A Girl Walks into the Forest

Having been chosen to marry powerful and wealthy Count Leonid in exchange for resources for her small village, teenage Valla sets off with her brother and his wife to make the difficult journey to her betrothed’s castle home. Along the way, the trio must venture through the dangerous Gottyar, an enchanted forest from which the count makes his fortune selling lumber. But when Valla’s face is clawed by one of the wood’s creatures, her anticipated arrival turns sour. Disgusted and no longer perceiving her as beautiful, Count Leonid starves her and cages her to her bed at night. The days grow long and unbearable for Valla, who’s forced to endure the count’s torment even as she begins hearing voices urging her to kill him and return to the forest. As the physical and mental abuse worsens, Valla searches for a way to escape the castle alive, even if that means submitting to the darkness of the Gottyar. Though a slow third act puts a pause on the novel’s earlier riveting action and break- neck pacing, Roux (Much Ado About Margaret) conjures a raw horror narrative using deliciously grisly moments that subvert traditional fairy tale fare and exemplify Valla’s rage. Characters cue as white. Ages 13–up. (June)