Wren Hunt

NOMINATED FOR THE CILIP CARNEGIE MEDAL 2019SHORTLISTED FOR THE IRISH BOOK AWARDS TEEN/YOUNG ADULT BOOK OF THE YEAR 2018'Beautiful, eerie, dark and dreamy' MELINDA SALISBURY'Watson’s writing has the sort of poise rarely found in a debut' KIRAN MILLWOOD HARGRAVE'Thrilling and otherworldly' SUNDAY TIMES Every winter, Wren Silke is chased through the forest in a warped version of a childhood game. The boys who haunt her are judges, powerful and frightening pursuers, who know nothing of her true identity. If they knew she was an augur, their sworn enemy, the game would turn deadly. But Wren is on the hunt, too. Sent undercover as an intern to the Harkness Foundation – enemy headquarters – her family's survival rests on finding a secret meant to stay hidden. As the enmity between two ancient magics reaches breaking point, Wren is torn between old loyalties and new lies. And trapped in the most dangerous game of her life. Part thriller, part love story, this captivating debut novel will leave readers spellbound.

The most superb collection of character and fantasy and love and landscape I have read since Phillip Pullman's Northern Lights, A modern day fairy tale … Throwing romance, magical visions and gruesome rituals into the pot, this is a thrilling and otherworldly depiction of Irish culture, Beautiful, eerie, dark and dreamy ... An absolutely stunning mix of myth and legend and family saga. I haven't stopped thinking about it, The Wren Hunt occupies an eerie, in-between place, where fantasy and reality meet in contemporary Ireland infused with ancient magic … Variously described as folklore, fantasy and mystery, The Wren Hunt wears its labels lightly, shedding one genre for another with a sort of slippery grace ... Engaging contemporary storytelling that rings with ancient resonances. While fans of Maggie Stiefvater, Pead ar Ó Guilín and Melinda Salisbury will find plenty to savour here, the book is its own thing entirely, Beautiful ... This YA novel draws on folktale and myth to weave a story that melds reality and fantasy almost perfectly … Heartfelt, deeply spiritual; we look forward to seeing more books from Mary Watson in the years to come

Mary Watson is from Cape Town and now lives on the West Coast of Ireland with her husband and three young children. Highlights of her adult writing career include being awarded the Caine Prize for African Writing in Oxford in 2006, and being included on the Hay Festival’s 2014 Africa39 list of influential writers from sub-Saharan Africa.marywatsonbooks.com