evocative language, Ava Reid has created a daring fantasy world full of imagination and fierce heroics’ Luanne G. Smith, bestselling author of The Vine Witch

‘The Wolf and The Woodsman is one hell of a ride. I couldn’t put it down.’ Greta Kelly, author of The Frozen Crown

‘One of those transportative, delicious books that completely engrossed me for a full day.‘ Samantha Rajaram, Author of The Company Daughters