The Girl from Rawblood

"An impressively hectic spin on the Gothic tradition"― Telegraph

The winner of BEST HORROR NOVEL at the British Fantasy Awards by the author of The House on Needless Street

Perfect for readers of Shirley Jackson, Susan Hill, and Silvia Moreno-Garcia, The Girl from Rawblood is an immersive, emotionally charged story of love, loss, and the ghosts that bind us.

On the mist-shrouded moors of Devon stands Rawblood, the imposing mansion where Iris Villarca is raised. For generations, the Villarcas have been marked by tragedy, each haunted by the chilling presence known only as Her. As the last of her bloodline, Iris is taught to fear love, to avoid attachments, to protect herself from the curse that promises heartbreak and untimely death.

But Iris dares to reach for happiness, and when forbidden love shatters the fragile peace at Rawblood, the haunting that has always lingered in the shadows bursts into terrifying reality. Desperate for answers, Iris embarks on a journey through the dark secrets of her family's past and the eerie corridors of Rawblood itself, confronting the legacy she was born to inherit.

Praise for The Girl from Rawblood :

"Superb debut....Ward perfectly balances sensory richness with the chills of the uncanny."

― Publishers Weekly , STARRED review

" The Girl from Rawblood makes a powerful contribution to the British literature of the fantastic…There's a touch of Ted Hughes here, Emily Bronte and M.R James in this eerie and by turns moving story that spans generations…A definite book of the year for me."

―Adam Nevill, award-winning author of The Ritual and No One Gets Out Alive

" The Girl from Rawblood weaves a spell that both terrifies and mesmerizes. As each layer of mystery is peeled away, more haunting truth is revealed. The book leaves the reader breathless in its gothic tale of fear, family, blood, and love."

―Simone St. James, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Sun Down Motel