The Harrowing

A Spicy Sapphic Witch & Monster Romance Fantasy

By: Lady October

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

She was born to be the sacrifice. The monster was meant to be her end. But in a forest of lies, the most dangerous thing is the truth.

In the dying town of Hallow’s End, cursed to an endless autumn, witch Aveline Thorne has one purpose: to die. Each year, an anchor is chosen for the Harrowing, a ritual sacrifice to reinforce the magical hedge that protects her people from the blighted Gloomwood. To save her ailing sister, Aveline will walk willingly to her doom.

But the monster in the woods is not what the legends claim. Nemain is no mindless beast, but an ancient, vengeful being trapped in a prison of magic, and Aveline is not a sacrifice—she is the key.

Captured and dragged into the heart of the Gloomwood, Aveline is trapped with the very entity she was sworn to destroy. Forced into a dangerous proximity, animosity bleeds into an unwilling fascination. Nemain’s rage is a storm, but her grief is an ocean, and Aveline finds herself drowning in a forbidden empathy that ignites into a soul-shattering passion.

As their primal magic collides, healing the blighted forest but shattering the town’s defenses, Aveline is faced with an impossible choice. Her tyrannical mother will use anyone—even her own sister—as bait to reclaim her. To save her home, Aveline must betray the monster she’s coming to love. To save her love, she must condemn everyone she’s ever known.

Perfect for readers who love:

• A spicy sapphic (F/F) monster romance
• High-stakes enemies-to-lovers fantasy
• A brooding, ancient monster & a defiant witch
• Forced proximity and a captive/captor dynamic
• Dark fantasy worlds, intricate magic systems, and generational curses
• A standalone fantasy romance with a hard-won HEA

Very good story, AI voice though…

Very good story, keeps it moving along pretty good and the characters are captivating (to me at least). Though I am a big hater on the virtual voice and need to learn my lesson on selecting books with it. I always love the energy and personality a real narrator puts into it.

Not spicy at all

This is not a spicy sapphic romance. This is a tender sapphic romance with no spice. The writing and story was really good. I liked the dynamics between the family and how the MC won.

Virtual voice was one of the better ones however it still sucks.

A great sapphic love story

This book is for lesbians that want to copulate with the rain...so I absolutely loved it!

The Harrowing is a lovely sapphic romance that doesn't heavily rely on spice to stay interesting. I really enjoyed the toned down intimacy and intensity. Sapphics are often cautious about giving their queers the same level of intensity that straight fantasy romances are allowed to express by default, so The Harrowing was refreshing. The world building was truly wonderful and felt very natural.

One writing choice that brought me out of the story at times is the way Lady October starts chapters. Chapters will start by taking a few steps back in time, which could be distracting at times. This is personal preference, and it wasn't bothersome enough to stop reading, but I would have to readjust at the beginning of a chapter. Overall, it was a minor thing that threw me off at times.

The AI-adjacent voice is not good. The story is very strong, and it deserved a strong narrator as well.

Overall, The Harrowing is a beautiful sapphic love story that I would highly recommend to any sapphic fantasy reader. I picked it up and couldn't stop. Lady October will be absolutely be going on my list of authors to follow. Reading this book was a truly lovely experience. Lady October's world and characters are refreshing, intriguing, and thoroughly entertaining.