Hunt the Ever Wild - by S E Kiser (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A gothic standalone combining the gaslamp fantasy of C. L. Polk's Witchmark with the slow-burn rivals-to-lovers romance of Isa Agajanian's Modern Divination and the whimsy of Howl's Moving Castle.

When the king calls a hunt for the Lichtenwald forest's elusive phoenix, wizard Sy jumps at the chance. Years ago, he indentured himself to the crown to pay for his magical education, and an unbreakable spell binds him to carry out the king's every wicked whim, or face certain death. The prize is enough to pay off his debt, but he can't survive the forest alone. Seeking help, he finds Anya, a skilled huntress living on the Lichtenwald's edge, and lies about splitting the prize.

But Anya's lying too. Cursed by a witch after killing her familiar, Anya must find the phoenix and bind it to the witch by the summer solstice, or else suffer a gruesome transformation. With the curse worsening and the Lichtenwald swarming with wizards, she needs Sy on her side - for now.

Neither of them can split the prize, nor win alone. And despite the growing attraction between them, betrayal remains their only option.

But anything is possible in the forest.

And the forest is hungry.

Review Quotes

"S. E. Kiser's lyrical storytelling enchants like the wild itself in this quest for the impossible laced with dark magic and yearning."
- Ruth Frances Long

"In Hunt the Ever Wild, S.E. Kiser has crafted a dark story of societal entrapment and hidden desires, which gallops along like a twisted fairytale. An enticing and original fantasy story, the Lichtenwald forest will get under your skin almost as deeply as the characters who try to tame it."
- Laura Elliot, author of Awakened

"a glorious lyrical debut that haunts long after the reader exits its sentient forest."
- Shalini Abeysekara, #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of This Monster of Mine

"An exquisite debut, full of all my favorite things: enchanted forests, a city that glitters as it rots, and a romance that sparkles."
- Rebecca Brodkey, author of Darker Than the Starless Night

"A must-read for anyone who loves fantasy, romance, and enchantment that practically ripples beneath the page."
- Stacy Sivinski, national bestselling author of The Crescent Moon Tearoom

About the Author

S.E. Kiser (they/them/any) is a transmasculine, nonbinary writer with an M.A. in English literature and a deep love of fairy tales, the Gothic, and life in all its forms. They teach first-year writing and tutor in the writing center at a public research university in the Midwest while pursuing their MFA. Hunt the Ever Wild is their debut novel.

You can find them at sekiser.com