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The Wild Huntress by Emily Lloyd-Jones

Young adult

The Wild Huntress

by Emily Lloyd-Jones

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Quick take

Enter an enchanting, monster-filled forest and join the deadly hunt in this stunning tale invoking Welsh mythology.

Good to know

  • Illustrated icon, 400

    400+ pages

  • Illustrated icon, Multiple_Viewpoints

    Multiple viewpoints

  • Illustrated icon, Magical

    Magical

  • Illustrated icon, Quest

    Quest

Synopsis

Every five years, two kingdoms take part in a Wild Hunt. Joining is a bloody risk and even the most qualified hunters can suffer the deadliest fates. Still, hundreds gamble their lives to participate—all vying for the Hunt’s life-changing prize: a magical wish granted by the Otherking.

Branwen possesses a gift no other human has: the ability to see and slay monsters. She’s desperate to cure her mother’s sickness, and the Wild Hunt is her only option.

Gwydion is the least impressive of his magically-talented family, but with his ability to control plants and his sleight of hand, he’ll do whatever it takes to keep his cruel older brother from becoming a tyrant.

Pryderi is prince-born and monster-raised. Deep down, the royal crown doesn’t interest him—all he wants is to know is where he belongs.

If they band together against the monstrous creatures within the woods, they have a chance to win. But, then again, nothing is guaranteed when all is fair in love and the Hunt.

Free sample

Get an early look from the first pages of The Wild Huntress.

The Wild Huntress

It was whispered that the otherfolk stole children, but one autumn evening they came for the midwife instead.

She was a slim woman with pale hair and strong hands. A small iron charm hung on a leather cord and rested in the hollow of her collarbones—a ward against magic. One did not live so close to Annwvyn without keeping to the old ways. Which was why the woman hesitated when a stranger knocked thrice at her door. Evenings were dangerous. Magic flourished in moments when the world was in flux: when the sun rose or fell, when seasons shifted, and when the days were at their shortest or longest.

“Yes?” said the midwife, speaking through her door. “Who is it?”

It was a man who answered. “Please. I have need for a midwife.”

Compassion overcame caution, and the midwife unlatched the door.

The man that stood before her was not human. His eyes had the flat pupils of a goat, and his clothes were spun from oak leaves and lichen. He was beautiful and unsettling, and at once the midwife took a step back, her hand going to her iron charm. She knew of the otherfolk, but one had never crossed her path. She was half tempted to shut the door on this magical creature.

“My lady,” said the man of the folk. “Please. My wife is laboring with our child, and I fear I will lose them both.” He looked pained. “I do not have gold, but I promise a favor of equal measure.”

The midwife straightened. This was familiar. She strode back into her home, gathering her supplies. Her own babe, a child of six months, was napping by the fire. The midwife bundled her into a sling and settled the babe against her shoulder. “I have no one to watch her,” said the midwife.

The man nodded. “I will provide safe passage to you both.”

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Why I love it

Oh, to live in Emily Lloyd-Jones’s mind. We who aren’t as lucky, however, get to read some of its fascinating conceptions in The Wild Huntress—an entirely immersive and utterly engrossing tale of love, sacrifice, and betrayal.

Put two (unofficially) mad kings, a group of desperate humans, and an assemblage of bloodthirsty not-so-humans together and you get: the Wild Hunt. The competition promises its victors a wish, and its victims probable death.

Branwen is a human huntress, a young girl desperate for a cure to save her mother. Gwydion is a royal trickster who seems to care about little, but will give his life for this kingdom. Pryderi is a prince, but was raised by a monster, and is desperate to prove he is nothing like it. These three characters will have to trust each other enough to work together—and to stay alive.

While I generally dislike surprises, this book gets all of the exceptions. I loved every moment in this world and its beautiful, lush, menacing forests. And that ending! Full of shocking twists and twisted turns, The Wild Huntress ended up being one of the most unique stories I’ve read this year, and it’ll stay with me for a long time.

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