Season of Fear

Night of the Witch meets The Handmaid's Tale in this queer Gothic horror debut set against the monstrous Bavarian forest of Hexenwald. In the Bavarian village of Heulensee, women feed their terror to an ancient Saint of Fear. In return, it protects them from the monsters of the Hexenwald, the haunted forest on their doorstep. Born unfearing, Ilse Odenwald has felt like an outsider all her life. When the Saint discovers Ilse’s divergence, it levels a threat: she must find her fear, or the Saint will devour her sister, Dorothea—the only person who loves Ilse unconditionally. Unwilling to lose Thea, Ilse enters the Hexenwald. She hopes that its horrors will finally unleash her fear and, in turn, save her sister. But during her quest Ilse inadvertently uncovers something more sinister than the monsters that hunt her: a darkness within herself. As the forest closes in, Ilse’s hopes for a normal future begin to slip away, as well as the chance to save not just Thea, but all women in Heulensee. Bewitching and timely, this gripping debut novel is a dark fairy tale about the fate of girls and women in a world grown accustomed to sacrificing them. ★‘Hauntingly poetic and monstrously romantic.’—Ava Reid, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Study in Drowning ★"A dark and dreadful tour de force of a debut! Exquisitely beautiful and horrific."—Erin A. Craig, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Thirteenth Child


Genre: Fantasy

"A dark and dreadful tour de force of a debut! Season of Fear is a consuming tale of sacrifice and service that will haunt you long after its final page. Cooper's worldbuilding is exquisitely beautiful and horrific." - Erin A Craig

"Season of Fear is a vividly imagined page-turner with a thought-provoking take on gender inequality. This book is the perfect blend of horror and romance, with a gasp out loud twist: such a fun read!" - Kathryn Foxfield

"Emily Cooper's love for her characters and this world shines in every twist and turn of this impassioned, deservedly angry debut. A rewarding read for anyone seeking smart, timeless horror that seizes your attention from the first page." - Logan-Ashley Kisner

"Hauntingly poetic and monstrously romantic, Season of Fear is a beguiling dark fantasy debut that smolders like hearth-fire." - Ava Reid