The Maiden and Her Monster, Maddie Martinez
The Maiden and Her Monster, Maddie Martinez
“A dark and endlessly enchanting fairy tale…. I adored every page.”―#1 New York Times bestselling author Ava Reid
The Maiden and Her Monster is a gorgeous, atmospheric debut fantasy rooted in history, folklore, and sapphic romance―perfect for fans of Katherine Arden, Ava Reid, Hannah Whitten, and Naomi Novik.
The forest eats the girls who wander out after dark.
As the healer’s daughter, Malka has seen how the wood’s curse has plagued her village, but the Ozmini Church only comes to collect its tithe, not to protect heretics with false stories of monsters in the trees. So when a clergy girl wanders too close to the forest and Malka’s mother is accused of her murder, Malka strikes an impossible bargain with a zealot Ozmini priest. If she brings the monster out, he will spare her mother from execution.
When she ventures into the shadowed woods, Malka finds a monster, though not the one she expects: an inscrutable, disgraced golem who agrees to implicate herself, but only if Malka helps her fulfill a promise first and free the imprisoned rabbi who created her.
But a deal easily made is not easily kept. And as their bargain begins to unravel 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.
Pub Date: 09/09/2025
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from 13 reviews
one of my favorite bookmarks. i went back for another and it’s already sold out
<3
I read this book a long time ago and considered it one of my favorites. I was surprised to see it on the syndicate’s shelves! 10/10
I bought this over a month ago and it’s still going strong.
I hate Ophelia because Blackwell should be with me 🥲
10/10 recommend!! Smut syndicate puts so much thought and love into their blind dates. So much that they reach out and look at your fable or good reads and really try to perfect your date. I look forward to this every single month
Perfect for bringing my book to the beach!!!
Read this in a day! Could not recommend enough. My favorite is there are sprinkles of little mermaid throughout, but other than that this is a story you would NEVER expect
Perfect for bringing my book to the beach!!!
10/10 recommend!! Smut syndicate puts so much thought and love into their blind dates. So much that they reach out and look at your fable or good reads and really try to perfect your date. I look forward to this every single month
Read this in a day! Could not recommend enough. My favorite is there are sprinkles of little mermaid throughout, but other than that this is a story you would NEVER expect
I sent a blind date with a book to a friend and she loved it! Ordering was super easy and shipped so so fast. Highly recommend 💜
My blind date with a book was everything I hoped for and more! Unwrapping it felt like opening a gift from a friend who really gets me. The book I received was in my TBR for months! The story made me laugh, cry, and stay up way too late, but I have zero regrets. It’s the kind of date you want to tell everyone about—and I already can’t wait for the next one!