A Girl Walks into the Forest

Gr 10 Up–Valla has been promised to the Count for many years due to her beauty, but the time has finally arrived for her to leave her small northern village and venture into the cursed Gottyar Wood to meet and marry him. Everything changes when Valla’s small group is attacked by a wolf-like creature and she is mauled across the face. Not only is her intended husband angry to discover her beauty marred by scars, but the scratch also poisoned her blood—leaving her with a desire for violence. In this novel based on Russian folklore, Roux creates a morally gray world with clear villains but also flawed heroes, fighting any way they can. There also isn’t a true happy ending; though Valla wins, she loses everything, including herself, along the way. This makes her an exceptionally interesting and well-developed character, but all other characters are very one-dimensional. However, the story doesn’t suffer for it, as it is really about the woods more than any character.