Season of Fear
'A beguiling dark fantasy debut' AVA REID
Published on 28. August 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
352 pages
978-1-3985-3580-0 (ISBN)
Description
'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...
'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.
?
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...
Reviews / Votes
'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
More details
Edition
Export/Airside
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paperback (UK-trade)
Dimensions
Height: 225 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 27 mm
Weight
384 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-3985-3580-0 (9781398535800)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Emily Cooper is a published scientist who works in marine conservation. Her career was preceded by a Master's degree in Biology and a lifelong obsession with the natural world. Emily lives near Manchester in a 330-year-old cottage, which she's fairly certain is haunted, providing ample inspiration for her novels. She is on Instagram and Twitter @ohdeeremily.