After the Forest

The stunning, enchanting Sunday Times bestselling historical fantasy Ginger. Honey. Cinnamon. Flour. A drop of blood to bind its power. 1650: The Black Forest, Wurttemberg. Fifteen years after the witch in the gingerbread house, Greta and Hans are struggling to get by. Their father and stepmother are long dead, Hans is deeply in debt from gambling,… The stunning, enchanting Sunday Times bestselling historical fantasy Ginger. Honey. Cinnamon. Flour. A drop of blood to bind its power. 1650: The Black Forest, Wurttemberg. Fifteen years after the witch in the gingerbread house, Greta and Hans are struggling to get by. Their father and stepmother are long dead, Hans is deeply in debt from gambling, and the countryside lies in ruin, its people recovering in the aftermath of a brutal war. Greta has a secret, though: the witch's grimoire, secreted away and whispering in her ear, and the recipe inside that makes the most sinfully delicious - and addictive - gingerbread. As long as she can bake, Greta can keep her small family afloat. But in a village full of superstition, Greta and her intoxicating gingerbread is a source of ever-growing suspicion and vicious gossip. And now, dark magic is returning to the woods and Greta's own power - magic she is still trying to understand - may be the only thing that can save her ... If it doesn't kill her first. PRAISE 'A dark and wondrous tale. Utterly enchanting' Kate Forsyth, bestselling author of The Crimson Thread 'A clever merger of fantasy and historical fiction' Sydney Morning Herald 'Bewitching historical fantasy ... Woods is a powerful new voice in speculative fiction' starred review, Publishers Weekly (US) 'Deliciously irresistible ... A gorgeous debut that you'll consume in one gulp' Natasha Lester, New York Times bestselling author of The Three Lives of Alix St Pierre 'Evocative, vivid and enchanting: Historical fantasy at its best' Belinda Alexandra, bestselling author of The Masterpiece 'Utterly captivating ... Dark as molasses and dripping with witchcraft, love and magic gingerbread' Lauren Chater, bestselling author of The Winter Dress 'A love song to fairy tales ... Sweet as gingerbread and bitterly dark as heart's blood' Angela Slatter, award-winning author of The Path of Thorns 'Woods is a born storyteller ... Sophisticated and intricately plotted' Jo Riccioni, a