First published 2011
Valerie's sister is dead, killed by the Wolf that has preyed on their village for generations. The arrangement was simple: one sacrifice a month kept the creature away. Now that deal has broken down, and no one is safe. Valerie stands between two men who want her future. Henry, the blacksmith's son, is steady and handsome. Peter, a woodcutter and an outcast, makes her pulse race with talk of leaving everything behind. Then an expert Wolf hunter rides into the village and delivers news that changes everything: the creature is not some beast from the forest. It lives among them. It could be a neighbor, a friend, anyone. What sets Valerie apart is something she cannot explain and cannot hide. She alone can hear the Wolf speak. The creature gives her a deadline tied to the blood moon. Surrender yourself, it tells her, or the people you love will die one by one. Valerie has to decide who to trust, who to run from, and whether the Wolf's offer is a threat or something stranger than that. Based on a screenplay by David Leslie Johnson.
Genres: romance, fantasy, horror, thriller, young-adult, dark-fantasy
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, gothic, mysterious, suspenseful, tension-filled
Tropes: chosen-one, enemies-to-lovers, forced-proximity, love-triangle, supernatural-bond
Setting: village, forest
353 pages · Paperback · Poppy (an imprint of Little, Brown and Company)
Content warnings: death, murder, violence