Fawn by C.N. Vair

Enter the sanctuary at your own risk. The primal and unsettling tale of just how far a woman must go to protect nature and its inhabitants, perfect for fans of Francine Toon and Andrew Michael Hurley.

'Unflinching...I loved it' Lucy Rose, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Lamb

'Beware, this book is pretty, but it has sharp teeth' Rachel Harrison, New York Times bestselling author of Play Nice

'Disturbing, seductively written fiction about power and female rage' Guardian

'The devil came on the autumn equinox, as he always did.'

Tess Wynne keeps mostly to herself in the hills of Appalachia. Her wildlife sanctuary is a refuge for the wounded and unwanted - and the only home she has left. She has built it carefully, with old rituals and even older bargains with the ominous visitor that comes each year.

Then she finds a doe split open on the road. Beside it is the fawn who survived. Red-mouthed. Full set of teeth. Hungry. From the moment Tess brings it home, whispers gather in town.

A new pastor starts asking questions. And inside Tess, something primal begins to wake: anger, appetite, the slow understanding that prey is only prey for so long. Dark, tender and eerie, Fawn is a slow-burning folk horror of nature, ritual and feverish femininity - a story about what a woman must become to protect what is hers.