Season of Fear

Night of the Witch meets The Handmaid's Tale in this queer Gothic horror debut set against the monstrous Bavarian forest of Hexenwald.

★"Hauntingly poetic and monstrously romantic."--Ava Reid, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Study in Drowning

★"A dark and dreadful tour de force of a debut! Exquisitely beautiful and horrific."--Erin A. Craig, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Thirteenth Child
In the Bavarian village of Heulensee, women feed their terror to an ancient Saint of Fear. In return, it protects them from the monsters of the Hexenwald, the haunted forest on their doorstep. Born unfearing, Ilse Odenwald has felt like an outsider all her life. When the Saint discovers Ilse's divergence, it levels a threat: she must find her fear, or the Saint will devour her sister, Dorothea--the only person who loves Ilse unconditionally.
Unwilling to lose Thea, Ilse enters the Hexenwald. She hopes that its horrors will finally unleash her fear and, in turn, save her sister. But during her quest Ilse inadvertently uncovers something more sinister than the monsters that hunt her: a darkness within herself. As the forest closes in, Ilse's hopes for a normal future begin to slip away, as well as the chance to save not just Thea, but all women in Heulensee.

Bewitching and timely, this gripping debut novel is a dark fairy tale about the fate of girls and women in a world grown accustomed to sacrificing them.


Author: Emily Cooper
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books-Little Brown and Hach
Published: 09/02/2025
Pages: 352
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.20lbs
Size: 9.23h x 6.33w x 1.16d
ISBN: 9780316581639
Audience: Young Adult


Review Citation(s):
Booklist 07/01/2025 pg. 79
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 09/01/2025

About the Author
Emily Cooper is a published scientist who works in marine policy. Nobody knows what she means when she says that, so she also calls herself a conservationist. Her career was preceded by a Master's degree in Biology and a lifelong obsession with the natural world. Emily lives near Manchester in a 330-year-old cottage, which she's fairly certain is haunted. Emily doesn't mind; it provides ample inspiration for her novels. When not writing, you can generally find her confidently misidentifying the birds in her garden. She is on Instagram and X @ohdeeremily.