Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Winner of BEST HORROR NOVEL (August Derleth Award) at British Fantasy Awards 2016
For generations the Villarcas have died mysteriously, and young. Now Iris and her father will finally understand why. . .
At the turn of England's century, as the wind whistles in the lonely halls of Rawblood, young Iris Villarca is the last of her family's line. They are haunted, through the generations, by "her," a curse passed down through ancient blood that marks each Villarca for certain heartbreak, and death.
Iris forsakes her promise to her father, to remain alone, safe from the world. She dares to fall in love, and the consequences of her choice are immediate and terrifying. As the world falls apart around her, she must take a final journey back to Rawblood where it all began and where it must all end...
From the sun dappled hills of Italy to the biting chill of Victorian dissection halls, The Girl from Rawblood is a lyrical and haunting historical novel of darkness, love, and the ghosts of the past.
Praise for The Girl from Rawblood:
"A hauntingly brilliant virtuoso performance." - Emma Healey, author of Elizabeth is Missing
"A gothic tale of love and madness, this atmospheric and chilling story drew me in from the first page, and kept me up at night, until I reached the last." - Claire Fuller, author of Our Endless Numbered Days
"A story to satisfy the most gothic of hearts. I was hooked on the very first page and The Girl from Rawblood never let me go. Sentence by sentence, Catriona Ward made herself one of my very favorite writers." - Kelly Link, award-winning author and Pulitzer Prize Finalist for Get in Trouble
"Brilliant The Girl From Rawblood is the old-school gothic novel I have been waiting for. While it delivers everything I want from a 'haunted house/family curse' story, it is still stunningly original. I have never read anything like it and that's saying something." - Mike Mignola, creator of the Hellboy comic book series
"The Girl from Rawblood weaves a spell that both terrifies and mesmerizes. As each layer of mystery is peeled away, more haunting truth is revealed. The book leaves the reader breathless in its gothic tale of fear, family, blood, and love." - Simone St. James, award-winning author of The Haunting of Maddy Clare
"'Beautifully written, in equal parts both terrifying and heart-breaking, The Girl from Rawblood is a dazzlingly brilliant Gothic masterpiece." - Sarah Pinborough, author of Behind Her Eyes
"A lush, macabre, chillingly good tale. From the modern horrors of man medical experiments, war to the ancient power of the natural world, The Girl from Rawblood is not only a ghost story of the highest order, but a sublime meditation on the things that hold us captive: fidelity, fear, memory, love." - Leslie Parry, author of The Church of Marvels
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Synopsis
Winner of BEST HORROR NOVEL (the August Derleth Award) at the British Fantasy Awards
What if it's not your house that's haunted--it's you? For generations, the Villarcas have died young, under mysterious circumstances. Now Iris and her father will finally find out why...
Young Iris Villarca is the last of her family's line. They are haunted by "her," a curse passed down through the generations that marks each Villarca for certain heartbreak and death. But Iris dares to fall in love, and the consequences of her choice are immediate and terrifying. As the world falls apart around her, she must take a final journey back to Rawblood where it all began, and where it must all end...
Fans of Susan Hill, Shirley Jackson, and Silvia Moreno-Garcia will love The Girl from Rawblood. If you love classic hauntings and atmospheric gothic horror, you won't want to miss it
Praise for The Girl from Rawblood:
"Leaves the reader breathless in its gothic tale of fear, family, blood, and love."--Simone St. James, award-winning author of The Broken Girls
"Brilliant--The Girl From Rawblood is the old-school gothic novel I have been waiting for... Stunningly original."--Mike Mignola, creator of the Hellboy comic book series
"A story to satisfy the most gothic of hearts... Sentence by sentence, Catriona Ward made herself one of my very favorite writers."--Kelly Link, award-winning author and Pulitzer Prize Finalist for Get in Trouble
"A hauntingly brilliant virtuoso performance."--Emma Healey, author of Whistle in the Dark
"A gothic tale of love and madness, this atmospheric and chilling story drew me in from the first page."--Claire Fuller, author of Our Endless Numbered Days
"Beautifully written, in equal parts both terrifying and heart-breaking, The Girl from Rawblood is a dazzlingly brilliant Gothic masterpiece."--Sarah Pinborough, author of Dead to Her
"A lush, macabre, chillingly good tale... The Girl from Rawblood is not only a ghost story of the highest order, but a sublime meditation on the things that hold us captive: fidelity, fear, memory, love."--Leslie Parry, author of The Church of Marvels
Synopsis
An impressively hectic spin on the Gothic tradition--Telegraph
The winner of BEST HORROR NOVEL at the British Fantasy Awards by the author of The House on Needless Street
What if it's not your mansion that's haunted--it's you?
Young Iris Villarca is the last of her family's line. They are haunted by her, a curse passed down through the generations that marks each Villarca for certain heartbreak and death. For generations, the Villarcas have died young, under mysterious circumstances.
But Iris dares to fall in love, and the consequences of her choice are immediate and terrifying. As the world falls apart around her, she must take a final journey back to Rawblood where it all began, and where it must all end...
Perfect for fans of Shirley Jackson, Susan Hill, and Silvia Moreno-Garcia, The Girl from Rawblood will pull readers through time into the early 1800s and 1900s, mesmerizing them with this lyrical story of cunning folk horror right until the breathtaking finish.
Praise for The Girl from Rawblood:
Superb debut....Ward perfectly balances sensory richness with the chills of the uncanny.
--Publishers Weekly, STARRED review
The Girl from Rawblood makes a powerful contribution to the British literature of the fantastic...There's a touch of Ted Hughes here, Emily Bronte and M.R James in this eerie and by turns moving story that spans generations...A definite book of the year for me.
--Adam Nevill, award-winning author of The Ritual and No One Gets Out Alive
The Girl from Rawblood weaves a spell that both terrifies and mesmerizes. As each layer of mystery is peeled away, more haunting truth is revealed. The book leaves the reader breathless in its gothic tale of fear, family, blood, and love.
--Simone St. James, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Sun Down Motel