The Maiden and Her Monster
11 September 2025Synopsis
The Maiden and Her Monster by Maddie Martinez is an atmospheric fantasy, reimagining the Jewish myth of golem in a tale of a cursed forest, impossible choices and sapphic romance. Perfect for fans of Katherine Arden, Ava Reid, Hannah Whitten and Naomi Novik.
The forest eats the girls who wander out after dark . . .
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 stories of monsters in the trees. So 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, but 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 begins to unravel 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
Details
11 September 2025
9781035048793Reviews
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 pageAva 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 watchAlexis Henderson, author of The Year of the Witching and An Academy for Liars
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 hopeK. 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 atmosphereChelsea Abdullah, award-winning author of The Stardust Thief
