A Forest, Darkly

Perfect for fans of Ava Reid and Lucy Holland, this is a thrilling dark fantasy of persecuted witches, snatched children, twisted magic, changelings, and the sins that bind.

Set in the multi-award-winning author's acclaimed Sourdough universe, this standalone story sits alongside previous novels, including All the Murmuring Bones and The Briar Book of the Dead.

Deep in the forest lives Mehrab the witch, coping with loneliness in her own strange ways and quietly battling her demons. One evening, a young woman appears on her doorstep seeking shelter, pursued by godhounds who wish to destroy all those practising magic, and Mehrab’s solitary existence is disrupted as she teaches the girl how to control her powers. Together they forge a cure for their isolation with heartbreaking consequences....

Meanwhile, in the local village, children begin to disappear, sometimes returning forever changed–or not returning at all. Sinister offerings appear on Mehrab's doorstep, and a dark power pursues her through the trees. As the villagers turn hostile and the godhounds close in, Mehrab finds herself at the centre of a struggle to save the soul of the forest, the life of an old love–and her own new-formed family.

Set in Slatter's bewitching gothic Sourdough universe, this is a haunting, gripping tale written with wit and heart. A book to both savour and devour.

©2026 A.G. Slatter (P)2026 W.F. Howes Ltd

Delicious!

Angela Slatter is a genius; I adore her works! This novel weaves the tale of a witch, a new town in the world of 'Sourdough and Other Stories', and the haunted wood. It's especially recommended for anyone who loved 'Of Sorrow and Such'.

Beautiful, lyrical fairytale

Listening to AG Slatter’s mesmerizing prose was such a pleasure. I fell in love with the book from the first pages.

I enjoyed the story and storytelling so much that I came to slow down my reading, more and more so the farther along I was in the book, to extend my lovely time in this place.

The book’s characters are so well-crafted that it felt natural to come to care about them as I did.

And this setting! It’s that lovely witch’s cabin in the frightful forest, just outside of town.

I think I’ve found the ideal go-to author, for times when I’m in need of feeling like a kid again.

Narrator Zigi Ellison is superb here. Her buttery, chocolatey sing-song voice is ideally suited to voicing this beautiful fairytale.