Her Wicked Roots
Published on 9. October 2025
Book
Hardback
352 pages
978-1-6680-8729-9 (ISBN)
Description
In this queer retelling of Nathaniel Hawthorne classic gothic story, Rappaccini's Daughter, a young woman is lured to a lush estate owned by a botanist who might be hiding dark secrets.
Cordelia Beecher is on the run. In search of her missing brother Edward, she has fled the oppressive charity school she was raised in, desperate to find the only family she knows. Using clues from his past letters, she sets off for the sleepy town of Farrow but everyone there claims to have never heard of Edward-not even the man he was supposedly working for as an apprentice.
With nowhere to go, Cordi turns to Lady Evangeline, a local botanist who owns the magnificent Edenfield estate. The benevolent lady of the manor has made it her mission to take young, often traumatized, women into her employ and protect them from man's world of wicked desires and deceits. Hired as a maid and companion to her enigmatic daughters, Prim and Briar, Cordi quickly settles into Edenfield. Even as her relationship with Briar blossoms, Cordi can't help but suspect that there are secrets in the estate...and when she stumbles across evidence that Edward was once there, she's determined to find answers.
Atmospheric, eerie, and thoroughly original, Her Wicked Roots will establish Tanya Pell as a "wickedly creepy" (Josh Winning, author of Heads Will Roll) and vital voice in horror.
Cordelia Beecher is on the run. In search of her missing brother Edward, she has fled the oppressive charity school she was raised in, desperate to find the only family she knows. Using clues from his past letters, she sets off for the sleepy town of Farrow but everyone there claims to have never heard of Edward-not even the man he was supposedly working for as an apprentice.
With nowhere to go, Cordi turns to Lady Evangeline, a local botanist who owns the magnificent Edenfield estate. The benevolent lady of the manor has made it her mission to take young, often traumatized, women into her employ and protect them from man's world of wicked desires and deceits. Hired as a maid and companion to her enigmatic daughters, Prim and Briar, Cordi quickly settles into Edenfield. Even as her relationship with Briar blossoms, Cordi can't help but suspect that there are secrets in the estate...and when she stumbles across evidence that Edward was once there, she's determined to find answers.
Atmospheric, eerie, and thoroughly original, Her Wicked Roots will establish Tanya Pell as a "wickedly creepy" (Josh Winning, author of Heads Will Roll) and vital voice in horror.
Reviews / Votes
"Her Wicked Roots is a stellar, genre-bending debut from Tanya Pell. It's a full-fledged Gothic, creepy as hell and full of yearning, soaked in dread and mystery. I can't want to see what Pell does next!" -Christopher Golden, New York Times bestselling author of The Night Birds and The House of Last Resort "Tanya Pell is a horror horticulturist who has cultivated a manic botanic gothic that grafts Silvia Moreno-Garcia to Daphne du Maurier, and what sprouts out is absolutely beautiful. Her Wicked Roots reaches in and rummages through the reader's subconscious until there's no weeding it out." -Clay McLeod Chapman, author of Wake Up and Open Your Eyes "Tanya Pell's Her Wicked Roots is a winding, creeping ivy, a nighttime garden bursting and blossoming with rich texture and dark, sinister bouquets. Beautiful flowers can, however, be deadly. A richly Gothic and lush retelling." -Cynthia Pelayo, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Vanishing Daughters "Her Wicked Roots is a true treat, sure to delight and thrill in equal measure; a must-read for fans of queer gothic novels." -Johanna Van Veen, author of Blood on Her Tongue and My Darling Dreadful Thing "Darkly enchanting, Her Wicked Roots is haunting, propulsive and as hypnotic as the poisonous blooms at the novel's heart. Truly a bewitching sapphic delight." -Francesca May, author of Wild and Wicked Things and This Vicious Hunger "This gorgeous, haunting story coiled tight around my heart and refused to let go. An intoxicating tale of secrets, desire, hurt and bravery, rooted in the fear of losing the ones we love. Tanya Pell is such an exciting voice in horror, and this gothic mystery is truly unforgettable." -Josh Winning, author of Heads Will Roll "Tanya Pell skillfully brews a gothic Victorian horror novel that's equal parts The Secret Garden and Midsommar... Like the belladonna plant that populates Edenfield, Her Wicked Roots is deceptively approachable-but beware of the poison just under the stunning surface." -BookPage "Eerie... It's easy to sink into the spooky atmosphere, and an impressive final twist will catch even the most genre-savvy unaware. For readers seeking fun queer gothic horror, this delivers." -Publisher's Weekly "Perfect for fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Mexican Gothic (2022) or Kit Mayquist's Tripping Arcadia (2022), the book features a Gone Girl-esque twist that will plant this story's wicked roots deep into readers' souls." -Booklist "Lush and languid... A full-blooded and enchanting gothic, that much like some of the flora it features, is beautiful and lethal in equal measure. Nothing short of spectacular, Pell's latest is twisted, twisty, full of queer longing and chlorophyllic menace... There's a quiet dread that Tanya Pell has clearly mastered. Rappaccini's Daughter meets Silvia Moreno-Garcia in this claustrophobic, botanical beast of a book that is indeed as exquisite on the inside as its cover suggests. Thorny, horny, and full of tension." -FanFiAddictMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York, NY
United States
Publishing group
Simon & Schuster
Illustrations
designed edges; 4-c ends
Dimensions
Height: 233 mm
Width: 159 mm
Thickness: 29 mm
Weight
586 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-6680-8729-9 (9781668087299)
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
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Tanya Pell is a narcoleptic horror author who drinks bougie coffee and lives in the American South. She is the author of Cicada and several short stories featured in anthologies like Mother Knows Best and OBSOLESCENCE.