From the No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of The Thirteenth Child, comes an irresistible blend of dark fairytale and romantic fantasy set in the beautiful but brutal Canadian wilderness.

“Wonderous and haunting. Erin A. Craig strikes gold again.” Marisha Pessl, New York Times bestselling author of Night Film and Darkly

Like everyone else in the settlement of Mistaken, Greer Mackenzie is trapped. Founded by an ambitious lumber merchant, the village is blessed with rich natural resources that have made its people prosperousbut at a cost. The same woods that have lined the townsfolks pockets harbor dangerous beasts: wolves, bears, and the Bright-Eyedsmonsters beyond description who have rained utter destruction down on nearby settlements. But Mistakens founders made a deal with the mysterious Benevolence: the Warding Stones that surround the town will keep the Bright-Eyeds outand the towns citizens in. Anyone who spends a night within Mistakens borders belongs to it forever.

Greer, a mapmaker and eccentric dreamer, has always ached to explore the world outside, even though she knows she and her longtime love, Ellis Beaufort, will never see it. Until, on the day she and Ellis are meant to finally begin their lives together, Greer watches in horror as her beloved disappears beyond the Warding Stones, pursued by a monstrous creature. Determined to rescue Ellis, she figures out a way to defy Mistakens curse and begins a trek through the cold and pitiless wilderness. But there, Greer is hunted, not only by the ruthless Bright-Eyeds but by the secret truths behind Mistakens founding and her own origins.

Playfully drawing from Scottish folklore, Erin A. Craigs adult debut is both a deeply atmospheric and profoundly romantic exploration of freedom versus security: a stunning celebration of one woman’s relentless bravery on a quest to reclaim her lost loveand seize her own future.