Whispers of the Hollow Tree
A desperate bargain. A cursed king. A labyrinth of shifting shadows.
Hazel of Oakhaven lived a quiet, invisible life until her younger sister vanished into the forbidden Deep Woods. Armed with nothing but an iron hunting knife and fierce mortal stubbornness, Hazel crosses the ancient boundary stones to bring her home. Instead of finding a lost girl, she finds herself trapped in a dying, decaying Unseelie manor, placed at the mercy of a terrifying creature made of petrified wood and crowned with a stag's skull.
To save her sister, Hazel strikes a dangerous bargain. She trades a year and a day of her own life to serve Thorne, the dreaded Lord of Bark and Bone.
But survival in the cursed manor requires more than mere obedience. The labyrinth is shifting, parasitic vines bleed toxic sap, and the shadows actively hunt the weak. Yet, the greatest danger Hazel faces is the realization that Thorne is not the mindless monster the village tales claim. He is a king fighting a desperate, losing war against a feral rot that threatens to consume his entire realm. He bears the pain of his kingdom in his own cursed flesh, keeping the dark at bay so the mortal valleys can live in the sun.
As Hazel navigates the treacherous halls of the Heartwood, the boundary between captor and captive begins to blur. She discovers that her mortal warmth might be the only magic capable of melting the ice around his hardened heart.
But the labyrinth is hungry. The cruel winter court of the Frost Marches is gathering an army of glass and ice, marching to claim the ruins of Thorne's vulnerable kingdom. To uncoil the ancient chains binding her sister and save the cursed king she has grown to love, Hazel must become the weaver of her own fate. If she fails, the rot will consume them all. If she succeeds, she might just become the queen of the dark.
Perfect for fans of Juliet Marillier and Sylvia Mercedes. This atmospheric, slow-burn romantic fantasy features a fiercely protective monster, a brave mortal heroine, and a spellbinding world where love is the deepest magic of all.
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