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Season of Fear

'A beguiling dark fantasy debut' AVA REID

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 'A beguiling dark fantasy debut that smoulders like hearth-fire' AVA REID, author of A Study in Drowning
'Strikes the perfect balance between fairytale and terror' JAMISON SHEA, author of I Feed Her to the Beast
'A vividly imagined page-turner with a thought-provoking take on gender inequality' KATHRYN FOXFIELD, author of Good Girls Die First

Inspired by Bavarian folklore, Season of Fear is a beautifully dark feminist fairytale for fans of Ava Reid and Hannah Whitten, which features a seductive lesbian romance and explores the power in being different and accepting yourself for who you are.
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BLOOD SPILLS FROM VEINS, SKIN STARTS TO CRACK, IGNORE THE FOREST; TURN BACK, TURN BACK...

In the village of Heulensee, Ilse Odenwald dreams of being afraid. Because in Heulensee, fearfulness is next to godliness.

A monstrous forest borders the village – the Hexenwald. Its horrors attack every time the sky turns blood-red. The townsfolk’s only defence comes from the gruesome, ancient Saint of Fear, who demands the women and girls offer up their terror in return for its protection.

Born without the ability to feel fear, Ilse is an outsider. As hard as she tries, she cannot bring forth the dread that the Saint of Fear demands. When it discovers her divergence, the Saint levels a threat: Ilse must find her fear, or it will devour her sister.

Unable to lose Thea, the only person who understands her, Ilse enters the Hexenwald, hoping that the monsters it harbours will finally scare her. But the forest is hiding a multitude of secrets and Ilse is about to discover that there’s much more than fear to be found within...

 Dark Fantasy Fantasy Literature & Fiction Science Fiction & Fantasy Village

Critic reviews

'Darkly whimsical and deliciously unsettling, Season of Fear strikes the perfect balance between fairytale and terror with twists and turns that make it hard to put down' JAMISON SHEA, author of I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me

'Hauntingly poetic and monstrously romantic, Season of Fear is a beguiling dark fantasy debut that smoulders like hearth-fire' AVA REID, Sunday Times bestselling author of A Study in Drowning

'Season of Fear is a wonder and a horror. Cooper's haunting prose practically drips off the page, weaving a tale of darkness, sacrifice, and what it means to be known. This is one book you should not read in the dark' ALEXANDRIA WARWICK, author of The North Wind

'A girl who has never known fear discovers the lengths she is willing to go for love in this mesmerizing, standout debut from Emily Cooper. At once lush and haunting, both beautiful and brutal, Season of Fear challenges society’s penchant for female sacrifice and paints a poignant picture of what it truly means to be a savior' ADRIENNE TOOLEY, author of The Third Daughter

'A dark and dreadful tour de force of a debut! Season of Fear is a consuming tale of sacrifice and service that will haunt you long after its final page. Cooper's worldbuilding is exquisitely beautiful and horrific' ERIN A. CRAIG, bestselling author of The Thirteenth Child

'Season of Fear is a vividly imagined page-turner with a thought-provoking take on gender inequality. This book is the perfect blend of horror and romance, with a gasp out loud twist: such a fun read!' KATHRYN FOXFIELD, author of Good Girls Die First

'In a world cleverly crafted to highlight the beauty and terror of sacrifice, Cooper’s dark debut gives us a heroine worth remembering. Love, sisterhood, and ritual blend together to create a timely and monstrous tale that will haunt readers until the very end' ELLE TESCH, author of What Wakes the Bells

'Emily Cooper's love for her characters and this world shines in every twist and turn of this impassioned, deservedly angry debut. A rewarding read for anyone seeking smart, timeless horror that seizes your attention from the first page' LOGAN-ASHLEY KISNER, author of Old Wounds

'With all the beauty and the brutality of a Grimm’s fairytale, Season of Fear is as richly woven as a medieval tapestry – a sparkling, magical story replete with danger, heartbreak, and the hopeful tenderness of first love' LYNDALL CLIPSTONE, author of Lakesedge and Tenderly, I am Devoured
All stars
Most relevant
this is easily the best book I've listened to all year.

the folklore, the mythology, the gory details.
the narrator does a great job at conveying the sheer terror.

someone send this to Guillermo del Toro and ask him to adapt it. this would make a fantastic movie. or even a series.

Someone send this to Guillermo del Toro !

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I bought this on a whim, judging the book entirely by its cover…very pleasantly surprised. A story of self discovery, friendships, family, love, within a twisted magical world with a strong feminine undercurrent - a recommended listen, great narration

Unusual, mesmerising, captivating

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Praying to a saint needs sacrifices, and women are the choice of men and they are made to suffer this burden! 😱
This story is fantastic, captivating and horrifying from the start, I was hooked.
Having the courage and strength to be different, to bear the burden of doing what is right, to love so deeply it gives one strength to survive and thrive.
Into the woods she goes, to battle, to save her sister, to meet her destiny and to meet her love. 💖
These women are strong, courageous, and beautiful in their loyalty to each other. Together they will be brave, together they will survive.
Excellent narration, brilliant performance. 🎶
I definitely recommend this exciting, horrific, emotional, beautiful story. 💯

FANTASTIC. 👹

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Really enjoyed this book. It's been a while since I found a book that I could not stop listening to. Finished it in one day. It's dark, it's fast paced, great characters, amazing narrator, very interesting, unusual story 💜💜💜

Brilliant 💜

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This was definitely one that grew on me, but the initial reasons for it needing to grow on me didn't really leave until closer to the end. But, by then, it'd already caused me to put it down for a few days because it simply wasn't gripping me. There was a point where I wondered if I planned on picking it back up.

There's a fair bit in here that I loved. The world itself was wonderful as was the mythos that went with it. I liked the dark, grim feel of the forest and all that dwelt within. Most of the characters were really enjoyable to read. Hans was always a good, solid presence alongside Ilse, who seemed to be the more level-headed and grounded of the two. He really offset her many failings quite well. Ash and her brother were excellent additions to the cast and added something that the story had definitely been lacking before they arrived. The bickering and banter between them really built up superbly in one particular moment that I felt was excellent character work.

Ilse, however, the main character, was my least favourite part of the book. She has a lot that is different about her, and it's all 100% beyond her control. But the way she chose to manifest her annoyance was in being thoroughly unlikeable for the first 60-70% or so. After everything came to light (which felt a bit rushed to me, maybe a drawback of this being a stand alone book ... but it could have been more drawn out and added to the length?) Ilse was playing catch-up for the reader's sympathy and affection. She never really grew on me and she, along with her character developments feeling rushed/happening somewhat all at once, are what really made me drop this down from a four to a three.

It was written in such a way that the reasons for Ilse's problems with men were pretty easy to see through as to why. Even if she was blind to them (but, that's often the case in real life in such situations, so we can't hold that against her). I feel Hans being with her made her feel more human or real as far as a character went. Without him as a bit of a guiding light for her, she'd have been thoroughly unpleasant.

Overall, this was a fun, darkly set read with wonderful mythos/lore as the backdrop. The only thing that spoiled it for me was pretty much everything to do with the main character.

The narration was absolutely wonderful. You could really tell the narrator was fully immersing herself into the roles she was portraying and it really helped bring this piece to life

Great setting, frustrating main character

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