First published 2024
Hild stands in her stronghold in Menewood valley, no longer the insightful child who once served Edwin Overking. At eighteen, she rules as the lady of Elmet, but her hard-won independence faces destruction. Edwin's enemies circle closer while his old alliances crumble. Winter approaches, and with it, the promise of brutal warfare. Edwin summons Hild back to court, where she discovers the full scope of the coming catastrophe. She must choose between loyalty to her king and protection of her own people. In Menewood valley, Hild gathers unlikely allies and trains them in new forms of power. She finds strength in the wild landscape around her as her community grows. The natural world sustains her through devastating losses. Everything depends on a final gamble that could secure a different future or destroy everything she has built.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, fantasy, political-thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: chosen-one, found-family, loyalty-vs-duty
Setting: Menewood, Elmet
Period: 18th Century
720 pages · Paperback · Picador
Content warnings: violence