The Maiden and Her Monster
Coming September 9, 2025
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A gorgeous, atmospheric debut fantasy that reimagines the Jewish myth of golem in a tale rooted in history, folklore, and sapphic romance—perfect for fans of Katherine Arden, Ava Reid, Hannah Whitten, and Naomi Novik.
The forest eats the girls who wander out after dark.
As the healer’s daughter, Malka has seen how the curse of the woods has plagued her village, but when the Ozmini Church comes to collect their tithes, they don’t listen to the warnings about a monster lurking in the trees. After a clergy girl wanders too close to the forest and Malka’s mother is accused of her murder, Malka strikes a bargain with a zealot Ozmini priest. If she brings him the monster, he will spare her mother from execution.
When she ventures into the blood-soaked woods, Malka finds a monster, though not the one she expects: an inscrutable, disgraced golem who agrees to implicate herself, but only after Malka helps her free the imprisoned rabbi who created her.
But a deal easily made is not easily kept. And as their bargain begins to unravel a much more sinister threat, protecting her people may force Malka to endanger the one person she left home to save—and face her growing feelings for the very creature she was taught to fear.
Praise
“A dark and endlessly enchanting fairy tale, unfurled in frost and wood-smoke, the kind that is whispered by candlelight and brushes up against history itself. I adored every page.”―Ava Reid, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Wolf and the Woodsman
"Told with exquisite yearning and gorgeous prose, The Maiden and Her Monster is a dark, poignant fairy tale about resilience, faith, and redemption. Martinez’s debut will enspell you."—Allison Saft, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Dark and Drowning Tide
"A gorgeous dark fantasy rendered in detail sharp as a tailor's needle, threaded through with longing, resilience, and enchantment."—S.T Gibson, #1 Sunday Times and USA Today bestselling author of A Dowry of Blood
“The Maiden and Her Monster is an evocative, harrowing, and deeply romantic dark fantasy debut that seized my attention from page one and didn’t let go. This is such an important story and one that will move so many readers the way it did me. Maddie Martinez is an incredible talent and definitely one to watch.”—Alexis Henderson, author of An Academy For Liars, House of Hunger, and The Year of the Witching
"Reminiscent of the folktales of old, The Maiden and Her Monster is a beautifully haunting debut with sharp teeth. Maddie Martinez weaves words like a magic spell, ensnaring readers with her poignant prose and beguiling atmosphere.”―Chelsea Abdullah, award-winning author of The Stardust Thief
“A taut and delicious debut, threading a sultry romance and tense political intrigue through an atmospheric and haunting world inspired by Jewish myth.”―Laura R. Samotin, author of The Sins on Their Bones
"Blending tradition, faith, and folklore with a deft hand, Martinez crafts a profound tale of self-acceptance and the bittersweet price of progress, woven through on a thread of unyielding hope."―K. M. Enright, Sunday Times bestselling author of Mistress of Lies
"An exquisite debut about an eldest daughter and how far she would go to protect her family. Malka's journey toward finding confidence in herself and falling in love with a certain surly golem is as legendary as the myths peppered throughout the story. This book is an instant classic."―Kamilah Cole, nationally bestselling author of An Arcane Inheritance
"With equal parts lush prose, sapphic yearning and storytelling steeped in Jewish folklore, The Maiden and Her Monster completely swept me away. From Malka’s stubborn resilience to the richly described storytelling interludes and the historically inspired setting, Maddie Martinez’s passion for the world she’s created truly shines through every page. I can’t wait for readers to fall in love with Maddie’s writing and I’ll be first in line to pick up whatever she might write next."―Kalie Reid, author of The Sacred Space Between
Content Warnings
Graphic or explicit violence/death on page
Body horror/depictions of gore
Religious bigotry and ethnic cleansing
Antisemitism and xenophobia
Torture
Sex
Sexism and misogyny
Child death
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