Cursed. Maisie Cothay has never known the feel of human flesh: born with the power to kill or resurrect at her slightest touch, she has spent her childhood sequestered in her family's manor at the edge of a mysterious forest. Maisie's father - an anthroplogist who sees her as more experiment than daughter - has warned her not to venture into the wood. Locals talk of men disappearing within, emerging with addled minds and strange stories. What he does not tell Maisie is that for millennia her female ancestors have also vanished into the wood, never to emerge - for she is descended from a long line of cursed women. But one day Maisie's father disappears, and she must venture beyond the walls of her carefully constructed life to find him. Away from her home and the wood for the very first time, Maisie encounters a strange world filled with wonder and deception. Yet the farther she strays, the more the wood calls her home. For only there can Maisie finally reckon with her power and come to understand the wildest parts of herself.
This book completely swept me away! It's gently unpredictable, yet all my questions were answered, no stone left unturned. Great tension-building and impeccable pacing from the first to very last page, and an actual, solid ending. This dark, magical fairy tale-like novel is right up there with Aimee Bender-level perfection, but Julia Fine's style is all her own. Love, love, love!
Reading updates
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Started reading
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20 May, 2018:
Finished reading
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20 May, 2018:
Reviewed