A Forest, Darkly - by Angela Slatter (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A page-turning dark fantasy of witches, twisted magic, changelings and the sins that bind. Set in the award-winning author's acclaimed universe, this immersive story is perfect for fans of Ava Reid, Hannah Whitten and Lucy Holland.

Deep in the forest lives Mehrab the witch, coping with loneliness in her own strange ways and quietly battling her demons. One evening, a young woman appears on her doorstep seeking shelter, pursued by godhounds who wish to destroy all those practising magic, and Mehrab's solitary existence is disrupted as she teaches the girl how to control her powers. Together they forge a cure for their isolation with heartbreaking consequences...

Meanwhile, in the local village, children begin to disappear, sometimes returning forever changed - or not returning at all. Sinister offerings appear on Mehrab's doorstep, and a dark power pursues her through the trees. As the villagers turn hostile and the godhounds close in, Mehrab finds herself at the centre of a struggle to save the soul of the forest, the life of an old love - and her own new-formed family.

A bewitching gothic tale; haunting, gripping and written with wit and heart, this is a book to both savour and devour.

Review Quotes

Praise for A.G. Slatter:

"Angela plays by her own rules. She's fantastic"
Hilarie Burton-Morgan, actress and author of Grimoire Girl

"Deftly weaving the threads of her previous novels into a tapestry all its own, A.G. Slatter's The Crimson Road is part fantasy adventure, part dark fairytale, and all sharp teeth as the latest of her bright, fierce heroines is forced to grapple with the bonds of family, legacy, and love in order to save her world. I eagerly await the next book in the Sourdough universe!"
Genevieve Gornichec, author of The Witch's Heart and The Weaver and the Witch Queen

"A rich and decadent world where mystery waits around every bend, and darkness lurks just beneath the surface. The Crimson Road has the feel of being equal parts fairy tale and hidden history. Dark family secrets abound in a perfect blend of Gothic and fairy-tale fiction - Slatter knocks it out of the park once again."
A.C. Wise, author of Wendy, Darling and Hooked

"Angela Slatter continues to tantalise us with a further glimpse into her intricate and thrilling world of interconnected tales. As well as the sinister Leech Lords, The Crimson Road gives us Violet: a scarred but determined woman fighting against a destiny that men have assigned her. There's plenty of adventure here to keep a reader gripped as they follow Violet into the darkness - both the one that lurks in the world, and the darkness inside herself. Another beguiling tale from an author at the height of her powers."
Lucy Holland, author of Sistersong and Song of the Huntress

"A.G. Slatter has a unique gift for balancing light and dark in the fairy-tale gothic. The result is a deliciously sinister fantasy world, with vampire-slaying heroines to rival Buffy, witches who pay a bloody price for their magic, and heiresses who uncover secrets lurking in their family trees - but it's also a world so full of unexpected cosiness, warmth and delight that every Halloween lover will want to curl up in it. The Crimson Road brings together all this and more, like a 'Greatest Hits' compilation of Slatter's startlingly original work to date, taking the reader on an epic journey filled with danger into the heart of the Leech-infested Darklands. Utterly irresistible."
Ally Wilkes, author of All the White Spaces and Where the Dead Wait

"The Crimson Road delivers heart-pounding gothic adventure, a glittering world of mystery and menace, and a formidable heroine."
Stephanie Feldman, author of Saturnalia

"I adored returning to Angela Slatter's Sourdough world once more in The Crimson Road. Violet's journey to the mysterious Darklands revealed some delightfully familiar faces, as well as some truly frightening new ones. Angela Slatter spins a tale filled with adventure, danger, loyalty, love and family secrets - readers will love sinking their teeth into this one!"
Kell Woods, author of After the Forest and Upon a Starlit Tide

About the Author

A.G. Slatter has won a Shirley Jackson Award, a World Fantasy Award, a British Fantasy Award, a Ditmar, three Australian Shadows Awards, eight Aurealis Awards and a Premier Ignotus. Most recently, All the Murmuring Bones was shortlisted for the 2021 Queensland Premier's Literary Awards Book of the Year and the 2021 Shirley Jackson Award; The Path of Thorns won both the Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Novel and the Australian Shadows Award for Best Novel in 2022; and The Briar Book of the Dead has been shortlisted for both the Aurealis and Australian Shadows Awards for 2024. She has a PhD in Creative Writing, is a graduate of Clarion South and the Tin House Summer Writers Workshop, and has been a judge for the World Fantasy and Aurealis Awards. Angela's short stories have appeared in many Best Of anthologies, and her work has been translated into many languages. She lives in Brisbane, Australia with a superannuated beagle and a TBR pile which will likely be the death of her. Find her on her website angelaslatter.com and on social media @angelaslatter