Fawn

The sinister new folk horror of 2026

De: C.N. Vair

Brought to you by Penguin.

'People did not expect such a thing, from a woman or a fawn; we were both meant to be prey.'

In the Appalachian hills, Tess Wynne lives in precious quiet. She tends her wildlife sanctuary, honours old rituals and survives what comes for her each year.

Then she finds a doe split open. And the fawn who survived. Red-mouthed. Sharp-toothed. Hungry.

Nature knows what must be done. The town watches to see if Tess will do it.

She does not.

Whispers spread. Old bargains strain. Something feral stirs within Tess—anger, appetite, the slow understanding that prey is only prey for so long.

A dark folktale of teeth and inheritance, Fawn asks what a woman must become to keep what is hers—and what the land demands in return.

© C.N. Vair 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026

Reseñas de la Crítica

An unflinching Appalachian horror and a book filled with bite, brutality, tenderness and evil. I loved it (Lucy Rose, Sunday Times bestselling author of THE LAMB)

A lush, eerie, utterly spellbinding contemporary tale with all the makings of a classic, elegantly rendered by an exciting new talent. Exquisitely unsettling, hauntingly beautiful, and quietly profound. Beware, this book is pretty but it has sharp teeth. (Rachel Harrison, New York Times bestselling author of PLAY NICE)

C.N. Vair has cast such a spell over me with her bewitching debut, I doubt any other book will ever break it. Sell your soul, sign your name in the Devil's ledger, just do whatever you have to do to get your hands on this book. Damnation never read this good. (Clay McLeod Chapman, author of GHOST EATERS)

A compulsively readable, propulsive tale of what it means to bare your teeth and reclaim what belongs to you. Even if the cost is great. I didn’t want to leave Tess’ world and am still thinking about it days later. This is the sort of book I’ll revisit again and again. (Kristi DeMeester, author of DARK SISTERS and SUCH A PRETTY SMILE)

C.N. Vair conjures a world of blighted beauty, old magic, and terrible appetites. Fawn is spellbinding, vicious, and impossible to look away from. (Daphne Fama, author of HOUSE OF MONSTROUS WOMEN)