The Maiden and Her Monster

By: Maddie Martinez

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Paperback | 16 September 2025

At a Glance

Format
Paperback

Dimensions(cm)
15.8 x 23.5 x 2.4

Paperback

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The forest eats the girls who wander out after dark . . .

An atmospheric dark fantasy rooted in fairytales, folklore, and sapphic romance. The Maiden and Her Monster by Maddie Martinez is perfect for fans of Katherine Arden, Ava Reid, and Naomi Novik.

As the healer's daughter, Malka has seen how the forest's curse has plagued her village. But the Ozmini Church only comes to collect its tithe, not to listen to heretics with false tales of monsters in the trees.

When a clergy girl wanders too close to the woods and Malka's mother is accused of her murder, Malka strikes an impossible bargain with a zealot Ozmini priest. If she brings him the monster, he will spare her mother from execution.

When she ventures into the blood-soaked woods, Malka finds a monster, though not the one she expects: an inscrutable, disgraced golem who agrees to implicate herself, but only after Malka helps her fulfil an ancient promise by freeing the imprisoned rabbi who created her.

But a deal easily made is not easily kept. And as their bargain unravels a much more sinister threat, protecting her people may force Malka to endanger the one person she left home to save - and face her growing feelings for the very creature she was taught to fear.

About the Author

Maddie Martinez was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where her love of stories began with desert plumes and watermelon sunsets. She holds a BA in Political Science and International Affairs from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts and an MA in Peace and Conflict Resolution from American University in Washington, DC. The Maiden and Her Monster is her first novel.

Industry Reviews

'A dark and endlessly enchanting fairy tale' - Ava Reid, No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of A Study in Drowning

'A gorgeous dark fantasy rendered in detail sharp as a tailor's needle' - S. T. Gibson, No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling author of A Dowry of Blood

'A dark, poignant fairy tale about resilience, faith, and redemption' - Allison Saft, the Sunday Times bestselling author of A Dark and Drowning Tide

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