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A Dark and Wild Wood
- Author
- Sarah Nicole Lemon
- Narrator
- Alex Picard
- Publisher
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Publish Date
- 4 June 2026
- Run Time
- 13 hours 36 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
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What to expect
'[Lemon] is a poet with knives for teeth' —Roshani Chokshi
'Reads like a grimoire for overcoming' —Hannah Whitten
'A gorgeously gothic fairy tale' —Ava Reid
I must warn you first: This tale is not a romance.Ever since she was a child, Salomé has been plagued by visions of spirits and dangerous powers she can’t control. After watching her foster mother burn as a witch, she and her beloved sister Rochelle are raised together in a convent, a grim and dreary existence. Until one day, Rochelle vanishes.
Determined to find a way to save her, Salomé runs: first to a brothel, and then, after a terrible accident, away from the village and into the woods. Deep amongst the trees of the wild Black Forest, she comes face-to-face with Lord Death.
Rather than taking her life, he brings her to his home at the heart of the woods, a strange manor full of locked rooms and mysterious corridors, crumbling one moment, magnificent the next. He promises to make her his apprentice and teach her how to harness her mind and magic. His words are as seductive as his presence – but should one trust Death?
A swirling mirage of dark fairy tale, gothic romance, and historical fantasy, A Dark and Wild Wood is a novel best devoured all at once. But proceed with caution, as everything is not what it seems…
Inspired by the tale of Bluebeard, A Dark and Wild Wood is the lush and atmospheric story of a maiden with dark magic who becomes the apprentice to Lord Death – for a price. Perfect for fans of Juniper and Thorn and The Year of the Witching.
Critics Review
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'A Dark and Wild Wood reads like a grimoire for overcoming, a hypnotic spell that pulls you under and then pushes you out into the light. I can’t wait for whatever Sarah Nicole Lemon writes next'
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Hannah Whitten, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Foxglove King
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'A gorgeously gothic fairy tale that goes down as sweet and bitter as blackberry wine. I would follow Lemon’s voice into the fey depths of the forest'
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Ava Reid, No.1 New York Times bestselling author of A Study in Drowning
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‘A lushly beautiful, devastatingly real story wrapped in the trappings of classic fairytale horror, A Dark and Wild Wood feels like a fever dream I never wanted to wake up from’
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Kiersten White, No.1 New York Times bestselling author of Hide
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‘No one writes like Sarah Nicole Lemon. She is a poet with knives for teeth. Her language will leave you carved out, and her sense of story is its own kind of witchcraft’
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Roshani Chokshi, New York Times bestselling author
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‘A Dark and Wild Wood is a feverishly beautiful dream of a novel, with lyrical prose and a vengeful heart’
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Tasha Suri, nationally bestselling author of The Jasmine Throne
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‘A Dark and Wild Wood is not a romance, but you will fall in love with Salomé’s journey. Reading Lemon’s work is a joy, her art begs you to linger. By the time you reach the end, you will be as hungry as the forest for more’
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Nikki St. Crowe, nationally bestselling author of The Never King
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‘A dark, spellbinding, and eldritch story. Its claws and teeth sink into you like a beast in the woods and don't let go’
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S. Jae-Jones, New York Times bestselling author of Wintersong
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‘Lemon's voice is beautifully raw and unapologetic, in that way can only be earned from lived experience. Her words—always a study in survival, always holding space for women to be both soft and sharp—are vitally important’
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Emily X.R. Pan, award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of The Astonishing Color of After
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Emily X.R. Pan, award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of The Astonishing Color of After
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Emily X.R. Pan, award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of The Astonishing Color of After
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- Sarah Nicole Lemon
- Narrator
- Alex Picard
- Duration
- 13 hours 36 minutes
- Release Date
- 4 June 2026
- ISBN
- 9780008826840
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Genre
- Dark fantasy, Fairy and Folk tales / Fairy tale retellings, Historical fantasy, Fiction: gothic, Fantasy romance / Romantic fantasy
Synopsis
'[Lemon] is a poet with knives for teeth' —Roshani Chokshi 'Reads like a grimoire for overcoming' —Hannah Whitten 'A gorgeously gothic fairy tale' —Ava Reid I must warn you first: This tale is not a romance. Ever since she was a child, Salomé has been plagued by visions of spirits and dangerous powers she can’t control. After watching her foster mother burn as a witch, she and her beloved sister Rochelle are raised together in a convent, a grim and dreary existence. Until one day, Rochelle vanishes. Determined to find a way to save her, Salomé runs: first to a brothel, and then, after a terrible accident, away from the village and into the woods. Deep amongst the trees of the wild Black Forest, she comes face-to-face with Lord Death. Rather than taking her life, he brings her to his home at the heart of the woods, a strange manor full of locked rooms and mysterious corridors, crumbling one moment, magnificent the next. He promises to make her his apprentice and teach her how to harness her mind and magic. His words are as seductive as his presence – but should one trust Death? A swirling mirage of dark fairy tale, gothic romance, and historical fantasy, A Dark and Wild Wood is a novel best devoured all at once. But proceed with caution, as everything is not what it seems… Inspired by the tale of Bluebeard, A Dark and Wild Wood is the lush and atmospheric story of a maiden with dark magic who becomes the apprentice to Lord Death – for a price. Perfect for fans of Juniper and Thorn and The Year of the Witching.
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