Season of Fear: 'A beguiling dark fantasy debut' - Ava Reid

'A beguiling dark fantasy debut that smoulders like hearth-fire' Ava Reid, Sunday Times bestselling author of A Study in Drowning

'Strikes the perfect balance between fairytale and terror' Jamison Shea, author of I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me

'A vividly imagined page-turner with a thought-provoking take on gender inequality' Kathryn Foxfield, author of Good Girls Die First ​ BLOOD SPILLS FROM VEINS, SKIN STARTS TO CRACK, IGNORE THE FOREST; TURN BACK, TURN BACK . . .

In the village of Heulensee, Ilse Odenwald dreams of being afraid. Because in Heulensee, fearfulness is next to godliness.

A monstrous forest borders the village – the Hexenwald. Its horrors attack every time the sky turns blood-red. The townsfolk’s only defence comes from the gruesome, ancient Saint of Fear, who demands the women and girls offer up their terror in return for its protection.

Born without the ability to feel fear, Ilse is an outsider. As hard as she tries, she cannot bring forth the dread that the Saint of Fear demands. When it discovers her divergence, the Saint levels a threat: Ilse must find her fear, or it will devour her sister.

Unable to lose Thea, the only person who understands her, Ilse enters the Hexenwald, hoping that the monsters it harbours will finally scare her. But the forest is hiding a multitude of secrets and Ilse is about to discover that there’s much more than fear to be found within . . .

Inspired by Bavarian folklore, Season of Fear is a beautifully dark feminist fairytale for fans of Ava Reid and Hannah Whitten, which features a seductive lesbian romance and explores the power in being different and accepting yourself for who you are.

© 2025 Simon & Schuster Audio UK (Audiobook): 9781398537804

Release date

Audiobook: 28 August 2025