Season of Fear by Emily Cooper (Paperback)

A beguiling dark fantasy debut that smoulders like hearth-fire’ Ava Reid.
‘Strikes the perfect balance between fairytale and terror’ Jamison Shea.
‘A vividly imagined page-turner with a thought-provoking take on gender inequality’ Kathryn Foxfield.

Inspired by Bavarian folklore, this dark feminist fairytale blends danger, identity, and desire into a haunting story.

In the village of Heulensee, fear is more than emotion—it is survival. Beyond its borders lies the Hexenwald, a forest filled with horrors that rise whenever the sky turns red. Protection comes at a cost, demanded by an ancient Saint who requires fear from the village’s women and girls.

Ilse Odenwald cannot give what is required. She has never felt fear, no matter how hard she tries. That makes her dangerous. Different. Exposed.

When the Saint discovers her secret, it delivers a cruel ultimatum—find fear or lose her sister forever.

With no other choice, Ilse enters the forest, hoping its darkness will awaken something inside her. But the deeper she goes, the more she uncovers truths hidden beneath fear itself.

Because the forest holds more than monsters. And what Ilse finds there may change everything she thought she knew about herself and her world.