We Shall Be Monsters

A girl marked for death ventures into the wooded realm of the Fae to rescue her mother in this dark, lyrical fantasy about vengeful witches, beastly fathers, and the stories mothers tell to keep their daughters safe—from the author of Nocturne.

Gemma Cassata lives with her mother in an isolated antique shop in Michigan, near a small patch of woods that conceals an enchanted gateway to fairyland. Gemma knows she's not supposed to go into the woods—her mother, Virginia, has warned her multiple times about the monsters that lurk there—and yet, she goes anyway.

Virginia understands her daughter's defiance. She knows the allure of the woods all too well. Her own mother warned her about the monsters that resided there, and she also did not listen—until a witch cursed her true love just days before their child’s birth. And if Virginia cannot break the curse on Gemma’s father before their daughter turns fifteen, he will eat Virginia's heart and Gemma will belong to the witch. So Virginia will do whatever she can to protect her daughter—even if it means stealing Gemma's memories away.

But everything changes when Gemma gets too close to the truth, and the witch steals Virginia away instead. Now it is up to Gemma to venture deep into Fae lands to rescue her mother and break the curse.

Told in alternating viewpoints between Gemma and Virginia, this lyrical novel is not only a tale of a girl's fantastical quest through a darkly magical fairyland but also an exploration of the complex bonds that tie children to their parents.