Rating: ★★★★★
Genre: Dark Fantasy
Format: Paperback/eBook
Pages: 124
Read: 02/05/23
Synopsis:
Betrayal brings grave ending to a noble bloodline. Forced to flee, its sole surviving heir is spared this fate by the timely intervention of a haunter of the wilds. In his charge, the maiden embraces the lore of the dark arts and rises to become the watch-keep of the woods. As decades pass, with her legend growing, the ‘witch of root and earth’ weaves subtle deceits in a tangled web of vengeance.
But will there be a fairy tale ending, or will poisoned legacies and pacts with dark forces see ambition unravel in her relentless pursuit of power?
Bloody, and brilliantly realised, Baird’s dark fantasy nightmare spins a lavish tale of dread, desire, and fantastical fury.
Review:
"A woman’s hurt is a visceral thing. The want for revenge is quite another. Together, they can evoke the rise of a primitive passion. But in dark craft combined, with the guidance of one who walks between worlds, these things can be made manifest and become a vessel of retribution to howl from the beyond."
A mothers want for revenge sets in motion more than just her own desire. A vengefulness held on to for generations has now been set into motion. Life for all is hanging on a balance of lies and deception, dark desires, and ultimate death. The crone of the woods is spinning her web of vengeance and her web of dreadful, wicked creations.
"And so it came to pass, in the most empty hour of the night, that new life was born from the entrails of death, and its cries were another weeping of the forest."
"Once, long ago, her heart had been poisoned by such blind desire, and those opposing her had come to know the little of their worth in the grimdark strands of the spinneret."
This was my first experience reading the works of KAB, and it was quite the experience. I found myself completely lost in the storytelling and feeling so many emotions. The darkness was foreboding, the sinful birthing was frightening. I shuddered at the death and bloodshed. This grimdark fairytale is disturbing and bleak in all its unfolding. There is no happiness nor is there a happy ending.
The prose is rich and almost lyrical, at times I found myself walking around my home, reading aloud, and pondering. Often re-reading lines that struck with such beauty and were simply breathtaking. Vivid imagery that sparks the imagination.
Enchanting and sorrowful, darkly woven threads of great storytelling!
Original, haunting, and tragic!
My love of dark fairytales has been rekindled!
Goodreads Author Link:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show
Amazon Author Link:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/Keith-Anthony-Baird/author/
Review Links:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/
https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/
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