Let the spooky season commence! THP takes Halloween very seriously, and it wouldn’t be a proper celebration if we didn’t include some spooky books to add to your TBR. Allow us to introduce Lish McBride’s new YA horror, Red in Tooth and Claw!
Red in Tooth and Claw blends Western archetypes with horror and fantasy, giving us a book that we couldn’t put down! It follows Faolan Kelly, a teenager who gets sent away to a remote settlement full of mystery and monstrous beings.
We were absolutely hooked on Red in Tooth and Claw by Lish McBride, and here are three of our favorite things about it!
Book Overview: Red In Tooth And Claw
Content Warnings: murder, death, violence, gore, corpses, bones (human), torture, forced captivity, mention of drug use (Read at your discretion!)
Summary: Faolan Kelly’s grandfather is dead. She’s alone in the world and suddenly homeless, all because the local powers that be don’t think a young man of sixteen is mature enough to take over his grandfather’s homestead…and that’s with them thinking Faolan is a young man. If she revealed that her grandfather had been disguising her for years, they would marry her off at the first opportunity.
The mayor finds a solution that serves everyone but Faolan: He hires a gunslinger to ship her off to the Settlement, a remote fort where social outcasts live under the leadership of His Benevolence Gideon Dillard. It’s a place rife with mystery, kept afloat by suspicious wealth. Dillard’s absolute command over his staff just doesn’t seem right. And neither do the strange noises that keep Faolan up at night.
When Faolan finds the body of a Settlement boarder, mangled by something that can’t possibly be human, it’s clear something vicious is stalking the palisades. And as Settlement boarders continue to drop like flies, Faolan knows she must escape to evade the creature’s wrath.
Trouble Always Follows Faolan
It seems the protagonist can never catch a break in Red in Tooth and Claw! Faolan’s very appearance is enough to stir trouble, with red hair and ghostly, pale gray eyes. First, her grandfather dies, and now Faolan must wait until she becomes of age to inherit his land. All the while maintaining her disguise as a young man on the Settlement. As she starts asking questions and looking for potential ways to escape, Faolan finds herself entangled in Rover territory, punished in the Penitent Box, and even a sacrifice for a cursed ritual.
It Kept Us On Our Toes
Along the lines of Faolan always getting in trouble, Red in Tooth and Claw knows how to keep us expecting the unexpected. The Settlement seems like a peaceful community, with everyone playing a role to provide for each other. But the unsettling screams at night leave Faolan with more dread and questions. And the characters surprised us with their development as well. The gunslinger Will Speed eventually became one of our favorite characters, though we couldn’t trust him in the beginning. And we also get a dash of romance between Faolan and Tallis, a Rover who comes to her rescue quite often.
The Mystery Runs Deeper Than We Think
We’ll admit it: we don’t usually go for horror novels for fear of nightmares. But we really enjoyed the horror and mystery in Red in Tooth and Claw! Faolan tries to uncover the Settlement’s secrets and what creatures prey on its people and animals at night. We weren’t expecting the cursed rituals to open portals leading to another world. Although we suspected certain characters of being the masterminds, we didn’t know just how dark of a history the Settlement had. Not knowing was the scariest part, and we’d risk the nightmares to read it again!
With a unique setting, dark secrets, and terrifying creatures that go bump in the night, Lish McBride’s Red in Tooth and Claw is the perfect spooky read!
Red in Tooth and Claw by Lish McBride comes out on October 8th. You can preorder a copy of it here!
What do you think about Lish McBride’s new novel, Red in Tooth and Claw? Were you hooked? Let us know on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram!
Want to hear some of our audiobook recommendations? Here’s the latest!
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